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.
The recipe is super easy to make. My daughter just asked for more. Thanks so much for sharing!
Can i use normal flour instead of oat flour and omit flaxseed??
Omg just made these and they are amazing!!
I made these without sugar or sweetener of any kind and they came out great! They are so moist and delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
This looks great! Can you use honey instead of sugar?
I have left the sugar out and used dates instead. It turned out great! My 2 year old and hubby gobbled them up.
So good! Any idea how many calories per muffin?
I’m working on refreshing this post with some new pictures, a video and nutritional information! So that’ll be coming soon!
Thank you!
Mine turned out just as pictured!! Blended with a Vitamix. I used yellow bananas; they were still tasty as can be 🙂 my 2 year old loved them as well. Excellent recipe. I will definitely be making these again & again + sharing with others 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!!
My kids love these – thank you! I make them monthly and they freeze well!
These muffins are so easy and delicious! They are perfect for my 2 year that won’t touch a veggie and also a good healthy adult snack. Will be putting this recipe in our rotation!
I tried making these, but not only did they not rise, they were salty and wet despite me baking them for an extra 12 mins. I had to throw them out 🙁 I’m Paleo so I substituted the oatmeal and flaxseed for almond flour. I didn’t add in the sugar because the banana was sweet enough. I left out the cinnamon powder too because I ran out of them. Could any of these be the problem? I really love this combi and would love to be able to succeed in them!
Hey Eli! I’m sorry they didn’t turn out for you! Yes almond flour is definitely the culprit for your mushy flat donuts! If you are looking for a paleo muffin check out my Paleo Zucchini Banana Muffins (they are an absolute staple in my house and I make them all the time). I’m thinking you could substitute the zucchini for spinach buttt I haven’t tried it so I can’t guarantee they’d turn out. You could also make the Paleo Spinach Donuts and bake them in muffin form instead of donut form, but they do not have bananas! Baking time would be a touch longer if you made them into muffins!
thank you for replying! the donut was in my to-try list too! i’m definitely going to make it into muffin form to try! however i do have a question about the sugar! i shall head over there to ask you instead! thank you!