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
These were fabulous as well as your blueberry muffins!!! Thank you!
Absolutely amazing. I added a handful of chocolate chips and crushed walnuts. I had two and hubby had three in a row. Soooo good!
The BEST banana muffins. My toddler loves them!
just made them and they were as good as ever!
Best muffins I’ve ever made. They were gone in two days and my fam is begging for more. I’m going to try to make them in mini muffins this time.
Delicious! I ran out of butter and substituted an equal amount of sour cream. Came out so fluffy and delicious! That initial high temp makes them so tall and beautiful!
This is our family’s favorite favorite banana muffin recipe. We made it almost weekly!
I love this recipe. I have made it twice now omitting the sugar for my 1 yo and they are still fantastic!
I love this recipe, thanks!!! Do you have any info about freezing raw muffin batter?
Hi Raquel, we don’t recommend thawing raw muffin batter—the leaveners are activated once mixed together with the wet ingredients, so the texture would be different once the raw batter has gone through the freezing and thawing process. However, baked muffins do freeze wonderfully for up to 3 months!
Best banana muffins I’ve ever made. They never fail me.
FAMILY GATHERING AND THE MUFFINS WERE GONE IN 2 MINUTES….
I made these for my 1 year old and her baby friends. I left out all the sugar and just diced up 4 dates as an alternative. Tasted great, even the adults ate them. Thank you for the recipe
Best banana muffins I’ve ever tasted!
For us scale users: I adhere to the weight measurements listed in the recipe, including the total weight of the bananas. I weigh out about 80 grams of batter per parchment lined muffin cup. In my oven these are perfectly baked in 5 minutes at 425°F followed by 16 minutes at 350°F.
Hi Sally,
I have a bag of pastry flour and I know other people that use it for muffins. Some come light and fluffy, others are just too delicate and just fall apart. I wondered if you’ve ever used pastry flour for these muffins or any other, for that matter? Do you think the time would be the same or am I better off doing half and half? Also, do you use pastry flour in any baked goods and if so, can you direct me, please? (Sorry for so many questions!) Thanks and keep your great recipes coming!! 🙂
Hi Bella, we haven’t tried these with pastry flour, but let us know how they turn out if you do! Pastry flour isn’t quite as light as cake flour. You can use it as a substitute in recipes calling for cake flour, but the baked good won’t taste quite as light.
Can I get nutrition information. These are fabulous!
Hi Barbara, 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
This is such a yummy recipe! I now make these with gluten free flour for my celiac daughter, sub half of the butter with oil to reduce the cholesterol, and cut the sugar down to a 1/2 cup and add chocolate chips. They are awesome! Better than any store bought gluten free item you can find. My daughter loves them. Thank you for a great recipe!
Amazing recipe! Thanks for sharing
Just tried it, the muffins were delicious
Love this recipe! Everyone in the family loved these banana muffins. I didn’t have any brown or coconut sugar on hand, but didn’t want to add the full amount of honey, so I did ⅓ granulated sugar and ⅓ honey, and it turned out delicious!!
This recipe turned out so fluffy and moist, my family loved them. They were super easy to make.
Easy and delicious banana muffins I made six large muffins and baked them about 30 minutes they came out big and beautiful slightly crowned on top can’t wait to have them with my southern pecan coffee all of Sally’s recipes are keepers will continue to make them
This recipe is amazing, and it is super simple to make gluten free (I used bob’s red mill gf flour). I look forward to trying more recipes!
I look forward
Great recipe- love the cinnamon and nutmeg addition!
Wow! These are amazing!! Very moist and fluffy. I sprinkled the tops with a little sanding sugar to add a crunchy texture. YUM!
People are so correct when they are saying how perfect these muffins are. I love banana bread with walnuts or pecans but was having company who is allergic to nuts so did not add nuts nor chocolate and followed the recipe to a T. honestly, they were absolute perfection! Fluffy and moist and great banana flavor and super easy!!! So glad I found this recipe. Definitely a keeper!!!
I had to add to the abundance of 5 star reviews for these muffins. They are delicious, every time! They are more resilient than some other recipes (no creaming and worry about curdling, no sifting of flour necessary, doubles and triples without issue, I’ve never had an issue with over mixing, etc). They are easy, 1 mixer and 1 bowl only and 5 minutes of prep. I love them!! We make them all the time, sometimes we make 3 batches at a time if we forgot about our bananas. We also frequently bake them in jumbo muffin tins, no recipe adjustment needed and about 6 more minutes cooking and they come out just as perfect. Thank you Sally!
We’re so glad you love thees muffins, Audrey!
This recipe gave 12 perfectly moist, sweet but not too sweet, delicious banana muffins! Thanks for sharing!
Finally we’ve found the best banana muffin recipe. I find that measuring to
The exact grams is necessary for the perfect batch.
I made these yesterday, and they are delicious! I added chunky walnuts. I had to use a powdered egg and chocolate milk! Still tasted wonderful!
I’m not the world’s best cook, but these turned out phenomenal. My whole family loved them – even my picky kids. I followed the recipe exactly and added the walnuts. Thank you for the recipe!