These whole wheat banana walnut muffins are easy, wholesome, and satisfying. They’re just as moist and flavorful as classic banana muffins, but they’re made with whole wheat flour, pure maple syrup, coconut oil, and whole oats.
I originally published this recipe in 2018 and have made them dozens of times since. I began adjusting the leaveners so the muffins rise a little taller, taste a little fluffier, and no longer have a chemical aftertaste from excess baking soda. I also slightly increased the milk so the muffins don’t taste as dense. The written printable recipe below includes these slight changes. I know you’ll love the muffins even more now!
Why You’ll Love These Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins
- Wholesome, healthy, and satisfying
- 100% whole wheat
- Moist and delicious
- Not overly sweet so the banana flavor shines
- Oats add a delicious whole grain and chewy texture
- Flavored with cinnamon
- No refined sugar
- Dairy free if using a dairy free milk
Big sugar-filled muffins are great (looking at you, double chocolate muffins!) but a healthy muffin that’s also an easy and delicious muffin is wonderfully useful. Just like my healthy blueberry banana muffins and whole wheat banana bread, today’s muffins are moist, hearty, and flavorful. They’re also kid-friendly. In fact, whenever a reader asks me for kid-friendly recipes that are also a little healthy, I always suggest muffins. Muffins are quick, manageable, portable, acceptable for breakfast and snack time, and usually require very little clean-up. Today’s whole wheat banana walnut muffins are no exception!
Simple and healthful ingredients can produce delicious-tasting baked goods if we use them right. I used my morning glory muffins as the starting point for this whole wheat banana muffins recipe. I added some oats and mashed banana, as well as a few other small changes.
If you love chocolate you’ll also appreciate my healthier chocolate banana muffins. Peanut butter aficionado? Try my peanut butter banana muffins (also made with whole wheat flour). Or if you’re not into banana, you’ll love these similar applesauce muffins or healthy apple muffins instead.
Overview: Ingredients in Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
Here’s a run-down of the ingredients you need and why they’re important:
- Whole Wheat Flour: We use 2 cups of whole wheat flour as the base of these muffins. You can switch out with all-purpose or white whole wheat flour if needed. I have not tested this recipe with any gluten free flour alternatives.
- Oats: Oats are an add-in and leave a wonderful texture. I wouldn’t compare these to blueberry oatmeal muffins, though. In that recipe, oats are more like the base of the recipe as opposed to a small add-in.
- Cinnamon, Salt, & Vanilla Extract: All add flavor.
- Baking Powder + Soda: Help the muffins rise.
- Bananas: Use 1 and 1/3 cups of mashed banana, which is about 3 medium or 2 large size bananas. If you’re ever looking for an easy way to mash bananas, just use your mixer. It’s what I do whenever I make regular banana bread. Peel and break up the bananas, place in a large bowl, then use your mixer to blend them. You could also use a blender. If your bananas are soft enough, you could easily mash them with a fork.
- Eggs: Eggs add structure and help bind everything together.
- Oil: Oil replaces butter and adds moisture. I love using melted coconut oil like we do in bran muffins, but vegetable oil works if that’s all you have.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Maple syrup replaces refined sugar in this muffin recipe and pairs wonderfully with the sweet bananas! You can use honey instead of the maple syrup, but the flavor will be different.
- Milk: I typically use unsweetened vanilla almond milk in this recipe. The whole wheat banana muffins will be dairy free if you use dairy free milk.
- Nuts: Use any kind of chopped nuts in this recipe or leave them plain. I usually use chopped walnuts, but we also love them with chocolate chips if we’re craving a sweeter treat. Speaking of, if you love chocolate chips in your banana muffins, try banana chocolate chip streusel muffins or raspberry chocolate chip banana muffins next!
Optional Toppings
For some flair, top the muffins with oats and/or a sprinkle of coconut sugar. Both are optional, but I think you’ll enjoy the extra caramelized crunch from the coconut sugar on top. Instead of oats and coconut sugar, add some sprinkles on top of each before baking. Boom! A healthy muffin that seems *almost* like a sprinkle cupcake!
Print
Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Walnut Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These whole wheat banana walnut muffins are easy, wholesome, and satisfying. They’re made with whole wheat flour, pure maple syrup, coconut oil, and whole oats.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (43g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/3 cups (306g) mashed banana (about 3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil or melted butter)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) pure maple syrup*
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk (any kind)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped nuts (any kind—I use 120g walnuts)
- optional: 3 Tablespoons oats and/or coconut sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.
