Healthy banana blueberry oat muffins (easy recipe)

These healthy muffins are a great breakfast alternative to cereal or toast.  Packed full of goodness, they are quick to make and also freeze well, so definitely worth trying.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Storage
• Serving and storage
• Recipe

A couple of years ago, I went through a big learning phase when it came to food.

I’m learned things that I didn’t even know I needed to learn.

The best part was, I got my head around the whole idea of ‘wholefoods’ and why we’re told certain things are good and bad.

What I’m learning is that the food itself, in its real, unadulterated form isn’t ever really bad, it’s what had been done to it that takes it from nourishing our bodies to sometimes doing more harm than good.

Take sugar for example, while it’s still not great for us to have too much of it in any form, having it in as close-to-natural form as possible means we get more than just a dose of calories and a bit of a sugar high.

Rapadura sugar, which is purely dehydrated cane sugar, still contains minerals and vitamins and one teaspoon of it contains 11% of the recommended daily intake of iron for your average Joe or Jane.

Pretty cool huh?

Compare that to the refined, white version which contains… (crickets chirping) zero nutritional value, a hit of calories and a nice quick spike in your blood sugar levels.

But this type of sugar isn’t readily available.

It’s not as sweet and addictive as the processed white stuff and I’m going to go out on a limb here and say it’s not as financially profitable to produce.

It is a much better choice for our health though and I’ve been experimenting with it in recipes for a little while now.

Another delicious muffin recipe is our orange, passionfruit and blueberry muffins. 

You might also find it called Panela sugar which is the same thing.

Having said all that, making something from scratch eg a biscuit, with regular white sugar is still better for us than buying a packet of biscuits from the supermarket.

Personally I think it’s more fun too.

Ingredients

To make these delicious blueberry banana oatmeal muffins you will need just a few simple ingredients: 

• Wholemeal spelt flour - or regular whole wheat flour or all purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Bicarb soda
• Ground cinnamon
• Rolled oats - also called old-fashioned oats
• Rapadura sugar - or pure maple syrup (if using maple syrup, mix it with the wet ingredients first not the dry) - coconut sugar can also be used
• Mashed bananas - overripe bananas give the best results as they're deliciously sweet
• Eggs
• Natural yoghurt (plain) - or use Greek yogurt
• Olive oil - or melted coconut oil or any other mild oil. Just no vegetable oil. I avoid those. 
• Fresh blueberries - or use frozen

Are rolled oats (or old-fashioned oats) the same as quick oats?

Quick cooking oats are made from rolled oats. They just go through further processing - partial cooking by steaming and further rolling - to make them cook faster. 

Can I use quick oats instead of rolled oats?

Yes, in baking you can use quick oats in place of rolled oats. 

Is it better to bake with rolled oats or quick oats?

It really doesn’t make a difference to flavour. If you want a finer texture in your muffin then quick oats are the way to go.

Really it’s the whole theory of back-to-basics and it can be applied across many facets of life not just food.

In terms of cooking, I think this way of thinking has actually improved my cooking.

Nothing is totally off-limits.

Yes sweet things in moderation as always but a muffin for a quick breakfast on busy mornings?

Why not?

It’s full of good stuff if it’s made with whole ingredients and it tastes even better when you know it’s nourishing you.

It's perfect for the whole family.

I actually think it’s even less expensive to eat this way because eating food that is packed with nutrients fills you up.

You’re not hungry two seconds later because your body has been fed everything it needs.

I mentioned muffins for easy breakfast didn’t I? 

Yep sure did.

They’re pretty easy to make so a good one to get the kids involved and freeze well too. 

You can even defrost them, put them back in the muffin pan and pop them in the oven for a while and everyone will think you baked them fresh.

A few weeks ago the boys and I whipped up a batch and as soon as they were ready we headed out to the park and had freshly-baked muffins for brunch. 

It was so lovely.

To me it was much more special than popping into the bakery on the way.

Feel free to use wholemeal flour in place of spelt but as I said, I’ve been experimenting with different pure ingredients and types of flours and spelt is a great one for using in place of white or wholemeal without changing the texture of flavour of a recipe.

It’s a really easy swap.

You can get it at the supermarket or online either as flour, or buy the grains and process it in a high-powered blender or thermomix to make your own flour.

Storage

The best way to store muffins is in an airtight container. 

Make sure you let them cool to room temperature on a wire rack before putting in a container. 

For extra freshness, line the container with paper towel and then put another sheet of it over the top of the muffins. 

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How to freeze healthy blueberry banana muffins

This depends how you're going to eat them. 

​Personally, I just throw them in a freezer bag or zip lock bag and into the freezer. 

You can also individually wrap them in plastic wrap and freeze that way so they can be put straight in a lunch bag. 

Can you make mini healthy banana blueberry oatmeal muffins?

You sure can. Instead of using a regular muffin pan, make mini muffins by baking the muffin batter in a mini muffin tin. 

They make the perfect little bites for snack time and are great for little fingers. 

How many calories are in banana oat muffins?

If using rapadura sugar and olive oil the total calories per muffin (based on making 12 in a batch) is 200 calories. 

If using maple syrup and coconut oil the total is 190 calories per muffin. 

Why are my oatmeal muffins dry?

There are two general reasons your banana oatmeal muffins may be dry. 

The first is that you overcooked them. It’s really important to check them close to the end of baking time with a cake tester. 

The second is that you didn’t add enough wet ingredients. 

Make sure you properly measure the olive oil and yoghurt and you’re not using a small egg. 

​We also like to serve our muffins lathered in butter. 

Serving and storage

How do you keep banana muffins moist?

Muffins are best eaten on the day you make them but to reheat them without drying them out, either wrap in a piece of cloth and microwave or wrap in aluminium foil and reheat in the oven. 

You can use the same method with a frozen muffin to defrost/warm it up. 

How long do homemade banana blueberry muffins last?

They are best eaten on the day you make them (freeze any leftovers) but they will last in an airtight container for 3 days. 

Should homemade banana muffins be refrigerated?

This depends on your climate. 

If it’s very humid refrigeration will help stop them going mouldy.

You might also enjoy our banana carrot muffins. 

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Recipe