Easy One-Bowl Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe (Healthy & Delicious!)

Are you on the hunt for the ideal breakfast for hectic mornings—something that is both incredibly tasty and truly nourishing? We understand that morning routines can be a real whirlwind. Juggling work, the school run, and daily life can make a proper meal seem out of reach. That’s precisely why we think having a reliable recipe that is fast, wholesome, and a hit with the entire family is essential. The solution lies in our wonderfully simple Easy One-Bowl Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe.

These are more than just your average muffins; they are a complete lifesaver for any busy home. Picture yourself enjoying a soft, moist muffin, full of natural sweetness from ripe bananas and the satisfying texture of oats. It’s the best way to give those overripe bananas a new purpose, turning them into a wonderful treat. If you enjoy rescuing spotty bananas, we are confident you will also love our timeless Banana Bread Recipe. Say goodbye to complex instructions and a sink full of dishes; true to its name, this entire recipe comes together in one single bowl. Let’s begin!

Why You’ll Adore This Recipe

• Truly One-Bowl: We can assure you there’s minimal fuss and even less cleaning up. You just need to combine the wet ingredients before folding in the dry. It’s an incredibly straightforward method that turns baking from a chore into a pleasure.
• Naturally Sweetened & Wholesome: We allow the natural sugars in overripe bananas to provide most of the sweetness, meaning less added sugar is needed. Filled with oats and wholemeal flour, these muffins offer a great source of fibre to help you feel satisfied and energised.
• Perfect for Meal Prep: Simply bake a batch over the weekend for an effortless breakfast solution all week long. These muffins are superb oatmeal breakfast muffins that you can easily grab on your way out.
• Incredibly Versatile: Think of this recipe as a brilliant starting point for your own culinary experiments. Don’t hesitate to add chocolate chips, blueberries, chopped nuts, or a dash of seeds. We have shared some of our favourite variations further down!
• Kid-Friendly and Approved: Wonderfully soft, sweet, and perfectly sized for little hands, these muffins are always a winner with the children. They serve as a brilliant lunchbox filler or a healthy after-school treat.

Ingredients

• 3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed (about 350g)
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 120ml milk (dairy or a plant-based alternative like almond or oat milk works well)
• 80ml melted coconut oil (or unsalted butter, melted)
• 60ml maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g rolled oats
• 150g wholemeal flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt

Step-by-Step Guide to Your One-Bowl Banana Oatmeal Muffins

We have crafted this recipe with absolute simplicity in mind. Follow these instructions, and you’ll soon have a batch of warm, aromatic muffins ready to enjoy.

1. Prepare Your Equipment: To begin, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4). Then, line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper liners or give it a light greasing with some oil or butter.
2. Mash the Bananas: In a large mixing bowl, place your peeled, overripe bananas. Using a fork, mash them well until they are mostly smooth, leaving just a few small lumps to add texture. The riper your bananas, the simpler this step will be!
3. Combine the Wet Ingredients: Into the bowl of mashed bananas, add the eggs, milk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Whisk everything together thoroughly until the mixture is uniform and completely combined.
4. Add the Dry Ingredients: Next, pour the rolled oats, wholemeal flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon, and salt straight into the same bowl. Take a spatula or a wooden spoon and gently fold the dry components into the wet mixture.
5. Be Careful Not to Overmix: Continue to mix only until you no longer see any dry streaks of flour. A lumpy batter is what you’re aiming for! Overmixing can develop the gluten, resulting in tough, dense muffins rather than the light, fluffy texture we want.
6. Fold in Your Extras (Optional): If you plan to add any extras like chocolate chips, nuts, or berries, this is the time to gently fold them into the batter.
7. Fill the Muffin Cases: Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin liners. We find an ice cream scoop works wonders here, helping to ensure each muffin is roughly the same size for even baking.
8. Bake to Perfection: Put the muffin tray into your preheated oven and bake for 20–25 minutes. You’ll know the muffins are done when they are golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
9. Cool and Enjoy: Allow the muffins to cool in the tray for around 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool down completely. They can be enjoyed while still warm or stored for another day.

Tips for the Perfect Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Although this recipe is straightforward, a couple of our expert pointers can take your muffins from great to truly exceptional.

