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
Really disappointed with this recipe.. I was skeptical when it said “fill to the top” but I did it anyways, and unsurprisingly, these were ridiculously massive and ballooned all over the muffin tray. Flavor is fine, consistency wasn’t great and lost plenty of the batter to the over-filled nature.
A commenter asked if this recipe could be baked in a pan instead. Sally’s team suggested using an 8″ x 8″ pan but unsure of the baking time. So I decided to test it that way and it came out perfect. I baked it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
Super excited! I followed this recipe to a T with the one exception that I have Celiac and used King Arthur 1 to 1 gluten free flour. Normally things will bake beautifully but collapse while cooling down. This did not happen with these muffins. They are full and beautiful and absolutely delicious!
Excellent recipe! I used gluten free flour (Bobs red mill one to one, with xanthan gum) and earth balance for butter and oat milk. You’d never know they were gf and DF!!
This muffin recipe is perfect, it is my go to recipe for banana muffins. I am thinking of adding a streusel topping to it just to snazz it up.
What is the nutritional information for the banana muffins
Hi Jeane, 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
These were so easy to make and yummy! I don’t have a regular 12-count muffin pan at the moment so I ended up making 6 HUGE muffins haha! Still cooked perfectly within the same amount of time. I also added chocolate chips for an extra sweetness
An excellent recipe that works. Delicious soft muffins with flavour
What’s the calorie count on these
Hi Betty Sue, 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
Solid muffin recipe- this one’s a keeper! I made them just as directed except it was a double batch (why make just one) with an extra banana and walnuts and they are delicious. Baked perfectly and so easy to manage as compared to a banana bread loaf, which I’ve never gotten right as the edges get too dried out by the time the middle is baked. I love the clear banana flavor with the crunch of the nuts. One muffin is a filling breakfast with coffee or nice snack and I have a dozen to freeze.
This is the best recipe! I use pumpkin puree as an egg substitute and it is wonderful! I also use the coconut sugar!
Wonderful recipes
They turned out so delicious! Thank you!
I am terrible at baking but when I made this they were not only SO simple they were so yum 10/10 would make again
Enjoyed making this recipe. Love it
Your banana muffins turned out delicious!
These were awesome! The 425 first does the trick! The muffins were nice and high, just the right amount of sweetness. I put chocolate chips in them. YUM! Great recipe.
When adding the dry ingredients, do I need to mix it by hand to avoid over mixing, or can I just use a stand mixer? Thanks
Hi Elizabeth, we prefer to mix the dry ingredients by hand first.
Thanks, but I meant when mixing the dry and wet ingredients together?
Oh, you can use your mixer!
Just put my 3rd batch of these in the oven. So much easier than banana bread. I add mini chocolate chips and instead of nutmeg, I use the homemade pumpkin pie spice from this website. So yummy!
I never leave a comment or rate recipes online but this one is a winner! I must admit I didn’t make muffins cause I was in a hurry so I just poured the batter into a pan and followed these baking instructions. 10 min before the end I checked if the knife comes out clean. I kept it in for 20 min total and it wasn’t done done (knife wasn’t completely clean), but I prefer it that way. The best banana bread ever so moist and fluffy! I know I know, I’ll go and check your actual banana bread now Thanks for sharing!
Delicious! Prefer white sugar over brown with banana stuff, so subbed it out. Also doubled the cinnamon. Perfect!
This was a simple, easy to follow recipe that provided amazing, delicious muffins! Definitely a keeper!
Making my second recipe in less than a week!! They’re that good!!
I doubled the recipe, then reduced the sugar by 1/3 cup. I used 7 bananas in the doubled recipe. SO delicious!
Just made these muffins and immediately added the recipe to my go to lists of recipes! Delicious, quick and easy!
Just baked this and realised I didnt have the right sized muffin containers so i baked it as a loaf and it turned out perfectly. Super moist, very nice balance of banana and suprised that it managed to rise just like a regular loaf cake.
thanks so much!
The best muffins ever! I used coconut oil instead of butter and dark chocolate chips. Delicious!
Going to make ur banana bread tomorrow, can’t wait! Thanks!
Can these be cooked as jumbo?
Hi Ruby, absolutely. For jumbo muffins, you can follow the baking time and directions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
Made the muffins as called for. They were great!
It would be nice if the nutritional information were included with the recIpe.
Hi Linda, 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