Infused with fennel seeds and a hint of cardamom powder, these EASY Banana Malpua Muffins are the best-tasting banana muffins I ever baked. These egg-free banana muffins recipe with fennel seeds is a divine twist on your regular banana nut muffins!
Doesn’t matter how much you love bananas, there are always one or two overly ripe ones left at the end. And no, I’m not complaining. Those unwanted ripe and weird-looking ones make into AMAZINGLY EASY banana MUFFINS! I have put together this Easy Banana Muffin recipe inspired by a childhood Indian Dessert called Banana Malpua.
One bowl, no eggs, pantry staple ingredients, super quick to mix up, this Easy Banana Malpua Muffins Recipe with Fennel Seeds is the BEST recipe I ever tried.
LETS TALK FENNEL SEEDS
These dried seeds are used as a spice to provide an aniseed flavor and a warm, sweet aroma.
Fennel seeds are the dried seed of the fennel herb and look like cumin seeds, only greener. They have an aniseed flavor and a warm, sweet aroma. Fennel seeds are used in a lot of Indian and Chinese cooking as their spice mixes such as Chinese five-spice powder and Indian panch phoran.
You’ll get more flavor out of fennel seeds by grinding or toasting them.
HOW TO CRUSH FENNEL SEEDS
You can crush the fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar, or, put them in a sealed food bag and bash them with a rolling pin, or whizz them to a powder in a clean coffee grinder.
HOW TO TOAST FENNEL SEEDS
Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the seeds for a couple of minutes, tossing the pan frequently so they don’t burn.
WHAT INSPIRED ME TO COME UP WITH THIS FENNEL SEEDS BANANA MUFFINS RECIPE
Fennel Seeds in these Banana Muffins make them taste like Banana Malpua! Every bite takes me to those days back home when my mom would mash up bananas, add a bit of sugar or jaggery, a spoonful of fennel seeds, and some whole wheat flour to the mashed bananas, and then deep fry a scoopful of batter into that aromatic malpuas or whole wheat banana fritters.
The inspiration comes from banana malpuas – down the memory lane as they say!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE EGG FREE BANANA MUFFINS
- Perfect for breakfast or a snack during the day.
- Made with ghee, these muffins scream for nutrition
- If you have an egg allergy or you are vegetarian, these chai-spiced banana muffins are best for you and the taste and texture are so good even though they are egg-free.
- So easy to make and you need just one bowl.
- Wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze them. They keep well, enjoy the treat whenever you’re craving for.
- The perfect natural sweetness from ripe bananas.
- The fennel seeds add such a beautiful taste to these muffins. They almost taste like banana malpuas.
- These muffins have a lovely fennel flavor and add a touch of nostalgia to your breakfast routine.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE ONE BOWL OF BANANA MALPUA MUFFINS
Full recipe + amounts can be found in the recipe card below
- All-purpose flour
- Bananas mashed – Use bananas that are very ripe (black skins and soft bananas are best) for best flavor.
- Baking soda, Baking Powder & Salt
- Fennel seeds
- Cardamom Powder
- Ghee
- Milk mixed with Vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE BANANA MUFFINS WITH FENNEL SEEDS
STEP 1 – Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F
STEP 2 – In a small bowl, add white vinegar with milk. Let the mixture rest. That’s your homemade buttermilk.
STEP 3 – In a bowl, mash the banana well.
STEP 4 – To the same bowl, add ghee, brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mix well
STEP 5 – Add buttermilk and flour, salt, and baking soda. Make sure not to over-mix. Fold in the fennel seeds.
STEP 6 – Scoop the batter into muffin tins. Sprinkle with almonds
STEP 7 – Bake for 20/25 minutes.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I make it vegan?
Yes, substitute non-dairy milk such as almond or coconut or oat milk.
What other variations can I try with this recipe?
Along with the fennel seeds, you can try a tea spoon of ginger and cloves to make this recipe into a chai spiced banana muffin recipe
Can I make this a Banana Cake?
Yes! Definitely. You just need to adjust the baking time.
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Yes! whole wheat flour will bake up nicely.
Can I use Gluten free flour?
Of course, you could use your favorite gluten-free flour blend too
What Can I substitute Ghee with?
You can substitute ghee with the same amount of light olive oil or melted butter
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @myyellowapron
A FEW OTHER EGG FREE RECIPES THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BAKE –
Semolina Coconut Cake (Egg Free & Butter Free)
Double Chocolate Mini Bundt Cakes (One Bowl Recipe)
Semolina Cake with Orange Cardamom Syrup
Chocolate Banana Muffins (Gluten Free, Sugar Free)
Banana Muffins with Fennel Seeds
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 & 1/2 Cups All-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp Dry-toasted and ground fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Cardamom powder
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 pinch Salt
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup Ghee
- Banana 2 Bananas mashed – Use bananas that are very ripe (black skins and soft bananas are best) for best flavor.
- 1/2 cup Milk mixed with 1 tbsp Vinegar
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
PREPARATION
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degree F
- Line a muffin pan with muffin liners
- In a small bowl, add 1 tbsp white vinegar to the milk and set it aside. The milk will curdle making it your homemade buttermilk
MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS
- In a medium-sized bowl, mash the bananas
- Add the melted ghee, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix well
- Pour the homemade buttermilk into it and give it a stir
MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS INTO THE WET INGREDIENTS
- Now, add the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda directly into the bowl.
- Mix in the fennel seeds and cardamom powder.
- Mix the dry into wet. Don't overmix.
BAKE BANANA MUFFINS WITH FENNEL SEEDS
- Scoop the egg-free banana muffin batter into the muffin tins. Make sure not to fill till the top.
- Top with almonds and bake for 25/30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
I’m extremely interested in trying this recipe. I’m a huge fan of banana bread and muffins. I’ve never tried adding fennel, but I can already taste how that would work well.
This is a really interesting flavor combination. I’ve never had fennel with banana before. I’m eager to give it a try.
The flavors in these muffins sound amazing! It’s not just the addition of fennel, it’s all the other delicious ingredients that you use to make the entire thing work, as well.
I love muffins and have never had banana muffins before! Definitely on the list to try and bake.
This look so good and I love muffins. Something we used to eat a lot for snacks haha. Thank you for sharing!
I really love muffins and this looks absolutely delicious and tasty! I would really love to try this!
So good! I would have never thought of putting fennel seeds in banana muffins, but it is a delicious and interesting flavor combination.
Love the western take on the classic Indian Malpua. Will have to try this for sure.
Nnnniiiiccceeeee…banana muffins are the real gold! I will give these blend of them, a try!
These muffins are so yummy! The fennel gives them such a unique flavor. Will definitely be making these again.
I have not tried fennel with banana combination yet, but this looks really tasty and will definitely give it a try.
What a good idea to put the seeds in the recipe. These would make a nice weekend brunch item.
I am going to make this for tomorrow’s breakfast and I am sure my kids will love these muffins. Yum!
I would not have thought to add fennel seeds but, yet, it seems like a really nice addition.
Indian Desserts are a perfect delight in every season which not only satisfies the taste buds but also energizes the body with glucose shots. India has a wide range of very delectable, finger licking and luscious Indian desserts recipes. Indian sweet seems difficult to resist. It is said that there is no country has a wider range of exotic, luscious sweets than in India. A sumptuous meal is always incomplete without sweet dish like ‘Gulab Jamun’ or ‘Kulfi’ or ‘Gajar ka Halwa’. Desserts give a befitting end to any meal.
https://www.indianetzone.com/3/desserts.htm