I’ve decided there are a lot of things that have to go right in my day to make it a good one. Quality coffee, good hair, new wears, exceptional weather, and of course, delicious food. If any one of these factors are amiss, there’s a fair chance the day’s events will follow suit. However, one particular trip to Kansas City with John proved to be quite the opposite. It was, for a lack of a better adjective, awesome.
It started with a good 30 minutes of playtime with the nephew at my sister and brother-in-law’s place in KC. There were lots of plastic bats and softballs flying, and fits of toddler squeals every few seconds. It was sheer joy. Then, off to the ladies room I went and a few shots of dry shampoo and a swipe of makeup later, John and I were out the door. Our first stop was the Plaza where we had one thing on our minds: coffee.
After walking into Latte Land and having a quick scan of the menu, my eyes were immediately drawn to the most beautiful banana muffin I’d ever seen, studded with giant whole, shelled walnuts. My mind was made up: A medium house coffee and that giant banana muffin.
A few minutes went by after receiving my coffee and I realized they’d forgotten my muffin. Extremely apologetic, the barista snagged my prize from the pastry case and offered me some free milk as a remedy for his fault. I obliged. The setting was perfect: Coffee, a banana muffin the size of my fist, and free local milk and wifi – I was in sheer heaven.
One bite into that muffin and I already wanted another one. Instead, I settled for recreating the recipe at home. Just a few days later upon our return back to Wichita, that’s exactly what I did. And literally, this is one of the best muffins I’ve ever had.
Three things I love about this recipe are 1) it’s hearty and healthy, 2) takes less than an hour to prepare, and 3) yields two GIANT vegan muffins that are seriously worthy of being sold at that very coffee shop. I wonder if they have an opening for a part-time baker? If so, that would be awesome, because I’m convinced the world needs more of these muffins.
These muffins are insanely moist and perfectly sweet, and they scream with rich banana flavor. And those giant nuts up top? Everything I’d hoped for and more. Plus, thanks to wholesome ingredients like flaxseed, whole-wheat pastry flour, and whole, shelled almonds, they’re actually quite healthy. At about 370 calories a piece, one of these constitutes a full breakfast meal. Since that’s about what I eat in the morning anyway, I’d be happy to keep these as a special weekend treat or cycle them the into my weekday breakfast routine. Oh joy.
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- pinch salt
- 1 very ripe banana
- 3 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp vegan butter, melted (heaping Tbsp is best)
- 1 small flax egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 Tbsp whole walnuts for topping
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and lightly butter two small ramekins with non-dairy butter. Prepare flax egg and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana, leaving some texture.
- Add brown sugar, baking soda, salt and whisk for one minute.
- Stir in flax egg, vanilla, melted butter and stir.
- Add flour and stir with a spoon or spatula until just combined.
- Divide batter evenly into the two ramekins - about 1/2 to 3/4 full - and generously top with walnuts.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden brown and a toothpick or knife comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes, remove from ramekins and serve warm. Additional butter isn’t necessary - these are very moist and quite perfect as is.
Adapted from Tyler Florence
I am totally making these
They just look wonderful, and so delicious!
Kinda freaking out because I live in Wichita too! Nice to meet another Wichitan. :) I’m in awe of you managing to replicate the muffin you loved–that’s something I can only dream about doing some day. Not the best recipe creator-lol. They do look superb and I’m pinning for future use.
Thanks Veronica! These muffins really are amazing! So nice to meet a fellow Kansan : )
How cute are those? I love that you baked them in ramekins
Dana, I love how you describe your sheer happiness over a coffee, a sweet and some wifi. Simple and inherently perfect things like that make me the happiest too. Reading that was a nice reminder.
I also bookmarked these muffins for breakfast in two days (when my bananas will be approximately ripe enough) :)))
Laura, your note and your eagerness to try my recipe have both made me very, very happy. So lovely to hear from you! I oogle at your blog all the time, no lie. Let me know how the muffins turn out. And while you’re at it, what you look for in a perfect, happy morning. Cheers.
