Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)

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I got the inspiration for these low calorie Banana Cranberry Muffins from a similar recipe for Cranberry Banana Bread featured in a recent Weight Watchers weekly.

With a bag of cranberries in the fridge and 3 overripe bananas on the counter, it seemed like the perfect time to do a little baking.

Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (1)

Banana Cranberry Muffins

But I decided I wanted banana cranberry muffins instead of bread.

Recipe Notes

Muffins are better portion-controlled, making them easier to freeze and/or share.

But before just going ahead and making the WW Cranberry Banana bread recipe and then baking it in muffin tins, I turned to an old Betty Crocker Cookbook (affiliate link) for inspiration and discovered a recipe for banana muffins that called for less sugar (⅓ cup instead of ¾) and decided to go with it instead.

I made a few more adjustments, including substituting white wheat flour for half the all-purpose flour and decreasing the oil from ½ to ¼ cup.

I also sprinkled a little bit of large crystal raw sugar on top.

Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2)

Banana Cranberry Muffins

I enjoyed one of these banana cranberry muffins while still warm-from-the-oven and thought it was moist and delicious. I loved the contrast of the tart cranberries and sweet bananas. And the little bit of raw sugar sprinkled on top added a nice sweet crunch.

Once they were cool, I placed 6 of the remaining muffins in little baggies to share with friends and family, leaving us with five to enjoy this week for breakfast.

I think homemade muffins are always best the day they're made. But a quick re-warming in the toaster oven or microwave (affiliate link) can revive them for a couple days more.

Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (3)

Half Banana Cranberry Muffin

The other option is to individually wrap them and place them in the freezer for an occasional treat.

How Many Calories and WW Points in these Muffins?

According to my calculations, each muffin has 169 calories and:

5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

Muffins are best warm from the oven the day they are baked.

What to do with Leftover Muffins?

To reheat a muffin, place it in the microwave (affiliate link) for 10-15 seconds.

You can individually wrap extra muffins and then place them in a zipper freezer bag in the freezer. Remove and defrost on the counter, or heat in the microwave (affiliate link) for 20 to 25 seconds.

Are You Ready To Firmly Plant YourselfOn The Path To Lasting Weight Loss Success?

If you've made these Skinny Banana Cranberry Muffins, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

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4.65 from 17 votes

Banana Cranberry Muffins

I loved the contrast of the tart cranberries and sweet bananas in these healthy muffins.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 12

Calories: 169

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mashed bananas (2 - 3 medium)
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1 large egg
  • cup milk
  • cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 cup white wheat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons large-crystal sugar to sprinkle on top, optional (I used washed raw cane sugar)

Instructions

  • Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400F degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin (affiliate link) with paper liners. (I then sprayed the bottom of the paper liners with a bit of nonstick cooking spray.)

  • In a large bowl stir together the mashed bananas, chopped cranberries, egg, milk, brown sugar, and canola oil until well blended.

  • In another bowl, whisk together the white wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt.

  • Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir just until the flour is moistened. (The batter will be lumpy.)

  • Divide the batter evenly amongst the prepared muffin cups, filling the cups about ¾ full.

  • Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

  • Remove from the oven and immediately remove the muffins from the pan and set them on a wire rack to cool. Enjoy warm.

  • Cool completely before storing any leftovers.

Recipe Notes

Muffins are best warm from the oven the day they are baked.

To reheat a muffin, place it in the microwave (affiliate link) for 10-15 seconds.

You can individually wrap extra muffins and then place them in a zipper freezer bag in the freezer. Remove and defrost on the counter, or heat in the microwave (affiliate link) for 20 to 25 seconds.

Serving size: 1 banana cranberry muffin

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

5 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

5 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Banana Cranberry Muffins

Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)

Calories 169Calories from Fat 49

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.4g8%

Carbohydrates 28.2g9%

Fiber 2.4g10%

Protein 3.4g7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Breakfast, Brunch

Cuisine: American

Keyword: banana muffins with cranberries, cranberry banana muffins, healthy breakfast muffins

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

If you like these low calorie cranberry banana muffins, you might also like:

  • Healthy Low Fat Banana Nut Bread
  • Easy Healthy Banana Coconut Date Muffins
  • Healthy Banana Cookies with Oats and Chocolate Chips
  • Bran Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
  • Low Fat Cranberry Pumpkin Scones
  • Fannie Farmer Old Fashioned Mini Cranberry Breads
  • Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Bread

Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (8)Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.

A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.

She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.

A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.

More about Martha McKinnon

This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!

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Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe | Simple Nourished Living (2024)
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