Perfect for busy mornings or a relaxed weekend brunch, these cinnamon-sugar–dusted Banana Oatmeal Muffins are light, flavorful, and packed with hidden fiber while giving off delightful bakery vibes.
My pint-sized banana thief and her friends absolutely love these muffins. They turn out fluffy with a tender crumb and get a nice fiber boost from the oats—making them a great everyday breakfast or snack.
The combo of cinnamon, banana, and oats is classic and comforting. I tested this recipe several times and still keep coming back for more. When bananas start to get spotty, it’s the perfect excuse to bake another batch.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 2 medium to large super-ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- all-purpose flour
- old-fashioned rolled oats or oat flour
- light brown sugar
- baking powder and baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- sea salt
- milk (whole or 2%)
- oil (avocado, vegetable, or canola)
- vanilla extract
- optional: cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top
Let’s Talk About Oats!
For the softest, fluffiest muffins, oat flour is ideal. If you don’t keep oat flour on hand, you can easily make your own by pulsing rolled or quick oats in a food processor or blender until they resemble a fine flour. I do this every time and it works wonderfully.
If you prefer a chewier, more rustic muffin, leave the oats whole. Both options yield delicious results—use oat flour for tender bakery-style muffins or whole oats for texture and heartiness.
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
Ready to bake? Follow the recipe below for straightforward steps and dependable results.
Banana Oatmeal Muffins
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Equipment
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food processor or blender to grind oats for extra-soft muffins (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (100g) or oat flour
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar (100g)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1–1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup milk (whole or 2%)
- ½ cup oil (avocado, vegetable, or canola)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 bananas, 250g)
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Optional cinnamon sugar topping
- 1 TBSP granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
Prep and measure
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Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment or tulip-style liners. Bring eggs and milk to room temperature.
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Measure ingredients before starting for best results. For flour, use weight if possible, or spoon and level the flour into the measuring cup.
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If using rolled oats, measure them, then process in a food processor or blender until they resemble oat flour. This is optional—whole oats will give a chewier texture.
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Combine milk and oats in a medium bowl, stir, and let soak while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Combine wet and dry
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In a bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
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In a separate large bowl, whisk oil, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in mashed banana and the oat-and-milk mixture.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir gently until just combined—do not overmix.
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For extra lift, cover the batter and let it rest 10–15 minutes before portioning into muffin cups.
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Use a large cookie scoop or tablespoon to divide batter evenly among liners, filling them about 3/4 to full. Aim for just over 3 tablespoons per muffin.
Bake
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If using the cinnamon-sugar topping, mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over muffins before baking. The topping caramelizes and creates a lightly crisp crust.
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Bake 18–20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (About 19 minutes was perfect in my oven.)
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Cool muffins in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
What kind of muffin liners do you use?
I used regular parchment paper liners for some muffins and taller tulip-style parchment liners for others. The taller liners give the batter extra room to rise without spilling into neighboring cups and produce a bakery-style appearance.
If you don’t have tall liners, you can make DIY parchment liners from regular parchment paper to achieve a similar look and extra rise.
More Marvelous Muffin Recipes
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Banana Pumpkin Muffins
Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Cranberry Sauce Muffins
If you try these fluffy banana oatmeal muffins, I’d love to hear how they turned out—leave a comment or review below. I always enjoy reading your feedback!
Behind the blog
Personal life note: I gave up coffee again. If you notice extra typos, please forgive me—tea is helping, but there’s a coffee-sized hole in my routine. Send help (and good book or show recommendations)!
Recently I started watching the latest season of Slow Horses and just finished Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab. Looking for something equally spooky to read next—recommendations welcome.