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!
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. 🙂
Keywords: banana muffins
Actually based muffins
★★★★★
My sister loved them said they were moist and nice. She only wished they were a little sweeter.
★★★★
You can make them sweeter by subbing one-third of brown sugar with white sugar. Hope that helps!
★★★★★
So glad I picked this recipe. My muffins looked professional and tasted even better! I baked 6 large muffins, so I added 10 minutes to the cooking time (33 minutes in total). So proud of how perfect they came out, but I didn’t know how to add a pic to my post. They were soft, moist, and bakery quality muffins! Definately will make these again
★★★★★
So moist and easy to make! I gave most of them away and now I’m wishing I had saved more for me Definitely making these again!
★★★★★
Hi Sally!
I just made these muffins, and they are fabulous! Added a cup of dark chocolate Callebaut chips… Heaven!! Thanks for the amazing recipe. This one is a keeper 🙂
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
I Just made these muffins & they are the best I have ever tasted. I used wholemeal spelt flour which is a good substitute for wheat flour My Husband just ate 3 muffins & he usually does not like bananas in cakes. I am going to try pumpkin & sultanas next time.
The tip for putting muffins into a hot oven first is excellent.
Thank you
I tried many other recipes, but your recipe comes out with the most fantastic result! I don’t really leave this kind of comment on the websites, but I should do. Thanks Sally.
★★★★★
These are SO tasty! I only had two ripe bananas so I subbed in 1 cup of pumpkin puree.
★★★★★
Made these a couple of days ago. My husband who does not like anything banana loves these. They don’t smell like bananas which is a plus point for us and they taste amazing with chocolate chips. Will definitely be making these again. Thank you for the recipe Sally.
★★★★★
I made these this morning and opted for peanut butter chips instead of chocolate. First the family’s noses were happy with the smell while they baked. Then our tastebuds were overjoyed with the taste. Lovely recipe. Definitely a keeper.
★★★★★
I like this! I did sub the milk for 3 TBs plain yoghurt, because I didn’t feel like opening a new carton for a couple tablespoons (we don’t use milk very much), and it worked brilliantly! Could probably do with a bit less sugar, they do come out very sweet. I’ll try that next time, because I probably will make these again!
★★★★★
Excellent and easy to make. I added chocolate chips but followed the recipe even leveling the flour.
Taste sooo good I wanted to eat more than one at a time but used restraint. Family also loved them and the house smelled great. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
I know it will make them taste different, but I didn’t add the cinnamon or nutmeg and they were delicious! I will definitely make them again. I added chocolate chips.
★★★★★
I have made these several times!! They are DELICIOUS. Sometimes I put a few Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips in the batter before baking and sprinkling the tops with Cinnamon Sugar or Nutmeg. Toddler approved also!
★★★★★
Great recipe – just posting a heads up about the initial high temp. It may likely be just my oven, but by 5 minutes the sides were browning a lot and I had to take these out after 19 min total cooking time. Next time I make these I will skip that because it added nothing for me other than overly brown sides (didn’t rise any more than any other recipe). Again, it seems to work for everyone else so just posting in case your oven is like mine! (Time to buy a thermometer and make sure it’s heating accurately…). I bake a lot and frequently make muffins/cupcakes and I’ve not had this issue with browning before, so I assume it must be the initial bake temp. Aside from that tip, super simple and tasty recipe! Note I made exactly as described with dark chocolate chips. I’ll be trying again soon w/a constant temp!
★★★★
Made this twice already, and finally being confident enough to make more, that I planned to give them to some people as a hamper.
I love being in the kitchen but somehow never really have great success in baking. But I found Sally’s instruction and measurement very accurate and clear, and suddenly baking become easy! And I just put a batch of your lemon pound cake recipe in the oven, very confident that it will come with anothet success. Thanks Sally to bring back my confidence in the kitchen
★★★★★
Made these this morning using coconut oil. They were perfect! The whole family (including two toddlers) devoured them.
