Moist and fluffy vegan banana apple muffins have a lovely, banana bread texture and flavor with tender chunks of sweet apple!
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I love having muffins on hand for a quick breakfast or snack, but let's be real: muffins are often just cupcakes without frosting on them.
These vegan banana apple muffins are different.
They do contain a little bit of added sugar, but they get most of their sweetness from the bananas and apples. And all of that fruit gives these muffins a lovely flavor and texture, too!
They're also quick to make! You use your blender to whip up the wet ingredients, which helps the batter be extra moist and delicious.
🍎 Ingredients and substitutions
- white wheat flour - I love using white wheat flour in muffin recipes, because it behaves like white flour while sneaking in some whole grain! White wheat is actually a different kind of wheat. You can use all-purpose flour instead, if you don't have white wheat on hand.
- brown sugar - A little bit of brown sugar adds a touch of sweetness and a molasses-y flavor that's so good with the apples in these muffins! I do not recommend substituting or reducing the sugar, because I've already reduced it from what you'd find in a more standard muffin recipe.
- baking soda, baking powder and salt - To condition the batter and help the muffins rise.
- ripe bananas - The more ripe your bananas, the sweeter they will be, so choose ones that have at least begun to brown.
- aquafaba - Aquafaba is just the liquid from canned beans, and it's acting as the egg replacer in this recipe. Use chickpea or white bean aquafaba for the best results.
- applesauce - This is replacing some of the oil and adds more naturally sweetness to the batter.
- oil - A little bit of oil gives the muffins a nice texture.
- apple - Choose your favorite sweet, firm apple! You can choose to peel it or not, it's totally up to you! Feel free to use one to 1.5 cups of your favorite fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces.
🍌 How to make vegan banana apple muffins
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine the bananas, aquafaba, applesauce, vanilla and oil in your blender. Then, pour the blender mixture into the flour mixture, then stir in the apple pieces.
Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into a lined muffin tin. You want each cup about ¾ full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Depending on your pan and oven and how juicy the apple you used was, they could need to bake for a couple of extra minutes. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
💡 Helpful tips
- Most of the sweetness in this recipe comes from the bananas, but there is a little bit of brown sugar to up the sweetness. I have cut the refined sugar down as much as possible already. If you absolutely do not do refined sugars, I recommend adding three to four pitted dates and blending them with the wet ingredients.
- Instead of the chopped apple, you can use other fruits, like 1 to 1 ½ cups of blueberries, 1 ½ cups frozen cherries (not thawed), or 1 cup sliced strawberries. My son, loves that he gets to choose each week's muffin addition!
- Make sure that you bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center of them comes out clean. Depending on your pan and oven and how juicy your apple is, you may need to bake slightly longer.
🫙 Storage directions
Let the muffins cool completely, then you can store them in a closed container on the kitchen counter.
To freeze, wrap cooled muffins in foil, and store them in a freezer safe container for up to six months. Unwrap and thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.
More vegan muffin recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan banana apple muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Wet ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas
- ¼ cup aquafaba
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 apple Peel or not - it's up to you!, chopped into pea-sized pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Combine the bananas, aquafaba, applesauce, vanilla, and oil in your blender.
- Pour the blender mixture into the dry ingredients mixture, then stir in the apple pieces.
- Use a spoon or an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into a lined muffin tin. You want each cup about ¾ full. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Theresa
can i use an egg instead of the aquafaba?
Becky Striepe
I do not recommend that you do that.
Michele Dubois
Are these regular size muffins, or mini muffins?
Becky Striepe
They are regular size.
Michele Dubois
Hi! If I'm correct, the aquafaba replaces egg whites, right? If so, can I just use egg whites instead? I know I won't eat the chick peas since I don't like them and I hate to throw out perfectly good food.
Becky Striepe
You can also use aquafaba from other canned beans, like white beans or even pinto, if you think you'll eat those!
Michele Dubois
I don't eat any beans, actually, that's why I was asking if I could use egg whites instead. But thanks for the suggestion.
Becky Striepe
Hmm ok. In that case, I'd mix 1 tablespoon flax seed meal in 1/4 cup water, and set it aside for a few minutes to thicken before adding it to the mix.
Lynn
This looks good as well as easy and quick. I am not vegan just trying to cut back on carbs. Can I use an egg with the same results?
Sue
Hi, I have just discovered Glue and glitter and live the way you interact with the people using your recipes. My teenage granddaughter is vegan so I am trying to find scrummy recipes to make for her. I would like to know if you can use the white bean water straight from the can or do the beans have to be cooked in the water then drained before using the water? I will not be buying and cooking the raw beans as she is not that keen on them so it will be canned beans that I use. Also is there an alternative to bananas? So many muffin recipes use banana and she is not keen on the flavour. Many thanks
Becky Striepe
Yes, you can use the liquid straight from the can. Here's a video with more about aquafaba! https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLOUkGGKtQm1vrq03PqFMg3jk73ZzxbFXf&v=dM1DLuqur0M
Mary Ellen | VNutrition
Great tips on baking with kids. The last one made me lol. :)
These look so delicious. I'm always on the lookout for lower sugar muffins - excited to try them!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Mary Ellen!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
Love the video and tips for baking with the kiddos!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Amy!
Dianne
I'm with Jenn – I don't like my muffins too sweet, so these look perfect!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Dianne!
Jenn
These sound great. I definitely don't like my muffins too sweet, so these sound perfect to me!
Becky Striepe
Enjoy them, Jenn!