Banana Oat Muffins (gluten free, higher protein option)
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Had it not been for a little friendly Instagram inspiration, this recipe for banana oat muffins wouldn’t have come about at all. I’m not a very good baker, and I don’t love baking as much as I do cooking, which means that it happens pretty rarely around here. As I was scrolling through the Insta the other day, though, I saw this image:

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If you guys don’t follow Running on Veggies already on Instagram, you should! She has a ton of real food, whole ingredient recipes that are pretty, creative, and ideal for the veggie-obsessed athletes among us. Or the non-athletes like me, who just love to see pictures of pretty food! Most of her recipes are incredibly simple, especially her baked goods. Which may be why they always catch my eye. When I saw the muffins above, I noted that they didn’t demand any fancy flours or other baking materials. I had everything I needed for them: ripe bananas, oats, almond milk, baking soda, flax, applesauce. And since it was a Sunday, and I was feeling a little more inspired than usual, I decided to preheat my oven.

I modified the original recipe (which you can find here) a little. For one thing, I omitted maca and added some vanilla protein powder instead–about a scoop and a half, just for a boost. Protein powder doesn’t always work in baked goods, but I knew it would be fine in this sort of ultra-simple and forgiving recipe. I also added a little bit of melted coconut oil (the original recipe is very low fat because it’s intended as a pre-racing meal) and some raisins. The rest is about the same, and it turned out really well.

banana protein muffin vegan

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Vegan Banana Oat Muffins (gluten free, higher protein option)

Author - Gena Hamshaw
Yields: 8 -10

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup rolled oats ground or processed in a food processor till they turn into oat flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats unground
  • 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder rice or pea or a blend of rice, pea and/or hemp
  • Pinch sea salt
  • 3 large ripe bananas
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
  • 2. Place the bananas, almond milk, apple sauce, vanilla and coconut oil into a blender and blend well.
  • 3. Mix wet ingredients into dry till just incorporated. Fold in raisins (or any other dried fruit). Pour dough into lined muffin cups (I got 10, Running on Veggies got 8).
  • 4. Bake muffins for 18 or so minutes, or until lightly golden. Serve.

Almond butter, not surprisingly, makes a really nice topper.

banana protein muffin vegan close up

Obviously, the protein powder can be left out. In its place, you can use maca, as per the original recipe, or nothing at all. No matter what, these muffins make for perfect snack food or breakfast. I immediately enjoyed two of mine with a green smoothie. And Sunday morning was complete.

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Big thanks to Running on Veggies for the inspiration! I’m always happy when I manage to put the bakers mitts on, and this was a worthy project. Enjoy the muffins, and I’ll be back soon.

xo

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Categories: Muffins & Scones, Snacks
Method: Oven
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan

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Recipe Rating




    43 Comments
  1. Excellent! Gonna try this really soon. Similar to a banana + oats loaf I’ve been making recently. I think this will be better though. Thanks

  2. As a breast-feeding mama looking to increase my supply I have been on the hunt for a clean oat muffin that is low in refined ingredients and high in protein; I followed the recipe for these using BodyLogix Natural Vanilla Bean Whey Protein and 2% milk instead of almond, and my 10 month old son ate a whole muffin warm out of the oven!

    Not sure about the quantity though as following this recipe yielded 17 “average” sized muffins for me!

  3. Hi there, really love this recipe (I am pregnant and always looking for quick/easy/healthy baked goods to munch on) and I am planning to try it out tonight. Quick question though, can I use 2 eggs in place of the flax seed? I really want to incorporate egg into the recipe for extra fat (and I just like eggs). Thanks!

  4. Do you know how many calories are in the batter? If you could let me know then I can divide the batter by the number of muffins to get the calories per muffin. Many thanks!

  5. I love this recipe! Easiest muffins I’ve ever made, I don’t like baking either. I got a solid 12 out of the recipe and had to bake a bit longer too, they still turned out incredibly moist.

  6. Hi, made the muffins today…delish, switched up the oatflour for cococut flour because i have so much of it! But they are so tasty! Thankyou for the recipe…just wondering, do you have a rough idea of calories for the muffins please?
    Thanks

  7. I made these last night and got a dozen. Even the raw batter is good. I noticed this morning that between last night and this morning, my husband had eaten 5 of them. (At least 2 last night and guessing he took 1-2 in his lunch.) Also, I used homemade chunky applesauce.
    Not sure what the commenter above me did wrong to get goo but mine are like very moist banana bread. Also, oats are gluten free… especially if you use a certified gluten free oat like Bob’s Red Mill. 🙂

  8. I don’t know why this recipe has such rave reviews, its really awful. I followed the recipe and even added extra spices (I was worried my protein powder would affect the flavor), but they came out like flavorless goo. I baked them for almost thirty minutes and they were still soft in the center. I ended up pitching the whole batch. I really wanted this to work, but I’m going back to my old non gluten free version and just modifying that. These muffins were a hideous wet mess. Also oats–not gluten free as the recipe title suggests.

