Spinach Banana Muffins
on Sep 26, 2021, Updated Feb 16, 2024
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These spinach banana muffins taste like banana muffins and have a bright and vibrant green color from the spinach. They are sweetened just with overripe bananas, making them a great naturally sweetened treat. They are great for baby-led weaning, freeze well, and make a great breakfast or snack!
Spinach contains so many health benefits making it great to add to different foods. Spinach gives baked goods a naturally bright green color that adds a fun twist to normal muffins! There are so many ways to incorporate spinach into both sweet and savory recipes like in these simple spinach recipes for kids.
If you have some leftover spinach after making these muffins, make sure to also try out these spinach banana waffles, spinach crepes, and these homemade spinach apple puffs!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make these spinach banana muffins:
- Spinach: For added nutrients and vitamins. The main star ingredient that gives these muffins that bright green color. Use leftover spinach to make this creamy spinach banana smoothie!
- Rolled Oats: I love baking with rolled oats as they are packed with nutrition! Gluten-free rolled oats make these spinach banana muffins gluten-free.
- Cinnamon: Warm spice for added flavor.
- Baking Powder/Soda: Leavening agents to help the muffins rise.
- Salt: To preserve the freshness of the muffins and balance out the flavors.
- Bananas: The main source of sweetness for these muffins. Try to use bananas that are very ripe with several brown spots. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffins!
- Milk: I used whole milk in this recipe, but dairy-free alternatives work as well.
- Egg: Used as a binder to help hold the muffins together.
- Vanilla: To enhance the natural sweetness in these muffins.
- Oil: I used extra light-tasting olive oil, but any mild-tasting oil works as well.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
- Milk: You may substitute the milk with any dairy-free alternative such as oat milk or coconut milk.
- Eggs: You may replace the egg with a flax egg. To make a flax egg, combine 3 tablespoons of water with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed. Let the mixture sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes until it forms a gel-like texture. The muffins will be slightly more moist on the inside using a flax egg, but will still have a similar taste. You may also replace the egg with a liquid egg replacer like the brand Just Egg.
- Oil: I used extra light-tasting olive oil in this recipe, but it may be replaced with coconut oil or any other type of mild-tasting oil. It may also be substituted with equal parts melted butter.
- Salt: The salt is an optional ingredient and may be omitted. I find that including it helps preserve the freshness of the muffins at room temperature, but it is not needed.
Step By Step Instructions
STEP 1: Blend oats into a flour and combine in a bowl with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (Image 1).
STEP 2: Blend the milk, spinach, vanilla, oil, egg, and banana until combined (Image 2).
STEP 3: Pour the spinach mixture on top of dry ingredients and stir until combined. Do not overmix the batter, just mix it enough until it is all incorporated (Image 3).
STEP 4: Pour into a mini muffin pan and bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. If using a normal-sized muffin pan, bake a few minutes longer (Image 4).
Storage Instructions
Let the muffins completely cool and store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge. To freeze, store in a freezer-safe Ziploc bag once cooled for up to 3 months. To reheat, simply microwave the muffins for 20-30 seconds, or until warmed through!
Tips For Success
- This recipe makes 24 mini muffins. You may make regular-sized muffins by adding a few more minutes to the total bake time.
- I like to use a silicone muffin pan to bake these muffins as they pop out easily without any sticking. If using a regular mini muffin pan, be sure to coat it with a cooking spray beforehand.
- I love using this nutribullet blender to blend the ingredients into a smooth batter!
- I like to use very ripe bananas with several brown spots, The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffins. If you prefer a sweeter muffin, add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the batter.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe requires the use of a blender so that the spinach can be fully incorporated into the batter. Be sure to blend well on high speed so that there are no chunks and the batter is smooth.
Yes! If you are baking full-sized muffins, bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
These muffins were designed for babies to eat, but if you are making them for a toddler or adult, feel free to add in 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey for added sweetness! Note: Honey should not be offered to babies under the age of 1.
Other Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
Strawberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Cinnamon Muffins (Apple Donut Muffins)
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Muffins
Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins
If you tried these Spinach Banana Muffins please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below! I love hearing from you!
Spinach Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup spinach, packed
- 2 large overripe bananas
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp oil, mild tasting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Blend oats into a flour and combine in a bowl with baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Blend milk, spinach, vanilla and oil, egg, and banana until combined.
- Pour the spinach mixture on top of dry ingredients and stir until combined. Do not overmix the batter, just mix it enough until it is all incorporated.
- Pour into a mini muffin pan and bake at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the silicone pan. Transfer to a wire rack to fully cool.