- Whisk the flour, oats, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. Then whisk in the eggs, oil, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stir a few times, then add the nuts. Fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Top with oats and a light sprinkle of coconut sugar, if desired. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 15-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20-21 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.) Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) *optional | Cooling Rack
- Oats: This recipe uses whole rolled oats, but you can use the same amount of quick oats if needed. You can also skip the oats if desired, but I recommend adding a little more flour to help soak up some liquid, such as 3 Tablespoons (about 24g).
- Maple Syrup: You can use honey for the maple syrup, but the flavor will be different.
- Initial High Temperature: The hot burst of air will spring up the top of the muffin quickly, then the inside of the muffin can bake for the remainder of the time. This helps the muffins rise nice and tall.
- Nutrition Information: Using VeryWellFit calculator and calculated using coconut oil, skim milk, and walnuts, these muffins come out to 190 calories, 8.5g fat, 25g carbs, 2g fiber, 5g sugar, and 4g protein each.
I love ALL.your recipes but I made.this and.it.looks.lovely but not at all sweet enough.
So impressed! I have not tried whole wheat recipes for many years and without white sugar. These are fabulous, thank you! Cannot wait to try more of your whole wheat recipes.
This is a go-to recipe for me, great for those times (every time) I end up with brown bananas on the counter. Easy. Healthy. Delicious. Wonderful. I always add coarse sugar to the tops, and I freeze them so the sugar stays crispy. One minute microwave at 50% power works every time. But what I really love is how tall the muffins get when you hit them with that initial 5-minute burst of heat. I use white whole wheat flour – have not tried making them with regular whole wheat flour. These are my second-favorite muffin. First place goes to pumpkin nut muffins a la Cookie & Kate. Thanks for the recipe…..and especially for the technique!
First, I want all readers to know how grateful I am for Sally AND her team (I want to be sure the team members receive credit and that they know they are appreciated too)!. Sally’s Baking Addiction is my go-to site for baking (and dinner, and sides…), and I’m NEVER let down. So thank you Sally and team for your extensive experimentation, time, and effort you devote to share your “perfect” recipes. Now for the muffins…. While making these today, I recalled how many times I’ve baked them and felt compelled to leave feedback. Today, the muffins will be a double treat as I am trying to watch my weight yet I can still satisfy my taste buds and enjoy a delicious snack – guilt-free! When I reviewed the ingredients, I was surprised that no sugar is listed. I never thought 1/3 cup maple syrup and 1.5 bananas would provide enough “sweetness” but Sally proved me wrong! I also want to give a huge shout out for the Creamy Lemon Chicken and the crispy Chicken Fingers with homemade blue cheese – both of which are now staples at our house. And if you haven’t tried the strawberry cupcakes, you are missing a piece of heaven (the first SBA recipe I made & sent feedback for (I make them every May and June, as soon as strawberries are ripe in MD. THANK YOU AGAIN TEAM!!
Thank you so much for this kind feedback, Ellie! We’re so happy to hear how much you enjoy our recipes. Thanks again!
The family loved these muffins. Thanks
This recipe is delicious. I did not add the nuts as we don’t care for them. My picky eater granddaughter absolutely loved them. She ate two immediately. I will be making them more often. Thank you.
I need to stay away from this Sally’s website. Everything I’ve made so far has come out super, tastes awesome and is true to the descriptions of the recipes in regards to taste and appearance and I’m not a super experienced baker. So why do I need to stay away? I can’t stop eating the recipes I’ve made here. Thankfully even my son eats the cake and muffins I’ve been cooking which brings about a whole new faith system a son has in his bus driving father!
These muffins don’t taste very healthy but they most certainly are. They are sweet enough, moist and don’t have an overpowering taste of any one ingredient, all done without any processed sugar!
I used honey instead of maple syrup because it’s what I had in the cupboard and maple syrup here is very expensive. I added about 30g of sultanas because I like sultanas with my nuts and I only used 100g of walnuts because it already looked like plenty. I sprinkled some coffee sugar (large granule raw sugar which has no actual coffee flavour) on the tops with the oats The results (for my tastes) is perfect. The honey didn’t change the taste of the muffin for me because I don’t know what they taste like with maple syrup.
The nutritional value per muffin (12 in total) for my ingredients is as follows:
Calories – 259, Total carbs – 30.6g (fiber – 2g, sugars – 10.3g), Protein – 5.3g, Fat total – 12.8g (polyunsaturated – 4.2g, saturated – 6.1g, cholesterol – 0.6mg), Sodium – 225.6mg. Along with lots of other really good vitamins and minerals from the bananas and other natural/healthy ingredients. Thanks again Sally!
