by 
These Banana Oatmeal Muffins are easy to make and full of flavor and texture. They are perfect for breakfast or snacking.
With over 2 million page views, hundreds of five-star reviews, and almost 100,000 social shares, this is my most popular muffin recipe that readers keep coming back to make again and again.
Excellent muffin recipe! I made them a few weeks ago and I'm making them again right now. My three and a half year old granddaughter loves them! This recipe is a keeper for sure! Thank you!
Oatmeal banana muffins
These tasty banana muffins have plenty of banana flavor and get a chewy texture from the old-fashioned oats. And to take these muffins a step further, I’ve added a delicious oat topping.
No special equipment needed when making these muffins. You need a bowl, a heavy-duty spoon for mixing, and a muffin tin for baking. Whether you’re a novice in the kitchen or an experienced baker, these banana oatmeal muffins will get you rave reviews in your kitchen!
My top tips for making these muffins include
- Use Very Ripe Bananas: Overripe bananas with dark spots or fully brown skins work best, as they provide natural sweetness and a moist texture.
- Don’t Skip the Oats: Use old-fashioned oats for a chewy texture that complements the banana flavor. Quick oats can alter the texture and may not absorb liquid as well.
- Perfect Crumb Topping: Ensure the crumb topping is mixed until it resembles coarse crumbs. This adds a sweet, crunchy layer to the muffins.
- Even Muffin Sizes: Fill the muffin cups evenly using an ice cream scoop.
If you are looking for a little variety, here is another tasty banana muffin recipe to try!
Banana Oat Muffin Ingredients
- Oats - Use old-fashioned oats or rolled oats. They have a thicker texture than quick oats and are perfect in this recipe.
- Flour - Regular all-purpose flour is used. Be certain to measure your flour using the fluff and scoop method.
- Bananas - The riper the bananas, the better. Choose very brown bananas. You’ll need 1½ cups of mashed bananas which is about 3 bananas.
- Sugar - Two types of sugar are used in this recipe. Granulated sugar is used in the muffin batter and brown sugar is used for the topping.
- Oil - The oil adds moisture and helps create a perfect crumb. Use a light-flavored oil like canola or vegetable oil.
- Spices - Ground cinnamon and nutmeg add the perfect amount of spice.
- Vanilla - Use pure vanilla for the best flavor.
- Leavening - One egg, baking powder, and baking soda are all used in this recipe.
How to make Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Mix the oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a large bowl.
- In a smaller bowl mix egg, oil, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir.
- Stir in mashed bananas.
- Fold together until well combined.
- Divide into 12 sprayed or lined muffin tins.
- Mix the remaining oats, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Sprinkle topping over unbaked muffins.
- Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
You might also enjoy these muffins baked into a loaf of oatmeal banana bread.
How to store Banana Oat Muffins
Once the muffins are fully cool, store them in a single layer in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To freeze the muffins, place fully cool muffins in a freezer-safe container or bag in a single layer. Muffins are best used within 1-2 months.
Tips for making Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Use fresh baking powder - baking powder can lose its effectiveness and if old, your muffins might not rise properly.
- Fully preheat your oven - I use a separate oven thermometer in my oven to make certain my oven has reached the proper temperature. My preheat light often turns off before the oven has reached full temperature so I always give it extra time.
- Do not overmix batter. Just stir until everything is mixed in. Over-stirring can cause tough muffins.
- Use an ice cream scoop for even-sized muffins. Plus it makes putting the batter in the tins easy peasy!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my muffin recipes!
Oatmeal Banana Muffins Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups oats (old fashioned oats or rolled oats)
- 1 ¼ Cups flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 whole egg
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ½ cups ripe bananas, mashed (about 3-4 bananas)
Topping
- ½ cup oats (old fashioned oats)
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl mix oatmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and sugar together.1 ½ Cups oats, 1 ¼ Cups flour, ½ cup sugar, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a smaller bowl mix egg, oil and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and stir. The mixture will be very dry at this time.1 whole egg, ¼ cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Fold in bananas. Keep folding until all the dry ingredients are mixed in.1 ½ cups ripe bananas, mashed
- Divide into muffin tin that has been either lightly sprayed with a nonstick spray or lined with paper liners.
- In another bowl combine topping ingredients. Sprinkle over muffin batter.½ cup oats, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes.
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas. The peel should have lots of brown spots and the bananas should mash easily.
- When measuring flour, don't overpack the measuring cup. Fluff up flour with a spoon or scoop, and then gently scoop it into the measuring cup and then level the cup.
- The batter may be a bit dry if bananas are not fully ripe.
- If batter is too dry add 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
- Use old fashioned oats or quick oatmeal. Steel cut oats do not work for this recipe.
- The old fashioned oats will add texture to the muffins.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
Recipe adapted from Mad about Muffins
Rossi says
I cut back on the sugar and added some chopped up dates which are also sweet
and chopped walnuts as well
Kathy says
Hi Rossi,
Sounds like a great idea! Thanks so much!!!
Kathy 🙂
Tina says
I would love to make these, but I'm wondering if I can use Oat flour or wheat flour instead of regular flour.
Kathy says
Hi Tina,
I have not made these with oat flour before and I'm not familiar with using it in baking. You can use whole wheat flour if you'd prefer.
Kathy 🙂
Caleb says
I really appreciate that these aren't too sweet. Great recipe with wonderful textures
Kathy says
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Kayla says
THE BEST!
I have been making these every week for a month. I’ve made them for neighbors and friends and they all love these as well!!’
I normally modify everything I make, but I haven’t with these. Perfect exactly as the recipe instructs.
