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 superb! I didn’t have enough all purpose flour on hand so I used the rest of my all purpose flour, which was about 1 cup. Then I used 1/2 cup cake flour. Extremely tasty! Thanks for the recipe!
Hello quick question. I followed recipe to a T Let them cool and the muffins are very stuck to the muffin liners when going to eat one. Any idea ? Was I suppose to spray the liners? The instructions said spray the pan or else use liners.
Hi Chantal! We find the brand/quality of the liners you use really has an impact on baked goods sticking. We use and love Paper Chef brand parchment liners.
okay! in Canada where can those be purchased ? Or does just using the bare non stick muffin pan with spray do the trick too?
Hi Chantal! We can usually find them at our grocery store, or order them on Amazon. Spraying the muffin tin does the trick as well!
Love the taste but the mini muffins this was made in over flowed the cups. Next time I will fill 3/4 instead of full.
I use this recipe all the time. Reliable, easy and friends are asking for the recipe. I add a handful of Sultanas too. Thank you
These were so good and moist! I made 8 giant muffins with no add ins but was thinking some diced apples and walnuts would taste amazing in them. They aren’t too sweet at all and would make great breakfast muffins. I can’t wait to make them again and get creative.
Literally had four bananas that were looking awfully brown. Did a search for an easy banana “something” (bread/muffin/etc.) recipe and came across this gem! I had all the ingredients in my pantry already, funny enough like one of the other comments below, I was short a little vanilla and used heavy cream. Turned out delish!! Pinned this recipe and will use again for sure.
Burned them at 425. Trashed. Consider just starting at 350 if you get distracted.
Oh no, we’re sorry to hear this. We find that using the oven timer or a kitchen timer is helpful to remember when to turn the temperature down.
Very moist, light, and fluffy! Made them a directed but substituted cream for milk and I didn’t have enough vanilla in hand so it was probably about half. Family loved them!
I use this recipe all the time. My baking time is quite a bit shorter, after lowering the temp. I only bake for 9 minutes or so before they are done.
This recipe works nicely in an 8″ square pan, too! I lined my pan with enough parchment to come up the sides in order to remove the “cake” to a rack after cooling. I add about 10 minutes to the baking time.
I did not realize that when you tap on the ingredient, it crosses it off the list. My mistake. So I did not add the egg thinking I was to omit it. But they turned out delicious just the same.
These are hands down, the best banana muffins I’ve ever had. I didn’t even add any nuts or chips to it — they were great without!
I’ve used this recipe a couple of times with walnuts and without both ways are so good I couldn’t stay away. I’m wondering if you could do this recipe but with half the amount of bananas and the other half with applesauce?
Hi Jenna, if you don’t have enough bananas, you can make up the difference with some applesauce, but you’ll lose a bit of flavor.
This recipe is a good one,I used coconut sugar,it was perfect not eal sweet but still good banana flavor,my family likes them plain but im sure adding nuts or coconut flakes would be delicious too
Absolutely Delish!! This will be my new Go To for banana muffins,,,
I’m going in to make the muffins ! Oh, yeah !! I know they will be great and full of flavor ! Going to store for bananas. Then the party begins !! Thank you so much. I have looked for a recipie like this for a very long time, thank you for it !!!
Loved these so much! I didn’t add nutmeg instead subbed with a little more cinnamon. Delicious! Adult and toddler approved ✅
Just made your recipe for Banana muffins. Absolutely wonderful, as all your recipes that I’ve tried have been. Thanks for providing these fail-safe recipes for us!
Your instructions helped me so much..turned out Perfect! Thank you..made 2 batches.
Sorry, but when I made this the batter was too thick. Muffins did not come out light and airy. I ended up throwing them out. Maybe a tad bit more of milk would have helped.
YUM
I made these today & they where fantastic. They where nice & high until I took them out of the oven, then they collapsed. Not sure what I did wrong. But I will definitely make them again.
Hi Carol! Usually breads/muffins will collapse when they’ve been under-baked. Did you use a toothpick to test for doneness? That’s the best way to tell if they’re done 🙂
My kiddo has an egg allergy, do you have a recommended substitution? I tend to go with egg replacer for baked goods.
Hi Abbie, we haven’t tested these muffins with any egg substitutes, but let us know if you do any experimenting.
Hey! I made these this morning with apple sauce instead the egg and they were delicious. My husband, myself, and our two toddlers loved them. Pretty sure there’s only two left. 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce = 1 egg
It’s a great egg substitute in baked goods I’ve been doing this for years when I run out of eggs.
Best muffins ever! I made these with my children and they are so delicious and quick to make. So soft and tasty, big hit. Big big thank you.
Hi, I want to substitute the butter for coconut oil – how much should I use?
Hi Loz, the butter really gives these muffins fantastic flavor, and we highly recommend sticking with the recipe as written. That being said, the same amount of coconut oil or canola/vegetable oil would work just fine.
I subbed coconut oil for butter bc I have a tub of coconut oil to get rid of. Worked great. Fantastic muffins. Went with added c chips!
Good morning, can i use this recipe to make jumbo banana muffins?
Hi Linda, absolutely. You can use the baking times and instructions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
These muffins turned out wonderfully! I have my go-to recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins that I make for my grandchildren but wanted something a little different more like banana bread but in a muffin. This one was perfect.. fluffy, nicely spiced, not overly sweet. I added walnuts and did half whole wheat half white flour. The kitchen smelled amazing and the muffins were delicious! Will Definitely make again.
Oh wow these are so good. Fluffy, light, sweet but not overly sickly. I didn’t have any cinnamon or nutmeg and they’ve still turned out great. I used dark choc chips and chopped walnuts. Amazing.
These came out sooo good! I used regular sugar since I was out of brown sugar and already started before I realized and still delicious!
These are the best banana muffins I have ever made. Followed the directions exactly.
This recipe is my go too whenever I have ripe bananas. Love these muffins so much.