Whole Wheat Banana Muffins

Name: Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 cups banana (mashed, 1 banana is about 1/2 cup, but measure by volume.); 1/2 cup oil; 1 cup light brown sugar (packed); 2 large eggs; 1 Tbsp vanilla; 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (or 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose); 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt; 1 tsp cinnamon; Optional About 1/4 cup Turbinado Sugar for Topping

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Whole wheat banana muffins are made with 100 percent whole grain flour and no butter, and they are the batch my kids can finish in an afternoon without noticing they are eating whole wheat.

Whole wheat banana muffins topped with crunchy turbinado sugar on a cooling rack

Notes from My Kitchen
Ingredients for whole wheat banana muffins
How to make whole wheat banana muffins
Tips for the best whole wheat banana muffins
Variations
Serving whole wheat banana muffins
Whole wheat banana muffin FAQs
More breakfast recipes
Whole Wheat Banana Muffins Recipe
More dessert recipes

One bowl, a fork, and about fifteen minutes of work. There is no creaming, no mixer, and no starter, so this is the banana recipe to reach for on a weekday morning when the bananas on the counter have gone too far and nobody has time for a loaf that bakes for an hour and a quarter.

The batter carries 2 cups of mashed banana against 2 cups of flour, which is nearly twice as much fruit as flour by weight. That is what keeps a whole grain muffin from tasting dry or worthy. Oil rather than butter does the same job, staying soft for days and making the muffins dairy-free at the same time.

The batch makes 18, which is deliberate: enough to eat some warm, send some in lunchboxes, and put the rest in the freezer. If you keep a sourdough starter, my whole wheat sourdough banana bread is this same batter with discard folded in.

Notes from My Kitchen

My kids are banana muffin fiends and will go through a batch in about five minutes if I let them. I started sneaking whole wheat flour into this recipe hoping they would not notice, which is not a strategy that usually works around here. They liked them better. I think the whole wheat gives them something to chew on, and against this much banana it reads as nutty rather than heavy.

The turbinado sugar on top is the part I would not skip. It costs nothing, it does not melt into the muffin, and that crunchy sparkly lid is most of the reason a kid picks one of these over a store-bought muffin. Half a teaspoon on each one is plenty.

A whole wheat banana muffin split open showing a moist, tender crumb

Ingredients for whole wheat banana muffins

Ten ingredients, all pantry staples, and nothing that has to come to room temperature first. You will need two 12-cup muffin tins, buttered or lined with papers, since the batch makes 18. Exact amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Bananas: Heavily speckled to fully black. This recipe uses nearly twice as much banana as flour by weight, so both the ripeness and the amount matter more here than in most muffin recipes. Measure the mashed fruit rather than counting bananas.
Whole wheat flour: All of it, or half whole wheat and half all-purpose if you are easing into it. Regular whole wheat is nuttiest; white whole wheat is milder and lighter in color while still being 100 percent whole grain. I use King Arthur traditional whole wheat, or golden wheat flour for the milder version.
Oil: Any neutral oil works, and so does a mild olive oil. Oil rather than butter is what keeps these soft for days and makes them dairy-free. Skip a peppery extra virgin olive oil, which will assert itself.
Light brown sugar: Packed. The molasses in it stands up to whole wheat in a way white sugar does not, and it keeps the crumb tender.
Eggs: Two large, for structure. Whole wheat forms weaker gluten than white flour, so the eggs are working harder than usual here.
Vanilla extract: A full tablespoon, which is more than most muffin recipes call for and is deliberate. Whole wheat and brown sugar are both assertive, and a teaspoon of vanilla vanishes underneath them.
Baking powder and baking soda: Both. The soda reacts with the acid in the bananas and the brown sugar, and the powder lifts independently. A whole grain batter this heavy with fruit needs both.
Salt: A full teaspoon across 18 muffins. It sounds like a lot and it is exactly right against this much banana and sugar.
Cinnamon: A warm background note rather than the headline.
Turbinado sugar: Optional and worth it. The coarse crystals do not dissolve, so they stay as a crunchy, sparkly crust on top. About 1/2 teaspoon per muffin.

