Banana Spinach Muffins
Posted Feb 25, 2018, Updated May 31, 2024
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These blender banana spinach muffins are an easy, healthy, freezer-friendly breakfast recipe full of fruit and veggies.
You all know I have a thing for hiding vegetables in baked goods. Usually, my veggie of choice is zucchini, but today I’m mixing things up a bit. This recipe for Spinach Banana Muffins is healthy, delicious and easy.
My kids love them because they’re green! We even call them “Hulk muffins,” which my son thinks is the coolest things ever. Because what kid wouldn’t want to eat a muffin named after their favorite super hero?
I love making these for my family because they’re a breakfast I feel great about serving them! These Spinach Banana Muffins are gluten-free, refined-sugar free, dairy-free and vegan-friendly! They taste like a green smoothie but in muffin form!
How to Make Spinach Muffins
The best way to make these Spinach Banana Muffins is to use a high-powered blender, like the Vitamix! Using a Vitamix to thoroughly blend the ingredients in these Spinach Banana Muffins results in a final product that has zero traces of spinach, well except for the awesome green color!
- Blend dry ingredients then set aside. To make these muffins…start by putting the oats into your clean, dry Vitamix and turn them into oat flour! Add the rest of the ingredients, blend and set aside.
- Blend wet ingredients. When blending anything in the Vitamix, always add the liquid first! In this recipe, start by adding the liquid ingredients, banana and spinach and blend until smooth before adding the dry mixture!
Serve
Serve warm with a slather of homemade peanut butter or cinnamon honey butter.
Store/Freeze
Store these spinach banana muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Spinach muffins: Ingredients & substitutions
These are extremely forgiving muffins and there are many acceptable substitutions (although I always recommend making the recipe exactly as written to achieve the best results)! Even at high altitude (I bake at 5,000 ft. above sea level) they rise beautifully and have a wonderful texture! Some notes about substitutions:
- Ground Flaxseed: You may substitute equal amounts of almond meal or old-fashioned oats (ground into flour) for the flaxseed.
- Granulated Sugar: organic cane sugar and coconut sugar are great substitutes.
- Whole milk: non-dairy and regular dairy milk both work well, especially almond milk.
- Salted Butter You may substitute vegan butter (like Earth Balance), coconut oil, or ghee.
- Eggs: For vegan version substitute the 2 eggs with 2 Tabblespoons ground chia seeds or ground flaxseed and 5 Tabblespoons water.
Spinach Muffins Recipe FAQs
No, I only recommend using a blender so that all of the spinach gets completely blended until smooth.
I often double this recipe to have enough in the freezer to last us a while.
I created these muffins for that exact purpose – to feed to my young babies/kids. Just make sure to cut them into very small pieces for babies and don’t ever leave a baby unattended while they are eating.
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Spinach Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups old-fashioned oats
- ¼ cup ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar (or coconut sugar)
- ½ cup whole milk (or almond milk)
- 2 cups spinach leaves (packed)
- ¼ cup salted butter (or coconut oil, melted)
- 2 extra-ripe large bananas
- 2 eggs*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease or line a muffin tin.
- Blend 2 cups of old-fashioned oats in a high-powered blender until they achieve the texture of flour. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the rest of the dry ingredients to the oat flour (ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar). Set aside.
- Add milk, bananas, melted butter, and spinach to the container of a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.
- Add vanilla and eggs and blend until just combined
- Pour wet ingredients to dry mixture and stir to combine (making sure there are no lumps). Alternately, you can add the dry ingredients to the blender and blend until combined.
- Fill each well in your muffin tin with ¼ cup of batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and the top springs back when touched.
Video
Notes
- Ground Flaxseed: You may substitute equal amounts of almond meal or old-fashioned oats (ground into flour) for the flaxseed.
- Sugar: Use any granulated sugar you’d like.
- Milk: non-dairy and regular dairy milk both work well.
- Salted Butter: You may substitute vegan butter (like Earth Balance), coconut oil, or ghee.
- Eggs: For vegan version substitute the 2 eggs with 2 TBS ground chia seeds or ground flaxseed and 5 TBS water.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love using this recipe not only for the wholesome ingredients, but because my 2 year old can be my sous chef. He loves dumping everything in the blender and getting to turn it on? Jackpot!
As others have said, this recipe is very forgiving. I often use what I have and work from there. We almost always add more cinnamon than called for (big cinnamon lovers in this house) and I’ve used a variety of sweetening options depending on what is available. Somedays we make them “super green” and add chia seeds to help balance the moisture from the extra spinach.
This recipe has become my “go to” favorite! I even add fresh blueberries to the batter and love that as well. The muffins freeze well so I can make a double batch. I am so grateful I found the healthy muffin recipe! Thank you!!
Thank you so much!
If I already have ground oat flour can I use that instead of old fashioned oats? How much would you recommend using ? Excited!!
Yes absolutely! Oats : oat flour is a 1:1 ratio. use i.e. use the same amount of oat flour as it calls for oats.
I have made other Spinach Banana muffins that did not keep their vibrant green color and, even though they contained more sugar, were not nearly as sweet. These were a hit with my husband and his partner who couldn’t believe that something that tasted so good could be healthy. Will definitely make again!!
These were a hit with my 4-year-old and my 1-year-old twins. I’ve tried several banana spinach recipes in the past and they were always a little bland for me, but even I really enjoy these. The only thing I would do differently next time is to double the recipe to always have some handy for the whole family 🙂 Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you so much! They freeze well also! 🙂
I have been meaning to leave a review for quite a while. I have made these several times and my 2-year old and I love them!
This is a very flexible recipe and I have made several substitutions successfully.
* replaced the oil with applesauce
* replaced 1 cup of the spinach with zucchini (shredded and wrung out first) and blended
* made them vegan with the chia seeds as per the note given
* made them in a mini muffin tin for small hands
They are so delicious and moist. Thank you again for such a great recipe!
Thank you Jenn!
I made these exactly as the recipe states and they are very good. I was pleasantly surprised, actually! My son-in-law LOVES them! They freeze perfectly 2 per 4 oz mason jar, then defrost for a minute in the microwave. Thank you so much for sharing!
Our kids love these muffins. I make it with all oats (instead of flax), dairy milk and white sugar. They have them most days of the week for breakfast. Im so thankful for a choice that gives my picky daughter veggies! I make these every other week and double the recipe. Been making them for over a year now. They freeze perfectly.
Thank you Christina!
Yum! Made as written except used regular cane sugar. And added chocolate chips 🙂 Kid and grown up approved!
So glad you enjoyed them Sarah!
These muffins are gooood! Didn’t have coconut sugar though and didn’t want to use refined sugar so I tried using maple syrup and reduced the amount to just 1/3cup. Still turned out really good. Best part: my 15-month old loved it! Thanks for another yum recipe!
Thank you Leslie! I’m so glad you and your sweet baby loved them!