The Magic of Overripe Bananas

We simply cannot overstate this: the secret to phenomenal banana muffins lies in using extremely ripe bananas. We mean the ones with plenty of brown and black spots that you might be tempted to discard. These bananas are considerably sweeter and possess a far more potent banana flavour. They also hold more moisture, which results in a wonderfully soft and tender muffin. For more inspiration on creating a rich bake, take a look at our guide for a Moist Banana Bread Recipe.

The “Just-Mixed” Rule

It can be tempting to mix your batter until it is completely smooth, but we highly recommend you avoid doing so! As soon as the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing. This single action is crucial for preventing the overdevelopment of gluten, which is the key to achieving a tender and delicate crumb. Remember, lumpy batter is a good thing!

Let the Batter Rest

Here is a little trick you may not know. If you can spare an extra 10 minutes, allow the batter to rest in the bowl after mixing. This gives the rolled oats a chance to hydrate and absorb some of the liquid, which contributes to a softer, more uniform texture in the finished muffin. It’s a small step that yields a big reward.

Customise Your Muffins

One of the finest qualities of this recipe is its adaptability. You can effortlessly tweak it to match your personal preferences or dietary needs.

Delicious Add-Ins

• • For a Chocolatey Treat: Gently fold in your choice of dark, milk, or white chocolate chips.
  • For a Fruity Burst: Incorporate fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, or some chopped strawberries.

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• For a Crunchy Texture: Mix through a small handful of chopped walnuts, pecans, or even pumpkin seeds.

Dietary Swaps

Making adjustments to this recipe is simple. To create vegan muffins, use a flax egg (combine 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed with 3 tbsp of water), opt for a plant-based milk, and stick to maple syrup as your sweetener. For a gluten-free alternative, just replace the wholemeal flour with a high-quality gluten-free all-purpose flour blend and use certified gluten-free oats. You can also make these into sugar-free muffins by leaving out the maple syrup and letting the natural sweetness of very ripe bananas shine through.

Why These Are Truly Healthy Banana Muffins

We are big fans of treats that are as nourishing as they are delightful. These muffins are brimming with wholesome ingredients that provide real health benefits, making them a superb choice for breakfast or a snack.

• Oats: A wonderful source of soluble fibre, especially beta-glucan, which is recognised for supporting heart health. As noted by the British Heart Foundation, oats can contribute to managing cholesterol levels. Furthermore, the slow-release energy from oats helps keep you feeling fuller for longer.
• Bananas: An outstanding source of potassium, an essential mineral for heart function and maintaining healthy blood pressure. They also deliver a natural energy boost from their carbohydrates.
• Wholemeal Flour: By opting for wholemeal flour, we ensure these are proper whole grain muffins. This flour variety includes the bran and germ of the wheat grain, which means it offers more fibre, vitamins, and minerals compared to refined white flour.

Frequently Asked Questions

Your New Favourite Breakfast Awaits

And there you have it—a straightforward, nutritious, and unbelievably tasty recipe for one-bowl banana oatmeal muffins. We are certain this will quickly become a go-to in your kitchen, ideal for satisfying those morning hunger pangs or for a healthy, fulfilling snack at any point in the day. These muffins are proof that you don’t need complex ingredients or a lot of time to bake something wonderful for your loved ones.

So, why not give it a go? Gather those spotty bananas, grab a single bowl, and prepare to fill your kitchen with the heart-warming scent of fresh baking. We hope you’ll try this Easy One-Bowl Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe this week. We would love for you to share your results in the comments below—we always enjoy hearing about your baking adventures and any creative twists you add!

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Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20-25 mins
Yield: 12 muffins

Ingredients

• 3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 120ml milk (dairy or plant-based)
• 80ml melted coconut oil (or unsalted butter)
• 60ml maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 150g rolled oats
• 150g wholemeal flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4). Line a 12-hole muffin tray with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Whisk in the eggs, milk, melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
3. Add the rolled oats, wholemeal flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ground cinnamon, and salt to the same bowl.
4. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; a lumpy batter is ideal.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin liners.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
7. Let the muffins cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.