Measure the banana, do not count it: This is the one thing that decides whether the muffins come out right. Bananas vary enormously in size, and at 450 grams of fruit against 240 grams of flour, a couple of oversized bananas will leave you with wet centers. Mash into a measuring cup or weigh it, and stop at 2 cups or 450 grams. That is roughly 4 to 5 medium bananas. A little short is fine and simply bakes faster.

How ripe is ripe enough: At least half black, soft enough to mash with a fork, and sweet-smelling. Yellow bananas with a few brown spots are still starchy rather than sugary, and whole wheat is assertive enough to bury the flavor of underripe fruit entirely. If yours are not there yet, bake them unpeeled on a sheet pan at 300°F for 15 to 20 minutes until the skins are glossy black, then cool and mash.

Working with whole wheat: Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than white flour and keeps absorbing it as the batter sits, so this batter thickens noticeably within a few minutes of mixing. That is normal and not a signal to add anything. If whole grain baking is new to you, the same principles carry over to my whole wheat cinnamon rolls and whole wheat honey shortcakes.

How to make whole wheat banana muffins

Two bowls and a fork. Mash, stir, combine, scoop, bake. The whole thing is about fifteen minutes of work and half an hour in the oven.

Step 1. Heat the oven and prepare the tins. Set the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 12-cup muffin tins or line them with papers. Doing this first matters, because the baking soda starts reacting with the acid in the bananas as soon as the batter comes together.

Step 2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Peel them straight into the bowl you plan to mix in and mash with a fork until mostly smooth. A few small lumps are welcome and give the muffins some texture.

Step 3. Stir in the rest of the wet ingredients. Add the oil, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla to the mashed bananas and stir until evenly combined and glossy.

Step 4. Whisk the dry ingredients separately. In a second bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisking them together now means you will not need to overmix later to distribute the leavening.

Step 5. Combine, and stop early. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold with a silicone spatula just until no dry flour remains. Whole wheat batter looks shaggier than white flour batter at the same point, so resist the urge to keep stirring. Overmixing is what makes a muffin tough.

Whole wheat banana muffin batter mixed in a bowl, thick and studded with banana

Step 6. Fill the tins and top them. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups, filling each about three quarters full. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar over each muffin if you are using it.

Step 7. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. They are done when the tops are lightly browned and spring back under a light press. A toothpick should come out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter. Whole wheat muffins brown less obviously than white flour ones, so use the spring-back test rather than waiting for deep color.

Step 8. Cool briefly in the tin. Let them sit about 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Leaving them in the tin longer traps steam and softens the bottoms. They are excellent slightly warm.

Tips for the best whole wheat banana muffins

Do not skip the turbinado sugar. Coarse sugar does not dissolve in the oven, so it stays as a crunchy, sparkly lid on each muffin. It is the single cheapest upgrade in the recipe and it is what makes these look and taste like bakery muffins rather than health muffins.

Fill three quarters full, not to the rim. Overfilled cups spill over and fuse into one sheet of muffin, and the domes collapse as they cool. Three quarters gives you a proper domed top with clean edges, and it is how the batch stretches to 18.

Use the spring-back test, not color. Whole wheat muffins stay darker and flatter in appearance than white flour ones, so waiting for a golden top will overbake them. Press one lightly in the center; if it springs back, they are done.

Stop mixing while the batter still looks shaggy. Muffin rules apply. The moment the batter goes smooth you have developed enough gluten to make them tough, and whole wheat is less forgiving of that than white flour.

Make the full 18 and freeze half. These freeze better than any banana loaf, and a frozen muffin dropped into a lunchbox in the morning is thawed by the time it gets eaten. The batch size is built around this.

Variations

An 18-muffin batch is easy to split two ways, which is how most of these get made here.

