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
Great recipe, I used melted coconut oil instead of butter, whole wheat flour, and erythritol instead of sugar and they are delicious. I added the chocolate chips, walnuts and added a shredded zucchini.
Never baked muffins, and I’m now convinced I’m a baker, j/k. Seriously, these turned out amazing. I used two small eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and banana extract, just cause I had both. They’re absolutely perfect and the taste is amazing. Thank you fit another amazing recipe.
Your reviews have never disappointed me, and this is my go to for banana muffins. I use yogurt instead if milk, and fold in one cup of blueberries after mixing the batter
Delicious! First time making them and my kids & I devoured them – officially my go to banana muffin recipe!
Great muffin recipe
This recipe is my go-to for banana muffins, but this time I only had two bananas! I ended up subbing a 1/2 cup applesauce for the third banana and they were still perfect! Moist, fluffy, banana-y, delicious 🙂
I made these muffins for the first time today. They have a lovely texture. Very light and fluffy. I added blueberries rather than nuts. The only change I might make next time is a little less salt.
This recipe is freaking killer! Banana bread isn’t my favorite because it can get really dense, so I gave these a try. While these muffins are moist, they are still big and fluffy. I just finished another double batch so my house will be happy to have them in our lunches this week! Sometimes I’ll add chocolate chips, oats, shaved coconut or nuts, but this recipe is delicious on its own. Thank you for a great recipe!
I added peanut butter chips and chocolate chips to mine. So good even left plain.
Wow! I’m amazed! I’ve never tasted such moist and fluffy banana bread
I found out in the middle of the recipe that i ran out of sugar, so i mixed 1/3 cup white sugar with 1/3 maple syrup and it was a bit too sweet for me, but suitable for the others.
I love this recipe. I will use it regularly 🙂 Thank you very much!
This recipe is literally the best banana muffin I have ever made. I absolutely love it and so does my whole family. Highly suggest it
Muffins turned out great. Perfect moistness.
I loved this recipe! I added crushed walnuts and a lot of chocolate chips to the recipe, and everyone loved them. Will definitely make this a repeated recipe in Mt house
Your recipes never disappoint. Delicious. Kid and husband approved.
Thank you so much!
So easy and fast. These are in the oven right now and I have never had such high muffin tops!! They’re absolutely beautiful! I just purchased new muffin pans and I got 11 muffins, filling each muffin well fairly full. I added 1 c. chopped toasted walnuts. This is my new banana muffin recipe! Thank you Sally! Every time I make one of your recipes, it turns out beautifully! You’ve taught me to weigh ingredients instead of measuring them and I love that you list both the measurement and the weight. Also, mashing the bananas with the mixer was a great idea!
We’re so glad you enjoyed this muffin recipe, Julie – thank you for sharing your glowing review!
Excellent banana muffins – I follow the exact recipe but my add in is butterscotch chips. So moist and yummy!
I’ve made these a few times for my Bible study group, and they are a hit! I’ve shared the recipe by request multiple times. So so good!
I ran out of muffin tin liners, so I’m trying this in my Pampered Chef loaf pan.
Great recipe! They turned out perfectly moist, airy, and buttery. I used 4x small bananas (each about 130g with peel), a dark brown sugar, lactose free milk (didnt effect texture at all), and 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips. I think I’ll use fewer chips next time though. The recipe is delicious enough without the added sugar! My version came out to be about 300 cal per muffin, 12x muffins
i love this recipe so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much.and i love your other recipes to
Banana bread is one of my favs but I recently moved and couldn’t find my loaf pans. This recipe is yum! I think I prefer to banana bread.
Delicious. What are the macros on this?
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://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Using my ingredients from Lose It, I made 12 muffins, 173 calories, 6g fat, 3.5g sat fat, 29.5mg cholesterol, 138g sodium, 28g carbs, 11g sugar, 2.4g protein. Hope that helps! They smell great, but they are still cooling as they just finished.
No nuts or chocolate chips, just straight muffins.
I followed the recipe with the following modifications: 4x small bananas (each 130g with peel), dark brown sugar, lactose free milk, added 1x cup of dairy free “Enjoy Life” brand mini chocolate chips.
Came out to: 296 calories (43g carbs, 13g fat, 4g protein, 25g sugar) per muffin (12x muffins)
These are the best banana muffins I’ve ever had! I added 1/2 c mini choc chips to batter and sprinkled the top with a few. Also, it took 5 min less than it called for. If you use frozen bananas thaw at room temp and definitely drain the liquid that it will make.
The best banana chocolate chip muffin I have ever made. I’m 61 and have made quite a few in my time!!
I’ve made this many times exactly as described and it always comes out as the best banana bread ever. BUT THIS TIME, I decided to make banana muffins instead with gluten free flour and 4 bananas instead of 3 and MY GOD. They are incredible. I always go back to this recipe every time I have really ripe bananas lying around and it never fails me!
Delicious! I made these on Sunday night to use up some sad looking bananas. Used 1 C. AP flour and 1/2 C. whole wheat flour as well as 2/3 C. light brown sugar and 1 C. chopped pecans. I think they’re even better this morning (Tuesday) than yesterday!
I love these, I adapt it to make them gluten free by using gluten free plain flour and add half a teaspoon of xantham gum and they come out perfect!
These are probably the best muffins I’ve ever made! They are perfect!
I made these this morning and they were so flavorful and moist! My husband usually smothers any bread type good in butter but said these didn’t need it. I added mini chocolate chips to satisfy his sweet tooth. So good. So moist. So easy.
Omgsh! YUM! This is my second attempt at a Sally’s Baking Addiction recipe and both have been SO SO good! These muffins I whipped up with my 17 month old.. just goes to show how easy they are. They are probably the best muffins I have ever made.. so soft and so moist! Perfect! We added about 3/4 cup choc chips too I won’t use another banana muffin recipe now!
Made these this AM and they were amazing!! Added chopped walnuts to the batter and sprinkled coarse chopped walnuts and turbino sugar on top for sparkle and crunch. Perfection!!
My new go to recipe for banana muffins. They’re quick and easy and so good! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Do I need to make any changes if I make them in the bigger (6ct) muffin pan?
Hi Jessica! You can use the recipe as written and use jumbo muffin pans for about 5-6 jumbo muffins. Follow the bake time and instructions for jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.