Strawberry Banana Muffins with Oat Streusel Topping

You can never go wrong with muffins for a portable breakfast option, my family loves chocolate chip banana muffins, zucchini muffins and these fabulous strawberry banana muffins.

While blueberries are widely considered the quintessential fruit for folding into muffin batter, these strawberry muffins just might make you reconsider that stance. The muffin itself is tender and moist, with the strawberry chunks providing sweet, juicy pops in every bite.

While you may certainly bake these up with regular all-purpose flour, I always feel better about feeding my kids muffins for breakfast when I incorporate whole wheat flour. And specifically, I like to use whole wheat pastry flour, which results in a lighter final product without an overwhelming flavor of wheat. I typically substitute whole wheat pastry flour in my pancakes, waffles, and just about any quick bread you can think of with excellent results.

Ingredients needed

Lately, I’ve been craving strawberries like nobody’s business. Strawberries can be hit or miss this time of year and knock on wood, I’ve been hitting the jackpot in the strawberry department. Bright, cheery, sweet and juicy! I loaded these strawberry muffins with diced fresh strawberries and sweetened them with mashed bananas and honey. I added just enough coconut oil to keep these muffins light, but also give them a lovely richness. The bananas and honey not only naturally sweeten the muffins, but also create a moistness that will have you begging for more. I’ve had to really exercise the willpower around these babies!

As for the oat streusel topping – it’s optional, but definitely recommended. The muffins are fabulous without the streusel, but with the streusel added, they’re really something to celebrate!

How to make this recipe

Like most muffin recipes, these healthy strawberry banana muffins are very easy to bake up! Grab your muffin pan and spray it with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper liners. Now, let’s bake some incredibly tasty muffins!

1. Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, start the batter by whisking together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and salt.
2. Wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the eggs, honey (or maple syrup), coconut oil and mashed bananas.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and gently combine, but don’t over mix. Fold in diced strawberries. Set aside.
4. Make the streusel. In a small bowl, stir together the oats, flour, sugar and cinnamon. Mix in the honey.
5. Fill muffin pan. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity almost completely full. Sprinkle streusel over the top and gently press into batter.
6. Bake muffins. Place muffins in a preheated oven and bake for about 20 minutes at 350ºF. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
7. Cool and enjoy. Once cooked, remove muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. These are incredible with nothing added, but we love to enjoy them with a smear of butter, peanut butter, jam or a drizzle of honey!

Tips for recipe success

Strawberry banana muffins are so simple to make, but here are a few tips so that they are perfect every time!

• Room temperature ingredients. It’s best to start with ingredients that are at room temperature. This helps everything mix together evenly without over mixing.
• Measure the flour correctly. Too much flour leads to dry, crumbly muffins. Whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup and (without shaking the cup) level off the top.
• Do not over mix. Stir the batter by gently folding it with a spoon or spatula. Do not use a whisk. Be careful not to over mix the batter, as that can produce tough muffins.
• Bake time. Be careful not to bake the muffins for too long. The muffins are done baking when you insert a toothpick into a muffin and it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
• Cooking spray or paper liners. You can either bake muffins in a greased muffin tin or with paper liners.

Variations

These strawberry banana muffins are fabulous as-is, but feel free to customize them to your liking by adding other ingredients to the mix.

• Chocolate. You can add about one cup of chocolate chips to the batter for a little extra decadence.
• Fruit. Change it up and use raspberries or blueberries instead of the strawberries. Dried fruit such as dried cranberries or apricots would be delicious too.
• Mix-ins. I often stir in other ingredients such as chopped nuts, toasted coconut, vanilla extract or almond extract.
• Gluten-free. If you’d like to make these muffins gluten-free, simple use an all-purpose gluten free flour.
• Dairy-free. This recipe is naturally dairy free.

storing & freezing

Storing. These muffins stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days. If you choose to refrigerate your muffins, I recommend heating them in the microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.

Freezing. These muffins, like most, freeze beautifully – simply place them in a resealable bag then freeze for up to 3 months. You can either thaw your muffins at room temperature, or warm them up in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.

Helpful Tools For Making Muffins

• Mixing bowls – Any mixing bowls will do the trick. We love this nonslip mixing bowl set from Amazon.
• Nonstick muffin pan – This is where quality matters! I was given this muffin pan from Williams Sonoma and LOVE it. I don’t have to use paper liners and my muffins always come out so easily. As an added plus, there’s never cooked muffin left stuck to the pan, so it’s super easy to clean.
• Cooling rack – I wouldn’t say a cooling wire rack is completely necessary, but it’s definitely nice to have one available. These allow for airflow and even cooling of your baked goods.

These muffins are soft, moist, and packed with deliciousness. And SO versatile! You may use whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour, instead of the whole wheat pastry flour that I used. And feel free to switch up the add-ins. These would be wonderful guilt-free blueberry banana muffins. Or throw in some chocolate chips. Maybe pecans and peaches? My mind is swirling with spin-off ideas!

If you try these strawberry banana muffins, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves them as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re baking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.