Description
These Vegan Banana Bread Muffins with Walnut Crumble Topping are moist, flavorful, and perfect for a healthy snack or breakfast. Made with ripe bananas, coconut sugar, and a delightful walnut crumble, these muffins are baked to perfection with a soft interior and a crunchy topping. Suitable for vegans and easy to prepare, this recipe yields 10 large muffins bursting with cinnamon warmth and nutty crunch.
Ingredients
Scale
Muffin Batter
- 350 g ripe bananas (approx 3 medium or 4 small bananas, peeled and mashed)
- 170 g coconut sugar (or soft brown sugar)
- 1 batch vegan buttermilk (typically made by mixing plant milk with an acid like lemon juice or vinegar)
- 80 ml olive oil (or neutral oil such as rapeseed or sunflower oil)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 280 g all-purpose flour (sifted)
- 125 g walnuts (finely chopped)
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Walnut Crumble Topping
- 30 g walnuts (roughly chopped)
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar (or soft brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter (or olive oil)
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat your oven to fan 190°C (375°F) or conventional 210°C (410°F). Line half the muffin tray cavities with liners, filling every second cavity to encourage high muffin tops. The recipe makes 10 large muffins, so if you only have one tray, bake in two batches, letting the pan cool between them and chilling the batter in the fridge.
- Mash the banana: In a large mixing bowl, mash the peeled ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth; a few small lumps are acceptable.
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add coconut sugar, vegan buttermilk, olive oil, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Whisk together until well combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly incorporated.
- Make the muffin batter: Fold half the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until nearly combined, then gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients and the finely chopped walnuts. Mix just until no streaks or pockets of flour remain to avoid overmixing. Set batter aside.
- Make the crumble topping: Combine roughly chopped walnuts, flour, coconut sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Add melted vegan butter or olive oil and use your fingertips to rub the mixture until it forms a crumbly texture.
- Assemble muffins: Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to evenly distribute the batter into the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle crumble topping generously over each muffin.
- Bake: Bake the muffins at fan 190°C (375°F) or conventional 210°C (410°F) for 5 minutes. Then lower the oven temperature to fan 170°C (340°F) or conventional 190°C (375°F) and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes.
- Check doneness and cool: Insert a toothpick or knife into a muffin; it should come out almost clean with a few crumbs. Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely for about 30 minutes. Optionally, add a vanilla glaze once cooled.
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days or refrigerate up to a week. Bring to room temperature before serving if chilled. Muffins also freeze well and should be defrosted for a couple of hours before eating.
Notes
- Use well-ripened bananas for natural sweetness and better moisture.
- Vegan buttermilk can be made by mixing 250 ml non-dairy milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar; let it sit for 5-10 minutes before using.
- Filling every other muffin cavity helps the muffins rise higher and form desirable tops.
- Do not overmix the batter, as it may cause dense, tough muffins.
- For a vanilla glaze, mix powdered sugar with a small amount of plant milk and vanilla extract and drizzle over cooled muffins.
- Muffins freeze well; wrap individually for best results.
