Coconut lovers, this double-coconut banana muffin recipe is for you! I’m confident you’ll fall in love with the sweet, bright flavors and contrasting textures in these little treats.
These muffins taste familiar and comforting, given their fluffy, banana-infused insides. They’re also fun and tropical, thanks to the shredded coconut you’ll find on the inside and on the muffin tops. A little lemon zest brings all the flavors together.
Like my healthy banana muffins, these muffins are also made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened (this time, with honey).
These muffins are based on a different recipe, though, and yield smaller muffins that are perfect for satisfying your afternoon sweet tooth. You could also serve them for a grab-and-go breakfast this Memorial Day weekend.
Curious about how this recipe came to be? I can’t remember how I originally found Deb’s Double Coconut Muffins, but I was completely taken by her coconut-topped beauties.
In the original recipe, Deb gives a long list of suggested substitutions, including swapping mashed banana for the yogurt. I was out of my staple Greek yogurt so I reached into my freezer for the bag of ripe, frozen banana chunks to defrost.
This was a serendipitous substitution because the banana adds the sweetness that unsweetened coconut flakes lack. In my second batch, I traded 1/4 cup honey for the 1/3 cup sugar, and found that the dry coconut soaks up the extra moisture in the honey.
I’m three batches deep in this recipe and I can say with certainty that these muffins are best with banana, sweetened with honey and topped with a heavy sprinkle of coconut and some glittering raw sugar.
With my substitutions, if you try yogurt instead of mashed banana, your muffins won’t be sweet enough to delight.
Please let me know how your muffins turn out in the comments! I hope they’re a big hit.
Craving more banana goodness? Here are a few more of my favorite banana recipes:
- Healthy Banana Bread and Healthy Banana Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes and Banana Oat Pancakes
- Favorite Banana Cake
- Vegan Banana Nut Scones
- Banana Almond Smoothie
Banana Coconut Muffins
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Baked goods
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
These naturally sweetened banana coconut muffins are a real treat. I bet you can’t tell they’re made with 100% whole wheat flour! Recipe yields 1 dozen muffins.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour or white/regular whole wheat flour
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest (the zest from about about ½ medium lemon)
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (from about 3 bananas)
- ½ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 large egg, preferably at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided
- 1 tablespoon turbinado (raw) sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or muffin liners (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and lemon zest. Stir in ½ cup of the shredded coconut.
- In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, coconut oil, honey, egg and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (a scant ¼ cup batter each), then sprinkle the muffin tops with the remaining ¼ cup shredded coconut. Sprinkle the tops with the raw sugar.
- Bake for about 17 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and let them cool.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s Double Coconut Muffins.
Make it vegan: All you’ll need to do is replace the egg with a flax egg. I haven’t tried this substitution myself, but it should work.
Make it gluten free: Based on similar recipes, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend should work well.
Freeze it: The muffins freeze well!
Serving suggestions: I like these muffins served warm for breakfast with a side of Greek yogurt, or with a little dollop of tart lemon curd for a sweet afternoon snack.
Dalya
Hi! I want to use up a can of coconut cream. Can you imagine a way to incorporate it into this recipe? (Apart from a frosting, I might add).
Kate
Hi Dalya! I wish I could, but that would be a completely different recipe. Sorry!
Nicole
These were really yummy! I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of lemon zest as I didn’t have a lemon kicking around. They took a lot of coconut oil which is expensive so if I make them again I think I’ll do half coconut half something else, maybe even try applesauce. I did exactly 17 minutes and they were a bit too dark on the sides/bottoms, but maybe that’s just my oven and muffin tins. All around, healthful but tasty. Thanks for the recipe.
★★★★
Sandra
Hi Kate! I was wondering if you could replace the turbinado sugar to stevia? I’m curious about this recipe but I don’t have that sugar in my shelf!
Thank you!
Kate
Hi! The topping of sugar is optional. I don’t think stevia will get you the same result.
Madison
So sad. Made them with my son and they were horribly dry. Waste of expensive ingredients
★
Beret Guidera
Love these! Made them GF by substituting 1 cup Bobs 1-1 Baking flour and 1/4 cup almond flour. Kept everything else the same, except sprinkled the top with organic coconut palm sugar, because I had it. The first non-chalky tasting gf muffin I have eaten in 2 years! I wonder if it’s the banana? They are light and fluffy and sweet!
★★★★★
Kate
Delighted to hear it! Thank you, Beret.
Saira Jamil
Hi , can I make these muffins with regular white flour only ?
Kate
Hi Saira, that should work ok.
Saira Jamil
Will the cooking time -+temperatures stay the same ?
Kate
Yes, both will stay constant!
Lee
They tasted great but didn’t rise much. I used 1c whole wheat flour and 1/4c white. Everything else was followed from the recipe.
★★★★
Nathalie
Divine! I swapped the 1/2 cup whole wheat for oat flour, the flavors were awesome! They were like little sponge cakes, LOVE THEM! Will explore your other recipes. Thank you!