Chocolate chip: Fold in 3/4 cup of semisweet chips with the dry ingredients so they do not sink. Semisweet holds its own against whole grain better than milk chocolate.
Blueberry: Fold in 1 cup of blueberries at the very end. Frozen berries go in unthawed and need 3 to 5 extra minutes.
Walnut or pecan: 3/4 cup of toasted chopped nuts. Toasting first matters against a flour that is already nutty.
Half and half flour: Use 1 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose for a lighter muffin. This is the version to start with if you are converting whole wheat skeptics.
Sourdough version: Add 1/2 cup of unfed discard and you have my whole wheat sourdough banana bread, which bakes as a loaf or as muffins.
Bake it as a loaf: The batter fills one 9 by 5 inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 60 to 75 minutes, tenting with foil at about 40 minutes so the top does not burn.

Serving whole wheat banana muffins

These are a breakfast and lunchbox muffin more than a dessert. They are less sweet-tasting than a bakery muffin even though the sugar is comparable, because the whole wheat gives them a nutty, almost savory backbone. One with a glass of milk is a genuine snack rather than a sugar hit, which is most of why I keep making them.

Split and warmed with a little butter or peanut butter is the upgrade. Peanut and almond butter both suit whole grain better than plain butter does, and a warm muffin with almond butter is close to a full breakfast. They also travel well, which makes them useful for road trips, school mornings, and anywhere a cranberry coconut energy ball would otherwise be doing the job.

Storage: In an airtight container at room temperature they keep for 3 to 4 days. The oil and the whole wheat both help them stay soft. If the tops go sticky, leave the container lid slightly ajar, which is condensation rather than spoilage. Skip the refrigerator, which firms the crumb and dulls the flavor.

Freezing: This is what the 18-muffin batch is for. Cool them completely, freeze in a single layer on a sheet pan, then transfer to a bag for up to 3 months. A frozen muffin goes straight into a lunchbox and thaws by mid-morning, or 20 seconds in the microwave brings one back almost to fresh.

If it is a loaf you are after instead, I have maple banana bread sweetened entirely with maple syrup, yeasted banana bread for something closer to a soft sandwich loaf, Swedish banankaka made in a bundt pan with cold coffee, sourdough banana bread for the classic buttery version, and bread machine banana bread if you would rather the machine did it. For other things to bake in a muffin tin, try my lemon blueberry scones.

Whole wheat banana muffin FAQs

Can I use all whole wheat flour, or should I use half white?

Both work and the recipe is written for either. I use 100 percent whole wheat, which gives a nuttier, heartier muffin. Half whole wheat and half all-purpose gives a lighter, more familiar result and is the easier version if you are feeding whole wheat skeptics. White whole wheat flour is a third option, milder and paler while still being fully whole grain.

Are whole wheat banana muffins dairy free?

Yes, as written. The recipe uses oil rather than butter and contains no milk, so the only animal product is the eggs. Line the tins with papers rather than buttering them to keep the whole batch dairy free.

How many bananas do I need?

About 4 to 5 medium bananas, but measure rather than count. This batter uses 2 cups or 450 grams of mashed banana against 2 cups of flour, so an extra oversized banana pushes it wet enough to leave the centers underdone. Mash into a measuring cup or weigh it and stop at 2 cups.

Can I bake this batter as a loaf instead of muffins?

Yes. The batch fills one 9 by 5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 60 to 75 minutes and lay a loose sheet of foil over the top at about 40 minutes, since whole wheat bran and brown sugar both darken well before the center of a loaf is set. Test with a toothpick in the middle.

How do I keep whole wheat muffins from turning out dry or dense?

Stop mixing while the batter still looks shaggy, since overmixing is the usual culprit, and use the spring-back test rather than waiting for a golden top. Whole wheat muffins brown less than white flour ones, so baking to color overshoots. The high proportion of banana in this recipe is doing most of the work to keep them moist, so measure it accurately.