Healthy one banana muffins to help you use up that last overripe banana! These tender oil-free muffins are made with just 7 ingredients and make a healthy breakfast or snack!
So I spent a lot of time thinking about what my first recipe of 2017 should be, and by thinking I mean planning, stressing, and Type-A-ing my way through the last couple of weeks. I mean, not only does the first recipe set the tone for the rest of the year (not really kind of), but it’s going up on my birthday so I felt like it had to be birthday-themed.
Yup! Today is the big day! And I have a good feeling about this year because my age ends in an even number. And I know that sounds all sorts of crazy, but I also know there are a tonne of you out there who know exactly what I’m talking about. 2 > 1 in more ways than one.
Anyways! I can’t even tell you how long I spent mulling over what kind of recipe to post on my birthday. I was originally going to go with chocolate cake, but Spoons is a place for healthy, quick, and easy recipes, and cakes don’t exactly fit any of those bills. Beside, my birthday is the one day of the year where I can convince someone else to do the baking for me, so I wasn’t overly keen on the idea of making my own cake… especially when I really wanted muffins.
I know, I know. That sounds like a snooze fest compared to a chocolate cake, but there’ll still be chocolate cake here – I just won’t be the one making it and therefore won’t have a recipe to share with you guys
Besides, no one is looking for chocolate cake in January. That is, unless you happen to have the misfortune of being a January baby, in which case… I sympathize. My birthday is close enough to New Year’s that I can kind of pull off celebrating then, but other than that it’s a whole lot of post-Christmas slumping and grumpy people going back to work/school.
That’s why I figured that January would be a good time for something easy, healthy, and practical… which is how these healthy one banana muffins happened.
Yup, ONE banana muffins.
I mean, I know I just said that 2 > 1, but I also know that I can’t be the only one who sometimes finds herself with only ONE overripe banana on hand and no idea what to do with it. Can’t make most banana breads/muffins, can’t eat it, can’t throw it away…
So these muffins are basically an answer to that problem. The recipe only calls for that one last banana, but the finished muffins have so much banana flavour and moisture that you’d really never know they weren’t made with the standard two.
It’s wins all around… especially with how easy they are to throw together.
These muffins are made with just one bowl and 7 simple ingredients. That’s it!
I mean, I guess you could make it 8 or 9 ingredients if you felt like tossing in some add-ins, but I like my banana breads and muffins free of any conflicting flavours so I can taste all the banana goodness.
They’re light, fluffy, tender, and oil-free thanks to the Greek yogurt, and I found them to be plenty sweet, so you could probably cut back on the sugar to 6 Tbsp… or maybe even 1/4 cup if you were adding something sweet like chocolate chips or dried fruit. I made this batch with regular wheat flour so I can’t say for sure how subbing in a GF flour would go, but I’ve had several readers inform me that similar recipes work fine with an all-purpose GF mix if you need them to be gluten-free. Either way, I hope you like them!
Happy eating!!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Healthy One Banana Muffins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 9 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (110 g) plain 2% Greek yogurt
- 1 medium-size ripe banana, mashed (100 g or 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) coconut palm sugar*
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup (150 g) whole wheat pastry flour**
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC), and prepare a muffin pan by spraying the cavities with cooking spray or lining them with parchment paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs just until the yolks break apart. Whisk in the Greek yogurt, banana, sugar, vanilla, and baking soda, mixing until smooth.
- Slowly spoon in the flour and gently stir it in until just combined. Fold in any add-ins, if using.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 9 muffin cups, filling them 3/4 full.
- Bake for 20 – 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for ~10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
* You can also use brown sugar or cane sugar. ** You can also use all-purpose flour, or use a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat. I’d probably go 3/4 cup (90 g) all-purpose and 1/2 cup (60 g) whole wheat. I’ve also had readers say that an all-purpose gluten-free mix works as well.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
GLUTEN FREE; This recipe easily changes to gluten free. I replaced the wheat four with the same amount of GF cup4cup flour. You need to add 1.25 tsp of baking soda with gluten free. Also when done mixing let it set for 30 minutes before cooking to make the GF muffins lighter. I have used apple sauce, yogurt and light sour cream and all was good but light sour cream the favorite. I make 12 muffins with the recipe lowering the calories and bake at 330 degrees for 18 minutes with a dark no stick pan. You can add some baking cocoa for chocolate banana muffins, with or without chips. I added a couple of tablespoons of milk when adding the cocoa to get a thinner batter. Thanks for the great recipe my husband eats GF and this recipe is a hit with his morning coffee. ☕️😊
Have a wonderful birthday! I really hope that you will be able to celebrate in grand fashion. Because I was born in February, three days after Valentine’s Day, I like to combine the two holidays when I celebrate them.
These banana muffins are absolutely delicious! The texture is perfect and the flavor is so rich and satisfying.
Thanks for this recipe! I was going to throw my very ripe banana away and then decided to check for a recipe for one ripe banana. Awesome! Thanks so much! I’m definitely the chocolate chip type!
