These banana muffins are soft, buttery, and spiced with cinnamon. They’re wonderful plain, with chopped walnuts, or even chocolate chips. You need 3 large ripe bananas and a few basic kitchen ingredients to get started.
Banana bread is wonderful, but muffins are quicker, more convenient, easily portable, and taste just as good. I’ve been searching for the perfect EASY banana muffin recipe since my daughter began eating solids. We always have bananas in the house which means we eventually have spotty bananas ready for baking!
These quick and easy banana muffins bake in 30 minutes, so if you need to be in and out of the kitchen FAST (um, don’t we all?), this recipe is your savior.
Banana Muffin Ingredients—Each Is Important!
This banana muffin recipe requires a handful of basics like flour, sugar, and milk. That’s what I love about baking—it’s the same base ingredients for basically everything.
- Flour: I tested the recipe with both all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour and LOVED both variations. See recipe Note below.
- Melted Butter: We’ll use melted butter as the fat, though melted coconut oil works too. I love using melted butter in baked goods, and though I was afraid these banana muffins would taste too dense without creaming softened butter (which incorporates air), that’s not the case at all.
- Bananas, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg: The flavor team.
- Egg: 1 egg gives the muffins structure.
- Milk: A common ingredient in some muffin recipes including pumpkin muffins, milk provides necessary moisture. Dry muffins… the worst.
- Sugar: Sweetens. When I make these for my daughter, I use half brown sugar and half coconut sugar. You can use all brown sugar, all coconut sugar, or a mixture of the two. Keep in mind that coconut sugar isn’t quite as sweet as brown sugar, so the flavor will change. See my recipe Note. 🙂
Do these banana muffins taste like banana bread? Yes, totally! But they have a lighter, softer, and more buttery texture. You’ll love it.
How to Make Banana Muffins Moist
There’s a fine line between a moist banana muffin and a dry banana muffin, aka sandpaper in a cupcake wrapper. To make banana muffins moist, make sure you’re using a solid ratio of dry to wet ingredients. I found the muffins to be dry without the addition of liquid, but a couple Tablespoons of milk solved the problem. Use a little fat (butter), brown sugar, and plenty of bananas for lots of moisture and flavor.
How to Mash Bananas
So I started doing this last year and it’s been a total game changer whenever I make banana cake, these breakfast cookies, banana bread, or chocolate banana bread. Just use your mixer to mash bananas! Peel and break them into chunks, place in your mixer, and beat until mashed. Beat the rest of the wet ingredients right into this bowl, then beat in the dry ingredients. So easy.
Can I Use Frozen Bananas?
Yes and I do this often. Thaw the frozen bananas at room temperature. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe below. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking. Try not to mash too much or else you’ll be left with 2 cups of banana-y liquid; some chunks are great.
This banana muffin recipe is perfect if you:
- Have 3 large spotty bananas
- Love banana bread
- Need a quick homemade breakfast, snack, etc.
- Don’t feel like creaming butter and sugar together
- Don’t feel like dirtying 100 pans
And, to turn these into a scrumptious treat, you could dip the tops of the cooled muffins into chocolate ganache and add sprinkles. (Affiliate link: I love these naturally colored sprinkles.) You can also add the streusel topping from these banana chocolate chip streusel muffins.
More Muffin Recipes
These easy banana muffins have been my default for awhile, though I usually switch between these and a couple other muffin recipes previously published. I consider these muffins on the healthier side and they’re each toddler & adult approved. 🙂
- Baby Apple Oat Muffins
- Bran Muffins
- Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins (these include oats)
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Apple Muffins & Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Zucchini Muffins
- Peanut Butter Banana Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Banana Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Would love to know if you try any of them!
Print
Quick & Easy Banana Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These banana muffins are soft, buttery, and spiced with cinnamon. They’re wonderful plain, but taste fantastic with 1 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips. You need 3 ripe bananas and a handful of basic kitchen ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted (or melted coconut oil)
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar (or coconut sugar)*
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk*
- optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer, mash the bananas. On medium speed, beat or whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or whisk until combined. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now. Batter will be thick.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–23 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C).) Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Why the initial high temperature? The hot burst of air will spring up the top of the muffin quickly, then the inside of the muffin can bake for the remainder of the time. This helps the muffins rise nice and tall.
- Whole Wheat Flour: Feel free to substitute whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour or use a mix of both as long as you use 1 and 1/2 cups total. If using all whole wheat flour, add another Tablespoon (15ml) of milk.
- Frozen Bananas: You can use frozen bananas here. Thaw the frozen bananas. Drain off any excess liquid, mash, then use as instructed in the recipe. See How to Freeze & Thaw Bananas for Baking.
- Sugar: You can use 2/3 cup of packed brown sugar or coconut sugar. Or a mixture of these to yield 2/3 cup. If using 2/3 cup coconut sugar, the muffins won’t be as sweet. I find they taste best with 2/3 cup brown sugar or 1/3 cup of each. 2/3 cup of honey or pure maple syrup works too, though the muffins will taste a little more moist in the centers. I’m unsure about sugar substitutes, but let me know if you try any.
- Milk: Use your favorite variety of dairy or nondairy milk.
- Banana Bread: Here’s my favorite banana bread recipe. 🙂
Reader Comments and Reviews
This banana mission recipe is by far the easiest and most of all the TASTIEST recipient I have ever tried! And I’ve tried a number.
Absolutely delicious!!! And what a great tip for the burst of heat on the beginning to get the tops to rise!!!!! I’ve always been so let down by my flat muffins 😉 but now they are large and lovely!!!!! This is from now on my go too recipe!!’n
Thank you!!!!
