Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
These healthy banana blueberry muffins are healthy and so simple and even though they use 100% whole wheat, they are as moist as can be.
There are some recipes I seem to go back to and make over and over no matter that I have a zillion recipes waiting in the wings to try.
These banana blueberry muffins are one of them. After snagging them from cute Janssen’s blog, I have made them no less than a dozen times.
They are healthy and so simple and even though they use 100% whole wheat, they are as moist as can be. They really are some of the most perfectly delicious muffins around.
Definitely a staple around our house (they keep great in the freezer!) and although I hate to make such blatant statements, I think if you pinned me down on it, these would be one of my all-time favorite muffins.
One Year Ago: Andes Mint Cupcakes
Two Years Ago: Lasagna Primavera
Three Years Ago: Chocolate Toffee Cookies
Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter, room temperature
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (71 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups (249 g) whole wheat flour
- ¼ cups (25 g) quick or regular oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ripe bananas, lightly mashed
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup frozen blueberries
- 2 teaspoons flour
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat together the butter, yogurt and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. In a blender or food processor, process the oats until they are finely ground. Add the wheat flour, baking soda and salt and pulse one or two times until the dry ingredients are lightly combined. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the lightly mashed bananas. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Toss the blueberries with the 2 teaspoons flour and then gently fold them into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (watch the muffins carefully since each oven may vary slightly in temperature affecting exact baking time). Let the muffins rest in the pan for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe I spied on Janssen’s blog, originally from Everyday Food
81 Comments on “Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins”
Made this today ! Rainy, cool and just a GOOD reason to fire up the stove. Had fresh blueberries I had frozen. They are quite good, I did not have baking soda I discovered after I started! So 3 teaspoons of baking powder. I forgot the oats! Duh!! Added a few more blueberries. THANKS! I will try again with all your originals! GOOD ONE!! Oh yes and I am in Guatemala!
At first, I gave it second thought did I really want to drag out another machine to process the oats. Glad I did as the recipe turned out perfectly, even here at high altitude baking. I used fresh blueberries, so I didn’t need to add the flour to them. Recipe is a keeper. I like the texture; they are easy to handle and don’t fall apart as you eat. them.
I have made these muffins before and loved them. It has been a couple of years though, and since then I found it I have an oat allergy. Do you think I could just use more flour instead of the oats, since the oats get blended up anyway?
Yes, I think you could probably do that! Try increasing the flour by 2-4 tablespoons.
This was a great recipe to make with my toddler! Perfect for finger-mixing and a healthy snack at the end. These kept really well in the fridge and are delicious warmed up!
Really like these muffins, especially the healthy part. Have some in my freezer now.
Wondering how many calories so I can plan my day.
These are super yummy. I made it with white whole wheat, and I used sour cream instead of yogurt (since that’s what I had). I was worried the muffins would spill over the pan since they were really full, but they just because big, beautiful, hearty muffins.
These are great without the blueberries! I used half as much sugar, too, and they’re perfectly sweet!
Really good.I didn’t use the blender I put the dry ingredients in normal way
Oh I forgot that I used sour cream instead of yogurt see amount
Same amount instead of my mistake see
Wow, these are so good. I was surprised because I have tried many “healthy” muffins and none of them have really been that great. Thank you for the recipe!
I subbed Stevia in the Raw for the white sugar, and they turned out delicious!
WHERE ARE BRAN FLAKES IN THE GROCERY STORE? IVE NEVER BOUGHT THEM BEFORE. THANKS!!
In the cereal aisle.
Made these muffins tonight and my husband who likes nothing ‘lite’ loved it so this is my new banana muffin go to, thank you 🙂
These were amazing!! I made a few changes: coconut oil for butter, pure maple syrup for the sugars and buttermilk for the yogurt (cause that’s what I had). Kept everything else the same and they were divine. Super moist and flavorful and delicious. I’m so tired of healthy muffins that are as dry as rocks so these are going in my permanent rotation!
Thanks Mel!
I made some blueberry muffins a few weeks ago from a recipe I found on Pinterest and they were to die for good. BUT they were fattening and I am pregnant and I ate too many of them… So today I tried this recipe. It’s got 50 less calories each, half the fat and sugar and three times the fiber. AND they were super yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
made these today and they’re delicious!
These were the yummiest whole wheat muffins I’ve ever made. I even subbed quick steel cut oats for the oats and coconut sugar for the white sugar, so I feel like they were completely virtuous. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Laurie!
How do you store these?
Hi Viktoriya – I store these well-covered at room temp for 1-2 days, otherwise, I freeze them and reheat them lightly in the microwave.
Thanks! These are amazing by the way:))
Can I use vanilla powder instead of extract?
Hi Viktoriya – I’m not familiar with vanilla powder so you’ll have to experiment. Good luck!
I made these this morning for breakfast! You’re right—they are very moist! I added a little more than 1 cup of blueberries just because I love blueberries so much 🙂 Thanks for the recipe, Mel!
How can I add this recipe to my pinterest account? The gray pinterest button above isn’t working.
