Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printable)
Moist, tender muffins with natural sweetness from bananas and roasted squash.
# What You'll Need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed
02 - 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
→ Wet Ingredients
03 - 2 large eggs
04 - 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
05 - 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (half can be swapped for whole wheat 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 Add-ins
13 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
14 - 1/3 cup chocolate chips or raisins
# How to Prepare:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
02 - Steam or roast the cubed butternut squash until fork-tender, about 15 minutes if steaming or 25 minutes if roasting. Let cool completely, then mash to yield 1 cup of purée.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, maple syrup, mashed bananas, butternut squash purée, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
04 - In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
05 - Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix to keep the muffins tender.
06 - Gently fold in chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins if using.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the 12 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.
09 - Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The natural sweetness from both the bananas and the squash means you can cut way back on added sugar without anyone noticing.
- These muffins stay impossibly moist for days, which almost never happens with homemade baked goods.
- They freeze beautifully, so you can make a double batch and have breakfast sorted for weeks.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to get tough, rubbery muffins, so stop stirring the moment everything looks combined.
- If your squash puree is wet, spread it on a clean towel and press gently to remove excess moisture before adding it to the batter.
03 -
- Use an ice cream scoop to portion batter into the tin for perfectly even muffins every single time.
- Letting the mashed bananas and squash puree come to room temperature before mixing prevents the oil from seizing up.