★★★★★
Sarah D
Really delicious and aromatic! Mine just came out of the oven. I needed something to do with the 3 black bananas on my counter. This was perfect. They aren’t as big and fluffy as your pumpkin muffins, but they are light, sweet, and perfect for springtime.
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear this one was a winner for you, Sarah. Thanks for sharing!
Naomi
Hi Kate. I just tried making this today, used all purpose flour only and substituted some of the honey for palm sugar syrup sauce. Was wondering why they didn’t rise much from the baking. They were also pretty dense and heavy texture-wise. Are they supposed to be this way or did I go wrong somewhere? Still absolutely delicious to eat, but how do I get them to be lighter and fluffier?
Kate
Hi Naomi! These muffins are a bit less fluffy than typical muffins, but in a decadent way that I love. I’m not familiar with palm sugar syrup, but that may be a factor. It’s also important to measure your flour properly so you don’t accidentally use too much, which can produce dense/heavy goods. I give the flour a stir, spoon it into the measuring cups, and level off the top with a knife. Hope that helps!
Lyndsey B
So excited to try these after falling in love with your healthy banana bread recipe! I only have sweetened sugar on hand, should I just omit or lessen the amount of honey used? I’m not sure if omitting honey will make them dry?
Kate
Hi Lyndsey! You do need the liquid sweetener for this to help with the moisture and for them to turn out.
Lyndsey Bryson
*sweetened coconut (not sugar)
Alyssa
These are so good! Like, really good. I used all regular whole wheat flour and added some chocolate chips, otherwise I made them just as written. Next time I will change the ratios a bit to make 12 regular sized muffins (I only got 10) and probably decrease the coconut oil. But they’re delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Alyssa! I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Saira Jamil
Hi Kate , i Have made these muffins numerous times and they always come out perfect.
However, I wanted to try Making them with oat flour .
Do you think they will come out fine if I only use oat flour ? Or do I need to add baking soda ?
Ps. I have tried them with 3/4 cup Whole wheat pastry flour and 1/2 cup oat flour . They come out fine just a tad bit flatter.
Kate
Hi Saira! I believe they should work just fine. See my post about oat flour on how to adjust. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Autumn M. Shah
These came out perfectly!
★★★★★
Mehnaz Zareen
Hey! Can I use freshly grated coconut? Will that affect the moisture content and sweetness?
Kate
Hi! I love that you have fresh coconut available. I haven’t tried it, but like you pointed out, the moisture level may change things. I can’t say for certain without testing it. Sorry to not be of more help!
Kate
I made these muffins and doubled the recipe. I didn’t have coconut oil so I used vegetable oil instead. I also used brown sugar to sprinkle on top with the coconut. These are by far the best banana muffins I have ever made!!
★★★★★
Eileen
I was a little bit skeptical given the smaller size, but these are delicious and plenty fluffy. I used all whole wheat flour, flax egg and maple syrup instead of honey.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Eileen!
Jackie
Delicious! I used chocolate chips instead of coconut flakes and baked for 19 minutes.
★★★★★
Jenna
I’m hoping to use plain Greek yogurt instead of coconut oil, would that ruin the recipe?
Kate
Hi Jenna, you do need some type of oil for this. I know others have used applesauce as a replacement for oil in some recipes and it’s turned out well. Maybe try that instead?
Vanessa
I’m trying it today and subbing the coconut oil for Greek yogurt.Will let you know how it turns out!
Aureol Watt
This recipe looks wonderful! Looking forward to making it. I was wondering if you think it would work to sub the 1/2 cup of flour for oat flour? Just wanting to add a bit more fibre. Thank you.
Kate
Hi! I do know oat flour can be a substitute for most recipes like this, however it typically requires more. I don’t know about only doing a partial amount. Here is more on my oat flour!
Aureol Watt
Wonderful thank you!
Stephanie A Moss
Not sure but do you really want a 1 1/4c of flour and it can all be the same whole wheat? Want to make these but am unclear on why the two flour measurements with option on both for the same type?
Kate
Hi Stephanie! I think this recipe works best with two different flours. But, if you don’t have them you can use just the whole wheat. I hope that helps clarify it.
Stephanie
I made the recipe using all purpose flour and whole wheat flour. They are delicious!
Bianca Trigas
Flavour is awesome!!!, luckily I kept an eye on these, as they were ready in 15 minutes, but every oven is different
★★★★
Silvia Zorrilla
Hi – I want to have them fresh tomorrow am. Do you know if prepping the mix and leaving it over night in the fridge, baking tomorrow, would work? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Silvia, I wouldn’t recommend leaving the mix in the refrigerator over night. However, you could store the wet and dry separately and try it that way. Although, I haven’t tried it. It may be an option.
Silvia Zorrilla
Great Kate! I will give it a shot. Thanks for the quick response. I have done it normally before and they are delicious.
★★★★★