★★★★★
Great fast,easy, and delicious recipe!! I’m glad I ran into this recipe this morning. I wanted something sweet with my coffee and this muffin was a great compliment. I added rum soaked raisins to a few with shredded coconut. Oh em gee!! Perfect
Excellent and easy. Made in my food processor and turned out great. Only thing I added was pecans
The best banana muffins ever. Easy to make. Great flavor and texture. This recipe is a keeper.
Could I try to make these with peanut butter instead of eggs? I can”t take eggs that well, but I’ve read it’s a pretty ok substitute but that it does change the texture a little… so I’m a little worried I’m going to mess them up!
★★★★
Hi Alyssa! We haven’t tested that substitution, but let us know if you give it a try. Some bakers have had success using a flax egg substitute in our muffin recipes in the past as well.
I made this muffins using Gluten-Free Pamela’s All Purpose Flour Mix. I used the same amount of flour that the recipe states. I am impressed of how well the muffins rose and how firm and soft these muffins are! (They don’t crumble easily) The flavor is great ( I just used half of the amount of nutmeg because I know I only like a slight hint of it in my food, and I loved how they turned out). I also will use a bit less salt next time.
In general this recipe is GREAT and very simple.
★★★★★
Hi, I made these and they turned out absolutely perfect and everyone loved them, so thank you!!! I just wanted to ask if I could use this recipe to make a cake instead of muffins? Thank you
Hi Priya, we are so happy you enjoyed this recipe! You can bake this in a loaf pan but we have not tested it in a cake pan so I’m unsure of the bake time you would need. We do have a couple recipes for banana cake on our website if you’re interested as well!
Really lovely muffins. Especially with nuts (I used pecans). Also added some frozen blueberries to the top of 4 to test and they turned out great.
I had them prepped and baked while getting ready for the day and enjoyed them during my first meeting… And my second meeting 🙂
★★★★★
Hi. I’m going to attempt this today. Can i mix or use a combo whole wheat and white flour? Equal parts?
Love you’re big btw! I have made so many things! Strawberry Cake was a hit! Strawberry shortcake with biscuits also a hit! You’re awesome!
Hi Anna, thank you for your kind note! You can try a mix of whole wheat and white flour — the muffins will be denser. Or, you might like our Whole Wheat Banana Bread recipe instead. Let us know what you try!
Did you use unsalted butter? I make these a lot (my 2 year old will literally cry if he doesn’t have them for breakfast) and haven’t found them to be salty.
★★★★★
Loved this receipe ….easy & fast!
The hint of baking them in high heat for 5 minutes gave them the high tops.
I added milk chocolate chips and sprinkled the tops with raw sugar!
WOW!!!
Best banana muffins EVER!!! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
I have tried this recipe yesterday and it was fantastic! Spongy, airy, great taste! Approved by hubby and kids i would like to know if it is possible to substitute the bananas with fresh strawberries?
Thanks Sally for sharing this recipe!
Hi Joan, we’re so happy to hear these were a hit with your family! We wouldn’t take out the bananas, but you could simply add a cup of chopped strawberries (blot before adding to the batter to remove some of the excess moisture). Or, you might enjoy our Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins or Strawberry Chocolate Chip Muffins instead!
Is it possible to add a home made streusel topping (made of butter, sugar and plain flour) to the top of the muffins before putting them into the oven ?
Hi Gia, sure can! You can follow the streusel from our blueberry streusel muffins or your favorite streusel recipe.
These are light, fluffy and we enjoyed them! Thanks
★★★★★
I’m going to be making this recipe tomorrow and adding mini frozen blueberries. I’m wondering if I can convert this recipe into 6 jumbo muffins instead of the standard 10-12 muffins. Would you recommend this? Thank you 🙂
Hi Anj, you can definitely make these into jumbo muffins. Follow these ingredients and then this recipe for bake time and temperature. Enjoy!
I love this recipe! So simple and no fail.
My 8 year old stepson is super picky, but requests these everytime he is here. He repeatedly tells me I make the best muffins ever! My 3 year old said he wants to eat them every day.
Thank you!
★★★★★