Oh those do look delicious. I like the built in portion control.
Thank you sooo much for this recipe! I just tried it and i’m so completely happy (: They are so delicious!
You’re so welcome, Madeline! I was thrilled with the way these turned out, too! Glad you’re enjoying them!
Is it ok to use a regular egg and butter?
Yep!
i made these and added chia seeds and a little milk so they wouldn’t be dry. i put them in two mini loaf pans. Delish!!
that sounds more like it – now, about that flour – move over, let us do gluten free and plenty of mmmmmmm sounds from this house!
Made these and they were WONDERFUL! Moist, hearty & vegan = love. Thank you so much!
I made these tonight, and tripled the recipe to make 6 jumbo breakfast muffins for myself & my husband. AMAZING. I subbed the margarine for coconut oil and threw in a handful of shredded coconut. The best vegan muffin recipe I’ve tried. Thanks a bunch!
Hi Dana,
I made these today! I wanted to make them for breakfast, but instead had one as an afternoon snack. I didn’t have any ramekins, so I just made three in a normal muffin/cupcake pan. Delicious! I’m going to buy ramekins so I can make your big muffins more often. Thanks for the recipe!
-Christina
Love these! I’ve been experimenting with vegan baking and the last recipe was good but dry. The pastry flour was genius! Thx
cannot do doughnuts or muffins for breakfast!
I can barely cope with porridge, low fat milk and no sugar (not very sweet tooth)
these do sound lovely but perhaps as a naughty lunch or after virtuous salad for dinner!
Would they work with spelt flour or rice flour = gluten free?
Oh, please not 6 types of flour and xanthum …….cannot be bothered – really am big fan of all-in-one but not shop bought cake mixes.
any suggestions very welcome……
hi, can i use whole wheat flour in substitution of whole wheat pastry flour? do you have any substitutions in mind for the pastry flour? thank you!
Yes! I would just use the FauxMartha’s tip on mixing all purpose and whole wheat to achieve the same texture. Hope that helps!!
Delicious!!!! I made this and Im very happy with this recipes! Thank you!
Well I just made these and another batch of another recipe and these were better! Hearty and not gummy! I did mix in the walnuts an sprinkled top with chia seeds and double recipe using 1 flax and 1 real egg.
Great job!!
I just made these and they are so yummy!
I tripled the recipe and put them in the tiny muffin tins that I have. It made 28 little ones
I’ve been looking for a simple, banana nut muffin recipe for while! I was happy to find this one and not only is it a small batch, but it’s vegan too! I was looking forward to one of these with a hot coffee since I found the recipe the other day. I was practically drooling as I plopped the batter into the ramekins. These smell so good! Okay, honestly I’m not vegan. I’m a weakling vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy, though I am trying to cut out the eggs and some of the dairy. Maybe I’ll be vegan someday? So I used the flax egg, but dairy butter. I’m glad to see that someone had success making these with coconut oil instead, though! I’d love to try that once I get my hands on some. I was shocked to see these babies more than double in height as they baked! And they were absolutely moist and delicious! I have 2 more very ripe bananas to polish off… Muffins 3 days in a row? Sure! XD Maybe tomorrow I’ll even share them.
Yay! So glad you liked these so much. I was happy to see them rise quite a bit, too. Definitely one of my fave GF recipes so far.
I just made these as an afternoon snack for me and my husband after a day of errands, cleaning, and food prep. This is absolutely my favorite vegan muffin ever. I substituted coconut oil for the butter and it was lovely. Thank you for this amazing recipe. I see these becoming a Saturday afternoon staple.
so good! one of my favorites. I always at least double them;)
These are so delicious! I successfully substituted egg whites for the flax egg, macadamia nuts for the walnuts and used coconut palm sugar for the brown sugar. I also quadrupled the recipe to make more muffins. Yummy!!
