These healthy spinach muffins are a delicious kid-friendly treat, yet they’re packed with bananas and tons of spinach.  Whatever you want to call them, whether it’s hulk muffins, green machine muffins, mint chocolate chip muffins, blender muffins, or toddler muffins, they’ll get your picky eater to love spinach!

Vegan spinach muffins with chocolate chips cooling on a wire wrack.

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These spinach muffins are quick and easy to make plus they’re vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, refined sugar-free, and allergy-friendly.

Packed with bananas and spinach, they make a perfect bitesize healthy snack for toddlers, and they work great for a guilt-free breakfast on the go!

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Bananas – Two ripe bananas for sweetness.
  • Spinach – I use a 5 oz bag of pre-washed fresh baby spinach.
  • Plant-Based Milk – Any type will do like almond or soy milk.
  • Maple Syrup – To sweeten the muffins. You can also use agave nectar or even regular sugar if you wish. (You can add a little extra for picky eaters).
  • Refined Coconut Oil – To keep them moist and rich.  You may also use any neutral flavored oil or replace it with apple sauce.
  • Flax Meal – This is ground flax seeds that work as an egg replacer when mixed with a little water. If you want another alternative, check out my list of egg replacers.
  • Extract – Vanilla for sweet spinach muffins and mint for mint chocolate chip muffins. (You can also use 2-3 drops of food-grade mint oil instead of extract).
  • Flour – I use an all-purpose gluten-free flour mix, but you can use any flour you would like.  You can use my homemade gluten-free flour mix too.  (Don’t use any gluten-free flour mixes that contain sorghum flour.  I find this to make very chewy muffins).
  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder – To make them rise.
  • Salt – For flavor.
  • Vegan Chocolate Chips – (optional) For a little chocolate taste and texture.  Great in both the vanilla and mint-flavored muffins.
  • Spray Oil – To spray the muffin tins or you can use cupcake liners instead.

Helpful tools

  • Blender – To blend up the bananas, spinach, and other wet ingredients.
  • Mixing bowl – To mix the dry and wet ingredients together.
  • Muffin tins – To bake the muffins in
  • Spatula – For stirring the dry and wet ingredients together.

How to make vegan spinach muffins

Step 1 – Preheat your oven to 375° F (190° C).

Step 2 – Mix flax meal and water in a small bowl and set aside.

Step 3 – Put the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and give them a stir.

Step 4 – Blend the bananas with all the wet ingredients in a blender.

Banana, milk, and maple syrup in a blender to make muffins.
Add wet ingredients.
Spinach added to the wet ingredients in a blender to make muffins.
Add spinach.
The blended wet ingredients and spinach to make blender spinach muffins.
Blend completely.

Step 5 – Add spinach and blend again until smooth and green (fill the blender with as much spinach as you can fit, blend, and then add more spinach if needed).

Step 6 – Pour the green blended mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips if desired.

Adding blended spinach to dry ingredients to make spinach blender muffins.
Add the wet to the dry.
Mixing the dry and wet ingredients in blender muffins.
Mix
Adding chocolate chips to the spinach muffin batter.
Add chocolate chips if desired.

Step 7 – Pour into muffin tins that have been sprayed with a little oil or into cupcake liners.

Step 8 – Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 18 -23 minutes depending on the size of your muffin. (Mini muffins are usually done in 18-20 minutes).

Variations

Mint Chocolate Chip Muffins – This is my favorite way to make these muffins.  The color of them lends you to naturally think that they should be mint-flavored and some chocolate chips thrown in always make any muffin tastier!

To make these mint chocolate chip muffins, simply use 1 tsp of mint extract instead of vanilla extract and add some chocolate chips to the batter.  Sprinkle some more chocolate chips on the top before baking for some extra pretty muffins.

Vanilla Hulk Muffins – These are sweet muffins with a beautiful bright green color.  When you call them hulk muffins or green machine muffins, your kids will gobble them down. 

