I’ve been making some variation of these muffins for probably a decade now. They started as banana bread with nuts, and were far less sweet. It was also one of the first recipes I tried tweaking to use whole wheat flour! I would bring loaves to family gatherings, or to friends who had just had a baby, and everyone was shocked that the banana bread was vegan. I think a lot of non-vegans are nervous about vegan baked goods, because ingredients like butter and eggs add so much flavor and texture – but that banana bread was moist and flavorful, and with a tender crumb that held up so well over a few days on the counter (if it lasted that long).

Well, I just can’t leave a good thing alone, so back in 2020 when staying home and baking banana bread was all many of us could do, I started tinkering with my recipe: adding some sugar, changing up the spices, trying different topping – until I landed on these brown-sugar streusel topped banana muffins. This is now my go-to banana recipe.

About these vegan banana muffins…

These vegan banana muffins are moist and spongey, and have a very generous muffin top (:-)), and the brown sugar streusel dots the tops with little bursts of crunchy cinnamon-y flavor. You can skip the streusel if you’re pressed for time, or just can’t be bothered, but I highly recommend carving out the small amount of time it takes to prep the streusel in advance, But if you must skip it, sprinkle some turbinado sugar over the tops to keep that crunchy muffin top.

I love a good muffin top, so this recipe calls for filling the muffin tins completely. If you want more muffins or don’t care for a crunchy muffin top, fill the muffin tins about 2/3 of the way. You’ll have to adjust the cooking time down, so start checking them about 5 minutes before the time called for in the recipe.

Ingredients

Bananas
Some say the best bananas for banana muffins are ones that look mummified, but I prefer to use bananas that sill have some yellow on the skins. I think you get more banana flavor that way. You can use whatever ripe bananas you like for this recipe, but keep in mind that the more ripe the bananas the sweeter the flavor. If you want to make sure your muffins come out like mine, make sure you weigh them! A little more or a little less banana can have a significant effect on the end result.

White Whole Wheat Flour
I use white whole wheat flour from King Arthur Baking for this recipe. The whole grain gives the muffins a sturdy structure, without being as dense as standard whole wheat flour. Using whole wheat flour gives these muffins a greater depth of flavor than using all purpose flour. Since this recipe was developed specifically using white whole wheat flour, I can’t recommend using all purpose flour, but if you try it please let me know how it goes!

Brown sugar and granulated sugar
Brown sugar is important for the texture in this recipe. For the most consistent results, I recommend weighing your sugars (sugar crystal sizes can vary widely between brands).

Vegan baking sticks
I like to use Melt Organic plant butter sticks, which add a rich flavor to the muffins, but I’ve also used Earth Balance with good results. The baking sticks are very important for the streusel, but you can use coconut oil in the muffins. I haven’t tried vegetable oils in this recipe.

Vanilla paste
Vanilla paste impart BIG vanilla flavor. I buy mine at Trader Joes. You can use vanilla extract instead if you don’t have paste, but the flavor won’t be as pronounced.

Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to make the muffins pop in the oven. This helps eliminate the need for eggs.

Chai spice blend
I make my own using this recipe from Bake from Scratch magazine. I’ve also used the same amount of plain cinnamon.

Fine sea salt
I like to use fine sea salt in baking because the smaller crystals dissolve more evenly. I buy it from Costco. If you want to use kosher salt, make sure you weigh it – because of crystal size, a teaspoon of kosher salt will be vastly different from a teaspoon of fine grain sea salt.

Baking soda
The baking soda is the leavening agent, and the amount helps eliminate the need for eggs. It is going to react with the apple cider vinegar. My baking soda is always a little bit clumpy, so I highly recommend sifting yours before tossing it in.

Oat milk
I like to use Oatly full-fat oat milk, but I’ve also used almond milk which worked just fine. Make sure it’s around room temperature so in incorporates nicely into the batter.

Streusel-Topped Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

Brown Sugar Streusel
1/2 cup (74 g) white whole wheat flour
1/3 cup (67 g) light brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon (15 G) granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup (55 g) vegan baking stick, softened

Muffins
3 large, ripe bananas (400g)
1/2 cup (116g) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (113g) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (169g) vegan baking sticks, melted (but not hot)
1 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 cups (398g) white whole wheat flour
2 tsp (5g) chai spice blend (or pumpkin spice, or even just cinnamon is good, too)
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp (5g) baking soda (sifted)
1/2 cup (115g) oat milk (room temperature)

Instructions

Make the Brown Sugar Streusel

1. In a small bowl, combine the white whole wheat flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Once these ingredients are mixed, add the softened butter and work it into the dry mixture with your fingers (you can also use a fork, or do this in a mixer or food processor). The mixture will be crumbly, but try to clump it together in a few big clumps.
2. Let the streusel cool in the refrigerator while you prep the batter.

Make the Batter

1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line 12 muffin tins.
2. Mash the bananas until no lumps remain (I like to use an immersion blender). Combine the mashed bananas with the sugar, brown sugar, melted non-dairy butter, and vanilla extract. Once these wet ingredients are all combined, add the apple cider vinegar and whisk to fully incorporate.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the white whole wheat flour, spice blend (or cinnamon), sea salt, and baking soda. Whisk to combine.
4. Add half the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients until mostly incorporated, and then add half the oat milk. Once the oat milk is fully incorporated, add and mix in the remaining dry ingredients, followed by the remaining oat milk. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated, making sure not to over-mix. (Be sure to scrape along the bottom of the bowl to make sure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.)
5. Pour the batter into your lined muffin tins. If you want generous muffin top like in the photos, fill the tins almost to the top. If you want more muffins that don’t overflow the tins, fill about 2/3 full.
6. Remove the streusel from the fridge and break it up into chunks about the size of your thumb nail. Evenly distribute the streusel among all your muffins, concentrating it in the middle (it will spread when the tops pop up in the oven).
7. Bake your muffins until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it, for 30-35 minutes. (I like to check the tops for springiness: gently press on the top of one of the muffins – if it feels spongy they are not ready, but if the top springs right back they are.)
8. Let your muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, and then remove them and let them cool completely on a cooling rack – or as long as you can resist.