Made these tonight, with a real egg and butter, subbed baking powder bc I didn’t have baking soda…and used the tip that you posted about making pastry flour. They turned out great ! Thank you! I’d like to try them all the way vegan next time, but loved them :)
Yay! so glad you enjoyed these as much as I did. They’re my favorite faux-coffeehouse muffins. Big, beautiful and supa moist. Mama likes.
can we bake it in the micro-wave ?
Great recipe . I have only been a vegan for 4 months . I have been doing a good job with main meals but this was my first baking experience . Success ! I used coconut oil and I substituted vanilla coconut yogurt for the egg / flax . My husband loves banana bread with chcocolate chips . I am going to see if I can find any good vegan options
I had one very sad and lonely looking, extremely ripe banana, found this recipe and oh my days they taste absolutely fabulous. Brilliant recipe, very easy ( my first time using a Flax Egg ). Thank you.
Yay! Glad to hear it! Thanks for sharing, Josie :D
Just baked these muffins and they are great. Perfect balance of sweetness, banana flavor & density due to WW pastry flour. I’ve been baking vegan for a several months but have never used flax as the substitute for traditional eggs. The flavor and texture of the product makes me want to explore adapting more recipes using flax egg as a replacement . I’m a recent transplant from NYC to the KC metro, so was pleasantly surprised to find you are a neighbor.
Hi! These look great! I’m wondering if it’s possible to use coconut oil instead of the vegan butter. That’s all I have at home right now.
Thanks!
Yes, of course :D
One more thing, would these work with regular all-purpose flour?
Yes!
These are incredible! The only change I made was using 2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce instead of the butter. Turned out amazing!!
What an amazing idea….to just make two huge succulent muffins!!!!
I followed the recipe exactly, except added mini chocolate chips (vegan of course) Served with a slice of ripe cantaloupe and a glass of almond milk-yum.
Thank you for sharing this recipe-it’s a definite do-over :)
These are amazing! We have made them several times now and they turn out perfectly every time. Thanks for the portion control recipe :) Now I can enjoy a delicious muffin anytime. Keep the recipes coming!
I baked the batter in a pie dish and loved it.
Great idea!
Just made these! SO yummy!!
This is my go-to recipe when I have a couple overly-ripe bananas. My kiddos love them. Have made them into mini muffins too! Any suggestions on making this gluten free?
I have these baking in the oven right now!! If they taste only half as good as they smell I am in heaven! Oh, and the batter is delicious also – my muffins will be slightly smaller because I couldn’t keep my self from eating the batter by the spoonfull ;)
I made these with chia seeds instead of flaxseed and they turned out great! No texture difference. And, I added 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup of raisins. Used coconut oil. My two yr old has already eaten 2 of these (with the streusel topping cut off -he doesn’t need the added sugar). Great way to use up ripe bananas!
Sorry, I meant to comment on the other recipe -banana muffins with streusel topping.
I just made them today but have not tried it yet. they smell great. Is it ok to only use baking powder instead of the soda? I wantto do a batch of 24 big muffins… I was wondering if I could cut back the bananas a little? I doubled the recipe today and figure I need to times it by 8 again to get 24 large muffins. That would be 16 bananas… Not sure how big your muffins were…. Great recipe! Now to do a traditional New York bran muffin… vegan… a heavy bran muffin with raisins. Might you have a recipe for that? :-) Thanks!
Delicous! I just made these and they taste really good..the texture is okay though..i want it more crumble-y, but still very good and easy
Wow. Thank you. This will literally be my go to recipe. So quick & easy to pull together. I used a cup-for-cup gluten free flour mix, only 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, omitted the nut topping & I added a tablespoon of chia seeds for fun. These were truly amazing. Honestly. Thank you. – I don’t always have success substituting the gf mix I mentioned. But these. Wow. The texture & flavourful was perfect. Total fan of your recipes. :)
Thanks Laura! So glad you enjoyed these. Thanks for sharing your changes! So helpful for me and other readers.
