There’s nothing like biting into a fresh-baked maple pecan banana muffin! Easy, simple, homemade goodness in less than 30 minutes. These maple pecan muffins are a hit with the whole family!
Banana Pecan Muffins
Although I don’t live a dedicated vegan lifestyle, I do LOVE vegan baking. In the past month I’ve shared with you my favorite morning glory muffins, tropical banana bread, and the most wonderful chocolate chip cookies… all of which just happen to be vegan. ← But by taste, you would never even know it. They’re all so perfectly delicious!!!
Today I bring you a new vegan recipe to rock your world: Maple Pecan Banana Muffins. Yes, indeed. I’m on a roll!
But less about me, more about this maple pecan muffins recipe! They’re sweet, fluffy, moist, and bursting with maple banana flavor. A hearty handful of chopped pecans add a pleasant crunch. I topped each muffin with extra pecans and turbinado sugar, which adds sparkle and crunch. Sparkle and crunch always get my vote!
So let’s get down to business! For these muffins you’ll need flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut oil, almond milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, pecans, and mashed bananas.
A few important notes about ingredients and substitutions:
- This recipe calls for 1 cup of mashed banana. I find this is about 3 small bananas, or 2 larger ones. I recommend measuring the mashed mashed banana mixture to be sure you have exactly one cup. The muffins pull their moisture from the bananas, so it is important there is enough. Also, make sure your bananas are SUPER ripe and mushy. My mom has been preaching “black bananas make the best banana bread” since I was a tot, and you guys, it is SO true.
- I use coconut oil in this recipe because it adds wonderful moisture and leaves just the slightest coconut taste. The coconut oil must be brought to room temperature before using it in this recipe. To liquify, you can melt it in the microwave, on the stove top, or by running the jar of oil under warm water for a few minutes. This is the coconut oil I use.
- If you are allergic to coconut oil, cannot access it where you live, or simply do not like it, feel free to use canola or vegetable oil in its place.
- The almond milk may be replaced by cow’s milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.
- Be sure to spray the paper muffin liners lightly with non-stick baking spray. This really helps them peel right off.
The muffins will bake for about 18 minutes, or until they’re fully cooked through. If your oven is not calibrated, I recommend starting to check the muffins around 15 minutes. They’re ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
If you love basic banana muffins, this sweet maple pecan version is sure to be a revelation! Bake them now, thank me later 😉
More Muffin Recipes:
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment below and don’t forget to snap a pic and tag it #bakerbynature on Instagram! Seeing your kitchen creations makes my day. ♥
Maple Pecan Banana Muffins
Prep
Cook
Total
Moist and flavorful maple pecan banana muffins make a wonderful breakfast, snack, or even dessert.
Ingredients
For the muffins:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (be sure not to pack your flour)
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup mashed banana (please use very VERY ripe bananas)
1/2 cup almond milk
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 and 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Garnish (optional):
1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
For the cinnamon glaze (optional):
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons water
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 (F). Line a twelve-muffin tin with paper liners; lightly spray liners with non-stick baking spray and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl mix together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate medium-sized bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, almond milk, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined, being sure not to over mix. Fold in pecans.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle each top with a tablespoon of chopped pecans and a tablespoon of turbinado sugar, if using. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs attached. Drizzle with glaze right before serving, if using. Serve warm.
- For the cinnamon glaze (optional):
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk smooth. If the glaze appears too thick, add a little more water; if the glaze appears too thin, add a little more sugar.
Notes
*Soy, coconut, or cow's milk may be used in place of the almond milk. *Canola or vegetable oil may be used in place of the coconut oil.
Courses Breakfast
Cuisine American
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving | ||
|---|---|---|
% Daily Value |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Renata says
February 6, 2016 at 2:41 pmHummmmmmm!!!! Eu morro de vontade é muito lindo parece uma delicia vou fazer com certeza ! quantos dá para fazer uma receita?
Luanda says
November 8, 2018 at 7:02 pm12
Courtney Pullizer says
February 12, 2016 at 5:21 am5 stars! My boyfriend is vegan and I have been on the hunt for recipes I can bake him. Up until now everything has been meh, then I made these muffins. SO AMAZING!!! Sweet and really verry fluffy. We both ate them up in one day! Thanks for making me look like a rockstar vegan baker for my man.