    • I actually have to bake all of my gluten free stuff for waaaay longer than whatever the recipe says. I don’t know why especially since I have an oven thermometer so I know the temperature. These muffins have been baking for at least 45 minutes. After about 30 minutes you can put foil over them so they don’t burn on the top before they cook. Just keep sticking a knife in them until they come out relatively clean. Give it another try. These are great!!!

    • Sarah- regarding your comment that oats are not gluten-free. They are if you buy them that way. My local grocery store (discount grocery, at that) sells gluten-free oats. Look into it.

  9. Rolled oats are a cooked food. To make rolled oats oats are “steam-rolled.” They are steamed until they become soft enough to roll. The steam is 100 degrees C, equal to 212 degrees F, or more. Once they are rolled flat, they are dried. Broken pieces are separated out, and mixed with whole pieces that have been broken intentionally, and called “instant oats” or “one-minue” oats; whole pieces are called “old-fashioned rolled oats” or “5-minute oats.”

  10. These came out quite nicely and are super filling. Fun fact: my boyfriend, who hates bananas*, tried one and said he couldn’t taste the banana at all. I’ll be returning to this recipe again! Thanks Gena!

    * I know, it boggles the mind. To his credit, he’s a pretty adventurous eater otherwise.

  11. Mmmm these sounds so delicious Gena! I love that they are gluten free =)
    Why have I never thought of adding almond butter to my muffin? Sweet topping idea!

  12. Your muffins look really good! I am not much of a baker either though. Too bad I can’t just grab one off of my screen 😉

  13. These muffins look lusciously tasty! Banana + Oats are yummy! I need this for breakfast, thank you for sharing this lovely recipe!

  14. These look so delicious – definitely on my ‘to make’ list. Do you just go by eye portion-wise with making a meal with these (i.e. 2 muffins and a smoothie)? I suck at eyeing out how much to eat without counting!

  15. Holy cow, I made some of these last night! Except I made the batter into a breakfast bake, and used more berries than bananas. I also swirled in some cinnamon on top of the batter: ) I love using apple butter (plain, no sugar added), instead of applesauce too. Such a rich flavor!:) Love it Gena!:)

  16. This is the kind of baking I love to do. Nothing complicated, but delicious and full of wholesome ingredients that are mostly staples in my pantry already.
    As soon as I replenish my banana and protein powder supply, I’m making these. I can imagine how delicious they are with almond butter.

  17. These look really yummy and easy! I’m not really a baker myself, but I think I just might whip up a batch on the weekend. They sound like they’d be great with apple slices and some almond butter.

  18. What kind of protein powder did you use? I only have hemp, & wondering if it would turn the muffins green-ish?

    Also, as I mentioned to you before I got some maca powder, but I’m still not all that clear on it’s benefits & uses. Still trying to figure it out, I guess!

    I love that you think you’re not a great baker. I feel the same, but more because I’m just lazy! I’d rather just throw a few ingredients together & call it a day. But I do love a good muffin or cookie recipe, especially for cold days, & there’s nothing quite so homey as something baking in the oven :).

    • I think hemp would be gritty here, Janae; in my experience, pea and rice protein work much better for baking.

      Maca is supposedly helpful with hormone balance and energy. As for the latter claim, I do find it to be mildly stimulating. Re: the former, there’s not too much conclusive evidence, and the studies conducted thus far aren’t particularly rigorous, but there is at least a little suggestive information. I don’t know that it’s a “superfood,” but if you like the gentle energy, then it’s fun to throw in a smoothie every now and then. NBD.

  19. i just made these .. used chia instead of flax and used hemp protein powder .. amazing .. thanks for sharing recipe 🙂

  20. These look like my kind of muffin! I am not the best baker either- anything I bake gets meticulously planned and even still, my creations only work about half of the time. So I definitely appreciate a fairly forgiving recipe.

  21. These sound perfect. Love all the banana goodness you filled them with. 🙂 Simple muffin recipes are the best!

  22. These look delicious. I have been trying to avoid sugar recently but think I’ll give these a try with the protein powder. Do you know how much 1.5 scoops are in grams? I am thinking about 45 grams. Is that right?
    Hope all’s well with you.
    Kate

    • It depends, Kate. The scoop I used for this (and thanks for asking, by the way, this was a significant oversight) is 33 grams for 1.5 scoops. You could get away with 30-45 grams and be fine.

  23. I just started following her Insta account. Everything looks amazing! She made a spinach pesto that looks really awesome.

  24. Hi Gena,
    Do you think ground hemp seeds could replace the protein powder? I have heard that the fatty acids in hemp are best eaten raw, so perhaps that would be a bad idea (?) but for the added protein?
    My blood sugar levels have been a bit out of whack lately, so that added protein hit would be awesome!
    Thanks