You’ve got a busy day ahead and you need a quick breakfast to go. What will you grab? How about these delicious oatmeal banana blueberry muffins? Make a batch and stash in the fridge or freezer to enjoy all week long.
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Fruit muffins make a great snack or breakfast and with the addition of rolled oats, you’ll feel satisfied all morning long. Even better, they stay moist for days and freeze beautifully so you can always have some on hand.
I had some bananas quickly turning to the dark side and so I was looking for a way to use them up that wasn’t a traditional banana bread. I thought muffins would be the perfect thing! This recipe is adapted from the ‘Oat Muffins with Bananas and Walnuts’ recipe in Mad for Muffins, (Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2014), from Jean Anderson. I was so happy with the end result. Simple and tasty!
This recipe is loaded with bananas and blueberries and is topped with a toasted oat and brown sugar crumble. They’re a great way to use up over ripe bananas and when blueberries are in season, you can’t go wrong! Feel free to substitute other berries of your choice. Blackberries would taste wonderful as well.
To get that tall domed muffin top, forget the ‘only fill your muffin cups two-thirds full’ rule you’ve probably heard in the past. I want you to fill the muffin holes all the way to the top. Also, they’ll go into a very hot oven and then you’ll reduce the temperature. The initial blast of heat will help create a great rise. Try it! You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the results.
Looking for other quick muffin recipes? You might like my oatmeal chocolate chip muffins or cinnamon sugar donut muffins!
What to Expect from this Recipe
- Moist crumb. Ripe bananas and buttermilk make these muffins super moist
- Crunchy topping. Oats and sugar make a delicious crunchy toasted topping.
- One bowl. No fancy equipment required! Just a bowl and a wooden spoon.
Ingredient Notes
The full list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Old fashioned rolled oats: These are flat and flakey oats that cook quickly. Make sure you get rolled oats and not the quick cooking or instant kind. The latter two will make your muffins too mushy.
- Ripe bananas: Go for bananas that have brown spots on the peel but aren’t completely brown.
- Buttermilk: You’ll find tangy buttermilk in the dairy aisle. It’s great for adding moisture and helping the muffins to rise. If you can’t find any at the store, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk.
- Fresh blueberries: Fresh is better than frozen in this recipe. You can use frozen berries, but they will bleed a little into the batter.
How to Make Oatmeal Banana Blueberry Muffins
You want a bit of a light hand when you mix muffin batter, so I think doing it by hand is the way to go. A large mixing bowl, and a handheld whisk, fork, or wooden spoon are all the equipment you need to make these banana blueberry oat muffins!
- Make topping. Start by making the topping first so it’s ready to sprinkle on top of the muffin batter as soon as you’ve scooped it into the muffin tin.
- Whisk dry ingredients. A whisk or a fork will help you get the lumps out of the dry ingredients before you add the wet ingredients.
- Whisk wet ingredients. Combine everything in a separate bowl and whisk until combined and emulsified.
- Combine. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones and mix just until combined. This is very important! Over mixing muffin batter results in tough dense muffins. You still want to see specks of flour.
- Fill and bake. Fill the muffin cups all the way to the top. This will give you big, beautiful muffin tops like the ones you see in bakeries.
Helpful tips
- Ingredients at room temperature. Before you start creaming the butter, sugar, and eggs, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. It makes it so much easier to achieve a smooth muffin batter.
- Don’t over mix. You only need to combine the ingredients until they just come together. It’s ok if you still see traces of flour or there are some small lumps. This is what you’re want!
- Grease the top of the muffin pan. We’re filling the muffin cups all the way to the top which means the batter will rise over the top of the cups. Rub a bit of melted butter around the muffin cup holes to make sure they don’t stick to the top.
- Carefully measure. Avoid dry muffins by measuring your flour accurately. Either use scales or the scoop and sweep method for cups.
Frequently Asked Question
Yes, you can! You can add the blueberries when they’re frozen, no need to defrost. Because frozen berries tend to have more water content, they might bleed a bit into your muffin batter. It won’t affect the taste though.
Toss the blueberries in a teaspoon of flour before you add them to your batter. The flour will help to suspend the blueberries in the batter so they don’t all sink the bottom.
Let your muffins rest in the muffin tin for 10 minutes before you remove them to a cooling rack to cool. If you move them too soon, they might fall apart.
Storage
These muffins keep fresh for up to 3 days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Fridge instructions: Put the muffins in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store them flat in a zip top bag.
Freezer instructions: They will keep up to 3 months in a freezer safe container or zip top bag.
To refresh the muffins and crisp up the top again, heat in a 350F oven for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can heat them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so. Try them warm with a little bit of butter. So good!
I hope you give these oatmeal banana blueberry muffins a try!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it! Share it on Instagram: #bakersbookshelf
Oatmeal Banana Blueberry Muffins
Equipment
- One 12-hole muffin tin
Ingredients
Topping
- ¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (20 grams)
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Muffins
- 1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 teaspoon to toss blueberries in (120 grams + 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed (50 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (80 grams)
- ¾ cup buttermilk (6 ounces)
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 small) (225 grams)
- ¾ cup fresh blueberries (142 grams)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C) and insert paper liners into 9 of the muffin cups in a 12 cup muffin tin.
- Grease the top of the muffin tin only with melted butter or cooking spray.
Make Topping
- Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Make Muffin Batter
- Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Make sure there are no lumps. Add the oats.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together with a fork the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and mashed banana.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Stir with a wooden spoon until only just combined. You should still see small flecks of flour in the batter.
- Toss the blueberries in 1 teaspoon of flour and gently stir into the muffin batter.
- Spoon the muffin batter into the lined muffin cups right to the very top. Sprinkle the oat topping over the batter.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then lower the temperature to 350°F (180°C) without opening the door to bake for another 15 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the centre of the muffin. It should come out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin tin then remove to a cooling rack to cool further.
Notes
- Old fashioned rolled oats: These are flat and flakey oats that cook quickly. Make sure you get rolled oats and not the quick cooking or instant kind. The latter two will make your muffins too mushy.
- Ripe bananas: Go for bananas that have brown spots on the peel but aren’t completely brown.
- Buttermilk: You’ll find tangy buttermilk in the dairy aisle. It’s great for adding moisture and helping the muffins to rise. If you can’t find any at the store, you can make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk.
- Fresh blueberries: Fresh is better than frozen in this recipe. You can use frozen berries, but they will bleed a little into the batter.
- Ingredients at room temperature. Before you start creaming the butter, sugar, and eggs, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature. It makes it so much easier to achieve a smooth cookie dough.
- Don’t over mix. If your cookies come out of the oven in an unusual shape, gently press the sides with an offset spatula to encourage them back into a neat round shape. This is totally optional!
- Grease the top of the muffin pan. We’re filling the muffin cups all the way to the top which means the batter will rise over the top of the cups. Rub a bit of melted butter around the muffin cup holes to make sure they don’t stick to the top.
- Carefully measure. Avoid dry muffins by measuring your flour accurately. Either use scales or the scoop and sweep method for cups.
Ramona says
These were so moist!
Julianne says
I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe, Ramona! Thanks for sharing.