Banana Quinoa Chia Muffins

Banana Muffins packed with quinoa and chia seeds are a hearty and healthy breakfast or snack that your whole family will love.

195 CAL 37g CARBS 3g FAT 6g PROTEIN
8 Comments

These Banana Chia Muffins can be a healthy replacement for your favorite coffee shop treat. These good for you muffins have both quinoa and chia seeds for a superfood packed muffin that still tastes incredible.

Sometimes Mondays are just the worst, especially Mondays when you go to bed mentally going through your mile-long to-do list that seems to be growing by the minute. This past Monday was that kind of Monday for me. Ugh.

Although I can’t say that these delicious, quinoa and chia packed muffins will magically make the to-do list disappear, they will at least provide 15 minutes of happiness along with a huge cup of coffee. One small win to make a weekday morning a little more bearable. 

Now let’s talk muffins. These muffins have a healthy base of cooked quinoa, whole wheat flour, bananas, and chia seeds. To that, we add some simple ingredients – an egg, almond milk, some brown sugar for sweetness (can be omitted), and baking powder. After some time in the oven, the end result is a dense, rich, filling muffin packed with healthy ingredients. They are muffins you can feel good about eating and feeding to your family because let's be real, store-bought and bakery muffins are basically cake. 

Banana chia muffins being picked up with banana, quinoa, and chia seeds.

Healthy Banana Muffins Vs. Bakery Muffins

  Banana Chia Muffins Average Size Bakery/Grocery Store Muffin *
Calories 195 467
Fat 3 19
Carbohydrates 37 68
Fiber 5 1
Sugar 12 39
Protein 6 6

* Source is Harvard School of Public Health

Can I Freeze Banana Muffins?

To freeze any kind of muffin, first, cool them to room temperature. Once they are cooled, place in the freezer for 1-2 hours so they can begin to freeze. Once they are partially frozen, you can place them in freezer safe bag or container.

Frozen muffins can be kept in the freezer for 2-3 months. To reheat the frozen muffins, you can pop them in a preheated oven or toaster oven for 3-5 minutes. You can also microwave them but they won't come out quite as good. 

How Do I Make These Muffins...

  • Vegan: If you want to make a vegan version of this muffin, you can replace the egg with a chia egg, flax egg, or a store-bought egg replacer.
  • Gluten Free: Instead of the whole wheat flour, you can use oat flour. Make it at home by pulsing rolled oats in a blender or food processor until they form a fine flour.  You can also use a combination of regular flour and oat flour to keep the muffins lighter. using all oat flour also makes these muffins gluten free.
  • With flaxseeds: Replace one tablespoon of chia seeds with flax seeds.
  • Things to Mix In: These muffins are a great base recipe to create all kinds of fun muffin flavors. Add blueberries, raspberries, chocolate chips, walnut, or shredded coconut.

Looking for extra protein?

If you need to add some protein to your meal, there are lots of options. The easiest one is to top the muffin with some nut butter. I love using crunchy almond butter or peanut butter to add some texture. Another option is to make some hard-boiled eggs to go on the side. This provides lots of healthy protein.

If you want to add protein to the muffin itself, you could try adding some protein powder. I haven't tried this yet so I can't speak to how it would work. Lastly, you could serve it with a big bowl of Greek yogurt and fruit.

Banana quinoa muffins with chia seeds in a pile on a gold and white plate.

How to cook quinoa for muffins?

For the best results, you will want to cook the quinoa the day before so it has time to cool and dry out slightly. To cook quinoa, use a recipe of 1:2 for quinoa to liquid, for example, 1 cup quinoa needs 2 cups of water to cook. Add the quinoa and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Immediately turn down the heat to a simmer and cover for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat but do not uncover. Let sit for 5 minutes and fluff with fork.

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This recipe has been updated with new photos, a video, and helpful recipe tips.

The Recipe
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Banana Quinoa Chia Muffins

195 CAL 37g CARBS 3g FAT 6g PROTEIN
PREP TIME: 10 Min
COOK TIME: 30 Min
TOTAL TIME: 40 Min
8 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 2 bananas, mashed
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (or skim)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3 tbsp. brown sugar (can be omitted or sub in honey)
  • 2 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt

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Instructions

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1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2

Mash the bananas using the back of a fork. Add the egg, almond milk, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined.

3

Add the remaining ingredients and stir together.

4

Pour into prepared muffin tins and bake for 25-30 minutes until firm and cooked through. If you want a banana slice on each muffin, just save 6 slices before mashing the bananas and place on top of the muffins before baking.

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Amount Per Serving
Calories 195
Calories from Fat 28
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 3g
5%
Saturated Fat 1g
3%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 31mg
10%
Sodium 286mg
12%
Total Carbohydrate 37g
12%
Dietary Fiber 5g
20%
Sugars 12g
Protein 6g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
† We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
8 Comments
On Banana Quinoa Chia Muffins
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Janine Frogge
March 1, 2024 - 07:29
Add a Rating:
5
I made a few changes that worked well for me. I used oat flour in place of wheat flour and sunflower seeds in lieu of chia. I also threw in some blueberries. It made 12 muffins, so I baked them only 19 minutes.
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Sellati Kasey
February 6, 2023 - 04:57
Add a Rating:
4
Question…is there a substitute for the quinoa? I’ve tried but just hate it.
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March 28, 2023 - 16:39
Unfortunately, we haven't tested these without the quinoa so I am not sure what could be swapped in.
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Eden Simone
June 24, 2022 - 06:08
Mine out came out too dense. Maybe because i packed in the quinoa when measuring? Or filled the muffin tins too much ?
Maybe I could have left them in a few more minutes? When I put a knife in it came out clean.
Any feedback ?
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Louise L.
December 30, 2019 - 12:49
Add a Rating:
5
These were great, and very easy. Not to sweet, and can accompany savory dishes as well, e.g. salad, soup or chili.
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Theresa Sivelle
January 16, 2017 - 20:42
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5
This was really good and filling. Even my husband, who is very against healthy eating, liked it. He added butter of course. :-)
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LT
March 27, 2021 - 04:17
Same. Lol.
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Kristin Butler
January 24, 2016 - 00:36
Add a Rating:
5
These were so good! My 3 year old loves them
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