Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printable)

Moist muffins with roasted squash and banana, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg for a wholesome breakfast.

# What You'll Need:

→ Produce

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

→ Wet Ingredients

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

→ Optional Mix-ins

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

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butternut squash purée 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.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Pour the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
06 - If using, gently fold in the chopped nuts or dark chocolate chips until evenly dispersed throughout the batter.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
08 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
09 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The squash keeps these muffins moist for days, long after ordinary banana muffins turn dry and crumbly.
  • Maple syrup does all the sweetening work, so you never taste anything artificial or heavy.
  • Kids devour them without realizing there is a vegetable hiding inside.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter creates tough, dense muffins with odd tunnels through the crumb.
  • Roasting the squash instead of boiling it concentrates the flavor and keeps excess water out of your batter.
03 -
  • Let the squash cool completely before mashing it into the puree, because warm squash will melt your coconut oil unevenly and change the batter texture.
  • Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin before baking for bakery style tops that look as good as they taste.

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