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
Deliciosa receta. He hecho otras recetas pero me quedaban secos. Esta es PER FEC TA. Segui las instrucciones al pie de la letra, especialmente el tiempo de cocción, el cual no los deje mas tiempo para evitar se secara , tan pronto les metí el pailto para probar si estaban listos y salio limpio, apague el horno y los saque.
Se los hice a mi hijo y me dijo que quedaron buenisimos. Los seguire preparando. Gracias por compartir la receta
Can I substitute the egg. If yes, with and how much ? My Granddaughter is very allergic to eggs.
Hi Tina, we haven’t tested it but some bakers have had success using a flax egg substitute in our muffin recipes in the past.
This has been my go to banana muffins recipe for 3 years now. They come out perfect everytime!
It was my first time ever baking and the results were fantastic. The best muffin I ever tasted in my life. No exaggeration. I added some streusel toppings on the top and they were BOMB! Thanks Sally for this recipe
I’m wanting to try these. I’m not a fan of cinnamon or nutmeg. Can I just add 1/2 tsp cinnamon and no nutmeg?
For sure, Christine!
I just made these with my 2 year old son and they were delicious! My son loved them too and he can be a tough critic. Very soft, moist and full of flavour, so good! Thank you!
Made this exactly as stated and they were the moistest banana muffins I ever had. It makes 12 muffins which all disappeared after 20 minutes. I will be making them again. Thank you for sharing your recipe
Delicious muffins! My husband and my granddaughters just love them. This will be my go to banana muffin recipe from now on! Followed recipe exactly as written and didn’t add any nuts or chips.
I’m really happy with how mine turned out! I used 1/4 cup chai seeds as the addition in this and it was great! Thankyou!
Simply amazing. Only adjustments I made were to replace some of the flour with white whole wheat and added macadamia nuts. And since my hubby likes things sweet, I topped some of them with some cream cheese/mascarpone, whipped cream frosting I had left over from a Chantilly cake I’d made for a friend the day before. These muffins are crazy good with or without that touch of frosting!
Thanks for this recipe!
Giving it a go today!
Great recipe! It has become a family favorite! Thank you for sharing this.
I made these for breakfast today and my husband loved them! He said they are delicious and have a well balanced flavor. Thanks for the great recipe. I will definitely be making these again.
These banana muffins are absolutely delicious! They turned out so fluffy and moist, and the cinnamon adds the perfect touch. I made them for a brunch, and everyone loved them! Definitely a recipe I’ll keep making!
I just made these but used a flax egg in place of the egg and plant based butter and milk. They literally turned out perfect. I also never bake, this is the first I’ve baked in years, this might change that. Great way to save bananas gone bad. Thanks
Simple but delicious.
Thinking about trying these, but my mom doesn’t like too sweet of pastries. Do you think I can reduce the amount of brown sugar? Or is there a preference between light or dark brown sugar for less sweetness?
Hi Nicky, I prefer a less sweet muffin and often make these with 1/2 cup brown sugar instead of 2/3 cup without issue. The banana keeps them moist!
Followed the recipe as per instructions (few minor differences in weight to cup ratio) and my muffins came out beautifully. Thank you for my new favourite go-to banana muffin recipe
Hi Sally! I’ve made your recipe before with chocolate chips, but a friend asked for gender reveal banana bread muffins and I’m thinking of doing raspberries and white chocolate chips for a girl, and blueberries and semi sweet chocolate chips for a boy. I’m wondering how you would go about adjusting the recipe to account for the additional moisture of the fruit?
Hi Kaylea, you can add up to a cup of fruit + baking chips with no other changes. Enjoy!
I love you blueberry Muffins. I put Sour Cream in the recipe. They came out really good. Nice and soft.
I love your recipes. I am a pastry chef and work for the Phoenix Convention Center. I watch a person who has been with the company 15 years bake muffins.
It’s horrifying, why because they are baked at 320F for 17 minutes. When she takes them out of the oven they are done on the top but not the bottom. Then she puts them in the cooler before they have a chance to finish the bake cycle. She plates these muffins to fill orders. Horrifying.
Also, I really need practice in my piping skills. What can anyone recommend for me. I am in Mesa AZ, Takes bakers!
Hi Barbara, here is our piping tips 101 and tutorial. Hope this helps!
These muffins are delicious and anything but dry or bland! They are super easy and they never last long at my house. I also love adding a streusel on top for a little extra decadence. I would highly recommend this recipe!
What adjustments would you need to make for high altitude, baking?
Hi Pru, we wish we could help, but we have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
Hi Pru! I live at 8,000 ft. and didn’t change anything and they came out great!
This is my second time making these delicious muffins. Their texture is more similar to a banana bread than a muffin, which we love! Filling the tin up to the top gives you the “crunchy part” post-bake. No chance to freeze these, they disappear!
Hi Sally, you are my go to for recipes, I trust your recipes will come out great! Can I bake these muffins in a jumbo muffin pan? If so what changes do I need to make?
Hi Veronica, absolutely! We recommend using the baking times and instructions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. Enjoy!
In our house these muffins are called “THE banana muffins” because I’ve tried so many different recipes and these are the only ones that are allowed any more:)
I like to add 1/4 c cocoa to make these chocolate banana with the addition of mini chic chips too !!
Very good !
These are delicious!
Instead of milk, I use two heaping tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt. I put sprinkles of cinnamon sugar on top of each. I didn’t use chocolate chips because I thought they would overpower the delicious taste of the cinnamon and not make but I did chop up pecans.
I tried the recipe and it turned out absolutely perfect! The measurements were spot on, and the cake came out moist, fluffy, and full of flavor. Thank you for such a reliable and delicious recipe — definitely saving this one for the future!
Haven’t made these yet but was wondering how long they can sit out at room temp (in container)? How long in fridge? Can I leave out for a couple days then switch to the fridge? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Sarah! Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Hi Sally, I have made this 3-4 times in last two weeks. My son keeps asking for this. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Could I substitute the brown sugar for normal white sugar?
Hi AB, that will work in a pinch.