Healthy banana oatmeal muffins made in a blender with lots of spinach for a veggie-loaded breakfast or snack option! These muffins are naturally gluten-free and have the texture of a bran muffin!
Today we’re taking some of my favorite green smoothie ingredients- spinach, banana, dates, and almond butter- and blending them up with oats and eggs to turn them into green smoothie muffins!
It might seem a little strange, but hear me out: these muffins taste like a cross between baked oatmeal and banana bread, and just happen to be green…no spinach flavor comes through here!
I even successfully served them to little kids who thought they were magical shamrock muffins for St. Patrick’s day. There responses were a combination of “holy cow these are yummy!”, “did you put banana bread into these muffins?” and “can I have another one?” (before the first one was even finished).
If that’s not a winning review, I don’t know what is! The best part? You literally throw all of the ingredients into the bowl of your food processor or high-poweredblender, blend until smooth, then pop them into the oven to bake.
They’re dense, definitely infused with banana bread flavor, and have the texture of a bran muffin- which I totally love. Plus, if you do out the math, it works out to about 1/3 cup of spinach per muffin, which is a totally fun way to get some greens in your life!
If you’re into banana bread, bran muffins, or veggie-loading your meals, these muffins are for you! They’re quick + easy to make, a fun bright green color, and loaded with whole grains. We love them!
If you make this recipe, let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, or take a picture of your Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins and share it with me on Instagram so I can see!
Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins (made in a blender!)
Time: 25 minutes
Yields: 8-10 muffins
Ingredients:
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 medium, overripe bananas
- 3/4 cup Medjool dates, tightly packed and pitted (about 6-8 dates)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 Tablespoons almond butter
- 3 cups baby spinach, tightly packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper liners.
- Put all ingredients into the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender. Blend on high until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, if desired, to make them all evenly sized. You should get about 8-10 muffins.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until muffins are cooked through. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes before eating. These muffins are best enjoyed while still slightly warm, so I recommend eating them right away, or reheating them before serving (pop back into the oven for 5 minutes, microwave for 20 seconds, etc). Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
MAKE IT NUT-FREE: swap sunflower seed butter or tahini for the almond butter
MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: just be sure to choose certified GF oats
MAKE IT EGG-FREE/VEGAN: You can try subbing the eggs for something like flax or chia eggs, though these already dense muffins will likely be significantly more dense if you do so. I might try using a dry egg replacer like the ener-g powdered egg replacer instead, if you want to make these vegan!
Be sure to check out my Pantry Staples page to purchase some of my favorite baking ingredients!