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.
Can protein powder be added and not alter the outcome?
Delicious and healthy recipe, even my picky eater daughter loves them. Thank you for sharing.
This is an incredible recipe! The banana sweetens the muffins beautifully- I didn’t add the sugar and I don’t feel like it needs it. I made these for my 1 year olds birthday “cupcakes.” He loved them! My husband and I ended up snacking on them also. 🙂 Please make more recipes like this!
I am so glad you said you made it without the sugar! I make a grain-free banana muffin that uses honey as a sweetener and I was curious if these were good without sugar!
These are so delicious and my kids love them. Thank you!!!
Hi! I’m wondering if I can use frozen spinach for this recipe? I have fresh too but trying to declutter the freezer! Thank you!!
I’ve made these a few times before and forgot about them. Made some today with lots of frozen spinach, added chia seeds, used about 3 large bananas and didn’t add any sugar. They were great! Had 2 along with some pb and a cup of milk for lunch =) thanks!
Thanks Jena!
I have been making these muffins for over a year now for my baby. She still loves them as a toddler. My 6 year old stepson also loves them! We now have another baby who’s 8 months and she can’t get enough of them! I’ve shared this reciepe numerous times with my other friends who have babies and kids and they also rave about how yummy and easy they are to make! Thank you for making it a staple snack in our home ❤
Great recipe! I used regular skim milk instead of almond milk and I used quick oats instead of old fashioned because it was all I had. I also used brown sugar and decreased the amount of sugar to 1/3 cup because my family does not like intensely sweet foods. Thhey were still very sweet and delicious with these modifications.
So glad you love them Cleo!
I am 26 and love these just as much as kiddos! Perfect for using up some extra spinach and ripe bananas. I plan on eating 1 or 2 along with a protein shake or some yogurt for breakfast, just because these lack in protein. Maybe next time I make them I’ll add some protein powder and extra spinach to compensate with moisture.
I’ve probably made this recipe 50 times now! It’s a family favorite for a quick healthy breakfast or snack! If you have a high enough powered blender, I put everything in at once and viola, it works beautifully! Thanks for the great recipe!
I’m so glad you love them Kate!!!