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 are a requested favorite of my grandchildren and their friends, ages 11 to 20! I make them with chocolate chips (of course!). I use buttermilk in place of regular milk and add 1/2 teaspoon of ground Cardamom with the cinnamon and nutmeg. That’s my thing as I love what Cardamom does to spiced baked goods. Frankly, I love just about all of Sally’s recipes.
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Cathryn! We’re so glad these muffins are such a hit.
Hi Annie, how much yoghurt did you put for the missing banana?
My new go-to recipe, you should add no-fail to the quick and easy. I’ve tried so many recipes that would not bake all the way through. The 5 minutes at 450 must be the trick. Thank you!
The oven temperature is 425 degrees for the first 5 minutes
Excellent muffins! This recipe is a keeper
I am a very average baker but recipe was so easy to follow and DELICIOUS. I did 50/50 chopped walnuts and chocolate chips!
Quick and Easy Banana Muffins are on my list of staples! Loved the baking tip of high heat first…Flavour and texture ( I doubled the recipe ) were extrodinary. Who knew something so simple could be so impressive. Thank you❣️
I forgot the milk. They’re in the oven now. Did I ruin them?
Hi Heidi, the muffins will likely be a bit dense and heavy without the addition of the milk. Hope you still enjoy them!
I really love this recipe! I have made it them many times. Was wondering can I substitute almond flour for people on keto diets
Hi MS, swapping in almond flour for the regular flour isn’t ideal here. We’ve had many readers report success using a GF flour (the “cup for cup” replacement) though.
Great recipe, lovely blend of cinnamon and nutmeg. I added choped walnuts and substituted yoghurt for a missing banana. Had to taste immediately out of the oven just 15 minutes ago, sublime! Best muffin recipe I have tried, thankyou for sharing.
These muffins are sooo moist and tasty! Hubby loves them with chocolate chips…me too, lets be honest.
THESE ARE DELICIOUS!! I replaced the milk with coconut milk and you can’t even tell.
Definitely a keeper! Didnt have any more muffin wrappers so i baked it in a loaf pan with the same timings and it came out reallly good. Just wondering if i could substitute the flour with almond flour to make it gluten free? Would it still work the same? Thanks
Hi Reeya, swapping in almond flour for the regular flour isn’t ideal here. I’ve had many readers report success using a GF flour (the “cup for cup” replacement) though.
Wow, buttery! These were amazing. I made mini muffins. I baked at 425 for 5 minutes, then 350 for 8 more. I love your banana bread and didn’t think anything could top it, but these do! I will make them again and again. I sprayed the pan well and they popped out easily- no need for liners.
The batter did not fill the whole tray, but it tasted amazing! I would totally recommend this recipe!
Hi! My kids LOVE these! Thank you! Do you have any suggestions on making them as mini muffins? Thanks!
Hi Bianca, so glad this recipe is a hit with your kids! For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.
We made this recipe with leftover bananas and the whole family loved it, including our kids. Will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Delicious, moist, light and flavourful. I doubled the cinnamon and they tasted great.
Sally, thank you so much for this great recipe! I have sent multiple batches of these muffins to work with my honey. He works in manufacturing, and though there are places on site to buy food, it’s super expensive and mostly junk. The few coffee stands in the factory have overpriced sweets. Everybody loves these Banana Muffins! I always use whole wheat flour and chocolate chips it’s gotten to the point where his coworkers will even order the muffins by the quadruple batch, and pay for them. Thank Heaven for my Bosch stand mixer, 24 muffin pan, this fabulous recipe and you! ❤️
This recipe makes great banana muffins. I’ve recently been writing down my recipes in my grandmother’s recipe box on index cards. This one will be going in the box for sure. I like to sprinkle sugar on the top of the muffins for a good crunch. Thanks for the recipe, Sally!
This is such a yummy recipe and so forgiving when the kids help make it and the amounts are slightly altered due to spills and taste testing along the way. We blend all the ingredients bar flour (for the one child who won’t tolerate even tiny lumps) and then slowly stir in flour and choc chips. We completely omit the sugar.
Made them today with my grandson (4 yo) not only a good experience but the muffins were great, just eaten the first half dozen. Easy and Tasty. We topped them off with a little Maple syrup icing.
These were the BEST banana muffins I have ever made! The high temp at the beginning made them turn out beautifully! I halved the sugar and then topped them with a dollop of banana buttercream! I will definitely be making these again. Thank you so much.
I love this recipe. Any suggestions on cooking time if using jumbo muffin tins?
Hi Ammie, glad these are a favorite! For jumbo muffins, you can follow the baking time and directions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
Simply. Easy to make. Perfect! My daughter loved these. I wish the recipe included a calorie count though for tracking. Thanks!
Hi Kathleen, 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
Love this recipe, kids love it even more. Baked some yesterday, realized after I forgot to add in melted butter and they were still wonderful.
I love this recipe, actually I love all of yourActually I love all of your recipes.
What happens if you add two eggs instead of one! Leave out the milk?
I’ve made this before and everyone loves it! Even my husband who isn’t a big fan of banana flavored things! At the moment though, I only have 2 bananas. Would I half the recipe?
Hi Leanne! You can definitely halve this recipe if needed.
Thank you so much for publishing a recipe for banana muffins that are actually moist and delicious! I wanted to eat all of them in one sitting! They went great with coffee. I don’t know if I will ever go back to banana bread!
Made these just now and they are perfect.
I used 3/4 all purpose flour and 1/4 buckwheat flour
I added some blueberries as I didn’t have enough bananas .
Added chopped Brazil nuts .
Baking times are exact, I might reduce just a bit of sugar next time but that’s my personal preference. The recipe is excellent!! Thank you so much
quick and delicious recipe. Made exactly as described. I may have whisked the wet mixture more than usual and it made for a very light muffin. Love the cinnamon and nutmeg