I love cupcakes so much and this cupcake is made from bananas, my favorite fruit. What’s a perfect combination!
I always have one banana left, it’s true! geometry dash lite
Yum! This was nice and fluffy/springy and flavorful! My husband (who often complains he doesn’t liked baked goods or sweets) couldn’t wait for it to cool enough to enjoy. He said it had the right amount of sweetness, banana flavor, and so on.
Amanda, have a wonderful birthday! Take pleasure in that chocolate dessert… And you’re absolutely correct about the awkward one-banana situation. (I suppose if I just have one, I generally freeze it for a smoothie.) I’ll have to remember this dish as an option for that particular time.
Hi Amanda… I have one over ripe banana and was looking for recipes. Stumbled on this one and I think it is amazing. I love that it uses yogurt and no butter/oil. AND I noticed it was written on Jan 4 2017… your birthday day, and its amazing that I am reading it today Jan 4, 2021 🙂 So happy birthday and thanks so much for this recipe. About to try it now!
Great recipe, easy and simple. I used whole milk vanilla yogurt, because it was what I had, and also did half white sugar and half brown, a good sprinkle of chocolate chips and they were so hard to stop eating! My kids love them! Thanks!!
I’m so glad you and your family liked them, Ruth! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
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Home run! Great slggniug with that answer!
could I substitute whole wheat pastry flour for wholewheat spelt flour or white spelt flour? im sensitive to gluten but spelt seems to be ok with me…ty in advance… xx
This looks so good! But I only have nonfat Greek yogurt; would that work?
Heya I use Fage 0% fat free and they turn out great 🙂
Happy late birthday, and happy new year!! These is a great recipe for that one pesky banana I still have on the counter. I only have vanilla greek yogurt, could I use that and leave out the sugar?
You definitely could! I wouldn’t leave the sugar out completely since it does affect the texture, but you could probably cut it down to about 1/4 cup.
This recipe is just what I needed!
Happy belated Birthday Amanda! I know i am like 8 months late but we have the same birthday!!!! 🙂
Hi Amanda I happened to have one seriously over ripen banana and I can’t make a bread out of it, so I stumbled across your recipe and it looks perfect!! I have to try it soon! Also, I was wondering if I could freeze these muffins and how long they can last in freezer? And how should I reheat the frozen muffins when I’m going to eat them?
Happy birthday! These look perfect for the overripe bananas I have and for my little boy! I’ll be making them today
Thanks so much, Annie! I hope you like them 😀
Happy birthday!! The crumb looks so delicious and tender. These are must makes.
Thanks so much, Kate! They’re definitely tender little things.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope it’s full of family, friends, and good food (like these muffins and an unpictured chocolate cake) 😉 I’ve always liked my banana bread simple…means I can slather it with nut butter or jam and call it a delicious day!
Thanks so much, Casey 🙂 And I totally agree about keeping it simple. The banana bread-y flavour is kind of to die for.
Happy Birthday Amanda! I hope you had a wonderful day and I hope you have a year full of happiness. Thank you for your recipes and posts, you are so talented! I have enjoyed following your blog for a long time!
Thank you so much, Erica. That means a lot and I really appreciate your support! xo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY GORGEOUS!! I think you picked the perfect recipe to kick off the New Year. The texture of these muffins is making me drool right and I just ate a huge dinner. 🙂
I hope you had an amazing day!
Thank you, lovely! xox Hope you’re having an awesome year so far 😀
Happy Birthday to a really sweet, genuine down to earth food blogger friend; I think if you met all of the people who want to be your friends because of your genuine, honest spirit, you would have 1000s of friends… 🙂 And banana muffins are absolutely perfect for a new month. :o) My birthday month is July; I’ll be 24. Now I feel old.
Thank you for the sweetest comment, Emily! And PLEASE! 24 is still so wonderfully young. Heck, I’m in my 30’s and still feel young 🙂
These look yummy–love that the ingredient list is short! I do love to mix some dark chocolate chips in with banana bread though! I’m an end of July birthday so the weathers warm and everyone’s usually in pretty good spirits!
Happy birthday to you! Enjoy that delicious chocolate cake. I’m convinced that food prepared for me made by others almost always tastes better!
July would be an awesome month to have a birthday. My half birthday is July 4th… maybe I should start celebrating then instead 😆
Happy Birthday Amanda!!!!! Hope your year is as amazing as these look (and probably smell) 😍 I’m actually opposite when it comes to the even/odd thing. I turned 25 in November I have a great feeling about this year cuz it ends in 5 and am odd. I’ve got a thing about prime numbers too so 29 is probably gonna blow my mind 😂
p.s. I take my banana bread/muffins anyway I can get them, add-ins or not 😅
25 is an awesome year, though, because it’s 1/4 so that’s fine. And I hope it does end up being an amazing year for you, Giselle!