Pamela – if you hover over the picture(s) there is a Pin It link you can click on. Otherwise, I just clicked on the gray Pinterest icon and it is working – what browser are you using? You might try refreshing your browser and trying to pin again.
These are amazing!! I ended up using gluten free all purpose flour instead of the whole wheat flour, and they came out absolutely delicious! Thanks so much, Mel, for all of your amazing recipes. We also made the shrimp enchiladas last night and my husband ate unbelievably slowly because he didn’t want the meal to end. ha
Made these today with mini chocolate chips because I didn’t have blueberries and they’re delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
These muffins are some of my family’s favorite! Any chance you would have a healthy whole wheat pumpkin muffin recipe? I’ve tried to modify this one and failed!
I just made a batch of these, and they are DELICIOUS! I’m sometimes leery of whole wheat baked goods, but these are really great. My daughter was telling me about all the gross “food” that other kids are bringing for their snacks at school, and I suddenly felt compelled to make something wholesome and real. These will be a wonderful snack for her (and maybe breakfasts, too!) Thanks, Mel!
These are AWESOME! I doubled the recipe and got 35 muffins somehow:) I subbed coconut oil for the butter and I always use ground flax seed in place of eggs. I couldn’t believe how moist they really were. I feel like when I make anything with whole wheat flour, it’s never as moist as all purpose, but these just proved me wrong! Thanks Mel.
Amber – I don’t know since I haven’t tried it. Flax might absorb liquid a bit differently than oats so play around with the amounts if you decide to try it.
Would it work to use ground flax seed in place of the oats?
These are baking in the oven right now!
Kate – worth a try, although I haven’t done it that way myself so I don’t know how all the balance of flavors will play out. I would sub it straight across the first time and see how it goes.
What about using honey instead of sugar? Would that totally throw off the balance? I know I use honey in my whole wheat bread recipe, but maybe you would need to adjust the liquid to dry ingredient ratio? What do you think?
These are so so yummy! We loved them. I used sour cream in place of the yogurt and they still turned out great. Will definitely make a double batch next time!
Mel, these are some of the BEST blueberry muffins I’ve tasted! I ended up using 1.25 cups whole wheat flour and .5 cup brown rice flour (only because I ran out of the wheat flour) but they were great, thanks!
I just made these muffins this morning as a mid-morning treat for my 9th grader who had his first midterm at school today. My younger one does not like blueberries in muffins, so I substituted mini chocolate chips (about 1/2 c. or so) and they worked out great. I was worried about losing some moisture without the blueberries, but they were outstanding. Another great recipe with whole wheat and oatmeal…love it! Thank you.
Katie – they won’t turn out exactly the same if brown sugar is subbed completely for white but they may have an ok result still – you’d just have to experiment. Brown sugar has a bit more moisture and density than white sugar and can affect texture in baked goods.
Do you think I can sub brown sugar for the white sugar and they will still turn out the same?
My three year old and I made these this morning and they are so good! We both enjoyed one as a morning snack. It’s hard to believe that a recipe this healthy can be so delicious! I’m making your sweet and spicy pork tenderloin tonight, and can’t wait.
Loved these! So glad to have a healthy muffin recipe that’s easy and delicious. Thanks!
These were SO GOOD! I love that they have such a high fruit to butter/sugar ratio. Thanks for this one!
These were amazing. I doubled the recipe and have been putting them in my kids lunches all week. I got a break from making sandwiches, thanks!
Recently we gave up using white flour and I have been trying to find a muffin recipe that I really liked. This one was it. These were awesome. Thanks and I hope you can get out of the hotel soon. Having four boys myself, I can imagine the fun times 🙂
Hi Mel, thanks for another great snack for the kids! My 2 girls love the banana oat bars, but were getting a little tired of them. I decided to try these because with no nut butter, these can be brought to school. I had to make some subs. I thought I would share: because I only had 1 banana, I added about 2/3 of a snack cup of applesauce. I used 1 cup AP Flour, and 3/4 wheat. Because 1 daughter doesn’t like blueberries, I added about 1/2 cup choc. chips. And, because I like it, I added cinnamon. They came out moist and delish!
I’m going to make a batch of these for a grab and go breakfast. Bet they would be delicious when warmed, split and smeared with fat free cream cheese.
I used chobani yogurt, fresh blueberries, skipped adding the flour to them, and these were fabulous!! SO good! We will be eating a lot of these – thanks!
Brittany, I used Chobani Greek yogurt and mine turned out wonderfully!
These looks so good! I have them in the oven right now. Though, have you used Greek yogurt before? It’s all I had, so I’m hoping it works out. Also, I doubled the recipe and I got 2 dozen regular sized and 2 1/2 dozen mini muffins out of it??? If they turn out I’m thrilled, just praying I didn’t mess something up 🙂
we make blueberry muffins at my bakery every friday, and one variation involves bananas. the recipe is remarkably similar to this–winner! 🙂
Made these this morning and they turned out great!
Made these and they were yummy!!
I substituted Hodgson Mill’s multi grain for the oats ( a combination of oats, unprocessed wheat bran, milled flaxseed, soy grits, untoasted wheat germ and cracked whole wheat) Thanks for sharing!!
