On Saturday, I made accidental vegan muffins. Maple Banana Oat and Nut muffins, to be precise.
I LOVE THEM. I may never go back to using eggs or milk/dairy in my muffins (well, that’s a lie, because I love my blueberry muffin recipe which has both). But these muffins are seriously just as good… if not better. They are moist and fluffy and buttery tasting (even though NO BUTTER!) and sweet and all the things you want in a muffin.
Oh, did I mention this recipe uses no refined sugar and 100% whole grains? Yep. These are nutrient-packed, guilt-free muffins, so you can feel good about having one three for breakfast.
Here’s the story. I woke up with a strong hankerin’ for muffins and the urge to bake something. So, I went for it. But when it came time to add the eggs and milk- oh no! I had run out of both! But I had already started everything! WHAT WAS I TO DO?
Then, I came across this article explaining how to substitute chia seeds mixed with water for eggs. GENIUS!
If you have ever made chia seed pudding before, or even had a chia pet growing up, you know that when the seeds come into contact with water, a gelatinous layer forms around the seeds, forming a gooey mixture than is similar to… well, eggs! When eggs are used to bake, they help bind everything together. The same thing works with the gelatin created by the chia seeds- it acts as a binding agent to keep the muffins from falling apart.
PLUS, the chia seeds give the muffins a really awesome crunchy texture, similar to poppy seeds.
To make a substitute for one egg when baking, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water, and allow to sit for approximately 5 minutes. I left my chia seeds whole (for that awesome crunch), but you can use ground chia seeds as well. You can also use flax seeds as an egg substitute in a similar way.
I love eggs, and I believe that they are one of the most healthy foods to eat on the planet. But how about all the health benefits of chia seeds? Vegan or not, you HAVE to give this a try at some point. It’s truly magical.
The other thing that makes these muffins extra special: cardamom
. The best spice EVER. Have you ever tried it? If you have ever had Indian rice pudding, then you know what cardamom is. It’s unique and warming, and usually added to sweet foods; it’s similar to cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice (I add it to my granola).
If you don’t have cardamom, don’t worry- you can omit it and this recipe will turn out just fine.
These will stay good for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, or you can refrigerate or freeze for a longer time. One thing to note- the texture of these muffins is a little different than other muffins- more dense and very moist. They may seem a bit underdone, even if they are done.
Enjoy!
Maple Banana Oat and Nut muffins (Vegan!)
Equipment
- Muffin Pan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup coconut oil softened or melted
- 1/3 cup maple syrup plus more for drizzling tops of muffins
- 2 ripe bananas mashed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom optional
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats plus more for sprinkling tops of muffins
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds or other nut, plus more for sprinkling tops of muffins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and line a 12 cup muffin pan with liners.
- Mix together the chia seeds (2 tablespoons) and water (1/3 cup). Set aside for at least 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the coconut oil (1/2 cup) and maple syrup (1/3 cup).
- Add the mashed bananas and the chia seed and water mixture; mix until well combined.
- Add the baking powder (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1 teaspoon), salt (1/2 teaspoon), cinnamon (1/2 teaspoon), cardamom (1/4 teaspoon), nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), and water (1/2 cup); mix until well combined.
- Stir in the oats (1 cup) and whole wheat flour (1 cup) until just combined.
- Fold in almonds (1/2 cup).
- Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling almost to the top. Sprinkle with extra almonds and a drizzle of maple syrup, if desired.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of muffins comes out clean.
Notes
- These will stay good for 2-3 days at room temperature in an airtight container, or you can refrigerate or freeze for a longer time.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Katie
My kids LOVED these!! I didn’t have flaked almonds, so used coconut flakes instead, and added dark choc chunks because, well, why not!? They barely lasted 2 days in our house… Thanks for the amazing recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Great substitutions, thanks for sharing!
Lee
Tastes fine. But weird texture. Kind of mushy even though it’s cooked.
Elizabeth Lindemann
These muffins definitely have a bit of a different texture- more dense and more moist than other banana muffins! I’m going to add a blurb to the post explaining how they’re a little different. Thanks for the feedback :-)
Michelle Philp
Just made these for breakfast!! Yum. Perfect consistency :)
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yay! So glad you liked them :-)
Alexyss
My friend just made these and said they are delicious! I want to make them now! What can I use in replace of the bananas ? And also what else besides the coconut oil ? Thank you!!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Ooo yay! So glad your friend liked them! Hm, I think my first pick for a banana replacement would be applesauce. I haven’t tried it, and the bananas do act as a binder and keep the muffins moist, so the texture may be a bit different. But the apple flavor would go so well with the maple and nuts! And you can always use olive oil in place of coconut oil when baking. I like using it in this healthy banana bread recipe (non-vegan), but I talk a bit about baking with olive oil in the post :-) https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/healthy-banana-bread/ Hope that helps, and hope they work out for you!
