Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Printable)
Moist muffins combining roasted butternut squash and mashed banana for natural sweetness. Ready in 45 minutes.
# 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 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
→ Mix-ins (optional)
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 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup lightly with oil.
02 - In a large 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 medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir gently with a spatula until just combined — avoid overmixing to keep muffins tender.
06 - Fold in the chopped nuts and/or dark chocolate chips, if using, distributing them evenly 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.
09 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The squash and banana together create a moisture level that makes every bite feel almost like cake, but without any guilt.
- Maple syrup does all the sweetening here, so you get real flavor instead of just sugar noise.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter activates the gluten in the flour and turns your muffins dense and tough, so stop stirring the moment the last dry streak disappears.
- I once tried rushing the squash puree while it was still hot from the oven and it scrambled the eggs on contact, so always let it cool to room temperature first.
03 -
- Roast your squash cut side down on a parchment lined sheet at 400 degrees F for about 40 minutes until it collapses into softness, then scoop and mash for the best flavor.
- A dash of extra nutmeg on top of each muffin before baking creates a beautiful speckled look and a concentrated hit of spice that smells incredible.