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
Can I put fresh blueberries in this recipe? Thanks!!
Sure can — we’d recommend adding a cup. Enjoy, Susanne!
Question for you . . . I have a copies of your Blueberry and Chocolate Chip muffin recipes from 2013 . . . love them, been making them for years! Those recipes call for canola or coconut oil, but I notice the current versions of the recipes call for melted butter. I prefer to use the oil to make them a little bit healthier. Could you sub the canola oil for the butter in the banana muffin recipe as well?
Hi Susan, You can use the same amount of vegetable/canola oil instead. You will lose a bit of flavor though.
Hi! I just made them and substituted the egg for a flax egg! (mix 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water + let it sit in fridge for 15 mins) and it worked perfectly!:)
My 10-year-old daughter tried her hand at these for her first solo baking expedition. My husband & I agree that they were the best banana baked good we’ve EVER had. Thank you for this recipe!
These came out pretty dry. Solid on the flavor but too dry to enjoy.
Wow these were the best!! I threw in some Greek vanilla yogurt since I didn’t have any milk – and wow! So moist and delicious
Recipe itself tastes good, the first time I made it I followed the instructions exactly about baking at a higher temp for 5 minutes then the lower temp for the rest of the time. My muffins were brown on the outside but raw in the middle. I tried it again but baked them at a constant temperature as I would do usually and they were lovely. Good recipe but the baking instructions may need tweaking.
Thank you for this GLORIOUS,EASY, moist and delectable recipe!
My families favorite (like it is a requirement to double the recipe)! I add a sugar and cinnamon topping that makes it EXTRA mmm-MMM!
HOPE WHOEVER READS THIS HAS A WONDROUS DAY!
Just made these for a cold winter night bedtime snack for me and my husband and our four year old grandson who is staying the night. So delicious! The perfect snack for a wonderful day. I really appreciate how you explain the ingredients and possible substitutions so I am always confident how my personalization of the recipe will turn out. I opted for 50/50 whole wheat and white flour and dark brown sugar. Yum!
So delicious! I was apprehensive to bake muffins for my late teens, they often go uneaten because they’re not cup cakes. I need to use up some super ripe banana and decided to give this recipe a go, I added choc chips. I had to tell them to leave some for my husband, they would have eaten all of them in a day.
Will be making them again, for sure.
I been using thawed bananas for years and usually use half of the liquid from thawing them. It’s a game changer- I never had dry banana bread or muffins again!
Thank you so much for your website, it has become a trusted source in our household. This recipe in particular has been a staple during lockdown. The kids love it and it’s their favourite treat eaten alongside a cup of homemade chai tea.
This morning though I entirely forgot to add the butter, left melted in the saucepan. The muffins turned out golden and fluffy, which was a bit of a revelation. They might become dry faster but I suspect we won’t get to find out!
I made these tonight with the cup of walnuts. These are perfect muffins. Delicious and so easy!
The most loveliest and fluffiest muffins ever! And super easy recipe too!
I want to get back to baking and I have to use a restaurant kitchen oven. So to get used to it I was looking for yummy plus easy and picked these! Just 2 ques first – – I only have jumbo muffin pans. How would you adjust the cooking time? And I have Baker’s Joy spray and of course buttet)r. Can I use either or do you prefer I go buy either oil spray or muffin cups? Thank you!
Hi Elizabeth, If using a jumbo muffin pan, we recommend following the same baking times as these jumbo blueberry muffins. (With the initial high temperature trick.) Some bakers love Baker’s Joy but we usually stick with non-stick oil spray. Either should work fine. Happy baking!
Really yummy muffins, best ones I’ve made. Half the batch had choc chips but I preferred the ones without!
Best banana muffins… light, moist texture. I used salted butter (only had that) and cut down on salt.
Thank you, Sally
Miranda
Hi Sally, I made these muffins with gluten-free flour twice already, and they are the BEST: moist, fluffiest and delicious, and they do not dry out even after 4 day, like some other gluten free baked goods. These are my favourite now!
Fantastic… Used coconut oil… So moist. Added pumpkin seeds. Had warm with custard
What calories do u think they contain?
Hi Amy! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
This recipe is fantastic! Easy, quick, and tastes fabulous!
Made these this morning, really lovely muffins, don’t think they’ll last long though…..will have to make some more asap I’m sure! Great recipe, will definitely be trying more of your recipes Sally, thanks for sharing xx
The recipe is great but I really struggled with the ads that kept popping up on the left hand side, which is covering your blog content. I’m not able to click out to close them, so I have to keep reloading the page.
Sally, these are the best muffins. My friends I gave them to said the same. I’ve been looking for a good recipe. Not to greasy. Nice and cake like. Yummy with nuts or chocolate chips. Or a combo. Believe me I have tried mucho recipes. Now I can sit back and enjoy. Happy baker.
so easy to make, and the most delicious and moist muffins. perfect level of sweetness, love the hint of nutmeg and cinnamon. will definitely be making again!
This is just a general comment for your page but your blog is absolutely AMAZING. I’m an avid home baker and trying to really learn and understand all the basics, and your recipes without fail detail every step so well. I’m never left wondering why I have to do something (something that, for example, seems “extra” to me but is actually very necessary) and your directions are so thorough and easy to understand. Thank you Sally!!
These are the best banana muffins ever! Was looking for a recipe to use three ripe bananas and this one fit the bill perfectly! It was so easy and delicious. What more could I ask for? Nothing, as it was perfect. Thank you for posting this delicious banana muffin recipe. It will always be my go to recipe.
Just finished baking these a d eating a warm one qith butter by far the best banana muffins or anything banana I’ve ever made thank you for ur amazing recipes
I made them today. They came out perfectly. My family had them as soon as they cooled. Loved it. Thanks for this recipe. Might make more tomorrow.
LOVEEEEEEEE THIS RECIPE SO TASTY!!!!!
Love it! Its moist and it’s really good. I reduced the sugar a little bit, turns out very good to my liking. My family loves it too. I will make it again.