Strawberry Banana Muffins
Moist muffins filled with strawberries, bananas, and pecans and with a crisp nutty topping.
When Pacific Foods first approached me about trying their unsweetened hemp non-dairy beverage, I almost dismissed it. I might have even rolled my eyes. I’m a traditional baker through and through. But then I thought about the comments and emails from readers who have dietary preferences or allergies and are looking for great baking recipes using alternative ingredients and I thought I owed it to them to at least give it a try.
And I’m happy to say that my preconceived notions were completely wrong. Non-dairy and vegan baking doesn’t necessarily require a lot of strange ingredients you can only pick up from an expensive whole foods store and the end product doesn’t have to be sub-par. There are some funky recipes out there, true, but not these Strawberry Banana Muffins.
I tinkered around with this recipe a lot this week on my way to finding the perfect vegan muffin (I figured since I was going dairy-free I might as well take the extra step and make them vegan too), and I think I came pretty close to perfection. You won’t miss the butter, the eggs, or the milk. If I didn’t tell you they were vegan, you probably wouldn’t be able to guess.
These muffins are super moist with a hint of banana and little bursts of strawberry in each one. The pecans are optional, but I really like the crunch and flavor. If you’re worried about the hemp milk adding a weird flavor, don’t, I couldn’t taste it at all. Of course, you can use whatever non-dairy beverage you’d like.
Recipes like this are perfect because everyone wins. Those with dairy allergies or dietary preferences are happy because they have a baked good they can enjoy, and the rest of us are happy because we didn’t have to compromise on a great muffin.
baking tip:Baking with a non-dairy beverage
For the most part, you can substitute a non-dairy beverage for milk in a recipe 1:1. Obviously there are some exceptions, but if you’re looking to make a recipe dairy-free, give it a try!
If you’re substituting buttermilk and the recipe uses baking soda as a leavener, you will need to add some acid to your non-dairy beverage. For every cup, add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar (apple cider and balsamic vinegars have the best flavor).
Strawberry Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (160 grams)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil (80 ml)
- 1 medium banana , mashed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk or non-dairy beverage (60 ml)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125 grams)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour (31 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup strawberries , sliced into small chunks (120 grams)
- ¼ cup pecans , chopped (28 grams)
For the topping:
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar (27 grams)
- 2 tablespoons pecans , finely chopped (14 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a muffin pan or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, vegetable oil, mashed banana, vanilla extract, and milk. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, whole wheat flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until incorporated. Fold in strawberries and pecans.
- In a small bowl, stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar, and pecans to make the topping. Fill the muffin pan cups ⅔ full and sprinkle with the topping. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool slightly before removing muffins from the pan to cool completely.
Disclosure: This recipe was created in partnership with Pacific Foods. Thank you for supporting partnerships with brands I believe in. All opinions are always 100% my own.
I never knew that you could do the vinegar trick with non-dairy milks (for buttermilk) too! Very good to know…
I haven’t actually tried it myself, but after doing some research it looks like it works pretty well.
I do the Buttermilk trick with soy milk and it curds up like a rock star! Super yummy in homemade pancakes. 🙂
Wow, these do look really moist and like regular non-vegan and dairy filled muffins! You’re right – hand me a dozen and I bet you I won’t even miss any of that! They look and sound delicious 🙂
These look like such a treat!
you make being vegan look delicious!
Oh yum these look perfect! I love berries and banana!
Strawberry banana is one of my favorite combinations! I’m not vegan, but these do look delicious!
I love that these would be perfect for both vegans and non-vegans. My parents don’t have a lot of dairy, so I should definitely have them check out the hemp milk!
These sound wonderful! I had never heard of pacific foods, but I am totally intrigued!!
These muffins are delicious! I added a few more strawberries in because I love more fruit in my muffins. I will definately make these all summer long
Thanks, so glad you enjoyed them!
Those are yummy! I agree on adding more strawberries.