Alexyss
Thanks for your quick reply! I made these tonight and I used olive oil instead of coconut oil & I used 4 oz applesauce instead of the bananas & they are delicious! I added walnuts and dried cranberries instead of almonds. Sooooo good! Thank you so much!
Caitlin Sanders
I don’t have any chia seeds on hand (though love them!) — would 2 eggs be the equivalent of the chia eggs used here?
Thanks so much!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes, I think 2 eggs would be perfect! You may also want to check out this recipe for Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins– it’s very similar to this recipe but uses eggs and also has Greek yogurt. You could leave the blueberries out and use maple syrup instead of honey. Hope you like them!
Neile
I’m really trying to make these with what I already have on hand (part of my trying to love my a budget these days with a toddler) I don’t have coconut oil. I have olive oil and vegan butter. Would either of these work as a sub? Or even applesauce? Thanks! So excited to try these as a true vegan banana oat recipe is hard to come by and my little one has dairy & egg allergies so this is a must!
Elizabeth
Totally in the same boat with budgeting/toddler life! Olive oil will work fine, or canola oil for a more neutral taste. Hope you like them!!
Megan
So delicious! Best muffins I’ve ever made! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Elizabeth
So happy you liked them! :-)
Kari Kajitsu
What are the macro/carlories in each reg sized muffing ?
Elizabeth
Hi! So sorry for the delayed response. I’m in the (slow and tedious) process of updating my old recipes to have nutrition information. I went ahead and updated this post thanks to your request! Looks like there are about 216 calories in each muffin. See the recipe card above for the other info. Hope that helps :-)
Maninder
Can I use honey instead of maple syrup?
Elizabeth
I haven’t tried it in this recipe, but I’m positive it would be fine! The only reason why I used maple syrup was to make them vegan- I usually use honey as a sweetener in baked goods.
Savuna
Thank you so much for this recipe, it was almost perfect but I found that the amount of salt was wayyyy too much and my beautifully sweet and moist muffins unfortunately came with salt punch to the tongue :( everything else was perfect!! I will definitely make these again but with a pinch of salt instead of 1/2 a teaspoon.
Elizabeth
Oh no! Sorry they were too salty for you! I lovveeee salt so I may have overdone it a bit. Good idea for next time. Glad you liked them otherwise :-)
Kate Lawrence
Omg, so good! I also added some dates, and used less maple syrup to balance the sweetness. I’ve never used chia in place of eggs but these are amazing and so soft and fluffy!
Elizabeth
Love the idea of adding dates! Definitely trying that next time :)
Judith A. Nicastro
I just tried these muffins this morning and they are so moist and delicious……my husband and I really enjoyed them. I wanted to try these muffins because of the chia seeds and I so glad I did. Very good recipe!
Elizabeth
So glad you liked them!! They’re one of my favorites :)
Emily
Yum! They turned out great, so delicious. This recipe is a keeper, thank you!
Elizabeth
Yay! Glad you liked them :-)
The Yummy Lounge
Lovely and delicious recipe, am surely going to try it asap…Thank you.
Elizabeth
Thank you! Hope you like it :-)
Ala
Hehe–I had the same reaction that you did when you thought about making vegan muffins forever–I do love my eggs and milk, BUT these do look so delicious! I’m a huge fan of chia seeds and am totally trying to use them in place of eggs more nowadays. (Though in a tight fix, mayo really is a great sub!) Definitely bookmarking this–oh, and I’m so glad I came across your blog via Medha’s comment section the other day. Lovin’ your work and lovely, bright photos! <3
Elizabeth
Thanks so much, Ala! Glad you stumbled upon my blog, and can’t wait to check out yours (I LOVE the name- so clever!) You should definitely try out the chia seed thing… I was so skeptical but it is definitely delicious. I’ve never tried using mayo as a substitute before, but that makes sense! I’ll have to try it. Thanks!
Ala
You betcha, Elizabeth! xo