These work great for picky kids who may not like the stronger flavor of mint.  You can still add chocolate chips, raisins, or anything that you like to add a little variety to these muffins. 

Vegan mint chocolate chip spinach muffins in a muffin tin.

Making these muffins toddler-friendly

  • Don’t tell them what makes them green. 
  • Get excited about the muffins and act like they are a treat and not healthy food.
  • Add a little sugar or extra sweetener to the first few batches that you make.  Slowly reduce the sugar a little with each batch.
  • Add some chocolate chips, craisins, or raisins to the muffins.
  • Sprinkle a little raw sugar or sprinkles on the top before baking to make them look more appealing to picky eaters.
  • Call them Hulk muffins, Oscar the Grouch muffins, Green Machine muffins, or anything else that your kids would respond to. 
  • Make them in the mini muffin tins for a bite-sized snack that is not too big or overwhelming for kids.

Storing and freezing

They will keep well for about 2 days in a sealed container on the countertop or in the fridge for up to 5 days.  You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in an air-tight container or freezer bag. 

If you like these muffins, try my other healthy vegan muffins with hidden veggies.  They’re packed with zucchini and carrots, yet your kids will gobble them down!

Mint chocolate chip spinach blender muffins on a wire wrack.

More healthy muffins

Spinach muffins with mint and chocolate chips on a wire wrack.
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5 from 10 rating

Spinach Muffins – Healthy Hulk Muffins

Yield: 36
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A healthy green muffin made with bananas and spinach flavored with mint chocolate or vanilla.
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Ingredients

To replace an egg

  • 1 tablespoon flax meal
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons water, to mix with the flax meal

Dry ingredients

  • 2 cups flour , gluten-free flour mix or regular all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips , mini chips work best for mini muffins.

Wet ingredients for the blender

  • 2 medium ripe bananas
  • 3/4 cup plant-based milk, (Any type will do like almond or soy milk)
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup, or agave nectar (add an additional 1/4 cup for sweeter muffins).
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, or any neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 teaspoon mint extract, or 2 tsp vanilla extract for sweet spinach muffins
  • 5 oz. spinach , (about 5 cups)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
  • Mix 1 tbsp flax meal and 2 1/2 tbsp water in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Add the dry ingredients (2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 cup chocolate chips) into a mixing bowl and give them a stir.
  • Blend the bananas, the flax egg, and all the wet ingredients (3/4 cup plant-based milk, 3/4 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup coconut oil, 1 tsp mint extract) in a blender.
  • Add spinach and blend again until smooth and green (fill the blender with as much spinach as you can fit, blend, then add more spinach if needed).
  • Pour the green blended mixture into the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.
  • Stir until well combined. Then stir in the chocolate chips if desired.
  • Pour into muffin tins that have been sprayed with a little oil or into cupcake liners.
  • Bake at 375° F (190° C) for 20-23 minutes for regular-sized muffins or 18-20 minutes for mini muffins).

Notes

Mint Chocolate Chip Muffins 
  • To make these mint chocolate chip muffins, simply use 1 tsp of mint extract instead and add some vegan chocolate chips to the batter. 
  • You can also use 2-3 drops of mint essential oils instead of the extract if you would like.  (Mint oil is very strong, so you only need a tiny amount).
  • Sprinkle some more chocolate chips on the top before baking for some extra pretty muffins.
Vanilla Hulk Muffins 
  • These are sweet muffins with a beautiful bright green color.  Add 2 tsp of vanilla to the batter instead of the mint extract.
  • You can still add chocolate chips, raisins, or anything that you like to add a little variety to these muffins. 
*One batch makes 24 regular-sized muffins or 36 mini muffins.
Serving: 1small muffin, Calories: 76kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 80mg, Potassium: 96mg, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 375IU, Vitamin C: 1.7mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 0.7mg
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*Originally published on 2/20/19 updated to include new images on 3/2/24.