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.
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!
⭐ Reader Review
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!
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
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.
Video
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
Julie Silva says
After a quick search for "oatmeal banana muffins", I came upon this recipe. I just made them and they are delicious! Not super sweet, very filling. A good breakfast muffin. I doubled the recipe and used monk fruit for half of the sugar, used coconut oil and added raisins. This will definitely be my go-to banana muffin from now on. Thank you! ♥
Kathy says
Thanks you!!! 🙂
Jennifer says
This recipe is so good! Perfectly sweet and delicious! Thank you for sharing this!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! 🙂
kaylie says
loved this recipe! I ended up adding a little bit of melted peanut butter because I love peanut butter and thought it would be a nice touch and it was amazing 🙂 I will say the mixture was a bit too thick so I ended up adding a splash of milk to lossen up the mixture!
Kathy says
Sounds like a great addition! Thanks for your lovely comment!!! 🙂
Faith says
I adapted these to be gluten free, using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF baking flour, and the results were fantastic! Also, the only oats in my pantry were quick cooking steel cut, and I thought it would be ok since they are quick cook, and it was great. I did skip the streusel topping since rhey were not rolled oats, and added chocolate chips to the batter. I chose to cook my bananas with the sugar and some molasses in a skillet on stovetop prior to adding to egg and oil to bring out the banana flavor and carmelize the sugar a bit. I have a very small kitchen and a bad oven, so I baked them in my air fryer, on bake mode at 350 degrees in silicon liners sprayed with avocado oil. 10 minutes covered with a sheet of foil, and then 2 min uncovered. They turned out very well.
Kathy says
Thanks for all your tips! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Valerie says
Far and away the best muffins I've ever made! Moist and delicious. I did add a few chocolate chips because I was originally looking for a muffin with chocolate chips and also left off the topping. Great muffins!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! Nothing wrong with adding a little chocolate!!! 🙂 Sometimes it's just what we need!
Lydia Marcus says
LOVED the recipe. Not overly sweet. Used coconut oil in place of canola. YUM.
Kathy says
Hi Lydia,
Thanks so much for your comment. Glad you loved the muffins 🙂
Kathy
Dan says
Great recipe. I added chocolate chips to get my kids to eat them. I used very rip bananas and added the extra milk. I still got that they were dry. Will try a light soak of the oats prior next time. Any other suggestions?
Kathy says
Hi Dan,
Using really ripe bananas and make certain you have at least 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas. That should work fine. I like the idea of chocolate chips! 🙂
Sue says
Thanks what a wonderful recipe! I have done with apple and carrots and less sugar all worked beautifully. 👏👏👏👏
Kathy says
Thanks, Sue!!! 🙂
Kirby says
So far so good lol the recipe was easy enough for my 4 year old to follow along and help. We added cocoa powder some had to add some milk. We also didn't do the topping because we made them mini, though we are making full sized with some blueberries for hubby and I so those I am topping lol
How do they stand up after freezing?
Kathy says
There's nothing better than having your kids help out with you cooking! I love that you've got your little one helping. These muffins freeze well and it is a great way to keep muffins on hand. Be certain to allow muffins to fully cool before freezing. Place in a single layer in a freezer bag or in a freezer container.
Thanks 🙂
Cynthia says
These are absolutely delicious! I would eat these any time of day. Love how hearty they are, not too sweet and just an all around perfect recipe! I do like the idea of adding raisins or dates. Might give that a try next time (meaning next week! LOL) Thank you for sharing!
Kathy says
Thank you!!! So glad you enjoy them. They are a great muffin! 🙂
Michelle says
These are PERFECT. I don’t prefer muffins that are sweet like cupcakes or that require a lot of ingredients. I omitted the topping and just dusted with cinnamon sugar and they are delightful. Just sweet enough—the ripe bananas take care of all of it. 100% will be making them again. Thank you!
Kathy says
Thanks Michelle!!! So glad you loved them! 🙂 Ripe bananas are key in this recipe.
Mary says
Can chocolate chips be added
Kathy says
You bet! 🙂
Enjoy!
Karen says
A muffin that would be good for kids, as well adults! As others have noted, not overly sweet, and lots of banana and oatmeal. I did use 1/4C white sugar and 1/4C brown sugar because I like that flavor in baked goods. Also added 1/2C raisins.
While the topping is tasty, I think I will just top with a dusting of cinnamon sugar next time, or just leave the muffins plain. I dislike picking up all the crispy oatmeal pieces that fall all over everything. Maybe pressing them into the muffin tops before baking would help?
Looking forward to having them for breakfast in the morning with some fresh summer fruit!
Kathy says
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed the muffins.
Kathy 🙂
AnnieShinko says
Pretty darn good. Not too sweet so I didn’t mind that my 3 kids ate them all in one day. The topping made a bit of a crumbly mess so they were banished to the backyard to eat them. I doubled the vanilla and nutmeg and added a bit of milk to the slightly dry batter. I will be making these again for sure. Thank you for the recipe!
Kathy says
Thanks, Annie! The topping is crumbly... having the kids snack outside is a great idea! Thanks for your comment! I really appreciate it!
Kathy 🙂
Cat says
Nice. Thanks for the recipe. I like the chewy texture n easy brown sugar topping. Easy to make as I am not a talented Baker and only a busy working mom.
Kathy says
Thank you! And good for you for finding some time to do a little baking. The more you do, the better you'll get! Thanks for your nice comment 🙂 I really appreciate it!
Happy Baking
Kathy 🙂
Russell says
These look great! Any change to time/temp to make these into mini muffins?
Kathy says
Hi Russell,
I'd keep the oven temp the same, but the time will decrease. Try cooking for 10-13 minutes.
Enjoy! 🙂
Sherrie says
Pretty good, and I even forgot the sugar!
Made mini muffins for my kiddos. I baked for 10 minutes and it was perfect.
Kathy says
LOL!!! Love that they were still good even after forgetting the sugar! 🙂 I love making mini muffins sometimes - they are perfect for kids and make a great little snack! Thanks for your comment!
Kathy 🙂
Salima says
Delicious, easy to make and not too much sugar - it's a keeper! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kathy says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Lily says
Thanks for the recipe! These muffins are delicious. I have tried many banana oat muffin recipes but I think this is the best one I’ve tried. I like that it doesn’t have much sugar but is still sweet enough. This muffins will become a regular thing in my house! 😋
Kathy says
Thanks, Lily! They are a regular in our house and we never seem to tire of them! 🙂
Ally Raetz says
Would these be good for a bedtime snack too? For my toddler
Kathy says
I think they would make a great bedtime snack!
Enjoy 🙂
Angie says
Very tasty! Thank you for the recipe. I followed it exactly (using all-purpose flour) and everyone in the family loves them.
Kathy says
Thanks, Angie! So glad they are a favorite for you too! 🙂
Kristina says
I love those!!! Tried making many but found this recipe the best!!
I make it with whole wheat flour and less sugar and they are delicious
Kathy says
Thank you, Kristina!!!
Sue says
Been looking for a oats and banana muffin recipe and this one looks really good, less sugar than others and enough banana and oats. Look forward to making them!
Kathy says
Enjoy!!!