Lama says
March 5, 2016 at 12:30 pmCan I substitute almond milk with regular & Coconut oil too I mean with vegetable oil.
Thanks
bakerbynature says
March 5, 2016 at 2:36 pmHi Lama. Yes, I believe those changes should work just fine.
Jess says
March 19, 2016 at 7:34 pmIs 1 tablespoon baking powder written correctly? Thanks
bakerbynature says
March 20, 2016 at 7:56 amHi Jess. Yes, that is correct!
Bethany @ athletic avocado says
April 6, 2016 at 1:17 amHOLY YUM! What a wonderful trio of flavors in these muffins! So fluffy and tasty!
bakerbynature says
April 6, 2016 at 11:38 amThank you, Bethany! I can’t make these muffins enough 😉
Lauren @ Ease and Carrots says
April 6, 2016 at 1:33 amYou had me at maple! These look fantastic!
bakerbynature says
April 6, 2016 at 11:37 amThank you, Lauren! They’re so easy and so delish 🙂
Ashley says
April 7, 2016 at 3:27 pmAny tips for making this Gluten Free?? I have almond flour, brown rice flour, and flax meal on hand, but im just learning the ropes on gluten free baking.
Holly says
May 2, 2016 at 3:48 amDid you try these gluten free? I want to try too, but don’t want to waste ingredients!
Ashley says
April 22, 2016 at 12:23 amCan the flour be subsitited? I would like to use almond flour if possible
Jessa Ovitt says
April 23, 2016 at 2:22 pmThese were wonderful!
bakerbynature says
April 25, 2016 at 7:18 pmThank you, Jessa! So happy to hear it 🙂
Jasmin says
April 25, 2016 at 3:02 amThese turned out amazing! I added cloves & mace for extra spice, unpasteurized honey and cane syrup to sub the maple syrup. I’ll definitely be making these again.
bakerbynature says
April 25, 2016 at 7:13 pmI have to try adding cloves and mace next time – yum! So happy you enjoyed this recipe, Jasmin 🙂
Lorrie says
May 3, 2016 at 9:01 pmThese were fantastic! I used unsweetened coconut milk in place of the almond milk and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. Tasty indeed! I left off the glaze as they were plenty sweet to me.
I totally agree about the bananas – the good ones for cooking are pretty much black.
bakerbynature says
May 4, 2016 at 12:27 pmYour adaptions sound delicious, Lorrie! I definitely need to try these with coconut sugar 😉
Hannah lu says
May 11, 2016 at 4:16 pmI’m getting ready to make these Gluten free, right now! I’m using Namaste brand gf flour. I’ll post how they turned out! 🙂
Ella says
June 11, 2016 at 12:07 amdo you think i could sub half the oil for apple sauce so 1/4 oil and 1/4 apple sauce?
bakerbynature says
June 11, 2016 at 7:39 pmHi Ella! I haven’t tried that, so while I’m not 100% sure, I think it could work. You could also try using 1 egg in place of a 1/4 cup of the applesauce.
Baker Momma says
August 21, 2016 at 2:59 pmThese were delicious and will definitely make this recipe again. I didn’t have applesauce so I substituted with egg. The coconut oil gives it a great flavor.
Sarah says
September 21, 2016 at 5:03 amThese are delicious! Some of my favorite muffins ever, seriously!!
Audrey says
December 20, 2016 at 7:24 pmThese are super delicious, and there aren’t any hard-to-find weird ingredients. I really appreciate vegan recipes like this. I made them for my family breakfast and they were a hit. Try them with a cup of coffee. Cheers to these muffins!
JT says
February 22, 2017 at 3:07 pmHey!
I craved muffins today, so I looked for a vegan recipe, which uses ingredients I have on hand, so I tried yours.
I didn’t have pecans, so I used Walnuts instead. I didn’t use as much sugar as you suggested and I still found it to be too sweet. In the future I would only use half a cup of sugar and 1-2 Tbsp of Maple syrup (or Agave since I didn’t have the former). I also only used 1/2 Tsp of cinnamon and less coconut oil. And less nuts (ca 1/4 Cup) but added in chocolate chips ca. 1/4 Cup).
