Blackberry Banana Oat Muffins

Light and airy Blackberry Banana Oat Muffins are the perfect way to start your day, with hearty oats, sweet ripe bananas and tangy fresh blackberries. These healthy oatmeal muffins are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or morning snack, making busy mornings just a little easier.

If you are anything like me, mornings are tough! Sure, everyone knows breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it also happens to be the one rarely prioritize. That is why I love breakfast recipes that prioritize convenience and simplicity, like these blackberry oatmeal muffins. Whether its our homemade roasted banana oat muffins, mini egg bites with broccoli and cheddar or Nutella overnight oats, I love a healthy breakfast I can make once and enjoy throughout most of the week.

While this banana blackberry oatmeal muffin is best when using summery fresh blackberries, you can certainly use off season or even frozen berries.

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Ingredients that Matter
• How to make blackberry oatmeal muffins
• Substitutions
• What else can I use instead of blackberries?
• How do I properly mix muffin batter?
• Storage
• Serving Suggestions
• FAQ
• More Breakfast Recipes
• Dinner Ideas
• Recipe

Ingredients that Matter

These oat muffins feature standard dry and wet muffin ingredients, along with fresh berries and bananas. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

• Blackberries. Use fresh, very ripe blackberries when available. If you want to use frozen berries, be sure to thaw and drain them of any excess water before adding to the batter.
• Bananas. A couple bananas contribute to the texture and sweetness of these fluffy, moist oat muffins. Use very ripe bananas for this recipe. You can also roast the bananas in a 350F oven for 15 minutes until blackened to further enhance their flavor.
• Oats. I recommend using old fashioned rolled oats for these muffins. You can also use quick-cooking oats if that's what you have available.
• All-Purpose Flour. This recipe uses all-purposes flour as it creates a perfectly tender yet light muffin.
• Baking Powder. Use baking powder to create light and airy muffins.
• Baking Soda. The baking soda provides some lift but also encourages browning.
• Milk. I recommend using whole milk for this recipe, but you can use lower fat milk if desired, or even plant-based milk.
• Sugar. I like to use regular granulated sugar for this recipe. It will provide sweetness but won't distract from the tartness of the blackberries. See below for other sweetener suggestions.
• Vanilla Extract. I don't like to add a lot of extra flavor to these muffins (I really want the blackberries to be the star), but a bit of vanilla extract provides a nice balance of flavor.
• Oil. A bit of vegetable or canola oil helps keep the muffins moist. Use whatever light oil you prefer.
• Eggs. Use a couple large eggs for these muffins.
• Salt. I like to use table salt anytime I make baked goods as it blends easily into the batter.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make blackberry oatmeal muffins

This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes, meaning if you have time in the morning you can make them on a weekday. Or, make some on Sunday and enjoy throughout the week. Here is how this recipe comes together:

Hint: This recipe for blackberry muffins is best enjoyed warm out of the oven (not hot as the crumb needs a chance to set), but you can also store them at room temperature for up to 2 days then transfer to the refrigerator for another couple days. The longer the muffins sit, the moister they'll become from the mashed banana.

Substitutions

There are plenty of tweaks you can make to this recipe based on your dietary needs or restrictions. Consider the following substitutions:

• Gluten-Free - To make this recipe gluten-free try using a gluten free flour like this King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour. Do not assume all oats are gluten-free. Be sure the label indicates the oats are GF, like Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Rolled Oats.
• Vegan or Dairy-Free - To make this recipe dairy-free simply swap out the milk for a plant-based milk like cashew, oat or soy milk. To make these blackberry oatmeal muffins vegan, you should use plant-based milk and swap out the eggs for two tablespoons ground flaxseeds or chia seeds soaked in two tablespoons of water for five minutes.
• Sugar- I recognize everyone has a different taste preference when it comes to sweetness. I believe there is enough sugar in this recipe, but you can certainly adjust it down to ⅓ cup or even up to ¾ cup. You can even swap out the granulated sugar for lightly packed brown sugar or maple syrup (if using maple syrup, whisk it into the wet ingredients instead of the dry ingredients).
• Blackberries - If you don't have access to fresh, ripe blackberries, you can use frozen berries. Be sure to thaw them first and even drain and pat them dry. This will prevent the color leaching into the batter.

What else can I use instead of blackberries?

Not everyone loves blackberries. They have larger seeds that some people may find unappealing, plus they tend to be quite tart. You could make these oat muffins with another berry, including blueberries, raspberries or strawberries.

How do I properly mix muffin batter?

One of the most important steps to ensure muffins are not dense, chewy or tough is to properly mix the batter. To properly mix muffin batter, first ensure the dry ingredients are whisked well together and the wet ingredients are well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, then use a flexible spatula and fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture. Use a scoop and swoop method where the spatula scoops the wet batter and swoops it together with the dry mixture. It should take about 10 stirs to properly mix the batter, just be sure there are no dry streaks of flour in your batter.

Storage

You can store leftover muffins lightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Or, you can transfer them to an airtight container or zip top bag and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Note that the longer the muffins sit (room temperature or refrigerated), the more they'll become moist from the mashed bananas.

You can freeze homemade muffins in a freezer-safe zip top bag for up to 3 months. Remove them to the refrigerator overnight and enjoy the next morning.

Serving Suggestions

Try enjoying one of these blackberry oat muffins with a homemade smoothie like our Blackberry Strawberry Banana Smoothie. Or serve these banana muffins with some yogurt and more berries, along with coffee or tea. Or try these ideas:

• Enjoy blackberry muffins as a mid-morning snack
• Serve them to your kids for an after-school snack (my girls got a lot of muffins when I was developing this recipe)
• Crumble leftover muffins into a yogurt parfait

FAQ

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Dinner Ideas

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