Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Print View)
Moist muffins combining roasted butternut squash and sweet banana for a wholesome breakfast treat.
# What You Need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash puree (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 Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease each cup lightly with oil.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butternut squash puree 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 all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt until evenly distributed.
05 - Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Stir until just combined—do not overmix, as this can produce tough muffins.
06 - If using, gently fold in the chopped nuts and/or dark chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
07 - Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
08 - Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Rotate the pan halfway through for even baking.
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 Hints:
01 -
- The squash keeps these muffins incredibly moist for days, almost impossibly so for something this simple.
- You get all the cozy comfort of fall baking without needing any refined sugar to make them taste amazing.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter is the fastest way to end up with dense, rubbery muffins, so stop stirring while there are still tiny flour pockets.
- Letting the squash cool completely before pureeing prevents the coconut oil from separating when you combine everything.
03 -
- An ice cream scoop fills muffin cups evenly and keeps your hands clean, which sounds small until you are scraping batter off your knuckles.
- Roasting the squash cut side down with a drizzle of olive oil concentrates its sugars and makes the puree infinitely more flavorful than steaming ever could.