This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
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 (1/3 cup instead of 3/4) 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 1/2 to 1/4 cup.
I also sprinkled a little bit of large crystal raw sugar on top.
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.
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 Banana Cranberry Muffins?
According to my calculations, each muffin has 169 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
5 SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
5 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
5 PointsPlus (Old plan)
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 for 20 to 25 seconds.
If you’ve made these Low Fat 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.
Banana Cranberry Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed bananas (2 – 3 medium)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, roughly chopped
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 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 3/4 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.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 5 SmartPoints (Green plan) 5 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 5 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 5 PointsPlus (Old plan) Muffins are best warm from the oven the day they are baked. To reheat a muffin, place it in the microwave 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 for 20 to 25 seconds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the recipe !! Made this for the second time! I Use 1 cup Rolled Oats that I turned into flour, 1/2 cup Almond Flour, 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour, 1 Tbsp Baking Powder, 2 tsp Cinnamon Powder, 1/2 Fresh Nutmeg grated, 1/3 cup Almond Vanilla MIlk, 1/4 cup Homemade Apple Sauce, 1/3 cup Brown Sugar, 1\8 cup Slice Almonds & 1/2 tsp Raw Sugar. 1 cup – Used (left over of Blueberries + cranberries) Bake 18minutes THAN TURN the muffin tins in the oven & Bake for 7 minutes more. Let cool on a cooling rack.
Made these this morning. Thought the batter was really thick. Realized after my family had eaten them that I never added the egg. Oops! Still turned out decent and everyone gobbled them up.
Can you use bagged cranberries?
Hi Jane, you want fresh/frozen cranberries, in a bag is fine. You just don’t want DRIED cranberries. Hope this helps. ~Martha
I love this recipe! Easy to make, healthy and also great to freeze ad re-heat. I made a batch for my 92 year old Mom and she is a big fan and waiting for her next batch!
Love This muffin recipe!
I did do some swaps Replacing the oil with applesauce, and using Sukrin Gold For the brown sugar . I also used White whole-wheat flour to replace the all purpose flour. I got 15 muffins for 2sp each, so delicious. I think I may try using Greek yogurt instead of the applesauce OR use only 1/8 of a cup of oil and then substitute the balance.
Added a little more regular sugar, but I didn’t do the big crystals on top. These turned out gorgeous and delicious! Will make again. Thank you!
Hi Stephanie, Glad you liked them!
Thanks so much for this recipe! I substituted unsweetened almond milk instead of regular milk and these turned out wonderfully. I also added a handful of chopped walnuts for some added crunch and a few large dashes of cinnamon for flavor. I didn’t have the right kind of flour on hand so I used a combination of almond flour, white organic flour, and whole wheat flour. This recipe is just so versatile and easy to substitute with different ingredients. Plus, I really love how these came out–moist with just a hint of sweetness!
Hi Emma, Love your substitutions and changes. Glad you liked the muffins!
Can you substitute almond milk for the milk that is needed for the recipe?
Hi Fran, Though I haven’t tried it, I think it should work fine.
Beautiful muffins! I have some cranberries in my freezer I’ll have to use for them.
Take a look at a soup I made for lunch (still eating it!) yesterday and tell me for sure if you think it’s ZERO points. It has parsnips and carrots; is that legal?
I’d love to know! Happy Friday!
Thanks, Alyce. I’ve checked out your soup and bookmarked it to try! I would consider a serving 0 PointPlus if I were tracking it!