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 I do it without baking soda, use flax egg instead of egg and change flaxseed to quick oat flour? Thanjs
Added strawberries and blueberries. Came out great.
Absolutely LOVE this recipe, and so do my two little ones! Only thing is I can never get them to ride. They stay very flat. Am I missing something??
Are you making any substitutions? I would check to see if your baking soda or baking powder is expired or not fresh!
This is a go to weekday breakfast for my 2 year old.
I substitute Coconut oil with Ghee, Almond milk with Whole Milk and top it up with a couple of chocolate chips. They always come out perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Could these be made in a bread pan? I don’t have muffin cups!
I made them using a bread pan. Half of the loaf turned out perfect, but the other half wasn’t cooked thoroughly. I would suggest cooking it longer.
I just made these for my 3-year-old son, who scarfed down 2 and tried to go back for a third. Great recipe. Thank you!
Woo hoo! Yay for sneaky veggie muffins!
I was a little worried about these because I wasn’t sure if my husband and son would like them but they are AMAZING! These are definitely going to be part of the regular rotation. I am having to stop myself from eating them all
I’m SO glad you enjoyed them Mindy! 😉 I love to freeze them so I always have some on hand!
These rise up nicely- Little bit of a crusty top but soft in the middle, perfect! I added some collagen powder for added nutrients. I also added a dash of cloves for more spice. Will definitely make these again.
I’ve made this recipe about four times now and everyone loves it even my kids! I used the recommended chia seeds to replace eggs, and used half of the sugar in the recipe… added a 1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips and 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts and it was delicious! Baked it in 20 mins and this created moist and chewy muffins! By far our favorite muffin recipe!
How could this be made low-carb? I’m always looking for ways to get in more veggies!
I just made this recipe and my kids loved it!!! It is not always easy to have my kids eat veggies!! I gave them without telling them what was inside and they enjoyed it!! Once I told them that there was spinach inside they said “Ugh!! Disgusting!!!” Then they ask me if I could put some for their snack at school 😂😂.
Thank you for this recipe really nice.