These healthy banana applesauce muffins are made with whole wheat flour and are oil free, butter free, and dairy-free! This recipe calls for simple ingredients and is so easy to put together. These muffins are low in fat and high in fiber making them a perfect breakfast or snack option for kids and toddlers.
Who absolutely loves Banana Muffins? We all do! We’re all suckers for a nice, warm, buttery banana muffin but they’re not the healthiest breakfast option.
That’s right, I said it.
They’re sweet as can be and very addicting so we can’t have them all the time. I mean, you could but eventually one day you’ll look down and you won’t be able to see your toes. You gotta be able to see your toes!
I’ve come to realize that a lot of muffins are just breakfast cupcakes. That really is what they are. Now, let me be clear; in no way am I going to stop eating these breakfast cupcakes, but you gotta have some balance in your life.
It’s time to cut back on the junk food breakfasts. Don’t deny it. Sometimes you have breakfast foods that aren’t really breakfast food because it’s easier to just throw some high corn syrup O’s cereal in a bowl with some milk and eat it. We all do this. I’m guilty of it too but we can’t go on like this.
So for those of you who love banana muffins with all your heart but are trying to stay on track, I have a much healthier option for you. These low fat muffins are also a healthier breakfast option. They’re made with greek yogurt instead of oil or butter and studded with chocolate chips!
I’m always looking for ways to “healthify” baked goods because I bake a lot and I always eat what I bake. It never goes to waste. A few years back I remember reading somewhere that you can replace oil or butter with applesauce and I was like yea right. I was so skeptical. I thought that it would make baked goods have a weird taste or flavor but eventually I gave it a try and wow. I’m really glad I did because I almost always have applesauce on hand and so I use it as a substitute when I feel like I need to cut back on the calories. I’ve learned that making little changes can really have a big impact on your overall health.
Healthy, Whole Wheat, and Dairy-Free.
These Banana Applesauce Muffins are made with whole wheat flour, they’re lightly sweetened, and dairy-free! But don’t think that just because they’re healthy means that they must taste like damp sawdust. Oh no, quite the contrary. They’re just as comforting as your good ole buttered up, overly-sweetened banana muffins.
And you’re probably assuming that if they don’t have butter well they definitely must have oil. Nope! No oil either. These banana muffins are made with applesauce instead of oil or butter. These low fat banana muffins are also high in fiber.
I’m telling you these muffins are good all around. They taste good and they’re really good for you too. In other words, they’re delicious and nutritious!
These muffins make for a kid-friendly breakfast. They’re great for the lunchbox too.
In addition to all that other great stuff this is such a simple muffin recipe and it’s extremely easy to make and it all in one bowl too. It comes together in just ten minutes.
I really like whole wheat muffins but only if they don’t taste like whole wheat muffins. You get what I’m saying? I don’t like how sometimes they can have this harsh texture or be extremely dry. These two reasons alone made me avoid whole wheat baked goods for years. Fortunately, that’s not the case with these muffins! Even the pickiest of eaters will approve.
If you’re making the switch to whole wheat flour start with these! You’ll know the difference but it’s a good difference. These are so much more filling compared to white flour muffins.
I tried to keep the sugar amount as low as possible but still enough so that the muffins are tasty and it worked out perfectly.
And of course I had to use brown sugar in these muffins because I love to use brown sugar in baked goods and also for flavor, but if you’d rather a healthier option go right ahead! One reader commented on this Pinterest pin saying that they used coconut sugar so I included this ingredient in the recipe.
Perfect for Kids and Toddlers!
Since becoming a mom I’ve learned many things, but there’s one thing that I’ve been learning over and over again. Kids like things simple and that’s what these muffins are—simple.
My kids love these muffins. They gobble them up. They don’t even realize that they’re healthy or whole wheat for that matter and they’re picky eaters. I swear they like these more than the fancy muffins I try to kill myself making.
I remember this one time I bought this ridiculously expensive, fancy toy for my son when he was one and a half. I took the toy out and he played with it for about 5 minutes then he got bored of it. He looked up at me then looked around the room. I thought he was just going to grab another toy to play with, but no. All of a sudden his face lit up. He ran across the room and threw himself on top of the box. What box you ask? The box that the toy came in… He had more fun playing with the stupid cardboard box than he did with the toy that cost mommy a lot of money.
Moral of the story; don’t try fancying it up. Kids like simplicity so save your time (and money) by keeping it plain and simple!
And let’s be honest, many of these ‘muffins for toddlers’ recipes aren’t really all that healthy but these are. You don’t have to feel bad about giving these to your child and I promise you that they will actually eat them because this recipe is tried and true.
These apple and banana muffins for toddlers and kids are great for adults too.
Soft, Moist, and Delicious.
