Healthy Blender Spinach Muffins (nut free!)

Fluffy Spinach Muffins made right in the blender with old fashioned oats, ripe bananas, and fresh spinach. Naturally sweetened and ready in 30 minutes with bakery-worthy domed tops. Add chocolate chips if you fancy! 100% whole grain, gluten free, and nut free...perfect for school lunchboxes!

Who knew that whizzing spinach, oats, nanners, and a few other baking essentials could result in such a gorgeous green muff? It's a veggie party and you're all invited!

Have you gobbled up my healthy banana muffins, healthy chocolate banana muffins, or chickpea banana muffins yet? Gasp: no spinach banana muffin can be found in the muffin library! That all ends today.

I adore these because a) they're made in the blender, b) they have a fabulous lightness, c) they get my toddler to eat a vegetable, and d) they're way lower in sugar than most. Time to bake!

The main ingredients

• Old fashioned oats: Rolled oats are ideal here versus quick-cooking or steel cut.
• Spinach: Our supremely green leafy veg. Baby spinach or regular is great, just not frozen.
• Bananas: Brown and spotty ones like I use in all of my favorite banana recipes are the way to go! The more natural sweetness we have, the less added sugar needed. Boom!
• Eggs: Large eggs are key for structure and rise. I don't think egg substitutes will work well here. You could add a handful of spinach to any of my other egg-free muffins if you fancy!
• Oil: A quarter cup of oil (I like avocado oil because I'm too lazy to melt coconut oil) is perfect here. Any neutral oil works. You cold do olive oil if you don't mind fruity, floral notes.
• Milk: A splash of milk for much-needed moisture. Any milk you have on hand works.
• Coconut sugar: A more affordable, less refined sweetener that adds lovely caramel notes. Maple syrup, honey, or regular sugar all work! If you want to make spinach muffins for babies, simply omit the sugar.

Behind the scenes of recipe testing

I've made quite a few batches of these bad boys...some with almond and oat flour, some with more spinach, some with liquid sweetener, some with more fat.

On a mission to make a spinach muffin that stands above the rest, I perused existing recipes online (no one needs more of the same thing!) then gathered inspiration from all of my existing healthy muffin recipes.

I'm super pleased with the final result. Here's the why behind it all:

1. Eggs are key for tall, fluffy blender muffins with that token rise. No eggs, no pretty domed tops!
2. Ripe bananas not only offer sweetness, but extra flavor. My early attempts with less ripe yellow bananas came out with a more pronounced spinach taste.
3. More spinach is not always merrier. I found that 2 cups of fresh spinach (remove any long stems) offered that lovely pop of green without leaving any spinach notes behind on the tongue, like 3-4 cups may.
4. Ample fat prevents gumminess. When I tested these with only 2 tbsp oil, I didn't like the texture as much. With a quarter cup, they were perfectly moist with a nice delicate crumb. I find subbing applesauce leads to that off-putting, gummy texture.
5. The sugar is adjustable. If you want sweeter, more "dessert-like" muffins, use ½ cup sugar. Honey or maple syrup worked well, too!

Let's make it (step-by-step!)

Storage

These beauties will keep in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 2 days. Refrigerate any leftovers after that. They freeze beautifully, too!

Let me know if you try this one! I love reading your feedback so much.

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