Spinach Banana Muffins

Have you ever met a child that will polish off a bowl of salad or spinach? Me neither. If you have, then I imagine it was like meeting a real life unicorn. As a child, I MAYBE only ate lettuce on tacos and today I eat multiple servings of greens a day. My point is that no parent should stress about getting their kids to eat salad. But we know that leafy greens are perhaps one of the healthiest foods on the planet. While I won’t force my kids to eat a bowl of lettuce, I’m at least going to try to sneak in some greens whenever I can. The easiest way to do this is pureè greens in a smoothie, but here is a fun and yummy alternative – spinach banana muffins. AKA what my kids call GREEN MUFFINS. I seriously make a batch of these several times a month. Guys, these muffins are so sweet and tasty that they KNOW there is spinach in them, and they STILL EAT THEM.

They are gluten-free and nut free and are great for lunches or a snack. I also like to make these for road trips. You turn on the oven and can have these made in less time it takes for the oven to heat up. You may even have all the ingredients in your fridge/pantry already. The best part is you can easy make these in a food processor making clean up a breeze.

A few notes about the recipe:

• I once again use oat flour. I’ve tried tried this with whole wheat flour and it yields a much denser and not as tasty muffin.
• If you decide to use a food processor, first pureè all of the wet ingredients, plus the salt, with the exception of the egg. Pureè the banana with the spinach so the spinach is REALLY liquified before adding the other ingredients. Then add the egg and pulse a few times until it is incorporated.
• Sift together the oat flour, baking powder and baking soda and add to the food processor until well incorporated. You can also add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir by hand.
• If you can’t find oat flour, grind up rolled oats until you have a fine flour. I find that my coffee grinder is better at yielding a fine flour than my food processor.

This post is part of my series of kid-friendly recipes which are healthy and designed to save you some time in the kitchen. These are some of my tried and true healthy recipes that I serve my family all the time. You may also like these Oat Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Spinach Banana Muffins

Print Recipe

Get your child to EAT THEIR GREENS with this healthy, gluten-free, fruit-filled spinach/banana muffin. Perfect for breakfast, lunch or a snack. 

• Author: Jeannine
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x

Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (one single serve cup)
• 1 large banana (preferably overripe)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups fresh uncooked baby spinach
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cup oat flour
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
• In a food processor, blend banana and baby spinach until the spinach is very well blended (like a smoothie).
• Add maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla and salt to the food processor and blend well.
• Add egg to food processor and pulse until well incorporated.
• In a separate bowl, sift together (or mix well) the oat flour, flaxseed, baking soda and baking powder. 
• Add the dry ingredients to the food processor bowl and blend until well mixed (but do not overblend).
• Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil, or use reusable silicone baking cups. 
• Pour about 2-3 tablespoon into each muffin tin round.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for about 17-20 minutes (check at 17 minutes to see if they are done by using the toothpick test. You can also lightly tap the top of the muffin to see if they are solid)

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 115
• Sugar: 5
• Fat: 4
• Carbohydrates: 15
• Fiber: 3
• Protein: 4