These healthier Gingerbread Banana Muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and sure to get you in the holiday spirit!
I love having a few healthier, lower sugar options during the holidays admist all of the hyper-sweet and decadent treats! Don’t get me wrong, I love the classic holiday desserts but I also love having a few better-for-you sweets around so I can continue to FEEL my best while still feeling festive 🎅
To be completely honest, gingerbread is not my favorite holiday flavor. I likeeee it, but it’s not usually at the top of my list. With that being said, I thought these would be a fun holiday treat but I did not expect to absolutely love them as much as I do! They are not overly spiced but have the perfect hint of gingerbread flavor and the texture is ON POINT. I will definitely be keeping this recipe on repeat for the remainder of winter (AKA a long time here in Michigan 😂).
What you need to make Gingerbread Banana Muffins:
- bananas— spotty bananas are best for a sweeter flavor
- eggs
- oil— I use avocado oil but melted and cooled coconut oil will work as well.
- molasses— for the classic gingerbread flavor and as a sweetener!
- coconut sugar— I like using coconut sugar as an unrefined sweetener but you can also use regular sugar. You could also skip the sugar completely for an even lower sugar option but note that they will not be as sweet!
- oat flour— oats, blended into flour. If you don’t have a blender or prefer not to use it, you can also find oat flour at most grocery stores and on Amazon. Use gluten-free oats if needed.
- cinnamon and ginger— I love that these add great flavor to the muffins but ALSO have health benefits! Cinnamon is great for promoting balanced blood sugar and ginger is very soothing on the gut.
- sea salt
- baking soda
Gingerbread Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 bananas (spotty is best)
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or oil of choice)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
- 2 cups oat flour (oats, blended)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with liners.
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well.
- Transfer batter into muffin liners and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Enjoy as is or add frosting. For the frosting, I mixed 1 container of coconut yogurt with 3 tbsp powdered sugar. Feel free to use whatever kind of frosting you prefer— a classic buttercream or cream cheese frosting would be delicious for more of a classic dessert feel!
Calla, thank you for this recipe. I have made these muffins for my Granddaughter and I. I like the fact that they are not real sweet. The ingredients are healthy. I like the fact that they have oatmeal or oatmeal flour instead of regular flour. That makes it a good gluten free muffin. We will be making these again today.
Hi Grace! This comment made my day— I am so happy you love them and I hope your granddaughter loves them as well, what a fun activity to do together 🙂 thank you!!
Could I use honey or agave instead of the sugar? And if so, how much would I use? Thanks!
Hi Veronica! I haven’t tried these with another sweetener so I can’t say what would work besides substituting with another granulated sweetener. Because agave and honey are in liquid form, the amount needed for the recipe would be different and could throw off the bake and final texture. You can always leave the sweetener out and use very ripe bananas!