Kathy says
Thank you!!! You just made my whole day!!! 🙂
Polyna says
I just made these and they are delicious, delicate, fluffy, and the tops are nicely rounded the way I love muffins to be. I used 3/4 cup mashed banana and 3/4 cup buttermilk instead of the 1 1/2 cup mashed banana (and soaked the oats in that while doing the rest of the prep) and I upped the nutritional ante with 120 g (1 cup) of grated zucchini and carrot. I ended up just sprinkling chopped walnuts and some turbinado sugar and a few oats on top! I also dropped the temperature to 350 F after the first 10 minutes because I have a convection oven. This is going in the muffins-to-remake-often file! Thank you so much!!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! I love all your additions too. Thanks for sharing your tips.
Kathy 🙂
Dragana says
I also add some wallnuts and chia seeds, and it gives perfect crunchy bite.
Thanks a lot for this awesome recipe!
Kathy says
Thank you! Walnuts and chia seeds are a great idea!
Denise A. says
Great recipe! I always make banana bread and was looking for something different. I’ll be making these again. Thank you.
Kathy says
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed! 🙂
LouAnn says
I used kind dark chocolate almond oatmeal really good
Kathy says
Sounds great! Thank you!
Mary says
Fantastic recipe. I did cut the sugar and only used brown sugar. I made a double batch. My kids are raving about them. 🙂 Very moist and flavorful. Thank you!
Kathy says
Thank you so much! 🙂
Diedre says
Just made these and they look amazing. I only had two banana so I added some low fat Greek yogurt. My batter was nicely moist. Thanks for your recipe.
Kathy says
Thank you! 🙂
Glenn says
I put in about 1/2 a cup of applesauce and they come out light and moist!
Kathy says
Thanks for your tip!
Kelly says
Did anyone else making these find the batter a bit dry/stiff?
My first batch was kind of hard and dense, so I added 2 extra eggs and some water(about 1/3 to a 1/2 C.) to the remaining batter and they came out alot more tender and fluffier.
*Also I understand oats will change the texture, I'm an avid baker, but my batter was so dry and more of a hard cookie batter.
I LOVED the measurements added so I didn't have to keep scrolling up and down
Kathy says
Hi Kelly,
The batter shouldn't be that dry and stiff. I'm glad you found a solution to make it work. Make certain your bananas are overripe and that you have 1 1/2 cups of the mashed bananas. They add a lot of moisture. Also, be careful when measuring your flour. Fluff it up first with a spoon and then spoon into your measuring cup.
Kathy 🙂
LilRed says
Just made these this morning! They were a hit with my 12 yr old. Can't wait for my Airbnb guests to try them! Add another thank you for putting measurements in the directions. The up and down with the screen makes me dizzy!
LilRed says
Oh, the only thing I changed was skipping salt bc hypertension runs in the family.
Kathy says
Thank you so much!
Leah says
The muffins were delicious. But even better was that you put the ingredient amounts within the recipe. So much better for my spastic brain and for reading on a device!
Kathy says
Thank you!
Christine says
Delicious !
Kathy says
Thank you!
Kaitlyn Oniki says
I made these gluten free by just substituting with gluten free oats and gluten free flour straight across and they were delicious! My family said they were some of the best muffins they’ve had! Thank you!
Kathy says
Thank you so much! Glad you found a way to make them gluten free! 🙂
Dorothee says
I found this recipe when searching for something to bake with the ripe bananas I had lying around, and as a big oatmeal fan I decided to try these.
They are great! I store them in airtight containers in a cupboard and they keep very well. I work from home and these muffins are perfect as a snack to grab between calls on a busy day.
I'll definitely make them again.
Best wishes from Germany 🙂
Kathy says
Thanks so much! They make a perfect snack! 🙂
Susan Morrison says
Love these muffins! Wondering if anyone has adapted the recipe to vegan with a flax egg and vegan spread?
Kathy says
Hi Susan,
I have not tried that myself, but hopefully someone else has and can reply!
Kathy 🙂
Minnie says
My son has an egg allergy and I replaced the egg with 1/4 cup of seltzer water (1/4 cup of seltzer per egg works in every muffin recipe I’ve tried so far). Turned out amazing!
Thank you for the recipe, Kathy - so good and the way it is written is so easy to follow on a phone!
Kathy says
Hi Minnie,
Thanks for sharing your tip! I have not heard of using seltzer in place of the egg. So glad that works!
Kathy 🙂
Hannah says
Just made these and I am so happy with how they turned out!
I skipped the topping because my kids are messy eaters, but they were perfect even "plain".
Kathy says
Hi Hannah,
Thanks so much!!!
Kathy 🙂
Amy says
Hello from England! We love these muffins! My children devour them and they smell heavenly when baking in the oven. Yum!I love that you include the amounts in the instructions too - makes following the recipe that much easier. Many thanks for sharing it with us. X
Kathy says
Hi Amy,
Thanks so much! So glad everyone enjoys them!!!
Kathy 🙂
Michelle says
Yes I love that you include the amounts in the recipe instructions. I use my phone often to read recipes and it’s so much more convenient to have a recipe set up this way so I’m not constantly scrolling up and down trying to follow steps and read ingredient amounts. Thank you!
Kathy says
Thank you!
Sophie says
Loved these, have tried others, but they don't compare. My boyfriend loved them, will add chocolate chips as another review suggested since he loves chocolate. Loved, loved, loved that you added the amounts of ingredients to directions, so helpful.
Kathy says
Thank you! And I agree, a little chocolate added will be delicious! 🙂
Tammy says
Made these for the first time today and doubled the recipe so I could freeze half. They are so GOOD!! I added a couple tablespoons of almond milk to get a muffin batter consistency and they were perfectly moist. This one's a keeper for sure. Thank you so much for adding the ingredients and amounts in the directions!
Kathy says
Thank you! So glad you loved them. 🙂