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These banana oatmeal muffins are about to become your most-made muffin recipe. That’s because they taste amazing and are super-quick to prepare. Just toss a few ingredients into a blender, and it’s ready to pour into your muffin tin!

What makes this recipe special is that it requires NO flour. I spent weeks testing an oatmeal-based muffin to make sure it turned out tender, not gummy. (If you add too much liquid, it will become gummy, FYI.)

The resulting muffin is gluten-free and naturally sweetened with bananas and a touch of maple syrup. They make the perfect after-school snack or a fast breakfast on the go!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review

“These muffins turned out great! The texture was better than any other oat-only muffin recipe I’ve made before!” – Lydia

banana oatmeal muffins with chocolate chips on top near the pan.

Oatmeal Banana Muffin Ingredients

  • Ripe Bananas. You’ll need 2 ripe bananas to make this recipe. The more spots on their skin, the sweeter they will be. I recommend using large ones, so you’ll get maximum banana flavor and more overall muffin batter.
  • Rolled Oats. I use old-fashioned oatmeal to make this recipe, but quick oats would likely work, too. Don’t use steel-cut oats, or the texture might not be as nice. If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, shop for certified gluten-free oats on the label.
  • Eggs. These are a huge help with gluten-free baking. They help make the muffins rise and become fluffy, so I don’t recommend using an egg substitute here. Try my Vegan & Gluten-Free Banana Muffins if you need an egg-free option.
  • Coconut Sugar. I tested this recipe with maple syrup first, the the texture turned out too gummy in the middle. Using granulated sugar helps prevent that! If you don’t keep coconut sugar on hand, regular white or brown sugar will work, too.
  • Baking Powder. Not to be confused with baking soda, this helps the muffins rise as high as possible. (Helping to create a fluffy texture.)
  • Spices. Cinnamon and salt help to boost the flavor.
oatmeal, bananas, coconut sugar, olive oil, and spices labeled on a marble surface.

How to Make Healthy Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin pan with 12 parchment paper muffin cups. This recipe moves quickly, so you want the oven to be heating up for as long as possible.

In a high-speed blender, add 1.5 cups of rolled oats, 2 ripe bananas, 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup of coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of fine sea salt.

Secure the lid and blend until smooth.

You may need to use your blender’s tamper to help keep things blending at first, or stop and scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula, if needed. There should be no visible pieces of oats in your batter.

bananas and oats added to blender for muffin batter.

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Step 2:

Pour the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups, then add a few chocolate chips on top, if you’d like. (You can also add a few walnuts, or any other mix-ins you like.) Oatmeal-based batter will thicken if you let it rest in the blender, so I recommend pouring it quickly to make it easier to work with.

Bake at 350ºF until the muffins rise in the center, about 25 minutes.

Note: I usually fill each cup about 3/4 full, but it may vary each time depending on the size of your bananas.

batter poured into muffin pan and topped with chocolate chips.

Step 3:

When the muffins feel firm to the touch in the center, remove the pan from the oven and let them cool for at least 15 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. 

You can serve these muffins at room temperature or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

oatmeal banana muffins baked in a pan and ripped in half to show the texture.

Oatmeal Muffin Recipe FAQs

Can I use a different sweetener?

You can use any other granulated sugar you like, but using a liquid sweetener, like honey or maple syrup, will give these muffins a more gummy texture. If you want to experiment with it, I’d start with half the amount of sugar (so a 1/4 cup of honey or maple syrup) since their sweetness is more concentrated. 

Do these muffins freeze well?

Yes, muffins tend to freeze well when stored in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. To thaw, place them in the fridge at least 24 hours before you plan on enjoying them again. 

Can I make them oil-free?

You can usually replace oil in a recipe with yogurt or mashed banana, so feel free to experiment. I’ve already kept the oil to a minimum in this recipe, but it does improve the muffins’ texture, so they might be slightly gummier without it. 

What if I don’t have baking powder? 

You can replace it with 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, plus 1 teaspoon of vinegar to help the muffins rise.

close up of a banana oatmeal muffin that's made without flour.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins (No Flour!)

