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
Always love this recipe!!! Can I use self raising flour instead of plain?
Hi Sophie, We don’t recommend using self-raising flour. It would take some recipe testing with that substitution in order to guarantee results.
I followed this recipe exactly and ended up having to throw all of the muffins away. Idk what I did wrong but I wasted so much of my time. First round didn’t rise hardly at all and I figured that I had used too much banana, despite adding a little more than what the recipe calls for since I didn’t have yogurt/sour cream/applesauce, and it was a tad bit runny so I’m at fault for that. second batch I added a little more flour to the mixture and I had hope because they were rising well but once I took them out & let them cool, they were glued to the cupcake liners, dry as hell, and had almost a doughy consistency? I’m not a pro at baking by any means, but I’m really disappointed. This will be the last time I seek out a new banana bread/muffin recipe lol
Was the original recipe baked in a gas or electric oven. I wonder if different results will occur using a high temp in an electric oven vs. gas. The electric oven holds the heat longer, I find, than my mother’s gas oven.
Hi Karen, We test all of our recipes with an electric conventional oven.
I made these muffins delicious
Hi, i made your banana muffins this morning, i added the 1 cup of crushed pecans, but omitted the nutmeg(just a personal preference), i’m eating one right now, while they are still warm, delicious ! i say, but i will add a bit more sugar next time, i prefer my muffins on the sweet side, i will add your recipe to my collection, Thank You for this!, quick, easy recipe!
This has become the only banana muffin recipe I use. They come out perfect every time. My kids and mom love them. I buy extra bananas every week to ensure I’ll have enough left over to make the muffins. Theres wiggle room with how much banana you use and how ripe they are. You can’t mess this recipe up.
Light and fluffy! I used coconut oil and 1/3 C. dark brown and 1/3 C. light brown sugar. Perfect!
I have baked my entire life and YOUR site is now my go to!
Ca you make muffin tops with this recipe? What would the temperature and baking time be
We haven’t tested that but let us know if you do!
I used 50 grams of panela and 50 grams of dark brown sugar. I also replaced half the flour with whole wheat and they came out wonderfully! Next time I will lower sugar a tad more, I like more banana flavor than sweetness and I find they are better this way as a (more) healthy breakfast treat to go with coffee.
My daughter loved it so much she feels it’s to die for. This from someone who hates banana.
Thank you for sharing this simple but yummy recipe
I’m making these forever! I followed the recipe using the coconut oil, light brown sugar, and I didn’t have nutmeg so I substituted allspice (personal preference) and they’re sooooo good! I just took them out of the oven for my kids breakfast and stole 2! The recipe made a full dozen and they’re so moist!!
This recipe is PERFECT. The muffins rose nice and tall, they were moist, tasted delicious and the oven temperatures and time were absolutely right for my oven.
So glad you loved them, Susan!
I replaced one banana with fresh chopped pineapple and used gluten free flour
This is recipe is my go-to muffin recipe! I always use it and it is very easy to follow. The texture is great and it is just the right amount of sweetness for me.
Great recipe! Added to my recipe book because I will definitely be making these again! Great texture and great flavour. I added a handful of crushed pecans. I did scale back the sugar by 1/2 based on reviews and didn’t miss it! Thanks for this classic! 🙂
Hi Sally! I often find that 12 muffins are too much, even if I can freeze them. Would I be able to have the recipe? My only worry when halving is the one egg.
Hi L, you can halve this recipe, yes. When I need to use half of 1 egg, I usually measure the weight of the egg after cracking it into a small bowl, whisk it with a fork, and then remove about half the amount I measured. Hope this helps!
This is my favourite muffin recipe. I add white chocolate chips and sliced almonds. Perfect every time.
The muffins are delicious and the texture is great. I doubled the recipe. I also lightened the recipe. I usedc brown sugar substitute and it worked well. I only added 1 cup of brown sugar substitute instead of 1 1/3 cup. I used 4 Tbsp. of melted margarine and 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce instead of melted butter. I added 2 cups fresh blueberries. The initial high baking temp and then lowering the oven temp to 350 degrees worked well to help the muffins to rise nicely.
Too oily!!! And a little too sweet. But this recipe used waaayyy too much butter. My muffins came out drenched in oil 🙁
Great recipe. A little sweet, next time I’ll do 1/2 cup or even 1/3. I also swapped the oil for sour cream and that worked great! Made mini muffins 🙂
This recipe was awesome! I loved how you gave those dairy free options aswell, and the coconut sugar options too! Awesome!!!
Do you know if I can use measure for measure gluten free four?
Hi Jenne, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, so we’re unsure of the results. Let us know if you do give it a try!
These muffins are amazing! Light, fluffy, not too sweet, not sticking to the wrapper. Make these muffins now 🙂
DELICIOUS! I will be using this recipe a lot. Just mixed by hand. Didn’t have that much butter or coconut oil, so I just mixed coconut oil and olive oil and can’t taste anything funny. Added chocolate chips and walnuts. Thanks for this great recipe!
This recipe was amazing! We use it every week and they are gone in a few hours. I would recommend cutting back on sugar and adding chocolate chips and extra spices for extra flavor.
These are by far the BEST muffins I have ever made! Light and fluffy! Turned out perfect!
I used 100% coconut sugar added 220g of blueberries. Easily the best and moisest muffins I have ever made.
I dont do really well with cakes, but these are top notch. Hubby really loved them. So easy, and turned out perfectly. A little too sweet for me, will cut back on sugar next batch.
Can you double the recipe. I need to make at least 24 muffins. These are delicious muffins.
Hi Judi! For best results and to prevent over mixing, we recommend making two separate batches.
Amazing! I am tired of making banana bread with my leftover bananas and this was great. I added the chocolate chips and they were perfect
This recipe works, it just does. First try and they are delicious, soft, just a hint of moisture and the right sweetness.
Randomly selected this recipe. It was on point! Absolutely delicious! It’s a keeper.