I love recipes with bananas and applesauce because they always turn out so soft and moist. If you didn’t know this already I’m gonna tell you today; any kind of baked good with banana and applesauce combined is going to be super moist. So you won’t miss the butter in these muffins at all. Just please make sure that your bananas are overripe. This is the key to insuring that the muffins stay moist. Overripe bananas = moist muffins.
The recipe that I started out with for these muffins called for milk but I omitted that and I’m really glad I did because that stretched the batter too much. It made the muffins too “watered down”. Also, I decided to add some baking powder and bake them at a higher temperature because they kept coming out flat and I hate flat muffins. I like muffins with a nice big top. They’re not the biggest but at least they’re not flat and that’s all I want.
The smell of these muffins is so intoxicating. Apple and banana is a great flavor combination. When I pulled them out of the oven I took a big whiff. They smelled so good! The fragrance of the applesauce really shines through.
Don’t wait until they’re fully cooled to sink your teeth in. They’re best served warm. Like, fresh from the oven. I know this is true for all muffins but it’s especially true for these.
If you don’t plan on eating all twelve muffins right away make sure you store them in an air tight container. They should keep for up to three days. I like to just keep them in the muffin pan and cover them tightly with foil, especially when it’s summer time because the fruit flies go crazy for these.
I warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds the next day and they taste just as great as they did the day before.
You’d never be able to tell that these are no oil banana muffins without knowing this beforehand. The applesauce does the job perfectly. And I love that these muffins aren’t dense. They’re just soft all around.
Not only are these muffins great for breakfast they’re a healthier snack option too. They keep you full in between meals and help you avoid snacking on things that don’t really hold much nutritional value.
The previous version of this recipe produced muffins that tasted good but not great like these ones. That old recipe (which used to be a go-to by the way) was a little more on the denser side and the muffins were a bit “heavy”, and they just weren’t my style. I like bakery style muffins. (You know you bake way too much when say things like “these muffins aren’t my style”.)
I had to add a little cinnamon to these because it goes so well with both apples and bananas. It would have been a crime not to. It compliments them so well and gives these muffins a comforting smell and taste. Maybe add a pinch of nutmeg if you want to. If you only have sweetened applesauce on hand just cut back on the sugar. I’d say use 6 tablespoons of sugar. That should do the trick.
These muffins are so easy to make and they always turn out soft, moist, and delicious just like these Healthy Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins.
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Healthy Banana Applesauce Muffins
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Ingredients
- 2 overripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine bananas, applesauce, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Beat in eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and gently fold until combined.
- Scoop batter into the muffin pan filling the cups 3/4 full.
- Bake for 18 - 20 minutes.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
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39 comments
Can you omit the egg and add extra applesauce? My son is allergic to eggs.
Hmm, I’ve never tried it before but if I were to do it I’d replace both eggs with 1/2 cup applesauce and increase the baking powder to 1 teaspoon.
Last time I checked eggs were considered dairy! Why does the recipe call for two eggs and yet it’s labeled dairy free?
Eggs are not dairy! They’re often times grouped with dairy products but dairy is milk and food products made from milk. Eggs fall into the ‘animal product’ category.
Eggs have never been dairy. They are poultry
I don’t have any whole wheat flour in the house. Can I use the same amount of white flour?
Yes, absolutely!
Thanks for this recipe! Great for toddlers. Do you store your muffins in the refrigerator?
No refrigeration needed. ? Store them at room temperature in an airtight container or tightly covered with foil. You can also place them in a resealable plastic bag, however, they tend to sweat more with this method.
My batch only made 22 and were overbaked at 16min but I think my oven cooks too hot. Thank you for the recipe!
I believe you should have used a regular size muffin pan with holders for 12 muffins.
I’ve been making these on a pretty regular basis and they are SO GOOD! I like use 1 cup of oat flour and 1/2 cup of wheat flour and I only use about 1/4 cup of sugar. Oh, and I like to add pecans too, for a little something extra. Thanks for the recipe, these are wonderful ?
Thank you so much, Stacey! Those substitutions and add-ins sound yummy. ?
Can the brown sugar be substituted with just regular sugar?
Yes, however, the muffins won’t be as moist and flavorful.
Where is the nutrition values? Usually “healthy” recipes include total fat, trans fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugar, etc. This is very important to those requiring healthy recipes for various conditions.
I’m sorry, Kandice. You’re right and thank you for pointing this out. Most of my recipes do include the nutrition facts but I forgot to update this one. I just finished adding them. They’re located in the recipe notes.