Hi,
I tripled the batch and used strawberry jam instead of brown sugar to sweeten it. I also substituted chocolate chips for walnuts and greek yogurt in place of vegan butter. Batter was very thick, baked it at 350 for 25 min. Came out nice but a little on the denser side. Not too sweet, perfect. Maybe next time, I will check it at 22 minutes with a tooth pick. Thank you for the recipe.
Anusha
These were yummy! I too used coconut oil. Thanks so much! :)
Lovely as a divorce coach I wanted a healthy treat to serve my clients when we begin our sessions. Tried this and worked well although I burnt the bottom when I used a cup cake holder – not sure why that happened. Lovely Vegan treat.
FYI – for those using a muffin pan (instead of ramekins), I’d suggest dividing the batter in 3 muffin spots for 18 mins at 350. I did mine for 19 mins at 375 and they came out just a little burnt. Also, are we supposed to use 3 heaping tbs of brown sugar? I think I eyeballed three conservative tbs of brown sugar and it didn’t turn out that sweet (and I don’t have a sweet tooth at all). But, in all the muffins were very moist. I honestly doubt anyone would even know it’s vegan. It’s a great recipe for a very ripe banana!
Quick question – would buckwheat flour work in this recipe?
They look amazing!!!
Hmm, I don’t think ALL buckwheat flour would work, but maybe a mix? I’d recommend maybe my a mix of GF flour blend with a little buckwheat and oats added in. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the easy recipe for delicious muffins! I made these for my (non-vegan) boyfriend’s birthday and we both enjoyed them. I tripled the recipe and used muffin tins instead of ramekins, the combination of which resulted in 10 fluffy muffins. (The smaller size meant they were done after about 18 minutes.) I subbed chia egg for the flax egg and AP flour for the WW pastry flour simply because that’s what I had on hand.
Mine didn’t rise. They turned out doughy and dense. What happened?
Not sure! Did you swap ingredients?
I used oat flour. Tried it again with whole wheat pastry flour. Worked well!
I used almond meal/flour instead of whole wheat flour.
They are in the oven now, keep you posted:)
Ok so I made them with the almond flour, they got stuck, could not pop them out.
Any suggestions??
Subbed with AP flour, egg and coconut sugar because that was what I had. It turned out awesome! I made it in 6 little silicone cupcake molds and it took just about 15 minutes. This was my first ever successful attempt at baking muffins so I’m thrilled and will be following for more minimalist baking!
Just made these for a brunch with a girlfriend and they were delicious!!! I added unsweetened coconut and blueberries…such a fun, yummy treat! Love that your not tempted to overindulge with more than just one!
Ever since I made these I can’t stop thinking about them, they’re that good! I used spelt flour and an organic egg, and left out the sugar (wasn’t feeling like something overtly sweet that day), they turned out perfect! It was also a great reason to finally use those cute ramekins I got as a gift :)
I love how simple and quick the recipe is (this is the first time I made my own muffins AND the first time I ate a banana muffin, ever!) and I will definitely be making it more often!
I just tried this recipe and my muffins turned out amazing! I didn’t have WW pastry flour on hand, so I made do with WW flour instead. Not that it made much of a difference- they were light, moist and everything a muffin should be :-) I chose to fold my nuts into the batter instead and sprinkled some rolled oats on top. I also added half the amount of sugar instead and an extra half of a banana. Thank you for this recipe!
My go to banana nut muffin recipe… The BEST! :-)
Just made them… There are so GOOD! Thank you! x
Whoop! Glad you enjoyed them!
These are amazing; decided to halve the recipe and make a snack for one :3
I had no sugar so I substituted that for honey, and for the egg replacement I used black chia seeds instead of flaxseed (had none of that either). Left out the vanilla and added some walnuts into the mixture and they come out moist and sweet with a nutty crunch. Perfect for my afternoon cup of coffee. Will definitely be making these again.