Good Lord, these are ridiculous. Followed to a T, using 1/2 cup of spelt flour, all brown sugar, and a cup of suggested chopped pecans. I never make muffins so this was such a treat!! Stupid moist. It’ll be hard not to inhale them in like, a day. Maybe two. Maybe. Thank you as always, Sally, I always know your recipes are failsafe winners!!!
This recipe is a winner. I used all brown sugar, browned the butter, and added a half teaspoon of rum extract to give them a bit of a bananas foster taste. They were sinfully good. Perfectly moist and tender crumb. Try browning the butter first, you won’t regret it. Or maybe you will: my husband and I will likely eat all 11 in a single day. Oops.
We love them! Made these with my 3 year old granddaughter. So of course, added the cup of Chocolate Chips. No milk in the house, so just added 2 tablespoons of applesauce. Perfection! Thank you for sharing!
These are amazing. Definitely my new go-to!
I made these tonight. I had four bananas and used all four. The recipe is perfect! Love the flavor and texture. I’ll definitely be making them a lot.
Super Delicious and Quick!!
Found this recipe this morning and whipped up a batch using a new weak gluten flour that doesn’t interfere with our intolerant digestion as regular gluten does.
Are these ever flavorful. Wow! Another keeper.
Wow! Just made these with the coconut sugar & brown sugar. Added some dark chocolate chips. These are so good and moist. Thank you for the recipe & great instructions.
Love it. So simple, so fast. I’ve made these as written before. Now I make them but I leave out the sugar and they’re still great. I feel okay giving them to my toddler that way because nobody needs a sugar crashing baby, amiright?
I had only 1 and 1/2 bananas to use up, so I grated a medium carrot and added to the mashed banana. I also used some green banana flour to make up the plain flour to 190g.
Result = delicious
Absolutely DELICIOUS—moist, easy to make, and delicious! Used gluten free flour and worked out SO well!!
I made a dairy free version using coconut milk/cream and coconut oil. Still very good. I added blueberries, pecans, and extra cinnamon. I love the versatility of this recipe.
Great recipe! I even changed a couple of things to suit my needs and it worked in every way! I did double batch, only 1 cup brown sugar. I did half batter regular size with fine grated carrot and raisins for my kids and half jumbo with semi sweet Choc chip and walnuts for adults! Jumbo needed extra 5 mins in oven. Thank you they taste great!
My hubby said these were the best banana muffins I had ever made!!
Added choc chips, walnuts and a 1/4tsp espresso powder.
Thanks Sally
Made these again last night! I always use walnuts in my banana bread & muffins because my hubby & I love the crunch. However, this time I also added a walnut streusel topping to these delicious muffins! OMGosh!
These were delicious, honestly. I used them as banana cake and it turned out great. The favorite fan is the mutt dog, he asked for these on his birthday and he loved them!
I just finished cooling these muffins. Wow. So moist. I used 2 T of Egg Nog in place of milk. I added 1/2 tsp. Banana extract and did not add nuts. I made a cinnamon sugar mix to add a swirl in the muffins. I filled the muffin cup about 1/3 full, sprinkled cinnamon sugar over batter, added remaining batter to cups and baked according to the directions.
So moist and flavorfull.
Great muffins! I used a (approx 50/50) mix of coconut syrup and raw sugar – cake out beautifully! Lovely and moist
Wonderful muffins. I love how you explain why you do certain things! I cut back the sugar a bit to ½ cup as we are trying to be a bit healthier this year (COVID 15 moved up to COVID 25!), and I added some chopped dried cranberries. They are yummy! Next time I might try some toasted coconut.
I love this banana muffin recipe!! I find myself making them more and more, just goes to prove how delicious they are.
Doubled the batch to make half with banana and half using pumpkin puree. They turned out wonderfully although I cut the amount of sugar down. After many “bread” fails recently, this win was what I needed to feel a bit more accomplished outside of the workplace, lol. Thank you!!
Have made these muffins several times and they always turn out so soft and airy and delicious…never going to make muffins from a packaged mix again..this recipe is my favorite!
Delish! Made these with chocolate chips and they are so so good. I couldn’t be bothered getting my mixer out at 8:30pm, so I just whisked everything by hand. They still turned out great and weren’t dense at all. I also only had 2 large bananas, but they measured 1.5 cups exactly, so I’m grateful that both measurements are listed to allow for variations in banana size.
Made these on a whim after refusing to let any more ripe bananas go to waste. SO good! I didn’t have baking powder so I used baking soda and some vanilla whole milk yogurt as a substitute and they came out delicious. I can’t wait to make them again with chocolate chips (or maybe peanut butter chips!).
Delicious! I added walnuts and a few choc chips and they were so tasty and light!
Very tasty muffins! These turned out great even though I forgot to add and egg to the batter.
I have tried this recipe twice now and both times my muffins have come out tasty of dough and baking powder! Followed it to a T both times! I feel maybe thats too much flour? Or am i doing something wrong?
Hi Z, I’m just seeing your comment/question now so my apologies on the delay responding to you. I wonder if the muffins are under-cooked. Adding a couple extra minutes to the baking time should help. Make sure you’re measuring the mashed bananas. You need 1 and 1/2 cups total.
I swap out the sugar for dates as a sugar free option.
My banana muffins just came out of the oven and they smell so good! I used half-and-half instead of milk because that’s what we have at the moment, and added about 3/4 cup of toasted pecans because we love our bread with nuts over here. Taking them out of the tray, I noticed how soft the sides were. And when I finally ate one after cooling, it was indeed so soft and moist. I love it!
Great rise. Amazing muffin. Soft, light, and tasty! My family doesn’t like the spices much so I added half the nutmeg and a little less cinnamon. Used dark brown sugar and it did not affect the rise as I thought.