Vegan Banana Nut Muffins (small batch)
Servings: 6 muffins
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup plant-based milk
- ¾ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup banana, mashed (1 large)
- ¼ cup runny peanut butter or vegan butter/margarine
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, loose pack
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1+ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup walnuts, chopped
Maple Walnut Topping (optional)
- 5-8 whole walnuts, rough chop
- 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup
- sprinkle flaky sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
Chocolate Peanut Butter or Nutella (optional)
- ¼ cup chocolate peanut butter or nutella
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425º F.
- Prepare muffin tins by lightly coating with baking spray or wipe with butter.
- Prepare muffin topping of choice* and set aside.
Banana Nut Muffin Batter
- In a measuring cup, stir together the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar to create the buttermilk. Set aside.
- Using a fork, mash the banana in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the runny peanut butter and brown sugar to the bowl - stir to incorporate.
- Stir the vanilla and buttermilk into the bowl ingredients.
- Measure the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt into the bowl.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until incorporated.
- Chop the walnuts to desired size and stir into the batter.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared 6 muffin cups.
- Cut 6 slices off a banana (if you have an extra) sprinkle with brown sugar. Poke one slice into each muffin top then add a sprinkle of chopped walnuts.
- Additional topping ideas in recipe notes below.
Time to Bake
- Place muffins in preheated 425º F oven for 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 350º F for 16-18 minutes until the tops are golden and a toothpick comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
- Cool for 5 minutes then remove from muffin tin. Let cool on wire rack.
Notes
Bananas. The more (over)ripe your banana is, the sweeter it will be so you may need to adjust the amount of sugar to your taste.
Flour. Made with all purpose flour but can sub for 1:1 gluten-free flour.
Banana Batter. The batter will be semi loose like cake batter. Divide evenly among 6 muffins.
Peanut Butter. Nut butter adds an incredible depth of flavor and tenderness to vegan baking. Can sub and equal amount of dairy-free butter/margarine.
Mixing. Hand mix with a wooden spoon or for a lighter fluffier muffin, use a hand mixer to incorporate more air into the batter.
Toppings. Top with a slice of banana and a sprinkle of chopped walnuts before baking or try one of these optional muffin topping ideas:
- OPTION 1: On a cutting board, rough chop the walnuts. Pour 1-2 teaspoons maple syrup, a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, and ginger powder over walnuts - toss to combine. Sprinkle evenly over each muffin.
- OPTION 2: Once cooled, drizzle melted chocolate, nutella or chocolate-peanut butter sauce over each banana muffin.
- For the chocolate peanut butter sauce mix together ¼ cup runny peanut butter and 1-2 tablespoons vegan chocolate (melted + cooled). Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil (melted) to loosen if needed to loosen the sauce.