Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printable Version)

Moist muffins combining roasted butternut squash and ripe banana for a naturally sweet breakfast or snack.

# What You Need:

→ Produce

01 - 1 cup butternut squash puree (roasted and mashed)
02 - 1 cup ripe banana, mashed (about 2 medium bananas)

→ Wet Ingredients

03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil)
05 - 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

07 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
10 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

→ Optional Mix-ins

13 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
14 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup lightly with oil.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butternut squash puree and mashed banana until smooth and free of lumps.
03 - Add the eggs, melted coconut oil, maple syrup (or honey), and vanilla extract to the squash-banana mixture. Whisk until fully combined and homogeneous.
04 - In a separate medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients. Fold gently with a spatula until just combined — do not overmix, as this will produce tough muffins.
06 - If using, gently fold in the chopped nuts and/or dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
08 - Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
09 - Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The squash and banana together create this custardy interior that stays soft for days without any dairy.
  • Maple syrup does all the sweetening so you never hit that artificial sugar wall halfway through.
  • They freeze beautifully, which means you can stash a dozen and forget about them until a desperate Tuesday morning.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the number one reason these turn out dense instead of fluffy. Treat the stirring like you are folding a letter, not kneading dough.
  • If your coconut oil solidifies when it hits cold eggs or squash puree, warm the whole wet mixture gently in the microwave for fifteen seconds and whisk again.
  • To make these vegan, replace each egg with one tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with three tablespoons of water and let it sit for five minutes before adding.
03 -
  • Roast the squash face down at 400 degrees F for 35 minutes until caramelized and deeply sweet. Boiled squash tastes watery and flat by comparison.
  • Let the wet and dry mixtures sit separately for five minutes before combining. This resting period lets the flour hydrate and produces a more tender crumb.

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