Description
These Vegan Banana Bread Muffins with Walnut Crumble Topping are moist, flavorful, and perfectly spiced treats ideal for breakfast or a snack. Made with ripe bananas, warm cinnamon, crunchy walnuts, and a buttery vegan crumble, these muffins offer a delightful texture contrast and a rich, comforting flavor profile. They are naturally vegan, easy to make, and perfect for anyone looking for a wholesome and delicious plant-based muffin.
Ingredients
Scale
Muffin Batter
- 350 g ripe bananas (approx 3 medium or 4 small bananas, weighed without skins)
- 170 g coconut sugar (or soft brown sugar)
- 1 batch vegan buttermilk
- 80 ml olive oil (or neutral oil like 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 of the cavities in a muffin tray with muffin liners, filling every second cavity to encourage tall muffin tops. If baking in batches, cool the pan between uses and refrigerate the batter to keep it fresh.
- Mash the banana: In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas using a fork until mostly smooth, leaving a few small lumps for texture.
- 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 bowl, whisk together the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly distributed.
- Make the muffin batter: Fold half of the dry ingredients into the wet mixture gently, then fold in the remaining dry ingredients along with the finely chopped walnuts until just combined, avoiding overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
- Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the roughly chopped walnuts, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add melted vegan butter or olive oil and use your fingertips to rub the mixture until it forms a crumbly texture.
- Fill muffin liners: Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, distribute the batter evenly among the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle the walnut crumble topping on each muffin.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven at fan 190°C (375°F) or conventional 210°C (410°F) for 5 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to fan 170°C (340°F) or conventional 190°C (375°F) and bake for an additional 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean with a few crumbs.
- Cool: Let the muffins cool in the tray for 5 minutes before carefully removing them to a wire rack. Allow them to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Optionally, serve with a vanilla glaze.
- Store: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or refrigerate for up to one week. Bring to room temperature for about an hour before serving if refrigerated. Muffins can also be frozen and thawed for 2 hours before eating.
Notes
- For vegan buttermilk, mix 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar with 1 cup (240 ml) plant-based milk and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- If you want a vanilla glaze, mix powdered sugar with vanilla extract and a little plant-based milk until smooth and drizzle over cooled muffins.
- Filling every other muffin cavity helps create higher muffin tops.
- Do not overmix the batter; overmixing can cause dense muffins.
- Letting the batter rest in the fridge between batches keeps it fresh and ensures consistent baking results.
