We’re thinking about omega-3s this week, and one way to get them into even your baking is to use ground flax seeds in place of part of the fat in a recipe. Here’s an easy, yummy, kid-friendly muffin recipe for you to try, or get bold and learn to substitute flax into your family’s favorites (see below for details)!
NOTE: Recipe updates and a nicely formatted printable version of this and 30 other “Healthy Snacks to Go” recipes now available as an eBook!
Banana Flax Muffins
- 1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour (works just fine with regular whole wheat)
- ¾ cup ground flaxseed
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 whole egg
- ½ cup oil or melted butter
- 1 cup mashed bananas (I used VERY ripe bananas)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional – but adds MORE omega-3s!)
In large mixing bowl, mix together flour, flaxseed, sugar, and baking soda. In separate bowl, mix egg, oil, bananas, vanilla, and yogurt. Mix wet into dry ingredients. Fold in walnuts. Use paper muffin cups or spray the muffin pans with non-stick spray. Bake large muffins 20-25 minutes (or mini muffins for about 15 minutes) at 350 degrees. Makes 12 muffins or 30 mini-muffins.
How to Substitute Flax in a Baking Recipe
- Take out some of the fat in your recipe – butter, shortening (eek!), oil, whatever. I usually have been very safe taking out 1/4 cup of fat, whether there’s 1 cup or 1/2 cup in the original recipe.
- Replace that with 3x as much flax meal. If you delete 1/4 cup of fat, add 3/4 cup of flax. That seems like a lot, but it always works!
- You may need to store your baked goods in the fridge – I found they go bad faster with flax involved.
Good luck and enjoy!
I’m pleased to participate in Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum, Friday Feasts at MomTrends, Share my Recipe Sunday at Organize with Sandy, and Mouthwatering Mondays at A Southern Fairytale.
I’d love to see more of you! Sign up for an email subscription or grab my reader feed.
If you missed the last Monday Mission, click here.
Kitchen Stewardship is dedicated to balancing God’s gifts of time, health, earth and money. If you feel called to such a mission, read more at Mission, Method, and Mary and Martha Moments.
Other Recipe Connections:
- Potato Salad with the Kids
- Homemade Refried Beans
- The Best Scrambled Eggs Ever
- Garlic Soup
- Jamaican Meat Marinade
- Summer Fruit Dips
- Homemade Guacamole
- California Chicken Wraps
- Homemade dressings with Olive Oil
Thanks for the recipe and the tip about substituting flax for fat. Have a wonderful day.
Mary’s last blog post..Key Lime and White Chocolate Cake Squares and Foodie Friday
[Reply to this comment]
These sound delicious..we always have lots of bananas in the house! Happy Foodie Friday! Have a great weekend ~ Susan
[Reply to this comment]
Sounds delicious!
Jerri’s last blog post..Lovely Wedding and Shower Invitations
[Reply to this comment]
This is such a great idea. I didn’t know anything about flax. We’re trying hard to curb our terrible culinary habits and to reduce fat and sugar. Thanks so much!
[Reply to this comment]
this is a wonderful discovery! the muffins sound great but i love the tip re: flax substitution. We use ground flax, sprinkling it on yogurt, in smoothies, in oatmeal, but in a hundred yrs I’d not have thought to substitute for fat. thanks so much I’m thrilled to have found you thru Mouthwatering Monday!
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 15th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Welcome! So glad I could be of help; I hope the substitution works well for you. Come back anytime!
Katie
[Reply to this comment]
Thanks for linking up. Hope to see you and your creations next week.
Nicole Feliciano’s last blog post..The Mud Bug’s Top Bedtime Stories
[Reply to this comment]
Thanks for this recipe! I am going to use it for my Share My Recipe Sunday today! I have been working on adding in Flax seed myself this week..so thank you.
Sandy’s last blog post..Gardens – Helping the Budget
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
June 28th, 2009 at 9:47 am
Woo hoo! Thanks, Sandy! I’ll be sure to grab your button; I’m honored.
