Best Vegan Banana Oat Muffins [nut free]

Fluffy and light with sweet banana, hearty oats and *optional* chocolate chips; these are the best vegan banana oat muffins and will be a new fan favorite in your house!

This recipe for the best vegan banana oat muffins produces moist, tender and light muffins. The addition of oats makes them filling enough for a breakfast or perfect as a snack. If you are like me and are constantly searching for different foods to put in school lunches, these are for you.

I was perusing my old notebook of recipes and stumbled upon this one. It had been several months since the last time I made it, because let’s face it, I make a LOT of muffins. This one is spectacularly easy, with no fancy equipment needed. Additionally, there are no strange ingredients to make up for the lack of egg or dairy in the recipe.

Speaking of many, many muffins in my house…

If you are looking for other muffin options, I got you covered:

• gluten free blender muffins, using banana and chocolate chips

• Big green muffins made with spinach (these are vegan/dairy free and egg free)

• blueberry muffins made with sourdough discard

Also you may notice, like all recipes on my website these listed recipes do not contain eggs, some are dairy free as well, and gluten/wheat free. I like to provide a variety of options for everyone!

What kind of oats are best for muffins?

The type of oats I prefer to use are organic rolled oats. They are chewy and provide a great bite and texture to the muffin. And yes, your muffin will still be perfectly soft with the addition of oats. Just don’t over bake or over-mix because then it will be dry.

—Quick cooking oats can be used as well but will lack the texture and ‘nuttiness’ of rolled oats.

What do I do with leftover muffins?

Make a bunch and freeze them! After muffins have cooled, they can be stored. Muffins freeze marvelously well and they thaw quickly too. To store muffins, wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then place in a ziploc bag. Seal and freeze. They will stay fresh for about 2-3 months.

Chocolate chips or no chocolate chips in muffins?

That is the million dollar question! I like to do a mix of both. 6 with chocolate chips and 6 without. You can be the judge of whether or not you want melty chocolate in your muffins. I know my kids love it but it’s not for everyone. These banana oat muffins are perfect on their own without any add-ins.

I don’t have buttermilk, what do I do?

Very simply make your own. Use any milk you have (soy or dairy have worked well for me over the years) and add vinegar or lemon juice, mix well and let sit for a couple minutes for it to curdle.

How to make the best vegan banana oat muffins

Preparation:

-Begin by preheating the oven to 375F. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners and set it aside.

-Make the faux buttermilk by mixing soy milk and vinegar in a 1 or 2 cup measuring cup. Set aside.

Make the muffin batter:

-In a medium-large glass mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, oats, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to mix well then set aside.

-Add buttermilk to the dry ingredients and mix well.

-Next I like to mash the bananas inside the same measuring cup I used for the buttermilk mixture.

-Add in the oil, vanilla and mashed bananas. Stir to combine. Do not over-mix.

-If you would like to add chocolate chips, gently mix them in right now. If only adding them to half the batter, sprinkle them in by hand into the individual muffin cups.

-Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling 3/4 way full. Bake for 16-20 minutes, until tops spring back when tapped and internal temperature is about 200F. Let sit for a minute then carefully remove hot muffins from pan to a cooling rack.

Things that helped in the kitchen for this recipe, and can help you too:

–cupcake liners/baking cups- The “if you care” brand is environmentally conscious, non-toxic, chlorine free and paper is unbleached. I always appreciate less chemicals in my diet, don’t you? amazon

—12 cup muffin pan from Ninja- This is truly non stick, and I can just wipe it clean right after using. No need to throw in the dishwasher.

–Food thermometer (amazon) to check the temperature of basically everything and anything. One of my most used and underrated kitchen tools.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This comes at no cost to you, just like a free Disney travel agent. I’m only here to make suggestions that hopefully help you 😉 

Also check out this vegan cinnamon swirl banana bread!