They tasted great, just a little too sweet for (to?!) my liking. The nutmeg was a nice touch! And they were very easy to make, so thumbs up for that 🙂
Mel C says
March 16, 2017 at 8:21 pmJust wondering, if you are using super ripe bananas (which are naturally very sweet) AND Maple Syrup, WHY do you need so much sugar? I would not have thought that you needed any.
Naomi says
April 4, 2017 at 8:06 amI gave this recipie a try using coconut milk & veg. Oil. It turned out amazing!!! It came out fluffy & moist. Am definitely making it again. Thanks so much for this easy to follow recipie 🙂
bakerbynature says
April 4, 2017 at 5:50 pmSo happy to hear it, Naomi!
Sharon Kvammen says
May 16, 2017 at 3:52 pmThese muffins are awesome. I also added a little maple extract.
Sarah says
June 30, 2017 at 7:54 pmThese muffins are so delish & I love that my young daughter can help me measure & mix the ingredients without me worrying she’s going to be messing with raw egg. Seriously I would never guess from the incredible flavor that these were vegan! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes with my girl!
Linda says
July 23, 2017 at 9:57 pmFirst let me start by saying that my family is not VEGAN. That being said, I just happened upon this recipe on Pinterest and it peeked my interest enough to try it. Oh my goodness! This recipe is awesome. Moist, tender and flavorful without being too sweet. And i haven’t even glazed them yet. I had to sub a few things, regular milk for almond and whole wheat pastry flour for AP flour. All I can say is WOW! If you ever have a chance, try Mount Cabot Organic Unblended Maple Syrup. It’s the best I have had (just my opinion, not an endorsement). It is awesome in this recipe. I am already planing on making this again
bakerbynature says
July 25, 2017 at 10:28 amHi Linda! Thank you so much for this comment 🙂 I’m so happy you enjoyed them, and your tips on substitutions are so helpful for fellow bakers 🙂
tracy says
August 2, 2017 at 12:47 pmCan i do without the banana? thank you
Kimberly says
October 11, 2017 at 4:09 pmThis recipe is absolutely delicious! I made it by chance but used buttermilk and butter instead of almond milk and coconut oil. My family fell in love with them. They are my husbands favorite muffins and he doesn’t like banana bread or banana muffins. I started making them for our Airbnb guests as well and everyone comments on them. We had some Vegan guests stay with us so I made the recipe as written and my family didn’t even notice the difference. Lots of guests ask for the recipe and it’s so nice to be able to send them the link to your lovely website. Thanks for sharing!
bakerbynature says
October 15, 2017 at 8:37 pmThis comment made my day, Kimberly! So glad you – and your guests – are enjoying them 🙂
Jocelyn (Grandbaby Cakes) says
October 18, 2017 at 3:48 pmThese muffins have me considering going vegan!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Kim says
March 16, 2018 at 6:01 pmHi there! Should the recipe say 1 teaspoon each of turbinado sugar and pecans on top of muffins? Says tablespoon in printed recipe so wanted to double check that. Thank you!
Shavonne says
March 24, 2018 at 9:52 amThese are Absolutely Perfect! This is my go to recipe for banana muffins now! Thanks so much for sharing.
James says
April 14, 2018 at 8:32 pmWhat would you say about using whole spelt flour instead of all purpose wheat flour?
bakerbynature says
April 17, 2018 at 11:39 amHi James. I honestly haven’t tried, so I can’t say. If you try it, let us know how it goes 🙂
Steph says
August 17, 2018 at 3:09 amDelicious recipe! I used vegetable oil instead of coconut and didn’t have any pecans or walnuts so I omitted the nut altogether. They were a big hit!
Amanda says
November 11, 2018 at 7:52 pmIs there a way to make this recipe without bananas? Thanks!
Krista Lowry says
February 4, 2019 at 5:05 amI have made these twice in the two weeks. They are incredibly moist and are easy to make. The last batch made did not have any nuts in or on them and I used a scant teaspoon of nutmeg.
I would highly recommend these to anyone who asks! Thank you for this great recipe!