Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins

January 31, 2023 (updated October 25, 2023) 25 comments »

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These healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins are tender, moist, and so easy to make. The sweet banana and juicy blueberries make them a breakfast favorite in my house, and I have a feeling they’ll become a regular in your kitchen, too!

blueberry banana muffins in a baking pan

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A Note from Kim

The Perfect Grab-and-Go Breakfast

These Blueberry Banana Muffins are a family favorite, and my kids ask for them all the time. They’re quick, easy, and perfect for grabbing on busy mornings. No mixer needed, just a couple of bowls and a few simple ingredients. Plus, they’re a great way to use up those extra-ripe bananas!

My favorite way to eat them? Split one open, toast it, and add salted butter and a little jam. So good! They also freeze well, so I like to make a batch and stash a few away for easy breakfasts later.

With love (and lots of good eats),

Made these yesterday and they turned out beautifully! Wonderfully high muffin tops and they tasted great. Great recipe! Definitely a keeper.
— Heidi

Table of Contents

Ingredients in Blueberry Banana Muffins

Some of my favorite recipes to play around with are muffins and quick breads. They’re so easy to adapt, and with a few simple swaps, you can make them lighter without losing the soft, delicious texture you love. Here’s everything you’ll need to make this blueberry banana muffin recipe.

You can find all the measurements in the recipe card below.

Bananas: This recipe is perfect for using up overripe bananas! The riper they are, the sweeter your muffins will be, so look for plenty of brown spots.
Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce helps cut back on the oil while keeping the muffins soft and moist.
Eggs: Two eggs help hold everything together and give the muffins the structure they need as they bake.
Honey: Ripe bananas add plenty of natural sweetness, so you only need ¼ cup of honey. You can also use maple syrup if you prefer.
Oil: A little goes a long way here! You only need ¼ cup of melted coconut oil. Olive oil or avocado oil works, too.
Flour: I like to use whole wheat pastry flour. You can also choose to use all whole wheat flour, but these will taste nuttier and be a bit more dense. Feel free to just use all-purpose flour if preferred.
Cinnamon: A little cinnamon adds a warm, cozy flavor. A splash of vanilla is also delicious.
Baking essentials: Baking powder and baking soda help the muffins rise, while salt brings out all the other flavors.
Blueberries: Fresh or frozen blueberries both work well and give you juicy bursts of blueberry in every bite.

Flavor Variations

Chocolate: For a little extra decadence stir ½ to 1 cup of your favorite chocolate chips into the batter. Milk, semi-sweet, or dark chocolate all work well.
Fruit: Switch things up with 1 cup of diced strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, peaches, or any other fruit you love.
Add-ins: Have fun making these your own! Try chopped nuts, toasted coconut, dried fruit, coconut extract, or almond extract.
Streusel topping: Add a sweet, buttery crunch with a quick streusel. Mix ½ cup all-purpose flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ cup melted butter. Sprinkle it over the muffins and bake as directed.

How to Make Blueberry Banana Muffins

These healthy blueberry banana muffins are very easy to whip up! Grab your muffin pan and spray it with cooking spray or line it with parchment paper liners.

For full printable instructions, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Stir wet ingredients. Once you mash the bananas, start the batter by stirring together the mashed banana, applesauce, eggs, honey, and oil.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add liquid ingredients. Gently stir until just combined. Fold in blueberries. Don’t overmix.

Mixing blueberries in batter in a large glass mixing bowl.

Fill muffin tin. Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity completely full.
Bake. Place in the oven for 5 minutes at 425ºF. After 5 minutes (without removing), reduce heat to 350ºF and bake for 13 to 15 minutes more and until muffins are golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
Cool and enjoy. Once cooked, remove 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!

Filling muffin tin with blueberry muffin batter.

Expert tips

Over-ripe bananas are awesome! Please, please, whenever you have bananas about to go bad, don’t throw them out! Peel them and put them in a baggie in your freezer until you want to use them for classic banana muffins, chocolate chip banana bread, or banana waffles. When you need them, take them out of the freezer and let them sit out for a bit or microwave them for about 45 seconds.
Room temperature ingredients. When baking, it’s best to start with ingredients that are at room temperature. This helps everything mix together evenly without having to over-mix the batter.
Measure the flour correctly. Too much flour can cause muffins to be dry and crumbly. Whisk the flour first, then spoon it into a dry measuring cup (don’t scoop) and level off the top (without shaking the measuring cup).
Do NOT over mix batter. Whole grain baked goods can come out fairly dense. I have found that the biggest thing that helps avoid this is to not over-mix the batter. When you hear cooks on TV saying “stir until just combined,” they mean it. The more you mix, the denser they will be. When you add the wet ingredients to the dry, make sure you only just combine them, and then gently fold the blueberries into the batter. Here’s a little more info on over-mixing batter.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret to making moist muffins?

According to Bob’s Red Mill, to ensure these muffins bake up perfectly moist and tender, keep wet and dry ingredients separate and don’t overwork the batter when mixing, don’t overfill cups and don’t overcook.

Is it better to use fresh or frozen blueberries for muffins?

We typically use fresh blueberries for muffins, but frozen work great, too. Add them into the batter frozen and you probably won’t even be able to tell the difference.

How to ripen bananas?

If your bananas aren’t quite ripe enough, you can ripen them quickly by wrapping them in foil and popping them in a 350°F oven for 10-15 mins!

blueberry muffins in a cupcake liner sitting on a marble cutting board

Storage Tips

These taste so good just out of the oven, but they might even be more wonderful the next day after the flavors have a chance to settle and marry.

To store. Let cool completely on a wire rack before placing them in an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to about 2 days. If you need to store for a longer period of time, keep them in the fridge or the freezer. You can microwave refrigerated muffins for about 10-15 seconds to make them taste like they were freshly baked.
To freeze. Once completely cool, place in a resealable freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to about 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature or rewarm gently in the microwave.

Recommended Tools

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.

blueberry banana muffin with a bite taken out

More Muffin Recipes to Try

Chocolate Banana Muffins

Healthy Blueberry Muffins

Oatmeal muffins with different mix-ins like blueberries, pecans and chocolate chips.

Customizable Oatmeal Muffins

Zucchini Muffins

If you try this blueberry muffin recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, subscribe to our mailing list to receive more delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

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Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

These healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins are moist, tender, and packed with sweet banana and juicy blueberries. They're an easy breakfast the whole family will love.

Author: Kim