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
Kathy Calise says
We rescue Foods from the waste stream...last week we rescued 9 banana boxes of bananas! I made 20 doz muffins using this recipe to be handed out to the unhoused...of course my husband and I ate "just a few"..So..very tasty!!
Kathy says
Oh my goodness! What an amazing gesture of kindness. 20 dozen muffins is a whole lot of muffins. So lovely that you are doing so much good by not letting food go to waste and taking care of those in need.
Thank you! 🙂
Jenny says
They had really good flavor but came out dry and crumbly & I did add a little bit of milk because the batter looked kind of dry. If I make them again I will add apple sauce or yogurt and maybe cut back on the oatmeal a little bit.
Kathy says
Hi Jenny,
Thanks for you comment. Make certain your bananas are really ripe and watch your cooking time. You might want to also decrease the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Every oven is a bit different and overcooking can also add to a dry muffin.
Kathy 🙂
ellie says
I tried this recipe with 4 bananas and reduced the sugar to 1/3cup. I also added 1/3cup dark chocolate chunks with 1/2 cup chopped pecans. It was delicious, moist and the disappeared in no time. Would definitely make again.
Kathy says
Hi Ellie,
Thanks so much! I love the idea of adding pecans and chocolate chunks! Yum!!!
lauren dorsey says
these are a family favorite and we make them all the time! I was wondering if it would be the same if i made it as a bread not muffin?
Kathy says
Hi Lauren,
I reworked this recipe a bit for a loaf instead of the muffins - Oatmeal Banana Bread Same basic idea but a few changes to make it work for a loaf. Enjoy!
Kathy
lauren dorsey says
You are amazing, thank you so much I really appreciate it!
Kathy says
🙂
Tori says
I’ve been buying a lot of bananas lately so when they don’t get eaten I usually make banana bread. But I wanted to try something different so I tried this recipe. These muffins are so yummy!! Perfect texture and I love the crumble on the top. I added chocolate chips to half of them because I had a little bit left over (and I was craving chocolate) and they were just as good. Definitely adding this recipe to my list of favorites!!
Kathy says
A little chocolate is a good thing! 🙂 Thank you so much for leaving such a great comment! I appreciate it!
JCarson81 says
Delicious! Thanks for posting.
Kathy says
Thank you! 🙂
Sherrie says
I made these but found they were quite dry. Could I add more bananas or sour cream? I also added pumpkin spice instead of just cinnamon and nutmeg which added great flavour. Please let me know
Kathy says
Hi Sherri,
The key to these muffins is making certain your bananas are really ripe (on the brown side). However, if the batter is still too dry, I suggest adding 1-2 tablespoons of milk to the batter.
Enjoy!
Patty says
This is a good hearty muffin! A little more dense in consistency that I'd imagined, likely due to the oats? Next time I make them I'll try 1/2 the sugar, as another baker did 🙂
Anna says
This is a wonderful healthier muffin recipe, and we love them for breakfast!
I cut the sugar by half, and they're still perfectly sweet.
You may want to edit this recipe when you increase the ingredient portion to X2, because it still reads 1 1/2 C mashed bananas instead of increasing to 3C mashed bananas. I made these X2 and didn't notice this error and almost threw out the recipe due to the dense dry muffin it made.
Kathy says
Hi Anna,
Thanks for the comment! I appreciate you letting me know about the error when doubling the recipe. I will go in and fix so others aren't confused as well.
Thank you,
Kathy 🙂
Stacy says
Can I replace white flour with whole grain flour 1:1?
Kathy says
Hi Stacy,
You can replace with whole wheat flour, but the muffins will be heavier and denser.
Shana says
I didn't prefer the topping. It looked really nice and scrumptious. However, mine just crumbled off of the muffin. I decided to brush off the topping off the remaining muffins.
Kathy says
Hi Shana,
Sorry the topping didn't work for you. Some say it's their favorite part and some can do without.
Thanks!
Kathy 🙂
Yvonne says
They are yummy and Tate like our banana oatmeal cookies recipe
First time making them. Next the bread
Auntie von
Kathy says
Thanks! So glad you loved them! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and happy baking! 🙂
Liz says
I made these without the topping, and without vanilla. Replaced the oil with melted butter.
They were divine! Just wish I omitted cinnamon as well.
I love that they incorporate both oats and bananas for a healthier dessert/breakfast!
Kathy says
Glad you enjoyed them!
Thanks 🙂
Lindsey says
I made these with my daughter this morning. We did some mins and 6 regular size. They look and taste fantastic!
Kathy says
Wonderful! I love making mini muffins! They are so cute and fun to eat. Thank you! 🙂
Shari-Lynn Pringle says
It was past midnight and I was tired of going into my fridge and seeing the bunch of well past overripe Bermuda bananas in my fridge. I googled for a recipe and stumbled upon this one. I was overjoyed to see it had no milk requirement in the main recipe because I had none!! This was perhaps the easiest. baking item I have prepared for and the end result actually looked like the photos and they taste divine! I doubled the recipe - thanks for allowing that easy conversion - and made 12 small muffins and 6 large muffins. I'm sharing the recipe with everybody.
Kathy says
Wow! Baking at midnight!!! You must be a night owl. Glad you loved these muffins and thanks for leaving such a lovely comment.
Happy Baking 🙂
Madison D says
Hi Kathy! I've been looking for a way to use up some ripening bananas and some rolled oats as well. Do you think I could substitute rolled oats for the oatmeal in this recipe?
Madison D says
Just came back to report that I used rolled oats and they are delicious, especially on the topping. I didn't have any neutral oil handy so I subbed butter in the muffin batter and they turned out perfect 🙂 Thank you Kathy!
Kathy says
Hi Madison,
I'm so glad you went for it! And yep, as you found out, rolled oats are perfect in these muffins! It sounds like you are an experienced baker! 🙂
Kathy says
Yes, the rolled oats will work fine!
ivy santos says
love this! just the right amount of sweetness. I added 4 tbsp though of milk because i find the mixture a bit dry.
Debbie says
This is an amazing recipe for muffins. My daughter and I made them as we had quite a few blackened bananas and did not want them to go to waste. We made a double recipe and mixed whole wheat and all purpose together (1 cup all purpose flour). Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Megan Emerson says
Made this and doubled the recipe so I could have some to freeze. 20 min was def too long and the bottoms burnt (I used liners) and they were pretty chewy. Tried 15 minutes at 375 and they were better!
Kathy says
Hi Megan,
Thanks for sharing how this worked for you! Making a double batch is a great idea - especially so you can store some in the freezer for later!
Happy Baking,
Kathy
Roxann says
Very tasty and filled with oatmeal. Streusel makes them!