These Vegan Banana Muffins Help Me Live My Best Life—Let Me Explain

Let me paint a picture. It’s 11 p.m. My apartment is filled with candlelight and the sound of Harry Styles’ voice. I’m dancing in front of my oven, waiting for the vegan banana muffins that I decided to bake at 10:30 p.m. Because it’s a Friday night during the era of social distancing. Standing over the counter with a fresh banana muffin in my hand, I realize I made the right decision. I’m living my best life.

That was three years ago now. While the spring of 2020 completely overhauled my social life, I won’t lie: I’m still singing and dancing my heart out in the kitchen on many Friday nights. Because one of the beautiful things about quarantine is that I started falling in love with my own company. And these vegan banana muffins, of course.

How These Vegan Banana Muffins Came to Be

Now that we’re strolling down memory lane, I’ll remind you: everyone was making banana bread. There was a full and unapologetic embrace of 2020’s homemaker vibes. We were cultivating sourdough starters and learning to (properly) brew coffee. Folks were starting gardens and working their way through their TBR lists. We were all leaning into the meditative state that comes with using your hands and connecting to life off-screen. And during that time, I found that there was no greater opportunity for self-care than making the most of my kitchen counter’s overripe bananas.

And yes, I’m still happily baking up these treats in 2023. They’re that good, that easy, and that foolproof.

There’s a reason so many of us call banana bread our go-to. It’s simple, straightforward, and lends itself to customization for those of us with a constant hankering for chocolate or cinnamon crumble.

With plenty of time to experiment in 2020, I had obsessively been playing around with vegan banana bread. (Perhaps my past self could predict that egg prices would skyrocket?) The result was these vegan banana muffins perfect for a quick brekkie. They’re perfect for those mornings when you wake up late for your 8 a.m. Zoom call. And parents, rejoice! These muffins are the ideal easy snack for kids who always seem to be in search of something sweet.

Tips for Making These Muffins Fluffy, Flavorful, and Moist

I gave these vegan banana muffins a nuttier flavor with the addition of tahini and almond flour in the batter. And we can thank the nutty topping trifecta of sesame seeds, sliced almonds, and oats for sending that flavor home.

Time to talk texture. These muffins are out-of-this-world fluffy and moist. Could I eat a whole baking tray of these? Sure could. But lucky for me, the batter for these vegan banana muffins comes together so quickly that I can replenish the stack in my kitchen counter cloche, so I’ll never have to be without.

This post was originally published on August 24, 2020, and has since been updated.