Every time I see a lonely ripe banana on my counter top I make these muffins. I love a muffin and coffee for breakfast and this one comes without the guilt. I use coconut oil instead of a vegan butter and coconut sugar for the brown sugar and they turn out beautifully every time. Easiest recipe ever, takes 5 minutes maybe to throw together and clean up is a breeze. Thank you so much for this recipe!!
p. s. enjoying seeing behind the scenes on your snapchat!
So great to know! Thanks for sharing, jennifer! And keep following along on snapchat! More shenanigans will ensue ;D
Our whole family loves these muffins. With the use of a nice, super ripe banana I have managed to cut the brown sugar in half without sacrificing taste or texture. Thanks for taking the time to create this recipe and posting it for us!
These are wonderful! Finally I have something to do with that one overripe banana that remains after I’ve devoured the rest of the bunch! Seeing as banana bread is usually one of those “no food waste” dishes I make, like stews and stirfry, I don’t usually like purchasing the extra 2 or 3 other brown gross-looking bananas that are necessary for full loaves, so this is a real help to me :)
I also personally make these added sugar free by substituting a small handful of dates for the brown sugar and throwing them and the banana in my food processor for about 20 seconds, and they were as sweet, scrumptious and fluffy as ever! Thank you Dana for adding a new breakfast muffin to my list of healthy breakfasts! Keep baking, girlfriend :)
Ah, thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed them!!
I tried this recipe using 1/3 cup of applesauce in place of the flax egg and it worked just fine. I also added another half of a banana for extra flavor, used regular whole wheat flour (blended in a Ninja blender to make finer), and used a regular 6 cup muffin pan. Made 6 muffins (on the small side) and the texture and taste came out wonderful! Great recipe.
Made it! I had 4 very rife bananas and a craving for baking something! They are so good but werent sweet enough for me, so i added maple syrup.
Thank you so much!
LC
Wonderful recipe! Doubled it because I had 2 bananas. Had 2 for a comfort food dinner. 2 more for breakfast tomorrow! Any idea of the average volume of fruit – I’d love to try this with applesauce or berries instead of bananas. Thanks so much for a healthier muffin!
Substituted the whole wheat pastry flour for spelt flour and it turned out so nice! No particular reason for the substitution other than the fact that spelt was all I had in my cupboard. My husband and I devoured these muffins and could eat another helping.
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Tanya!
I made this today and it was absolutely delicious.just one problem,it deflated a little bit after bringing out of oven.what did I do wrong?!
I substitued regular whole wheat flour instead of pastry and grapeseed oil instead of butter.
anyway the taste of it was perfect.I will make these again soon.thanks for the recipe
Might’ve been the butter/oil swap!
These are amazing! I’m glad that I only had one banana to make just one batch (I had to use my mini muffin tin), because I was blown away at how good these were. My son and I polished them all off for breakfast this morning! I’m trying to show him how delicious vegan eating can be, and these are stunning proof of it. Will absolutely be making a huge batch to freeze for the upcoming semester! I’ve also never commented on a recipe before, but had to in this case. Thank you!!!
Just made them and hubby and I loved it. The inside was a little moist but I figure when I make it again I will leave in for forty mins.
In the text it says that there are almonds in these muffins… I’m guessing you meant walnuts :)
I totally bastardized these and made them with blueberries this time! Usually I stud them with walnuts but not today. Awesome Valentine’s Day breakfast for me and m darling!
This is the only muffins I acually make!
These are fantastic! I made them for my girlfriend this morning and added cinnamon and substituted cashews in place of walnuts. They turned out wonderful! Thank you!
Thank you for sharing! Your recipes look amazing. I found your beetroot hummus recipe and ended up in the dessert section :P I can’t wait to try this one.
These are so delicious. Thanks for this. You’ve made vegan cooking so approachable! Eeee! :)
These were great!!!!! My husband looooved them!! I mixed whole wheat flour and unbleached all purpose. They were perfect. I love your recipes they have yet to fail me.
