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
This is my go to, never ever fails banana muffin recipe!! Everyone LOVES them! Easy to put together. I’ve done both the regular size muffins and the mini muffins. And I think the mini muffins bake better.
If I’m too lazy to get out the mixer, how would this recipe do if mixed totally by hand?
Hi L, you can use a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas, then a whisk and spatula to make the rest of the recipe.
These muffins were absolute perfection!! I made one batch at 2:00 am, so that my boys will have a surprise in the morning. My husband and I couldn’t resist consuming a muffin fresh out of the oven. They were delish! I have no doubt my kiddos will love them. I plan on making a double batch again tomorrow. I have a ton of frozen bananas to use up, so this recipe will definitely be in our breakfast rotation! Thanks so much for this recipe!!
Best banana muffins I have ever made! The muffins were tasty and moist! I cannot wait to try more of your recipes. I love baking and these tips are so great. Thank you!
I love this recipe!! I was curious if you recommend using a 24 mini muffin pan versus a 12 regular pan the recipe calls for.l
Hi Blair, you can certainly use a mini muffin pan if you prefer. For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C).
I made these muffins gluten free and they came out great. This is a recipe I will make again
I love this recipe!! I’ve made it last night and it’s a big hit in my home, I have a double batch in the oven now! thank you for sharing
My grandson aged 9 and I made this very successfully. He enjoyed making the muffins so much we have repeated it !
I make these with a half cup of sugar(because my sweet tooth is defective) and they always turn out great. This is basically the only recipe I ever make when I have overripe bananas.
Excellent as always. I made mine with chocolate chips.
Made this recipe with my students and they absolutely loved them. Very easy to make with children.
I love your recipes.
First let me say I loved this recipe soo much. I do think that when baking the muffins might have been better off with a few minutes less either at 450 Degrees or at 350 degrees. Overall my muffins didn’t completely burn, the just had a bit of a crunch around the rim. But again the ingredients were perfect and it tasted really good!
Omg this banana bread goes out soo fast! Is there any variation in temp if I make this into mini muffins?
I’m glad you enjoy these! (For mini muffins, bake 12–14 total minutes at 350°F (177°C).)
Do raisins work in these muffins? I love raisins. Is there a trick for when to or how to add to batter? Sometimes they seem to get lost!? Hmmm
Hi Patti, yes, you can certainly add a cup of raisins to these. You can add them at the end of step 2. Are your raisins particularly small? Perhaps that is why they seem to “disappear.” You can also try plumping them up by soaking them in warm water for about 10 minutes before drying and adding them to the batter.
Can these be made in a jumbo muffin pan?
Hi Samantha, absolutely. You can use the baking times and instructions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
These are HEAVEN!!!!!!
Hi. I am diabetic.I skipped the sugar or honey ingredient.It was excellent,I used 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries.
All the best.
I’ve made this recipe a few times and everytime it comes out wonderfully – even if I mess it up by overcooking them by accidentally turning up the oven or don’t have quite enough brown sugar. They are a hit for the whole family and can withstand little changes or additions, or extras. But they are great because the base recipe is just fantastic. I really appreciate all the notes and clarifications you offer. They are informative and always help produce the best results. Thank you!
Thank you so much for your rave review, Sydney!
I like how the muffins came out moist and soft and with nice dome. The taste was not bad except for some bitterness in it- could it be the baking soda or baking powder? I followed exactly the recipe. My ingredients were all fresh. But thanks ! I will try again. I love your other recipes.
Hi Jo! When you can taste some bitterness/sourness, it can be an indication that your baking soda or powder are going bad. We would try again with fresh!
Amazing! We didn’t have enough bananas so used half a cup of greek yogurt and they turned out perfect and the smell in the house is amazing. Thank you Sally!
Very good muffins. I made mini muffins and added pecans to the batter. They went perfectly with Sally’s Easy Frittata which is a favorite at our house for any meal.
These were great! I used grams (not cups). As I wasn’t sure if the Celsius temperature was fan or not, I used 190C and 180C and they came out great. I would reduce the choc chips next time maybe. But they were soft and light and very easy to make. My favourite recipe so far for using up bananas. Highly recommend.
Can I sub honey for brown sugar?
Hi Jane, see the recipe notes for sugar substitutes. 2/3 cup of honey should work great!
These muffins were easy and delicious! I added walnuts and a sprinkle of mini chocolate chips. I’ll be saving bananas just to make these again!
Sally, you have done it again. Your recipes are always spot on. Now, this is where it gets interesting; whenever I bake, I make sure I have all the ingredients… not this time though. I didn’t have any baking soda or milk. Are you kidding me? I substituted 1 T. of baking powder for the soda and used powdered milk instead of whole milk. I topped the muffins with course sugar before baking. When I opened my oven door to test for doneness, I said, “Oh my goodness, these are beautiful!” Then I ate one!
Soooooo goooood! I added some flaxseed and I was about 20 grams short on the banana, so I added honey to make up for it. No idea if that significantly affected the outcome, but either way, I will be making this again and again. I’ve already eaten like 3 today, and I’d eat more if I didn’t have a family to share with.
I followed the recipe and it barely made 10 or 11 muffins. It didn’t make 12. 🙁
Made 9 for me
I got 10 and added a cup of walnuts
YOUR RECIPE IS AMAZING
This recipe is amazing! Kids tested and kids approved! Great morning breakfast! I added rolled oats and the kids loved it!
I have only ever made so so banana muffins, but these were over the top!
Perfect! I used oat milk and Nuttlex, for my dairy intolerant child and they were so soft and moist. I didn’t have a full 2/3 cup brown sugar, so used about a 1/4 cup and topped the rest with white. They weren’t as lovely a brown, but otherwise great!