Creamy mashed bananas make these muffins sweet and moist, while dates and walnuts add lots of textural interest. With the addition of coconut milk and coconut sugar, things take a turn towards the tropics!

Three Muffins are stacked on top of each other with one broken open on the top with brown and turquoise background.

Hawaiian banana date muffins bring back memories of one of the first recipes I learned to bake: banana nut bread. Although you can't go wrong with a basic banana bread, these muffins have an added twist of going Hawaiian!

All of my tropical favorites are in here--creamy bananas, sweet dates, rich coconut milk, and caramelly coconut sugar. One bite of these should get you feeling that ocean breeze!

This is a perfectly delicious recipe on its own, but my latest obsession is enjoying these with a unique topping--applesauce! Whether store-bought or homemade applesauce, my favorite trick is to heat the applesauce and serve it warm alongside these muffins. I learned this in the South, where they often serve warm applesauce as a side dish with meals.

Just break open the banana date muffins and put a little dollop of the warm applesauce on top. And as with all of my muffin recipes, these are also perfect with a simple smear of vegan butter, drizzle of maple syrup, or just to grab and go as is!

Table of Contents

Banana Date Muffins Ingredients

Ripe bananas - Make sure to use ripe bananas for this, as green or under ripe bananas will be sour in flavor and difficult to mash. You’ll need about 2 cups of mashed bananas which is usually about 2½ medium-sized pieces of fruit.
Organic coconut oil - Due to its unique solid-at-room-temperature consistency, coconut oil can serve as a replacement for butter in many vegan muffin recipes. Unrefined coconut oil will impart additional coconut flavor to your recipes while refined coconut oil will have no impact on the flavor whatsoever.
Coconut sugar - Has a richer flavor as compared to regular cane sugar, but with less moisture than brown sugar. If you can’t find coconut sugar, organic brown sugar will do the trick too.
Organic flaxseed meal - Ground flaxseed meal helps to thicken and bind the ingredients together, giving the muffins structure as well as keeping them moist.
Egg replacer - Store bought egg replacers are incredibly convenient and I like to have one on hand in my pantry. I’m partial to Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer but you can use any brand you like. You’ll need just 1 “egg”, prepared according to the package directions.
Whole wheat flour - Gives these muffins a wonderfully nutty, rich flavor! Even if you are more used to baking with all-purpose flour (aren’t we all!), I definitely recommend sticking with the whole wheat flour here as it makes these banana muffins extra hearty and unique.
Baking soda - A leavening agent that reacts with other ingredients in the batter to produce bubbles, thereby helping the muffins to rise and become fluffy.
Baking powder - Another leavening agent, but this stuff works a bit differently than the soda, and we do need the magic combination of both for this recipe. Where baking soda produces most of its aeration when the ingredients are mixed, baking powder continues to create lift throughout the baking time too.
Salt - Makes the sweet, nutty, and tropical flavors of these muffins taste all that much sweeter, nuttier, and more tropical!
Dairy free milk - Using coconut milk here will add to the tropical twist on these muffins, but almond milk would be a good option as well.
Chopped organic dates - Known as “nature’s candy”, dates are a type of stone fruit, produced by the date palm tree. They are unbelievably sweet and have a naturally sticky, creamy texture.
Chopped walnuts - I love the way walnuts add some crunch to these otherwise soft and chewy muffins. Use roasted, unsalted walnuts here.

How to Make Banana Date Muffins

Setup and mash. Preheat the oven to 375℉ and lightly oil a 12-cup muffin pan. Peel the bananas into a bowl, use a fork to mash them into a creamy paste, then set aside. It’s ok if there are a few lumps!
Mix wet ingredients. In a small bowl, mix whisk coconut oil, coconut sugar, and flaxseed meal until well-combined. Set it aside.
Mix dry ingredients. In a large bowl whisk whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Combine wet and dry. To the flour mixture, add the oil mixture, prepared egg replacer, mashed banana, and non-dairy milk. Stir until just mixed.
Add dates and walnuts. Fold in the chopped dates and chopped walnuts until just combined.
Divide. Distribute the muffin batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups.
Bake. Let the muffins bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool and serve! Once baked, remove from the heat and let the muffins rest in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy them while still warm or at room temperature!

Hawaiian Banana Date Muffins Date Recipes

Chef Tips

Lightly (and carefully) coat the blade of your knife with coconut oil before chopping your dates. Their sticky flesh tends to coat the blade, making it difficult to slice through more than one or two fruits, but a light layer of oil helps to prevent this. If things do start to get sticky after a bit, you can always wash and re-oil the blade for a fresh start.

Chopping walnuts by hand is always an option, but here are a few other options:

Bag Method: Place your whole walnuts in a resealable zip-top bag and lay it flat on the countertop, then lay a kitchen towel over the top. Use a meat mallet, heavy pan, or any other heavy flat object to crush the walnuts through the bag. Careful not to go too far here, we want the walnuts to be a bit chunky still.
Bowl Method: Place a few whole walnuts on your cutting board or work surface and use a heavy glass bowl to press down on top of them. The walnuts will crumble underneath the weight. Just be sure to exert steady pressure as opposed to hitting them sharply, as doing the latter may cause them to go flying around your kitchen!
Food Processor Method: You can send whole walnuts for a spin in your food processor to chop them, but make it brief, as blitzing them for too long will create nut flour which is not the right texture for these muffins.

Hawaiian Banana Date Muffins are so moist and have some of everyone's tropical favorites. Just mix and bake and you'll be feeling the ocean breeze in no time.

How to Store

At Room Temperature. Let the muffins cool completely, then pack them into an airtight container or zip top bag and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. Placing a sheet of paper towel in the bag will help to absorb moisture and keep the muffins fresher.

Freezing. These banana date muffins freeze very well! Once cooled, place them in a freezer-safe bag or hard sided container and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Thawing. Thaw the frozen muffins by transferring them to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

📋 Recipe