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This easy Banana Applesauce Muffins recipe uses applesauce instead of oil or butter and makes delicious, lighter homemade banana muffins in minutes.
Easy Banana Muffins with Applesauce
These delicious muffins are basically banana muffins with applesauce used in place of oil or butter. They’re lighter and lower in fat than regular banana muffins, and they’re absolutely delicious! I have been making this easy recipe for years, and it’s a family favorite for a quick snack or lighter breakfast on the go. Best of all, this is a one-bowl recipe for easy clean-up!
My kids love these! In fact, I had a bunch of bananas to use up, so I made this banana muffin recipe twice last week. For more banana muffin recipes, try my banana bread muffins or zucchini banana muffins or banana cranberry muffins or these quick 2-ingredient banana muffins next!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a quick overview of what you need to make these muffins. You’ll find complete amounts in the printable recipe card below.
- Ripe bananas — Look for bananas that have plenty of brown spots.
- Unsweetened applesauce — I prefer to use applesauce with no sugar added, but you can use regular if you want.
- Egg — acts as a binder
- Brown sugar — for a little sweetness
- Flour
- Baking powder and soda — to help the muffins rise
- Cinnamon — for extra flavor. You can omit this if you like.
- Salt
- Chocolate chips — These are optional, but my kids love muffins with chocolate chips!
How to Make Banana Applesauce Muffins
First, mash bananas in a large bowl. Mix in the egg and applesauce. Then, add the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined using an electric mixer, stand mixer or a spoon. Fold in the chocolate chips, and scoop batter into a greased muffin pan, then bake for 18-20 minutes.
The chocolate chips are optional, but the kids and I highly recommend them. Everything tastes better with chocolate, you know! Enjoy them as is or with a pat of honey butter or butter for even more flavor.
Recipe Tips
You can use nonstick spray, butter or paper or silicone muffin liners for easier clean up.
Test the muffins around 18 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean. There may be a little melted chocolate on the toothpick, but it shouldn’t be wet with batter.
They’re slightly sweet, but not too sweet — perfect for an easy breakfast, brunch or snack time! Mornings are always hectic here, so I love it when I can give the kids a quick breakfast.
Now, I am most definitely not a morning person, so I usually make muffins the day before and set them aside. Hopefully, these banana applesauce muffins will still be there in the morning!
Storage
Store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for 3-4 days. I recommend placing a paper towel on the bottom of the container to absorb moisture. You can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Are These Banana Muffins Healthy?
These muffins are lower in fat since they are made without oil or butter. But, they do have brown sugar and chocolate chips, so they’re not the healthiest muffins on the planet. They taste good, though, and they’re made from scratch!
Banana Applesauce Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas 1-1½ cups
- ⅓ cup all-natural unsweetened applesauce
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and grease a 12-cup muffin pan
- Mash bananas with a fork in a large mixing bowl
- Add applesauce and egg, and mix together
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar and cinnamon, and mix with an electric mixer until just combined
- Stir in the chocolate chips using a spatula
- Scoop batter into a prepared muffin tin, about 2/3rds full
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and tops spring back when touched.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Great recipe! However my muffins ended up with an almost minty/metallic taste – could this be because of the baking powder and soda?
I haven’t noticed this, but it is possible. If you happen to use iodized salt, that may affect the flavor, as well.
Just made these with self-rising flour and brown truvia. Made in Reynolds paper/foil cupcakes mini cups. Baked for 20 minutes. We’ll have these for my grandfurbaby’s 1st birthday while visiting grandpa in the health and rehab facility.
Sounds wonderful! Happy birthday to the pup! 🙂
I made these tonight, and they turned out moist and delicious! I milled my flour using 96g of soft white wheat and 96g of spelt. I added extra applesauce because freshly milled flour requires more liquid due to the bran. Instead of adding chocolate chips, I used raisins soaked in hot water to plump them up, then drained off the excess water. This helps prevent the raisins from absorbing too much moisture while baking. I am very pleased with how these turned out!