Vegan Banana Muffins with Just 60 Calories Each

A few days ago, my good friend Noam Bachar (an Israeli clinical dietitian and fitness coach) asked if I wanted to make vegan banana muffins together and share the recipe on the blog. Noam is also the nutrition adviser for my blog and cooking workshops, so this was right up our alley.

Obviously, I said yes. Cooking together is always fun, and it had been a while since we'd hung out just because. A baking day sounded like the perfect excuse to catch up.

Noam and I actually met through the running group I've been training with since 2012. She was my coach.

A tough coach, ridiculously funny, and—as much as I am—a bit of a nutrition nerd. Okay, she did get a degree in nutrition science, after all.

Pretty soon, we were chatting about food, cooking, workouts, and running. I'll admit it: she became my favorite coach.

A lot of miles have been logged in Yarkon Park (a large park in Tel Aviv) since then. Sadly, Noam isn't my coach anymore, but we still talk plenty about food and training, and sometimes we even work out together.

And this post is the very delicious result of our day together 🙂 ♥

A Little About the Recipe

This is what I call an "anyone can do it" recipe. The ingredients are affordable, easy to find at any supermarket, and keep well in the pantry or freezer.

We added 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder to the original recipe. It made the muffins denser and, as you might expect, significantly bumped up the protein in each one.

That's an option if you'd like it—not a requirement.

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When should you eat them?

2–3 banana muffins can be a quick breakfast when you're rushing out the door to work.

One muffin also works as a pre-workout energy snack. Aim to eat it about 1 – 1½ hours before your workout to give your stomach time to settle.

Or enjoy one as a late-night snack before bed.

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Nutrition information by Noam Bachar, clinical dietitian and fitness coach

Per muffin (from a batch of 24)

60 calories

8 g carbohydrates

2 g protein

1.5 g fat (including 0.5 g saturated fat)

1.5 g dietary fiber

If you add 2 scoops of protein powder to the batch, the nutrition per muffin is:

80 calories

8 g carbohydrates

4 g protein

2 g fat

Vegan Banana Muffins

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Yield 24 muffins

Ingredients

• 2 medium bananas ripe
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or silan (date syrup) optional, but tastier with it
• 2.5 cups oats
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 Medjool dates pitted and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons canola or coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons blueberries frozen is fine
• 12 pecans coarsely chopped
• 2 cups unsweetened soy milk

Instructions

1. Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl. Add the silan or maple syrup, if using, and mix well.
   
2. Add the oats, cinnamon, vanilla extract, dates, oil, plant-based milk, and pecans. Mix well.
   
3. Add the blueberries and gently fold them in.
   
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
5. Spoon the mixture into muffin pans.
   
6. Bake for about 30 minutes.
7. If you've added protein powder, bake for about 20 minutes instead.
   
8. Let the muffins cool completely before eating.