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
Tried to make several times, but totally lost at your measurements: how 1 and 1/2 cups of flour translates into 188g, whilst 2/3 cups of sugar into 135g?
Hi M, happy to help. Different ingredients weigh different amounts. Sugar is heavier than flour, so 1 cup of it weighs more.
THANK YOU for this recipe my whole family lived it and my house smells like a bakery. My grandpa was licking the wrapperso cute. This recipe made everyone at my home very happy, thanks to you.
I strongly suggest adding a cup of Dark Chocolate mini-morsels!
My “Taste-testers” 5 out of 5 recommend this recipe, haha.
They liked it soo much that I tweaked it into a Peach/Ginger/White chocolate muffin… also delicious!
Thanks for all that you do! Scrumptious!
WOW! Thankyou so much for this recipe! I had to tweak a few things only used 50g of melted butter, Demerara sugar and didn’t have the spices so added 1tsp and 1/4 spoon of 5 spice and added dark chocolate chips and these came out amazing! Added a dollop of squirt cream to the top (still warm) just before eating. They remind me of Xmas pure comfort food. ☺️
Keep coming out rank idk why. I have plenty baking experience
I tripled the recipe and got 24 muffins! This time, I used whole wheat flour and added semi-sweet chocolate chips, and love them! This recipe is my go-to for using up ripe bananas.
I made these banana bread muffins and added chocolate chips to them and take them in every week to work. All my work collegues enjoy them alot and look forwardto Mondays. I have to make 2 batches one for home and one for work. Thank you for this easy to follow delicious recipe!!
I make these at least once a month for my kids and they get demolished before they have a chance to cool off! So good, thank you so much for this recipe!!
I turned it into a banana loaf just adjusted the baking time.
I felt about a quarter or the batter in the bowl and added Nutella and poured that in the middle and swirled it around
It was yummy
Thank you
I doubled the recipe and had 18 beautiful, puffed up large and tasty muffins. Just had one with a cup of coffee. Wonderful.
The only thing I didn’t realize was how disgusting unfrozen bananas are. But they do the job!
Absolutely delicious! Tender, moist, and perfect. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. In addition, the wonderful fragrance of these freshly baked muffins filled my kitchen!
Such a great recipe. I’ve been making the same Betty Crocker banana bread recipe for a decade and finally got sick of it and wanted to see what else was out there! So glad I tried this! My bananas were frozen and thawed on the counter so they were very, very liquidy and I was worried they wouldn’t turn out but these were perfect! The extra spices added so much depth! My batch had semisweet chocolate chips and walnuts and my 3 year old requested blueberries in his and both were divine!
Another winner! I am “addicted” to your recipes. Thanks so much for sharing this yummy banana muffin treat. My daughters absolutely love these. Now that I have retired from teaching, I have plenty of time to explore some of your other delicious treasures. 🙂
Sally, you really have made me a better baker! I love that I can confidently go to your recipes and know they will always turn out great. I tried a different banana muffin recipe but I gotta say this one is like wow! So soft, so moist and so puffy. Love it! Thank you for making me believe in myself! You are a great teacher! 🙂
These are so easy and so delicious. My second batch is in the oven right now and I can’t wait! Literally the only banana muffin recipe I will use going forward. Thank you for sharing!
Whoa!! I’m not a muffin person but thought I’d try the recipe. Very easy to put together. When I looked in the oven (NO – I didn’t open the door!!), and saw how quickly they were rising I thought I was in trouble. I figured I’d be cleaning up a big muffin mess! No, the finished product had a gorgeous dome, beautiful color and great aroma! Thank you so much for this great addition to my recipe binder.
I just made these muffins and there wereAbsolutely delicious. I would highly recommend them. Ive just had 2 and i dont know if I’ll be able to stop myself from eating them all before there completely cool.
Really good flavor, soft and delicious. I added chocolate chips and walnuts about a half cup each and these are just perfect!
I needed a banana bread muffin recipe, and Google led me here. I ended up trying recipes from two different websites, and I was surprised how highly rated this specific recipe was. It required 4x the ingredients, double the bake time, and a really odd directive of heating the oven way up, to reduce heat part way through. I read the note about this helping the muffin “rise nice and tall”; but oddly both of the recipes I tried ended with near identical muffins, despite not adding this extra step in the other recipe. I am confused as to why this recipe required so much more (ingredients, time, instruction) to come out the same as a 6 ingredient, 10 minute bake time muffin. This aside, if using this recipe, I would suggest doubling or tripling the ingredients. I doubled the recipe, and ended up with a dozen, “normal” sized muffins. I would have been highly disappointed if I had done the fairly time consuming recipe as is, to end up with 6 muffins.
I’ve been making these muffins for a couple of years because I love them. I have modified the recipe to include grated pears several times and mashed pumpkin on one occasion because I don’t always have the required volume of bananas. These variations have been equally delicious.
Great recipe, easy instructions and I love the format.
I didnt have unsalted butter so I used salted and I forgot to not add salt but it ended up being fine, I couldnt even tell. I also added an extra banana so it was more moist and fluffy. I also added chocolate chips.
I used to always make perfect banana bread but for some reason in the last couple of years it just never comes out right! I decided to try this recipe as I love banana bread and they come out perfect every single time. I’d never considered doing muffins before but having bits sized portions is really handy and they also freeze beautifully if I make a huge batch with some overripe bananas. I use less than half the sugar and they still taste wonderfully rich and sweet. Wouldn’t be without these now!
Totally with you I’ve made these before and halved the sugar. Today I am making daycare snacks for my little one’s lunch box and I brought the sugar all the way down to 1T. They are obviously not as sweet, but the texture is still great and I feel much better about her having as many as she wants. This is such a good recipe.
I just made these! I added an extra banana, 1/2 cup chocolate chips and omitted the milk (didn’t have any). They came out delicious, it wasn’t dry at all.
I make these all the time to use up old bananas and it is the best banana muffin recipe I have found. I make one change, I use self-raising flour instead of plain (all-purpose in US) flour and don’t include the baking powder.
Absolutely love this recipe! The 5 minutes on high heat is a new trick that I now know of, definitely my go to recipe from now on.
Oh my goodness these were SO GOOD! They were also very easy to prepare. I used half AP flour and half whole wheat and only added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. I baked mine at 350 for 21-22 mins. I prefer to set the oven and walk away lol. These are going to be a perfect snack for the kids!
I just made these but I added acup of chopped apples and mini chocolate chips on top they taste so good love this recipe.Pat.
They are delicious! I made them into mini muffins and added a few milk chocolate chips to the top. I’ve made so many muffin recipes and this one is by far the best.. my toddler and I love them 🙂
THESE ARE AMAZING!!! I honestly could eat probably five at once but I limited myself to two I gotta leave some for my family. They are soooo delicious. I’ve made quite a few recipes of yours and they are all incredible. Sometimes I try recipes from other sites similar to the ones you have, but they don’t compare. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes!
(I made your chocolate cupcakes and chocolate buttercream yesterday and like my kids said, “They taste heavenly!”)
Thank you so much for making our recipes, Elen!
Made these for our upcoming camping trip with the grandkids, thank you so much for this easy but outrageously delicious recipe !