I’ve made these twice in the past week. They’re delicious and moist, but not mushy. Perfect texture when baked. I only have multigrain flour right now (it was the last bag of flour left on the shelf a few weeks ago when the pandemic panic hit!) so I sifted it to remove the larger grains. Worked great. I was lucky to have all the other ingredients on hand, including homemade apple sauce from last summer. The only other changes I made to the recipe were adding chocolate chips to one batch, and sprinkling raw sugar on the tops before baking. One more batch planned for tomorrow. My husband is taking lunches to work now, so I’m adding some he
… healthy treats to his lunch! (hit submit too early!).
I agree! The texture is wonderful. At least you got a bag. I have not been able to find flour for weeks now! That’s some smart thinking though. Other people have mentioned that they added chocolate chips as well. I detest the combination of chocolate and cinnamon so I’ll pass on that but the raw sugar on top sounds great! I’d definitely try that. Well, I hope he enjoys them! Thanks so much for trying my recipe and for leaving such a detailed review. Your feedback is much appreciated, Corinne.
I added 1Tbsp flaxmeal, 1 Tbsp chia seed and mini chocolate chips. I also used frozen bananas(defrosted). They rose beautifully and were moist and delicious. Thank you for the recipe.
That sounds fantastic. I’m glad you like the recipe!
Just made these and they are wonderful. It will be my go recipe for banana muffins from now on. I had three overripe bananas and used them all and sprinkled a touch of brown sugar on the top of the muffins before baking. I also added walnuts. Delicious,
That’s so great to hear! Others have mentioned that they used 3 bananas as well. I love sprinkling brown sugar on top of my muffins too! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Carol.
So good!! Will definitely be my go to recipe from now on!! I used strawberry applesauce because that’s what we had on hand and decreased the brown sugar to 6 tbsp like mentioned at the end of the blog. I also sprinkled some brown sugar on top. You couldn’t taste the strawberry at all which is fine. I used paper cupcake tins and they really stuck. I will probably just use the muffin pan without them next time.
That’s so great to hear! I usually sprinkle brown sugar on top too. A few other people have mentioned that theirs stuck too because of those liners as well. I use foil lined baking cups and they work really well. But greasing the muffin pan with oil or cooking spray will work too. Thanks so much for taking the time to rate and review my recipe, Ericka!
I really love the texture . Love that there is only 1/2 of sugar. I then could add chocolate chips without the guilt .? I sprinkled almond shavings on top with a small chocolate kiss .
I’m so glad! I tried to use as little sugar as possible and 1/2 cup tuned out to be perfect. That sounds delicious. Thanks so much for the 5-star rating!
I only have one banana on hand. Can I just increase the applesauce?
Yes, replace the other banana with 1/2 cup applesauce.
Very moist and flavorful. I doubled the recipe and used a combination of different gluten free flour (per much just used up all my partial bags.). Even my toddler, who detests anything with fruit or that can be generously described as “healthy” gobbled them up! Win!!!
I have been trying banana bread and muffin recipes for several years, looking for one that is healthy but also satisfying. This recipe is the best I have found. It uses no butter or oil, uses all whole wheat flour, but the texture is still good, and the muffins rise up nicely. I don’t always have ripe bananas, so I sometimes omit them and use more applesauce (1 1/2 cups total). This reduces the calories to 93 per muffin. Thanks for a great recipe, Crystal!
While they taste good (nothing to rave about), they come out extremely chewy. Like chewing a piece of meat. They also stick to the cupcake liner like crazy. You lose half the muffin. Would suggest greasing the cupcake tray instead.
Personally, I wouldn’t make these again
I cannot express how much I adore these and have come to depend on having them!!! I’ve tinkered with substituting sugarfree maple syrup for the brown sugar. It seems to taste best if I only sub half. So thats 1/4c brown sugar and 1/4c syrup. I also include a giant handful of walnuts. These are simple my favorite muffin ever!! Thank you!!!!
These were soooooo good! Boyfriend approved as well! They were easy to make too! I followed recipe exactly except switched to all purpose flour and white sugar cause it’s just what I had. I used about 1/4 cup sugar.
Hey there! I adore these but didn’t have much luck freezing a batch. Can you please share if you’ve done so and how? I literally makes these twice a week. No kids, no toddlers, just for ME!
I’m so sorry I missed your comment, Crazy Grandma.
Try this: Line a baking pan (whichever fits in your freezer) with parchment paper or plastic wrap, place your muffins on the pan (evenly spaced and in one layer). Once frozen to the touch, place them in a freezer bag.
I made these muffins…absolutely delicious… not too sweet… very moist…. I baked them for 16 minutes…. They could probably have been done at 15 minutes…
These were really good but stuck to the paper cupcake liners so next time will use parchment liners or grease the pan. I made per the recipe. Good recipe for my son who has to follow the GERD diet. 4 stars instead of 5 only because of the issue with the liners as we lost a lot of muffin per liner because they stuck so badly.