[Reply to this comment]
I love your recipes on here! I found this site because I was looking for a good recipe for whole grain tortillas and I’m so glad I did!! I love this banana flax recipe but I was wondering if it’s possible to change it to apple cinnamon or blueberry? I’m kind of new to cooking and baking etc so I’m not the best at substituting…
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
January 30th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
M,
Katie
I bet you could! You would need to compensate w/an equal amount of wettish stuff for the lack of bananas. I would try 1 cup applesauce and add 1 tsp. cinnamon. For blueberries, maybe the cup applesauce anyway and then add blueberries? Or just banana blueberry. Let me know if you try it; I love adding transformations to my recipes!
[Reply to this comment]
Thanks for the reply! I did try the apple cinnamon ones with applesauce but I actually also added 1 & 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 3/4 cup of brown sugar (instead of white sugar). They were delicious! I think my husband would have preferred that they be *slightly* sweeter but he thought they were great anyway. Maybe next time I’ll try it with the white sugar instead or just maybe a little more brown sugar. Thanks for the help!
[Reply to this comment]
I GOT BOLD!!! I made oatmeal cookies today with fresh ground flax seed. I figured that it would be as easy add with the oatmeal. I also cut a 1/4 c of brown sugar and used honey instead of white. I even did it with a mix of whole wheat flour and white. I’ve been looking for ways to make treats my dad loves a little healthier verses him buy those crappy cookies from the store. He LOVED them! He took a bit and he said “Oh man I’m going to have to ration these – these are too good!” You’ve got me so pumped to do new things in the kitchen!
[Reply to this comment]
soo good and healthy!
[Reply to this comment]
We made these for breakfast this morning and added some chopped raw almonds (since I was out of walnuts) and unsweetened coconut chips. They were a hit with everyone, even my husband who doesn’t like bananas!
[Reply to this comment]
Meal Plan for 6/10-6/16 | // Jun 9, 2011 at 8:26 pm
[...] Banana Flax Muffins, fruit, [...]
These are delicious! Going into regular rotation for sure. Thanks Katie!
[Reply to this comment]
Love your site! I’m making your Tuscan Bean Soup tonight.
Coincidentally, I recently posted a similar recipe that I have upgraded over the past few years. Great minds think alike!
http://www.raisingknights.com/2011/07/healthy-banana-muffin-makeover.html
[Reply to this comment]
Hi this looks delicious. I’ve tried many recipes on your site. Wondering: if we wanted to use molasses what the ratio of substitution would be here? Or honey…
thanks,
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
September 26th, 2011 at 11:33 am
Stacy,
Katie
Here’s a formula for how to bake with honey. I imagine molasses would be similar, but I think using 100% molasses in baking would be overpowering. I’d use a few Tbs. with the honey myself.
[Reply to this comment]
Healthy Snack Options | // Oct 3, 2011 at 7:27 am
[...] snacks for the week….or snacks for a few days, depending on how good they are. I’m LOVING this Banana Flax Muffin right now. Muffins and sweet breads (with whole wheat flour and natural sugars) are a great snack [...]
I’ve always been confused about something and I’m really hoping you can help clear it up….
Is it okay to heat flax seeds? I’ve tried to find some information on it but what I’ve found seems so conflicting???? Most sites say that you should definitely not heat flax seed oil as it becomes rancid but what about in a recipe like this where you’re just using the ground seeds?
[Reply to this comment]
Katie Reply:
October 6th, 2011 at 1:07 am
Lucy,
Katie
You’re right about flax oil; it definitely should not be used for cooking. However, the internal temp of these muffins in the oven should only get to about 150-170, which won’t damage the fats in the flax. I think. There are so many recipes for baking with flax, and I don’t think I would have missed warnings about baking with flax. Hope that helps!
[Reply to this comment]
Meal Plan for 12/13-12/19 | // Dec 12, 2011 at 2:18 pm
[...] Banana Flax Muffins, kefir [...]
I tried these today, adding chocolate chips. They were really good and perfectly sweetened.
Thank you for the tips about flax too!
[Reply to this comment]