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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
Katie says
I love these so much! They are one of my new favorites! I made these vegan, all I did was swap out the butter for vegan butter and replaced the egg for a vegan egg replacer. Thank you for an amazing recipe! I will be making again for sure!
Kathy says
Great idea! Thanks for sharing your great tip!
claudia says
The crunchy topping gives it a nice kick, i love it!
Kathy says
The topping is a must!
Monique says
Just made these. They came out really beautiful. I overcooked mine I think by two minutes. Still good tho.
Kathy says
Hi Monique,
I'm so glad you loved these! Every oven is a bit different and sometimes the cooking time varies.
Happy Baking!
Sibyl says
Thank you so much for this recipe!!! I just brought mine out of the oven about 20 minutes ago and they are PERFECT!!!! And thank you for the reminder to check the date on baking powder - I had two in the cabinet and one container was completely past date and needed to be thrown out 🙂
Kathy says
Hi Sibyl,
These are one of our favorites and so glad you loved them too! 🙂
Paula says
I'm going to make these tonight. I searched "How many cups are 3 bananas and came up with 1 cup so that's what I'm going with.
Kathy says
Hi Paula,
Thanks for the info. Make certain the bananas are really ripe! That's key in making these muffins!
Diane Miltenberg says
Delicious...taste great...look great..THANKS...
Kathy says
Thank you!
BF says
I used almond flour and coconut oil and they turned out perfectly! Will make again soon.
Kathy says
Thanks for your comment! I've never used almond flour before - it's nice to know it can be used.
Domi says
I thought it would be a good idea to swap out the regular flour for coconut flour and had to thow out all 18 of them 🙁
Kathy says
I'm sorry that didn't work out for you. I made these muffins with all purpose flour and not all flours can be substituted and get the same results as the original recipe.
TB says
Delicious. Thank you for sharing.
Chipan says
Wonderful muffins. My kids loved them a lot. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Kathy says
Thank you! My kids love them too!
Beth Aiton says
I have not tasted yet, but I made with whole wheat flour and switched oil with apple sauce. For the topping I used allspice instead of just cinnamon. They smell delicious.
Susan Johnson says
Dry is putting it lightly, i think you forgot a wet ingredient. Added some almond milk. They smelt delicious as they were cooking. Mine did not even rise.
Kathy says
Hi Susan, I'm sorry these didn't work out for you. The dough is very dry until you add the mashed bananas. You need to have very ripe bananas in this recipe. If the muffins didn't rise, your baking powder might be old. Good luck - Kathy
Lisa says
Yum! Mine were a bit dry with all the ingredients as listed, but I added a little applesauce before putting the batter in the muffin tin, and cooked for a minute or two longer, and they were perfect! The topping is wonderful!
Kathy says
Hi Lisa,
Great idea adding a bit of applesauce! The topping is my favorite part!
Betsy S says
These were great! My bananas were not quite ripe, so I added about 2TBS of almond milk and they were gobbled up at work today-the topping, too-yum! Thanks!
Kathy says
Hi Betsy,
Thanks so much for your comment. So glad your co-workers loved them! 🙂
Karmen says
I just made these muffins but came out way too dry 🙁 I don’t think my bananas were large enough (I added 3). Please include exactly how much banana after they are mashed!
Kathy says
Hi Karmen,
I'm sorry these turned out dry for you. I do use three regular sized bananas when I make this. They do need to be very ripe with several brown spots on the peel and the bananas easily mashable.
Happy Baking!
Katelyn says
in the directions it says to mix the oil and egg, but the ingredients doesn't list oil. can you please double check this?
Kathy says
Hi Katelyn, There is oil listed in the ingredients - 1/4 cup. 🙂 Happy Baking!
Katie says
Mine were ripe and frozen bananas for this recipe. I probably used 4 bananas. I also make sure my bananas are mixed very well. I use a whisk. I always put mine in the oven for less time then it calls and check them to make sure they don’t over cook. So if it says 45 mins I set my timer for 30mins and then check to see if the are done with a toothpick. They are really good so I hope you can get them just right.
Mark says
I was skeptical while mixing the first ingredients, dry , when I added the banana good.
these are perfect, may try nuts and dates next time.
Thanks
Mark
Kathy says
The bananas add a lot of moisture to the batter. I'd love to hear how dates are in these muffins! Sounds like a great idea. 🙂
Mags says
These muffins were delicious, the topping was so yummy. I made a few changes, my bananas were very ripe so I lowered sugar to 1/4 cup, and used half unsweetened applesauce for the oil ( 2tb oil & 2tb applesauce) to make healthier! Next time I will try with all applesauce and no oil. They came out fantastic, thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Kathy says
Hi! I am so glad you loved these muffins. It's always fun to play around with a recipe. Sounds like you make some delicious changes! 🙂
Fred G says
Very good muffins.
Kathy says
These muffins are one of our favorites!
Erma Perrin says
Thank you for sharing your recipe.My hubby & grown up children loved them & they are so easy to make
Kathy says
Emma, Thanks so much for letting me know how much you enjoyed these muffins! They are a family favorite in our house! 🙂
Leslie says
Hi, Kathy. I just put these in the oven. Love the topping idea. I added mini chocolate chips to the ingredients. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Kathy says
A little chocolate always makes things a little yummier! I hope you enjoyed the muffins!!!