Name: The Best Healthy Banana Muffin
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 17 min
Ingredients: 1 small banana (very ripe) ((About 1/2 cup)); 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt; 2 tbsp maple syrup; 3 tbsp oil; 1/4 cup fresh strawberries, chopped; 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder* ((optional)); 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled** ((All-purpose flour works too)); 1 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1 tbsp dark chocolate (chopped); 1/4 cup milk or non-dairy alternative

If you have a spare 30 minutes (that’s all the time you’ll need) and you feel like setting yourself up for breakfast during the week, give these healthy banana muffins a try. This is a one-bowl recipe. The instructions are pretty straightforward: combine the ingredients in the bowl and bake. What’s more, you can use pantry/refrigerator staples without doing a whole lot of extra shopping for special ingredients.

Customizing these muffins

Usually, baking is neither the time or place for customization. Baking requires precise measurements. I am happy to report this is one instance in which you can make do with some customization depending on what you have available. For example, I waited way too long to use my banana and a portion of it had blackened. As a result, I only ended up using about half of my banana.

Consistency is key to customization

The key here is to make sure the consistency of your batter is correct at the end. When you mix, it should seem airy and fluffy. When you lift your fork/spoon/mixing utensil, the batter should fall off in large blobs. Here’s how to trouble-shoot. If the batter is dripping, you need more dry ingredients. You need to add more milk if the batter sticks to your mixing utensil and seems more like a dough. If you are thinking about customizing these muffins, add the milk one tablespoon at a time and mix as you go until you hit the right consistency. You can always add liquid, but it’s harder to fix if there is too much. This is what the batter should look like when you’re done:

Here are some ways you can customize the muffins:

Don’t stress if you don’t have a whole banana – like I said, a part of mine went bad as I was waiting for it to ripen. You will, however, need at least half a banana.
Use all-purpose flour instead of white whole wheat flour. You could also try substituting other types of flours (like oat), but you may need to adjust how much flour you add. For example, you’ll need to add about a cup of oat flour instead of 3/4 cup of white whole wheat flour if you make that substitution. I have tried this recipe with all-purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. Both work well.
Use (or don’t use) unrefined sweetener of your choice – maple syrup, agave, honey.
Add (or don’t add) fresh fruit – I’ve tried this recipe with fresh strawberries, fresh blueberries, and with no fruit at all.
Include (or don’t include) protein powder.
Add (or don’t add) chocolate. I like using part of a chopped up bar of dark chocolate, though chocolate chips would work well too.
Use any milk of your choice – I usually use oat milk and it works great.

Meal planning with these healthy banana muffins

Wait for the muffins to cool after they come out of the oven. You can store your muffins in a container and put it in the refrigerator. They’ll keep for about a week. To reheat, simply pop one in the microwave for about 15 seconds – breakfast is ready!