Healthier Hummingbird Muffins
Healthier Hummingbird Muffins are easy hummingbird muffins with the goodness of whole grains. They’re a family favorite!
A few years ago I discovered hummingbird cake, and it was life changing. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a classic Southern cake with bananas, coconut, pineapple and pecans with a cream cheese frosting.
It’s very similar to carrot cake, so if you like carrot cake, you’ll love hummingbird cake.
These hummingbird muffins are the healthier way to enjoy one of my favorite cake flavors!
These muffins are soft, fluffy, and reminiscent of hummingbird cake. You’d never know they’re healthier, which is a very good thing.
If you love these flavors, be sure to check out my scrumptious hummingbird cupcakes!
Recipe ingredients
Most store bought muffins are so unhealthy because they contain an over abundance of fat and sugar, and have very little nutritional value.
These muffins are healthier as they contain quality, nutritious ingredients.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Whole wheat white flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Eggs
- Oil
- Greek yogurt
- Vanilla extract
- Bananas
- Crushed pineapple
- Coconut
- Pecans
How to make this recipe
- Preheat the oven and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the eggs, oil and sugar together until frothy, then whisk in the milk, Greek yogurt and banana. Fold in the crushed pineapple and coconut until just combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir just until incorporated. Divide the batter between the muffin cups and top with the pecan pieces.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.
Recipe notes
- The whole wheat white flour may be substituted with half all purpose and half whole wheat, or all purpose.
- The coconut sugar may be subbed with your favorite sweetener.
- Store muffins in an air tight container at room temperature for 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. They’re also freezer friendly!
More muffin recipes you’ll love
- Chocolate zucchini muffins
- Blueberry lemon muffins
- Healthy banana muffins by Cookie and Kate
- Healthy pumpkin muffins
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Healthier Hummingbird Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat white flour*
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 large
- 6 ounces plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup crushed pineapple drained
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin cavities with paper liners. Give the muffin liners a quick spritz of cooking spray so the muffins don’t stick. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, and eggs until frothy, then whisk in the bananas, yogurt, milk, and vanilla until incorporated. Fold in the crushed pineapple and coconut.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just until incorporated. Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the batter with the chopped pecans.
- Bake 15-20 minutes or until the top springs back when touched and the muffins are golden brown. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack, then remove the muffins from the pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
- The whole wheat white flour may be substituted with half all purpose and half whole wheat, or all purpose.
- The coconut sugar may be subbed with your favorite sweetener.
- Store muffins in an air tight container at room temperature for 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. They’re also freezer friendly!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
20 Comments on “Healthier Hummingbird Muffins”
I would like to know if this delicious sounding muffin recipe can be made into a loaf? I’m fairly new to baking & I just like to know if this is possible. Thank you.
Hi Brenda! Yes it can. Simply bake in a greased standard loaf pan at 350 degrees for about 45-55 minutes. Start checking for doneness at around 45 minutes by pressing lightly on the top of the loaf. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. You can also check out this recipe which is virtually the same thing with a glaze. 🙂 https://flavorthemoments.com/healthier-hummingbird-bread-vanilla-bean-cream-cheese-glaze/
This was delicious! I had to make the following substitutions: coconut oil, plain Greek yogurt, raw sugar, unsweetened shredded coconut. It was baked in a square pan. Will definitely make it again. Thanks!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins Dee, and your substitutions sound great! Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback!
Made these today and they were great!
OMG yummiest muffins I’ve ever made!! I used 5am organic vanilla yogurt rather than the banana and omitted the vanilla Essense! Sooo good they may not last for work this week!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Danielle! I made them this past weekend with just plain greek yogurt and they turned out great too…they’re some of my favorite.
Ooh! I think I may have to make these for my Mom on Mother’s Day! (: Thanks for the recipe!
I hope you enjoy them, Kelly, and thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Is there an alternative the Chobani greek yogurt? They sound wonderful and I would love to try them sans dairy. Thank you so much.
I would try it with a dairy free yogurt like coconut milk yogurt or something comparable to that. You could also try adding more mashed banana in place of it, too. I hope that helps you, Angela!
I just wanted to let you know that your muffin recipe has been a HUGE hit around here, in London ON. My sister made these muffins a few weeks back, and gave the recipe to me. I’ve made a batch for my husband’s work and all of his coworkers have asked for the recipe. I do a lot of baking, but have never had such a requested muffin before. Thank you for sharing!
These muffins are one of my favorites, and it makes me very happy to hear that so many people enjoy them, too! I really appreciate the feedback, Karolina! Have a wonderful day.
Sounds like you’ll love these muffins, then! I’m hooked on them, and I’m a huge coconut fan!
I love hummingbird cake, but, like you, I only make cakes for special occasions. It’s just to easy to eat a whole cake by myself. I love the idea of making hummingbird cake into a healthier muffin. Smart!
Thanks, Nicole! These muffins are a great substitute for cake!
The photo (and the muffins) look wonderful! I like how you opted for just the nuts on top and let the muffin flavour itself shine through.
I always have trouble getting that beautifully domed top on my muffins! Any tips?
Thank you, Em! You know, I’m not sure why your muffins aren’t getting a nice domed top, especially if you’re following the recipe exactly as stated? Are you filling the muffin cups 3/4 the way full? If you try this recipe, please let me know what happens! I’m very curious!
I’ve actually never heard of hummingbird cake, but it totally sounds like something I’d love! Bananas, pineapple, coconut — all some of my faves! I’m glad the nonstick spray tip worked for you. Nothing worse than when your muffin sticks to the paper and you lose half of it.
I would hate to lose any part of these muffins on the paper — they’re just too good! I heard of hummingbird cake a few years back, and it’s usually topped with cream cheese frosting. Now I can enjoy it with much less guilt!