Simple-6 Maple and Brown Sugar Banana Oat Muffins

These vegan and gluten free banana oat muffins (or BOMs for short) are really da bomb! My “simple-6” recipes are so simple, they only require six ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen. Well…unless you go through bananas like we do. In which case, be sure to buy extra next time you’re at the store!

Banana oat muffins are a staple at our house, usually making the weekly food prep rotation a couple times each month. Of course we like to spice things up with different varieties of muffins each time. And I absolutely plan on sharing more of our favorites with you soon! But to get you started, I included two different brown sugar flavor options in this post. This means you’re really getting two recipes in one!

(If you’re looking for something a little less sweet, try these Cinnamon Raisin Simple-6 BOMs. Also vegan and gluten-free and just as tasty!)

Brown sugar alternatives

If you’ve read my About me page, you know that I am currently focused on creating simple and wholesome gluten free recipes. But when I see an opportunity to easily make a recipe vegan friendly, too, I’ll jump on it every single time. I have a few friends who are vegan, and I love it when we can all partake in the same food! These banana oat muffins are a great example. This recipe meets vegan and gluten free dietary needs without changing the flavor or texture of the final muffins (compared to making them with regular oats and brown sugar).

So…did you know that most brown sugars are not vegan? That’s because brown sugar is made from refined sugar, and most refined sugars are not vegan. I won’t go into the details (you can easily Google search this topic if you’re interested). Suffice it to say, if you want to make this muffin recipe vegan friendly, you’ll need to use one of several brown sugar alternatives.

Coconut palm sugar and turbinado sugar are two great alternatives that are vegan friendly and actually taste really good! Of course if you prefer, you can use regular brown sugar instead for these muffins. (All of these sugars can easily be substituted using a 1:1 ratio for baking.) But if you’re feeling adventurous (or if you’re already a committed vegan), this banana oat muffin recipe as written includes two great options that use these brown sugar alternatives.

How to ripen bananas fast

Banana oat muffins in general taste better when the bananas are ripened. The riper they are, the sweeter they taste. You’ll want your bananas to have at least a few black spots on them (or more if you can stand to wait longer). But if you only have green bananas and want to make these muffins now, here are a few tips to help you naturally ripen your bananas overnight for optimum sweetness.

Do: Separate the bananas if you buy them in a bunch (but keep them close together, stacked if possible). Put the bananas in a paper bag and loosely wrap it closed. Include other fruits that produce ethylene gas (like apples or tomatoes) in the bag with your bananas. Ultimately, you want more ethylene gas in the immediate vicinity of your bananas to make them ripen faster.

Don’t: Wrap the stems after separating them from the bunch. Put the bananas in the fridge (this actually slows the ripening process). Use the microwave method (this will soften your bananas but won’t actually ripen them, so you won’t get the benefit of the banana’s natural sweetness in the final muffins).

Check out the recipe below and don’t forget to rate it!

Simple-6 Maple and Brown Sugar BOMs

5 from 2 votes

Recipe by Jenn Cook

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

35

minutes

This recipe is great for weekly meal prep if you are cooking for two. It yields 10 muffins, which is perfect for typical 5-day workweeks. Whether you prepare these as part of your planned breakfasts or as a healthy dessert option for after dinner, they are sure to please and satisfy your sweet tooth any time of the day!

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free rolled oats

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 3 ripe bananas

• 1/2 cup maple syrup

• Brown Sugar Flavor Option #1

• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• Brown Sugar Flavor Option #2

• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees Fahrenheit.
• Add rolled oats to a blender or food processor and grind-it-up-good until it creates a flour-like powder (takes about 10 seconds!). Whisk together the oat flour and baking powder in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
• Peel the bananas and add to a blender or food processor with the maple syrup. Grind-it-up-good until the wet mixture is thoroughly combined. Add your preferred flavor option ingredients to the wet mixture and whisk together until thoroughly combined.
• Whisk together the wet and dry mixes until thoroughly combined.
• Using a non-stick muffin tray, divide the batter among 10 cups (or liners if you’re using them). This should make each cup (or liner) about 3/4 full.
• Place in the oven and bake at 350-degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tray for about 5 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove muffins from the tray and place on a cooling rack until cooled to room temperature. Enjoy!

Notes

• Coconut palm sugar, turbinado sugar, and regular brown sugar are easily interchangeable in baking recipes including this one (it’s an equal 1:1 switch to accommodate dietary and taste preferences).
• To prevent muffins from sticking to the pan or liner, use a light spritz of cooking spray before filling with the batter.

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