Banana-Walnut Muffins

If you love dessert-like breads and/or muffins, you're going to love this recipe! Slightly sweet, fluffy but with a walnut crunch. They remind me of the Starbucks banana bread that I loved pre-vegan, just in muffin form. Perfect mix between a sweet treat and bread. Not going to lie, my kids had them for breakfast one day, packed in their lunch another, and even an after-school snack later in the week. They're great paired with a warm coffee on the way out the door too.

They're easy to make, and they stay fresh throughout the week when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or even in the freezer for up to three months if stored properly. I have always had a love for banana nut muffins, well, muffins in general, and one of my all-time favorite things since going vegan back in 2017, has been showing people how easy it is to get the same comforting texture and taste that you grew up having in baked goods, but without the animal by-products. No crazy ingredients necessary. Hope you enjoy! 

 

Vegan Banana-Walnut Muffins

Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 25-30 minutes | Serves 12

Ingredients: 

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/8 cup sugar (I used raw cane sugar)

1 flaxseed egg**

1/2 cup coconut oil, melted; plus, extra to coat muffin tins**

2 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used oatmilk)**

1/2 apple cider vinegar**

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 extra ripe bananas, mashed**

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)**

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F and coat muffin pan with coconut oil OR line with paper or reusable muffin cups. Set aside.

While the oven is preheating, in a small dish, mix the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar together, and allow to rest at least 5 minutes. 

Mix together 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed with 2½ tablespoon water to make the flax egg, set aside and allow to rest.

Chop your walnuts if needed. Decide whether you want them inside the muffins or on top. 

Then while the “un-buttermilk” mixture is resting and the oven is preheating, combine the dry ingredients into a large bowl - flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix just until combined.

In another medium bowl, start by mashing the bananas with a fork. Then, add ½ cup melted coconut oil, the “un-buttermilk” mixture, flax egg, and vanilla. Mix well. The mixture should be like a thick batter. If you want to add the walnuts to your batter now, fold them in until evenly distributed. 

Once all your ingredients have been mixed just until combined**, you’re going to divide the batter into the prepared cupcake or muffin pan. They should each fill about ¾ of the cups, but if it’s a little off, that’s okay, they will still taste great as long as they are all about the same, to allow for even baking.

Top with chopped walnuts if you left them out of the batter. Omit if allergic or you’d prefer to leave out. Can Also sub  for any other topping desired.

Bake in the preheated oven 20-25 minutes. Muffins are done when the tops are light golden brown, or until you can insert a toothpick in the middle of a muffin, and it comes out clean. Oven times may vary, I would recommend checking around the 23 minutes mark.

 

Notes

Ground flaxseed can be found in the baking section of almost any market or supermarket. If you cannot find ground flaxseed, you can make your own by simply grinding it, blending it, or processing it through a slow pulse. This is an egg alternative. You can also use applesauce, pumpkin, chia, etc. as an egg replacement.

Coconut oil is optional, you can opt for almost any cooking spray or oil for the recipe. I like to use coconut oil in baking recipes, especially for the pan coating, because the flavor, while mild, pairs well with sweeter treats. As for coating the pan, you can also opt for reusable cupcake liners, found in most stores as well. This makes clean up easier and reduces waste.

The non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar mixture is added to make (un)buttermilk.

Make sure you are using spotty bananas. You don’t want them moldy, but the spottier, the better. You can refrigerate or even free browning bananas for later use in recipes, so that they do not go to waste. Bananas tend to have different health benefits dependent on their ripeness as well, when eating alone that is.

Oven times may vary, you may have to leave the muffins in longer, or take them out earlier. We have energy efficient appliances, and I find that our oven sometimes cooks/bakes things a bit faster than older ovens we’ve had. Just try not to open the oven too often, as this can interfere with adequate baking (though I know it can be tempting).

This recipe is a vegan and soy-free recipe. Always check the labels on your ingredients if any of the above ingredients are a concern to you, your health, or your lifestyle.

Whether you add the chopped walnuts into your batter, or to the tops, or even both, it will not effect the outcome, and they will be delicious. I chopped the walnuts into small enough pieces for our toddler, then mixed them into the batter. Then baking them softened the walnuts a bit even further, making them a safe protein for her to eat and chew without an increased choking hazard. 

 

Try not to overmix the batter, as this can result in a dense muffin.

 

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As mentioned before, this is a great treat for both children and adults alike. Whether you are on the go in the morning, needing a quick snack mid-day, with coffee or even tea, or as an after school snack, this is it. It’s fairly simple to make once you do it once, and would be perfect to involve the kids in, and can be easily altered to add any toppings you and your family prefers. I hope that you enjoy these Starbucks Copycat Bread style muffins as much as we did!

Xo, Nicci

 

 

DISCLAIMER
This is a personal blog written by me, Nicole Johnson. All opinions are my own and are in no way meant to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure disease. Full disclaimer can be found here: DISCLAIMER – Wholesomely Nicci