Oh how my kiddos love these spinach banana mini muffins! They always want at least 4 and usually 5 of these pretty little green muffins. Did I mention that they are under 4 and under 2 years old? Hungry bellies. No wonder I feel like I make these ALL the time. But when it’s quality ingredients and a good source of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, it’s hard to fight it. (And I’ve got a note in the recipe card about how to make these with honey so they are naturally sweetened too.) Plus these mini banana and spinach muffins are so pretty and they smell absolutely amazing when they are baking. Please do sneak one for yourself because they are scrumptious! These make a lovely finger food for toddlers, too. (I avoided giving my kids anything with sugar or sweeteners in it before they turned 1, but you could give these to a baby otherwise.) They also freeze beautifully, so I always have some on hand to pack for school lunches. Which is why I wrote the recipe to make so many! I figure while I’m at it… I like to pair a few of these muffins with a bowl of yogurt mixed with fruit, a side of fruit - usually raisins or grapes - and their milk. I know they are feasting well. These banana spinach muffins even work great on their own as an afternoon snack. Shoot, you could call them breakfast since it’s a little like a green version of banana bread muffins! OK, let’s get baking. Now, I’ve got some notes, tips and substitutions coming up below on how to make mini spinach banana muffins. Just tryin’ to be helpful. If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
Flour: I use white wheat flour to make these whole grain, but you can also use whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or a combination of those two. Sugar: You can reduce this to ⅓ cup or use a full ½ cup depending on how sweet you want them. I’ve also made a naturally sweetened version of these using honey in place of the sugar. You can replace the sugar with ⅓ cup of honey and then use just 2 tablespoons of oil, to balance the amount of liquids. Everything else is the same! Yogurt: You can use plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt. A nonfat yogurt or a 2% or 5% yogurt are all fine. Bananas: Your bananas should be very ripe and soft for this recipe. Spinach: Be sure to use fresh raw spinach for this recipe NOT cooked or frozen spinach.
Last thing, let’s talk about storing these muffins. Bake up some of these mini-muffins and try them on your family today. I think they’ll be a new favorite! Enjoy! XO, Kathryn Flour: I use white wheat flour to make these whole grain, but you can also use whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour or a combination of those two. Sugar: You can reduce this to ⅓ cup or use a full ½ cup depending on how sweet you want them. I’ve also made a naturally sweetened version of these using honey in place of the sugar. You can replace the sugar with ⅓ cup of honey and then use just 2 tablespoons of oil, to balance the amount of liquids. Everything else is the same! Yogurt: You can use plain yogurt or plain Greek yogurt. A nonfat yogurt or a 2% or 5% yogurt are all fine. Bananas: Your bananas should be very ripe and soft for this recipe. Spinach: Be sure to use fresh raw spinach for this recipe NOT cooked or frozen spinach. Storing: Store these muffins at room temperature, in a bag or covered container, for 1-2 days. After that, I like to put them in the refrigerator. (I do this with any baked good that uses banana because I find it can start to turn if it sits out too long.) They’ll keep in the fridge for another 3 days at least. Freezing: You can freeze these mini muffins for up to 6 months. Place them in a freezer-safe ziptop bag (that’s labeled!). Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or pop a couple in the microwave, straight from the freezer, and heat for about 15-20 seconds to defrost and warm through.