Made these the day you posted. I actually made two batches. I added walnuts to one batch. When you said they freeze well I had to try it. So Great. I was able to easliy substitute to make these w/o dairy. Butter-applesauce, Yogurt-soy yogurt, Eggs-egg replacer, Milk- Soy/Almond Milk. Aweseome!
Hey Mel, I was noticing you list salad on one of your weekly meal plans. Do your boys eat salad? If so, do you have any tips for getting kids to eat salad? I would feel like the greatest mother in the world if my kids would eat raw veggies (besides carrots).
These look delicious, I will be trying them soon! My sons have been asking for muffins all day, so this works out perfectly. Good luck in your new place, I hope the boys had a great first day of school! It’s a big transition but I am sure you will find a place, new friends and settle in just fine 🙂 Especially if you share what an awesome cook you are!
I made these this morning and they are great. I love the blueberry/banana combo and so did my family. I appreciate the fact that a muffin doesn’t have to taste like cake to be a muffin and I would rather serve something wholesome like this for breakfast or an after school snack. Thanks for sharing! Good luck with your move and stuff!
I love that you read Janssen’s blog too! It’s fun to see the over lap with two blogs that I love read. I’ve been meaning to try these. I never have plain yogurt on hand though. I guess I need to suck it up and buy some!
My three year old and I made a morning project together to bake these up this morning. They turned out beautifully!!! I am excited at the thought of freezing several of them for quick breakfasts on the go! Many thanks for a wonderful and healthy muffin!
I made these last night and they were AMAZING. I followed the recipe exactly except I didnt have blueberries, so I used raspberries instead. And of course my partner hates fruit so her batch was made with chocolate chips. Both muffins were so moist and delicious. I brought one to work this morning for breakfast and cant wait to eat it! lol. This will be my go to recipe for now on. I cant believe these are healthy!
Ok, just made these and they are flipping AMAZING!!…I just ate two and could probably have eaten more, but figured I better leave some for the rest of the family. I followed the recipe exactly and they were moist and delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing. My family loves you Mel and so do I. Every recipe turns out beautiful. Thank you!
Rebecca – I haven’t tried the substitution so I can’t attest to the results but I’d say it’s a pretty safe sub.
These look delicious! Can I sub sour cream for the yogurt? Or maybe something else? I don’t have yogurt and I’m too lazy to make a trip to the grocery store.
Mel, where in MN?? I’ma Minnesooootan. 🙂
When this recipe came across my email I immediately added what I needed (plain yogurt) to my grocery list and made them for supper tonight. OH.MY.STARS. They are honestly some of the best muffins I have ever eaten. All 3 kids like them and that is a rarity indeed. Thank you for sharing! When I try one of your recipes and LOVE it (which is pretty much every one I’ve tried) I always post the link to Facebook so my friends can enjoy your yummies too! Many blessings!
Mel,
……just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you and wishing that the hotel stay will be brief, that the boys just love their new school, that your new house will have a great kitchen, that little Camryn is content, that you and your hubby are happy. AND the list goes on.
Also, thanks for the new muffin recipe. It sounds great. I will definitely try it out. Your muffin recipes never disappoint and I think I have tried (and loved) each of them.
I love that these are healthy! Will be trying them 🙂
Mikki – that’s it! I’m firing my proofreader. 🙂 Yes, I meant blueberries – just edited the post. Thanks for alerting me!
Aww! Good luck to your boys starting at a new school and to your whole family settling into a new city. And I can’t wait to try these muffins! I have been pushing hard to get my family to eat more baked goods with whole wheat flour, but that has been hard to do.
I have made a very similar recipe but it uses buttermilk instead of the yogurt and milk. I also add ground flax seed to boost up the nutrition a bit. Whole wheat pastry flour works really well in a muffin recipe. Sometimes it is a bit hard to find though. I also sprinkle a little bit of oats on the top before baking. Makes them look extra special. 🙂 I lived out of a hotel once for 2 months because our house burned down. It didn’t even have a fridge or a microwave. I got SO sick of eating out!! We were just dying for a home cooked meal. The things we take for granted when we have it all the time… 🙂
I always add a tsp of cinnamon to my banana muffins– although I add choc chips instead of blueberries. OOOPS!!
Way to go for not crying. I always get tears on the first day, and at a new school too! Hope it goes well! My daughter loves your regular blueberry muffins so much! We will have to try these! Hope you get glowing reports after school today!
WOW! You have no idea how flattered I am! So glad you guys are liking these muffins as much as we do.
Good luck on the first day of school and the move.
Hope your kids survived their first day! The muffins look delicious!
Recipe says 1cup frozen blueberry muffins. Don’t you mean just 1 cup blueberries?
Oh Mel, these muffins look delicious, but I am thinking of you today as you send your little guys to their new school in their new town! I don’t know if I could have kept back the tears! I hope you and your boys have a great day, and find a house soon so you can get back into the kitchen doing what you love…cooking amazing meals for your family!
These sound awesome! Yum!