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If you love healthier muffins as much as I do then you will love my Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed. (There’s an extra-healthy version and a gluten-free version too!)
One of my favourite breakfasts is muffins. I love that you can pack so much flavour – and even nutrition – in such a delicious little package. I’m always trying to sneak the nutritious stuff into muffins. Whether it’s my Carrot Walnut Bran Muffins or my Banana and Chia Seed Muffins, you can usually find something nutritious tucked into nearly every muffin recipe I make.
A Lower Sugar Muffin with a Sweet Streusel Topping
The muffin itself isn’t all that sweet as the main recipe contains only half a cup of sugar, however the crumbly, cinnamon sugar topping laced with finely chopped pecans really does make these Banana Streusel Muffins a treat.
There’s something about streusel that makes a muffin look – and taste – extra appealing. These Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed still taste wonderful without the topping, but if you can afford to treat yourself a little, the topping really does make them extra special.
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Banana Streusel Muffins are a great way to use up leftover bananas, the riper the better. The addition of the flaxseed (also known as linseed) adds a great flavour as well as micronutrients, Omega-3 fatty acids (the good fats), dietary fiber and iron. The pecans are good for you too as they contain potassium, protein and vitamin E.
How Can I Make Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed Healthier?
To make Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed healthier, leave off the streusel topping. I have managed to drop the sugar to ¼ cup from ½ cup on occasion (that’s 4 tablespoons as opposed to 8 tablespoons). This does mean the muffins taste much less sweet though. Another thing I like to do is to use 1 cup plain or all-purpose flour and ⅔ cup whole-wheat flour instead of using all plain or all-purpose flour.
Are These Muffins Gluten-Free?
The original recipe is not gluten-free. However, you can substitute an equal amount of gluten-free flour to make the muffins gluten-free. I have tested this with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Flour and it’s honestly hard to tell the difference between the gluten-free and gluten-full muffins!
What If I Don’t Like Pecans or Can’t Eat Nuts?
You can substitute walnuts for the pecans if you prefer. If you need the recipe to be nut-free, you can substitute raisins, sultanas, dried cranberries or another dried fruit for the nuts. Chocolate chips also work as a substitution for the nuts, although they begin to take this recipe into cupcake territory!
How to Serve
The combination of a lower sugar muffin with a sweet, cinnamon spiked streusel topping makes my Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed the perfect balance between naughty and nice. Perfect for breakfast, teatime or a snack, these easy to make muffins are sure to become a family favourite.
They taste delicious warm from the oven, but will keep for up to 3 days in a sealed container at room temperature. Muffins can also be frozen (with or without streusel) but do thaw completely in the fridge overnight and reheat gently before serving.
Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed – Printable Recipe
Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed
Ingredients
- For the streusel:
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cut in small pieces
- 5 tablespoons flour Use gluten-free flour if required
- 4 tablespoons sugar Demerera sugar (also known as Turbinado) if possible but white sugar is fine
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup finely chopped pecans omit for a nut free version
- For the muffins:
- 3 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- ½ cup mild olive oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons crème fraîche, sour cream or plain yogurt you can use light or low fat
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1⅔ cup all-purpose (plain) flour You can use 1 cup (120 grams) all-purpose flour and ⅔ cup (75 grams) whole-wheat flour instead OR for a gluten-free version use 1⅔ cup (222 grams) gluten-free one to one flour (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
- 2 tablespoons milled ground flaxseed
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder Be sure to use gf baking powder for gf muffins
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup pecans, roughly chopped If desired, substitute walnuts, raisins or other dried fruit for the pecans for a nut free version.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C or 170°C for a fan oven)
- Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- First, make the streusel-
- Cut the flour into the butter using a pastry blender or two knives until it resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the sugar and continue to cut in.
- Using a fork, stir in the cinnamon and the ¼ cup finely chopped pecans.
- Set aside.
- Now, for the muffins –
- Beat the oil and the eggs together in a medium bowl or jug.
- Beat in the vanilla and crème fraîche or sour cream.
- Stir in the mashed bananas and set aside.
- In another, larger bowl, mix together the flour, flaxseed, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and ¾ cup chopped pecans.
- Add the oil and egg mixture to the flour mixture in the larger bowl and stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups. (An ice cream scoop makes this easy.)
- Sprinkle a bit of the streusel mixture over each muffin.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the muffins comes out clean. (It’s a good idea to watch the muffins after 15 minutes – oven temperatures can vary so radically.)
- Cool on a wire rack. Delicious warm or at room temperature. The muffins will freeze fairly well, although they definitely need to be reheated for a few minutes to make the streusel topping crunchy again.
Notes
did you make this recipe?
Make sure to tag #apriljharris on Instagram and follow @apriljharris for more.
More Delicious Banana Recipes
Old Fashioned Banana Cake Recipe
Spiced Banana Nut Loaf with Ginger Glaze
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Having morning coffee as I type this wishing I had one of these delicious muffins.
