Flour – White whole wheat flour is a great way to make these banana muffins whole grain without giving them a strong whole wheat flavor. You can also substitute with all-purpose flour or use a combination of both flours.
Baking powder, baking soda, and salt – Check your baking powder and baking soda to make sure they haven’t expired. The muffins won’t rise correctly if you’re using expired leavening agents. Salt is important because it balances and enhances the flavors.
Cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice – To give my banana muffin recipe a warm spiced flavor, I like to use ground cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. If you don’t have all three spices, I recommend at least adding the cinnamon and increasing the amount to 1 1/2 teaspoons.
Bananas – The star ingredient and the more brown spots they have the better! You can also use frozen bananas. Thaw the bananas at room temperature and drain off any excess liquid. Mash them and follow the recipe instructions. I like to use a potato masher to mash bananas.
Oil – Avocado oil is my favorite oil to use for baking. It’s a good balance of fats and high in monounsaturated fat, which has multiple health benefits. It’s a neutral tasting oil, which means it won’t add a flavor to the muffins. You can also use vegetable oil or canola oil.
Greek yogurt – Greek yogurt is one of my healthy swaps for these banana muffins. Not only does it add moisture to the muffins, but it’s a substitute for some of the oil. Don’t replace all of the oil with Greek yogurt or the muffins will have a chewier, gummy texture.
Sugar – I use a combination of both granulated sugar and brown sugar to give these muffins sweetness, moisture, and structure. You can use coconut sugar as a replacement for brown sugar, but it won’t taste as sweet.
Vanilla – My secret for the best vanilla flavor is to use vanilla bean paste instead of vanilla extract.
