Butternut Squash Banana Muffins (Print View)
Moist butternut squash and banana muffins, great for breakfast or snack; add nuts or chocolate chips for texture.
# What You Need:
→ Produce
01 - 1 cup butternut squash puree (from roasted butternut squash)
02 - 2 ripe bananas, mashed
→ Dry Ingredients
03 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
04 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
06 - ½ teaspoon salt
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
08 - ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
→ Wet Ingredients
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - ½ cup brown sugar, packed
11 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
12 - ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
13 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Optional Add-ins
14 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
15 - ½ cup chocolate chips
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease with baking spray.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg until evenly distributed.
03 - In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until well combined. Stir in the oil, vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and butternut squash puree until smooth.
04 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Do not overmix to keep muffins tender.
05 - Gently fold in chopped nuts or chocolate chips if desired.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
08 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
# Expert Hints:
01 -
- The squash disappears completely into the banana flavor, so even skeptical eaters will never guess the secret ingredient.
- One bowl, zero fancy equipment, and you probably have everything you need right now.
- They freeze beautifully, which means you can stash a batch and pretend you baked fresh on a busy Tuesday morning.
02 -
- Do not rush the roasting step if you are making your own squash puree, because undercooked squash holds too much water and will turn your muffins gummy in the center.
- I once tried mashing the squash with a fork instead of blending it, and the little fibrous strands created weird texture pockets that nobody enjoyed.
03 -
- Let your batter rest for five minutes before scooping it into the pans, because that brief pause lets the flour fully hydrate and produces a more even, tender crumb.
- The single biggest improvement I ever made was switching from measuring flour by dipping the cup directly into the bag to spooning and leveling, and it changed every muffin recipe I own.