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, or 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!
PrintQuick & 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. 🙂
Just made these muffins, they are fresh out the oven and my kitchen smells amazing! They look great taste and taste even better, my teen boys LOVED THEM! I added 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and pecans, and used inky the brown sugar, also cooked them all at 355° for 22 minutes. They are delicious, the batter made 17 muffins! Only wish I could of posted a pic because I’m so proud of them!
Made these this morning and they’re fantastic. I did make a few changes due to lack of ingredients. I used sunflower oil instead of butter, and used 2 flax eggs instead of one actual egg. We did 1 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 whole wheat. Also, we added some pumpkin seeds and chocolate chips. So good!
This made a lot of muffins! I have standard muffin tins and I had to break out not only the 12-muffin pan but also the 6 muffin pan. It’s great because I was batch cooking for next week. This was a really good recipe, other than the size. My husband and kids really liked the muffins. I am definitely going to keep this in my recipe list for future baking. I will say, my 2-year-old enjoyed mashing the bananas.
These muffins were perfect as written
Delicious muffins! I’ve made these at least 5 times in the past few months and each batch has turned out sooooo good. I normally reduce the amount of sugar down to 1/3 cup, which may sound too little, but it’s the perfect amount for me since I’ve always enjoyed less sugary sweets. I also highly encourage folding in 1/2 cup bittersweet dark chocolate chips and 1/2 cup walnuts (like I do).
Best. Banana. Muffin. Recipe. Ever! Seriously!!! Sooo good. I put dark chocolate chips and double the batch everytime because there won’t be any for school lunches after they’re outta the oven. Yuum
I made these muffins today I added crushed almonds with some dried fruit & put 3 chocolate chip melts on top they are very yummy. I’ll be baking these again.
Great recipe! I’ve had several requests to make these and have even modified this recipe and made chocolate banana muffins by adding a 1/4 cup cocoa powder and leaving out thd cinnamon and nutmeg. Every time it comes out amazing.
We love these muffins at our house. So easy and yummy!!
Maybe you can reread the directions carefully before trying again.
Thank you Sally, my family loved them! They gave it a 10/10.
I’m not the best at baking but this recipe made me feel encouraged to bake more! It was so easy to make and the results were amazing!!! They are so soft, moist and balanced! I added in pumpkin seeds to mine because I have a lot in my pantry lol. I made a batch of 12 just for me and my boyfriend and we love them!! Going to bookmark this recipe for the future.
I’ve been making these muffins for the last several months now, sometimes weekly! My toddler always asks for them and has now stopped eating bananas so they get ripe! Great recipe, easy to follow, and delicious!
I loved this recipe. I use Truvia brown sugar blend (sugar substitute) and it turned out great. Next time I will add the nuts to give it that crunch. I don’t think I will go back to banana bread since I have this recipe to make instead. It was quick and easy.
These are the best banana muffins I’ve ever had! I added some dried orange rind and some raisins. The muffinsDebbie were moist and absolutely delicious. My husband now keeps his eye out for overripe bananas when at the store.
Hi Sally ! My muffin pan only yields 6 muffins, so I was planning on dividing the batter in half right before pouring it in the pan, then baking it in two batches. Is it a problem that half of my batter will sit on the counter while the other half bakes in the oven ? Do I need to put it in the fridge ?
Hi Laura, That should be fine! Just keep the remaining batter loosely covered at room temperature while the first 6 bake.
Perfect muffins, ready in a flash! Followed recipe as written and they were wonderful. Used 1 cup AP and 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, dark brown sugar, and butter. I toasted my walnuts before adding to the batter for extra crunch and flavor. Hubby raved about them to my mom-in-law, so this will be my go-to muffin from now on!
Was going to make banana bread but didn’t want to wait for the long baking time. I have used other muffin recipes with okay results, nothing amazing. This recipe turned out really good! My family loved them! Will definitely make these muffins again. I added 4 really ripe bananas.
This recipe was easy to follow, muffins are very tasty. Not sure why they are sticking to the muffin liners. Next time I will just spray my muffin tin and forget the liners.
My daughter calculated the calories to be approximately 175 calories per muffin.
Simply…..delicious! Moist and more-ish! I added white chocolate chips as I had some and wanted to use them up but they made the muffins a bit too sweet for me (had already cut down the sugar by 1/3 cup) but with dark unsweetened chocolate chips or sutanas they would be just perfect! Sprinkled some sliced almonds on top as well…..delish!
Thank you Sally for a very easy and ‘fail’ safe recipe! Had to deal with hardened brown sugar so it was a little worrisome for a while.
Also, I used Greek Yogurt instead of milk and it worked really well too.
Thank you 🙂
I never leave reviews but this recipe needs it!! I made them with Caputo Gluten Free flour, a split ratio of vegan butter (not vegan just can’t have dairy – so don’t omit the egg!) & coconut oil, coconut sugar but I was 1/4 shy of the 2/3rds so I added maple syrup. And added ‘enjoy life’ chocolate chunk chips! These were so light, fluffy and absolutely delish! Perfect amount of sweetness.
Thank you Sally..loved this recipe ..it was super soft and moist ..would make em again and again and again…
Absolutely fantastic recipe. I added the chocolate chips but found the muffin to be too sweet so next time I’ll reduce the brown sugar.
STOP IT! It should be illegal for muffins to be so freakin perfect!! The taste is amazing with the cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. They’re incredibly light, fluffy and moist. I can’t wait to try them again with chocolate chips or nuts, or both!! After years of using the same boring banana bread recipes, I’m throwing them out For this one!
Just tried this recipe and my toddler loved it too. Added chocolate chips and walnuts. Just the perfect pick me up with a cup of coffee.
Wonderful recipe! These baked up with a beautiful dome, dense but fluffy texture, and were perfectly sweet. I made only one change – substituting half of the melted butter (3tbl) for oil, as I prefer the texture of muffins made with oil.
Unbelievable! Perfect. Amazing. I didn’t have an egg so I substituted apple sauce. Turned out perfect. Best ever!
Could you add peanut butter. Will that change the consistency of the mix?
Hi Amanda, We haven’t tested adding peanut butter directly to this batter but you can add peanut butter chips without making any changes. Or try these Skinny Peanut Butter Banana Muffins.
These were awesome! Added chocolate chips for a dessert like treat! Kids loved them, husband loved them, we will put this on our rotation of baking goods!