Notes
- This recipe makes 24 mini muffins. You may make regular-sized muffins by adding a few more minutes to the total bake time.
- I like to use a silicone muffin pan to bake these muffins as they pop out easily without any sticking. If using a regular mini muffin pan, be sure to coat with a cooking spray beforehand.
- I love using this nutribullet blender to blend the ingredients into a smooth batter!
- I like to use very ripe bananas with several brown spots, The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffins. If you prefer a sweeter muffin, add 1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup to the batter.
I just made these and my 9 month old is already obsessed! How long is the shelf life on these in an air tight container??
Hi Katie! I’m so happy to hear that your little one enjoyed these muffins!😊 I usually don’t let them go past 2 days at room temperature (in an airtight container) but they are good for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge! You can also freeze them for longer storage. I hope that helps!
Hi Lily,
Thanks for the recipe. I was wondering if I could substitute the oat flour to almond flour? My son is allergy to eggs. Could I use another ¼ cup milk for substitution? Thank you!
Hi Sally! I haven’t experimented with swapping the oat flour for almond flour in this recipe but I worry that the muffins might come out with a completely different texture. If you have rolled oats on hand, you can blend them into a flour-like texture to make your own oat flour! If your little one is allergic to oats, you can try using normal all-purpose flour, although I have not tested this out. As for the egg, I would recommend substituting it with a flax egg, chia egg, unsweetened applesauce, or something similar. Replacing with more milk won’t allow the muffins to hold together. I hope that helps!
Thank you Lily! I tried yesterday with almond flour and a flax egg. It turned out that the muffin was broken to 2 parts. The top was brown with a hat shape, the bottom hold together loosely. I think the texture was more soft and easy to be broken. I would try again with the regular flour and let you know the results. Thank you for the great recipes!
Hi!
How would you recommend reheating them if I froze some of them?
Thanks
Hi! I usually microwave a few muffins a few seconds at a time until warmed through! I usually start with around 30 seconds (less or more depending on the strength of your microwave) and add 10 second increments as needed until fully warmed through!
I’ve been trying to find sneaky ways to put veggies in our food. These muffins are perfect! I don’t eat eggs so I can’t personally attest to their flavour but my oldest asked to have these for her birthday . . . I’d say that’s a win.
I’m so happy to hear that your oldest enjoyed these! Thanks for sharing your great review, Amanda!😊
Hi! Love your recipes. Can I use oat flour or quick oats? If using oat flour, is it still the same cup measurement? Thank you!
Hi Betty! Thank you so much! I wouldn’t recommend using quick oats (as those cook very quickly and might result in mushy muffins) but you can definitely use oat flour! The ratio of oat flour to rolled oats is 1:1. I hope that your little one likes these muffins!😊
My daughter is OBSESSED!
I have had this recipe saved for months, as I started following you on Instagram when my daughter was only a few months and not eating food yet. So glad I was finally able to make them and that she loved them as much as I was hoping she would!
We have started trying out several of your recipes and everything has gone over so well with her! The recipes are easy to make and healthy, which I love, and the food is tasty which she loves!
Thank you and keep the recipes coming! 🙂
Hi Angela! Thank you so much for sharing this kind message and review! I am SO happy to hear that your daughter enjoys these muffins and I hope that she also loves any other future recipes that you try out!😊
These are surprisingly sweet, but not overly sweet, with no taste of spinach! We love these. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed these muffins! Its amazing how much natural sweetness ripe bananas can provide!😊
These look amazing! Would you recommend a flax egg for an egg substitute?
Thank you! Yes, a flax egg works well here😊
Thanks for sharing this! Is it possible to use frozen spinach for this recipe? If yes, how should I prepare it? Thank you 🙂
Hi Hazel! Yes, you can use frozen spinach as well. I would use around 1/3 to 1/2 cup of thawed, packed frozen spinach. Once you blend it into the mixture you can add in a few more pieces if you’d like for the muffins to have a more vibrant, green color!😊
I have to say these muffins are the best mistake I’ve made! I thought I’d pressed the spinach apple puffs link to made since my son loves them and started to put things into the blender when I realised I had the wrong recipe. Worked out great though! My son and I have gone through half the batch in just a few days ! My father in law enjoyed some too and that’s a huge thing! Great recipe thanks so much for sharing!!
I’m so happy that you were able to try out these muffins even if it was unintentional 😉 Thank you for sharing your great feedback, Sammer I’m so glad that you enjoyed them!😊
These are so good! How fun for the kids that they are green. The added veggies and nutrients are a huge plus!
Bright colors always seem to make foods more fun😊 Thanks for sharing your great review, Jen!