Yum! These were delicious and so easy to make after a long day when something a little sweet was required. I used eggs, butter and plain flour and they turned out perfect! I also baked in cupcake tin and doubled the recipe, so I had 9 delicious morsels – although they didn’t last long! Thanks Dana :)
Any idea what the nutrition would be without any walnuts on top? Thanks!
Hi dana, cant wait to try this recipe. Just wanted to check if I could skip the sugar completely? Thanks
I think so, but it will definitely affect the flavor/texture. Good luck!
I make these all the time. For extra zing I always add frozen raspberries or blueberries. They turn out perfect everytime. Thank you so much for the recipe! Eating these on the train ride to work with a coffee makes Monday tolerable. :p
Great tips, Amanda!
I made these exactly like you said (included a dash of cinnamon) and they were SO GOOD!!! I actually got 3 muffins out of it…perhaps my ramekins are smaller than yours. I’m also excited to try replacing the flax egg with unsweetened applesauce. But seriously, these are freaking delicious!
What size ramekins did you use?
Thanks
I make these muffins all the time except sub the butter for applesauce and use coconut sugar, and they are still a huge hit for every person that has tried them. Your recipes are all amazing and inspiring! Much appreciation and love for what you do.
I just made this and it was so delicious that i ate two of them ! I could’nt resist to put chocolate chips in it …… and i don’t regret it !! Thank you for sharing your recipes :)
This was the first recipe I have made off your website and it was a success!!! Needless to say, banana nut muffins or bread are not a thing here in Italy. It was a welcome reminder of home. I loved that they were dairy-free. I did use a real egg. The only change I made was I added a tablespoon of oat milk to the batter at the very end for more moisture. They turned out perfectly and popped right out of the ramekins. I ate both. Next, to try making your cinnamon rolls…
I just made these muffins and they are incredible. I’m actually baking a second batch right now because they are sooooo good. I did substitute the brown sugar for honey. DELICIOUS!!!! Thank you for sharing this incredible recipe.
Tripled this recipe because I had three soft bananas. Made in regular-sized muffin pans and even picky, non-vegan family members LOVED them. Great right out of oven & still delightfully flavorful & moist next day. These will be gone in a day or so. My new muffin recipe??. Thanks so much for sharing it.
I made this with my 3year old and man… we love them, I had to triple the Bach (making 12) just to have some for my husband to taste when he got home. Can we add oatmeal in it? How much without taking the moistness away?
Delightful!! Thank you for another great recipe. Every single one I’ve tried from your site is perfect :)
where on earth did you get the adorable mini ramekins ? I can’t find anything like them to make my single serve muffins in ! They are unique and I’d love to find them !
Hi! You can find them here!
I made these muffins two days in a row because my husband and I loved them so much. I used 2 tbsp of aquafaba instead of flax egg and substituted oat flour (I ran out of regular flour after the first batch). These are amazing! Thanks so much for sharing :)
Just made them and doubled the batch – so tasty! Will definitely make again.
These muffins are perfect every time. You’re right-They could easily be offered in any cafe or bakery! Quick, easy, delicious and I never throw away that last over-ripe banana anymore . I rarely engage in social media but this one’s a winner and worthy of praise! I use all purpose flour and it works just fine. I spend a lot of time creating in my own kitchen and take inspiration from your site often. Thanks for your thoughtful posts!
Made them yesterday, and I regret not having tripled or quadrupled the batch!!! They were sooo yummy!!! So flavourful, soft and moist!!! What a fantastic vegan recipe!!!! Thank you for your beautiful work!
Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!!!! I’d honestly be baking these muffins everyday had I tons of ripe bananas at hand! They are simply perfect: fluffy, moist and delicious!!!! The second time I baked them I added strawberries and dark chocolate! Heavenly. I posted the pics of the muffins plus the link to your recipe on my FB account and on other vegan pages, but was unfortunately unable to tag you! Thank you again! Your recipes are simply wonderful!
Hi!
These look wonderful but here in the UK there doesn’t seem to be any wholewheat pasty flour…..what can I sub with etc.
Thanks!
Kelly