Wish I could send you some, Patty 🙂
What a perfect way to start the day or to enjoy with my afternoon coffee. Looking forward to these muffins!
Thank you, Angela!
I love that you make your muffins nutritious…now if I could get you to make them for me! 😉
I wish I could, KC 🙂
I don’t eat breakfast, but with my afternoon tea I’d eat a few of these happily 🙂
Thank you, Winnie 🙂
What a yummy way to start the day!
Thank you, Nancy!
Banana streusel muffins with flaxseed is healthy and delicious April, I wish I can join you for an afernoon tea.
Thank you, Swathi! I would love it if you could join me for tea, that would be lovely. Hopefully one day 🙂
April, these are so my kind of muffins and I plan to try them very soon! Have you ever used a whole-grain or GF flour in this recipe? I have all kinds of flours I like to “play” with such as spelt, oat, almond, white-whole wheat as well as GF mixtures. Would love to know what you think as you are the baking maven!
Hi Linda, Thank you so much! I have been meaning to try more gluten free flours but as yet I have not done as much experimentation as I would like to. I am sure that they would work though as muffin recipes are generally very forgiving. If using whole wheat flour I would probably go 50/50 with white flour just to keep the texture a bit lighter 🙂
Your Banana Streusel Muffins with Flaxseed sound so yummy April! Pinning.
Thank you so much, Hadia!
Hi April,
Thanks so much for sharing this awesome muffin recipe with us at Cooking and Crafting with J & J.
We love having you and have a wonderful week.
Julie xo
My pleasure, Julie! Thank you so much for hosting!
I can’t think of much better than one of these with my morning coffee – they look lovely and delicious! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much, Sarah!
I so enjoy streusel toppings on my muffins and pies. A healthy muffin just in time to celebrate fall.
Thank you, Joanne! I’m a real fan of streusel toppings too 🙂
These sound so delicious!
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
What a lovely setting to enjoy this delicious Banana Streusel Muffins. Hope you are having a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Health, ease, and flavor! What more could anyone ask for from these beautiful muffins?!
Thank you so much, Dan!
April these look so tasty. Thanks for the mention in your post and for sharing with us at #Throwback Thursday link party. Please join us again next week and invite your friends to join. Pinned
Thank you, Quinn, and thank you for pinning too 🙂
These look perfect! Anything with streusel has my name written all over it!
Thank you, Lisa! I love streusel too 🙂
I’m not a big banana person but I have the feeling these muffins would be absolutely delightful with a hot cup of coffee in the morning!
They really are a lovely way to start the day, Rae 🙂
These look delicious – great way to get in those Omega 3’s!
Definitely, Julie – and thank you 🙂
These look so good! I am hosting a brunch soon. I will be making these!
I hope you and yours enjoy them as much as we do, Katie. They are perfect for brunch!
Cute, easy, bite size, healthy, yummy. Did I leave anything out?
I don’t think so, Dan 🙂 Thank you so much!
I love muffins. They are easy to make and keep for later. Flax is my go to every morning I have it in a protein shake. I can’t wait to try it in a muffin.
I love muffins too, Lindsay! I use flax in my smoothies and protein shakes too – but I confess I really do love eating it in muffins best 😉 Have a lovely week!
April,
I too love streusel especially in a muffin. With the addition of flax, it’s a healthy winner.
Thank you so much, Judee 🙂
Your muffin recipe sounds good and they have a lovely domed top!
Thank you, Barbara 🙂
Streusel to muffins is like icing to cake…the best part! But a flaxseed sprinkled banana muffin sounds like a very guilt-free yummy treat =)
I totally agree, Kim, streusel makes a muffin extra special! Thank you 🙂
These look absolutely scrumptious and are going on my list! Fromt he treat party and it is a treat!
Thank you so much, Carol 🙂
It looks very delicious April! And I love your teapot set!
Thank you so much, Cristina. It belonged to my great grandmother 🙂
Perfect with an afternoon cup of coffee!
Thank you, Jaxx 🙂
Congratulations!
Your post has been featured on Full Plate Thursday! Thanks so much for sharing with us, we have really enjoyed it and we hope you enjoy your new Red Plate!
Miz Helen
These look Tasty April. I could just reach out for one, right now 🙂
Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Creative Mondays. Have a great weekend and we hope to see you soon.
I’m so glad you like them, Claire! I hope you have a lovely weekend too!
Love the idea of a streusel topping on a healthful muffin.
Mmmmm – I LOVE banana muffins! And the ingredients list looks doable. Pinned this one. I don’t know that I’ve had flaxseeds in it before, but sounds good.
Thank you for pinning, Alexandra! These are among my favourite banana muffins ever 🙂
I love muffin and your recipe looks so scrumptious. Perfect for supper.
Muffins are definitely a favourite of mine too. 🙂
I came across this recipe yesterday and thought that I can try it out. The result was perfect! I made them for my boyfriend for afternoon tea and he loved them! Thanks for sharing!
I’m so pleased you and your boyfriend enjoyed them, Eileen!