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.
This is one of the first recipes I made for my son when he was transitioning to “real” food. We both loved urban and it was so easy! Still a staple for us.
Yes! They are so great for toddlers!
I made these muffins with my sister (Tais) who is visiting with her family! She’s made it before and totally recommended it as a snack to both our toddlers! We added chocolate chips and even the Dads couldn’t resist! :-*
The addition of chocolate chips sounds amazing!
I make these muffins once a week! I like to add some cocoa powder and chocolate chips every once in a while to make chocolate muffins. Thank you for such a wonderful and versatile recipe that will forever be a part of my recipe box!
Thank you Lindsay! Love the addition of chocolate x2! 😉
Amazing ! Used steel cut oats for the flour — Substituted applesauce and bananas for the sugar and added chia instead of flaxseed anddd added chocolate chips 🙂
Made these with brewer’s yeast, dark chocolate chips, and toasted walnuts for delicious lactation muffins! They were amazing and a big hit with my mom group!
SO glad you enjoyed them Katie! Love that you made them into a lactation recipe!
Thank you so much. My super picky eater son love them. Cant wait to try your other healthy recipes for kids
Can I make these unsweetened without the sugar for my 9 month old??
Hey Shannon! I’ve had readers comment that they added another banana or 3 pitted dates instead of the sugar and they still turned out great!
Yes! I add an extra banana and skip the sugar. Also, the more ripe the banana, the sweeter it’ll be!
These are great! I skipped the sugar and just added another banana and they came out perfectly sweet and moist!
Thank you Hillary! So great to know you can substitute the sugar with a banana!
Just made these cuties for the first time and forgot the eggs! (Can you blame me though with a 11mo old scrambling at me feet rummaging in whatever she can get her hands on) Good news though, they turned out just fine!! They were moist and squishy and basically tasted like a really delicious banana bread! We sprinkled Hemp/Flax/Chia seeds on top because it looks pretty and why not add a little more nutrition to these power muffins! My little one shoveled 2 in her mouth within minutes so it’s safe to say these will now be made in big batches and kept on hand at all times. Thanks for sharing such a perfectly wonderful recipe!
I just made these and they were good! They weren’t that sweet at all but still tasty. My 1.5 year old loved them! I used cashew milk instead of almond milk. I made the oat flour in my nutri bullet. I will make these again for sure!
I’m so glad you and your 1.5 year old loved them! I prefer a less sweet muffin for my kids (and myself)! My theory is that you can always add some nut butter or a drizzle of honey to serve if you have a child with a huge sweet tooth (like my oldest lol)!