Tastes and feels like bread with a hint of banana. Sad I wasted a lot of quality ingredients on this, would have much rather added more maple syrup or some coconut sugar and had them taste kind of sweet. And I used VERY ripe bananas. Also the instructions of bake for 5min at 425 is an added step that just makes the recipe harder and easier to forget about turning down.
Such a great recipe! My husband couldn’t even tell these weren’t made with butter or sugar like a traditional banana bread recipe we usually use. They are so tasty and healthy! Win win!
I don’t know how this got so many good reviews. I followed the recipe and they turned out dry and flavorless. I was hoping to make something healthy for my small children to eat in the morning, but my toddler literally said “Mom I don’t like these muffins. Can I get some different ones?” She usually likes most everything I bake. So dissapointing.
Great recipe!! After the initial 5 minutes, these only needed 12 minutes at 350 and the toothpick came out clean. So I would suggest checking them maybe at 10 to 12 minutes so they don’t overcook.
I love these muffins! I LOVE that they are healthy and best thing all my boys love them. I do add chocolate chips which makes them not as healthy, but I am just so glad to have a great muffin that they enjoy to pack in their school lunches.
These muffins are very much dependent on one’s taste and tolerance for sweetness. I followed the recipe as stated, except I used a silicone muffin pan (no liners or spray needed). I thought they were perfectly sweet, wholesome, and had a subtle banana flavor. My BF thought they were flavorless. They were a little dry, so if I make them again, I would bake 15 instead of 16 minutes. My BF didn’t think they were dry at all. Opposite palates, what are you going to do?? LOL 😉 I used nonfat milk, 3 and a 1/2 very ripe bananas (~320 g), a mixture of walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts and almonds. I sprinkled the muffin tops with hemp seeds and coconut sugar to add a nutty sweetness.
Loved the texture and taste of these! Felt they could be a tad sweeter next time. Followed recipe with exception of 3 (4?) changes: first, made 2 flax eggs due to egg intolerance (added 1/2 tsp extra baking powder for lack of egg); second, mixed in caramel bits with the nuts; third, made as 6 jumbo muffins instead of regular size. Baked for 9 minutes at the higher heat and then 18 at the lower heat due to jumbo size. Love them! Will be my go to for banana muffins!!
Excellent recipe! I will make these many times, with different nuts and perhaps even with chocolate chips! Thank you!
I’m making these a 2nd time. They were so good that they deserve to be made again! I followed recipe as written except instead of using 1/3 cup coconut oil, i subbed an equal amount of yogurt and olive oil to equal 1/3 cup. (To cut down on fat). They were moist and delicious!
I always trust your recipes, but think this one might have an error in the amount of baking soda? The muffins were nearly inedible because of the flavor of unreacted baking soda – that bitter, soapy flavor.
Hi Thea! 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon baking powder is correct. Often when that flavor is overpowering, it means that your baking soda could be getting old.
I really liked the texture and banana flavor; I have tried your “Simply Banana Muffins” recipe and the flavor is similar to me! But, somehow, I find the recipe a little…salty? Could there have been salt in my maple syrup??
Hi Erin! There shouldn’t be any salt in maple syrup. Did you use salted nuts? That can make a difference. Otherwise, you can definitely reduce the salt to your taste next time.
Love the rise with the quick blast of hot heat. Great ingredients for a healthier morning option. Will definitely make again!
Hi – I’m looking for a banana blueberry nut recipe that is not necessarily healthy? It’s ok if it is!
Hi! I l love this and all your other ‘healthy’ loaves and muffins. I haven’t seen a ‘healthy’ blueberry loaf or muffin recipe. Do you have one? or can you create one?
thanks for letting me know!
Hi Lynne! We’d recommend our blueberry oatmeal muffins recipe. You can bake that as a loaf if desired. Let us know if you give it a try!
Healthy and my son loves it! Thank you. I used honey instead of maple s. and i sprinkled with a few dark chocolate chips.
Family really enjoyed
I was really disappointed in this recipe. I followed it precisely and weighed the ingredients with a food scale and they turned out extremely dry, to the point of being almost inedible, and not sweet enough. I may have overmixed the batter but I’m surprised that could result in such a dry muffin.
Maybe your banana wasn’t very ripe? Or maybe you left the muffins a little longer in oven? I like to cut around 1 minute from baking so it doesn’t dry out
I always come to Sally’s for any baking recipe I need! As usual, this was an excellent recipe. Delish and rose beautifully. Thank you!