Happy Happy New Year Amanda – and HAPPYYYYYYY HAPPPY HAPPPYYYY Birthday!!! I hope this is the best even-aged year yet for ya! I gotta admit, I learned something new today when I saw ” no one is looking for chocolate cake in January” whaaaattt???? I want cake – chocolate cake at that with buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache drizzled on top! Ok, am stopping now – hope you have had a wonderful day, sweet lady!
Thank you, lovely! xo And maybe they are looking for cake! But all I’ve been seeing lately are detoxes and salads 😕
Happy birthday, Amanda! May you have an all-around wonderful and delicious day!
Fellow January baby here and not entirely stoked about it, either. Because I neither like winter nor do I celebrating it this close to Christmas. First world complaints ;).
Oh and even numbers? Definitely way better than uneven ones.
I can definitely relate to that. But I hope it’s an amazing birthday for you nonetheless, lovely <3
I have three ripe bananas therefore I think I should triple the recipe. Math rocks. 🙂
That’s my favourite kind of math 🙂
Happy birthday!!! Hope you have a great one! I 100% agree about the even/odd number thing. I was trying to explain this to my family last birthday when I turned 21, and I realized that whenever it was an odd number, I didn’t really feel my age, whereas with the even ones, I did. I have a feeling the I won’t feel 22, though…I’m just barely used to 21, and 22 just seems too old for me. (I know, I’m a young sprout still, but I just don’t *feel* like I’m old enough to be 22.) My birthday is in April, so I have a while to go, which I’m fine with as I’m not too fond of my birthday these days. I am ridiculously proud of my birthday month, though. It’s just the best. 👍🏽 As for the banana bread, I like it both ways, although I think I prefer it with chocolate chips? I’ve never had any other add-ins (maybe nuts? if so, they didn’t stick in my memory so 👎🏽), so I can’t speak for anything else. That said, I always want to have a plain loaf on hand as well to enjoy the pure banana flavor. I’m not sure how this translates to muffins. 😜 But I have a life philosophy that almost anything is better if you add chocolate. Or if it is chocolate. Of course there are some major exceptions to this rule, but in the dessert/breakfast realm? It rules.
I totally know what you mean about not feeling your age! I have to stop and think a moment when someone asks me because I honestly can’t believe I’m as old as I am. And April is definitely an awesome birthday month. Both my parents are actually April babies.
Happy birthday with lots of happy food! 🙂
My birthday is also in January but since everyone has exams then, so I don’t celebrate it until February haha
That’s not a terrible idea at all 🙂 Happy (early) birthday, Chao!
Happy birthday! My hub’s bday is Saturday so he sympathizes with you. Early January birthdays can really suck. Mine is in September so I always got to go back to school on my birthday. hooray. haha!
And, I prefer with-out add-ins. I might, however, like to slather an obscene amount of nut butter on the finished product, though. 😉
Hope your cake is delicious!
Thank you, Jennifer! And I totally feel you about going back to school. I remember a handful of times where my birthday was the first day back at school.
Happy birthday, Amanda! Enjoy that chocolate cake…and yes, you’re so right about the awkward one-banana problem. (If I have just one, I guess I usually freeze it for a smoothie.) I’ll need to keep this recipe in mind as an alternative for that precise occasion.
Thanks so much, Joyce! And I usually freeze mine too, although sometimes it goes past the point of no return when it doesn’t really taste that great in a smoothie anymore 😕
Hi
Happy birthday! Wishing you health happiness love belly-aching laughter and (my personal birthday wish every year..) great hair great skin and a great metabolism lol #jokingnotjoking hope you have a wonderful day 😉
Best.wishes.EVER. Thank you, Fay!
Happy Birthday 🎂! We can never have too many muffin recipes, this one sounds delicious! I finally found whole wheat pastry flour…,.had to go to Whole Foods about 45 minutes away (and all they had was a tiny bag) so can’t wait to try it with this recipe.
Thank you, Mary! I hope you enjoy the muffins 🙂
Haha its so true I always have one banana left! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Thanks Karlie 🙂
Happy Birthday Amanda! <3
Thank you, Arlene! xo
Happy birthday! I hope you’re able to celebrate in style. I’m a February baby, 3 days after Valentine’s Day, so I usually celebrate both together.
Here’s hoping someone makes you some chocolate cake! 🙂
Thanks Kelly! Sometimes I just celebrate on New Year’s and have one big party 🙂
Happy birthday sweet friend! I hope you have a beautiful day! 🙂
Seeing as though I have an abundance of naners currently going bad on my counter – this recipe is coming at just the right time. I’ll have to swap flours to make it GF but these babies look and sound incredible!
Thank you, lovely! <3 And I'd kill for an abundance of ripe bananas! They don't last long enough around here!
happy birthday!! wishing you the best year ever. and lots of chocolate cake today 🙂 I don’t care that it’s January and not my birthday, I would gladly accept chocolate cake any day this month.
Thank you! <3 And you know I'm right there with you on the chocolate cake.