4.93 from 54 votes
Meet the muffins I make more than any other. They are fluffy and delicious, but best of all, you can whip the batter up in a blender in 10 minutes or less. This is our go-to recipe when we have ripe bananas on hand, because it's faster than baking a loaf of banana bread and requires absolutely NO flour! As a result, they are gluten-free, but you'd never guess just by tasting them.
prep10 mins cook25 mins total35 mins
Servings:12
PrintRate

Ingredients
 
 

Optional Toppings

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. Into a blender, add the bananas, eggs, olive oil, oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Blend until the batter is relatively smooth, about 60 seconds.
  • Pour the batter into the 12 muffin cups. They should be about ¾ of the way filled. Add a sprinkle of rolled oats or chocolate chips on top, if you like. You can also add in any other mix-ins you like, such as chopped walnuts or pecans, by pressing them into the muffins.
  • Bake the muffins for 25 minutes at 350ºF, or until the centers feel firm to a light touch. Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool completely, then they will be ready to serve.
  • Store leftover muffins in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months. To thaw frozen muffins, transfer them to the fridge at least 24 hours before you plan on serving them again.

Video

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 12 muffins, without any optional toppings. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
Need an egg-free recipe? Try my Gluten-Free Banana Muffins, instead. You can also try swapping mashed banana for the pumpkin in my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins recipe, if you would rather use oat flour.
For more substitution tips, be sure to check the FAQ in this post!
Update Note: This recipe was updated in January 2023, because the original recipe didn’t consistently produce good results. (The texture was far too gummy.) If you prefer the original recipe, which was made with peanut butter instead of oil, you can find that here.

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 78mg | Potassium: 191mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 78IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg
Author: Megan Gilmore
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: gluten-free
Keyword: banana oatmeal muffins
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If you try these Banana Oatmeal Muffins, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them!

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. As a Certified Nutritionist Consultant (CNC), I love to make healthier food using simple ingredients. I test these recipes multiple times in my kitchen to make sure they will turn out perfectly for you.

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Comments

  2. I LOVE your website and the simplicity of your recipes! I have been a loyal follower for YEARS!! I have a challenge for you though. My husband and son LOVE the huge muffins you can buy at Costco, but I do not love all of the unhealthy ingredients that I see on the label. I purchased a large format muffin pan to make some of your recipes in, and have had some success in making some with adjusting the bake time and the amount of ingredients. However, I cannot get the ratios right to make the perfect amount needed for making the large muffins and end up with some large and some muffin top sized muffins just because the amount of batter isn’t quite right. The challenge would be a couple of super healthy large format muffin tin (or even savory breakfast foods) recipes please and thanks!

    Reply

  3. I thought I was losing my mind:) I couldn’t find the original recipe, I had made them a couple of weeks ago, and just happened to scroll down and saw the link. I always had good results with the recipe, my grandchildren, in fact all of us loved them 💕

    Reply

    1. I’m glad you enjoyed the original ones, Kathy! Let me know if you try this new version– I think it’s even better! But both versions will always be here for you. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Yes I’ll try this new version:) The original worked for the grandkids as we need more fat for our little guy! I substituted almond butter for peanut butter due to allergies. I love all your recipes and know when I try a new one I’m confident it will turn out! Making some vegan recipes this weekend for family 🤞🤞

        Reply

  4. I made these muffins this weekend and they are delicious! I added 1 scoop of plant based protein powder to the recipe for a little extra protein and they turned out great! My husband and daughter loved them as well!

    Reply

  5. I made your vegan version of the original banana oatmeal muffins with peanut butter last week and we loved them. I believe they had baking powder, not soda and a different amount of flour. Would you please forward or post the vegan recipe from the original post.

    Reply

      1. Thanks Megan! Did you save the vegan version as well. I believe it only had a 1/4 cup peanut butter. It turned out fantastic!

        Reply

        1. Yes, here you go:
          * 3 ripe bananas (about 1 cup mashed)
          * 1 1/2 cups oat flour (rolled oats finely ground in a food processor)
          * 2 teaspoons baking powder (this is better for vegan baking)
          * 1/4 cup peanut butter
          * 2 tablespoons maple syrup
          * 1/4 teaspoon salt
          Stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl until it looks uniform, then divide it among the 10 muffin cups and bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

          Reply

  7. Yum yum yum! I made this in my Ninja bullet-style blender which was relatively cheap (only $80 at BJ’s, and it comes with other blenders too) and did half pb half almond butter. Loved it!

    Reply

  8. Tried this one, the vegan version, for the first time last week. It’s incredibly good. I added a bit of soy milk, applesauce, and frozen blueberries.

    Reply

  9. I liked the taste of these but I guess my expectation was more of a muffin texture that was instead more like baked oatmeal, which is okay. I had to bake it 12 minutes longer so they were not wet inside.

    Reply

    1. Mine tasted just like a muffin. Maybe your blender was too weak (too cheap, been used for too long a time, etc.) and it didn’t blend the oats right?

      Reply