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These Banana Muffins are exactly what youโre hoping for: the moisture and softness of banana bread but presented in a pre-portioned, hand-held format. They bake faster and theyโre easier to share, but they still serve up all the banana flavor you love.
Megganโs notes
In the pastry program at culinary school, we learned how to convert a quick bread recipe into muffins just by changing the bake time and the baking pan. Seeking a pre-portioned, hand-held snack for my kids, I took my favorite Banana Bread recipe and converted it to muffins. They also bake faster without sacrificing the taste and texture you love in banana bread.
The secret to the best banana muffins (and banana bread) is to use lots of bananas. This recipe usesย 3 to 4 bananas, about 1 ยฝ cups of mashed banana, and thatโs exactly where you need to be. Donโt settle for less. You deserve the best flavor and the ideal texture that comes from lots of bananas.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Bananas:ย Use fully-ripe or slightly overripe bananas. The brown spots mean the flesh will be naturally sweet. Underripe bananas wonโt work here (save them for snacking or give them a few more days on the counter), but you can speed up the ripening of yellow bananas using the trick below in the Recipe FAQs. If youโre short on mashed bananas, add unsweetened applesauce to reach 2 ยฝ cups.ย
- Chopped nuts: These are optional, but highly recommended. To amplify their nutty flavor, consider toasting your nuts. If desired, replace the nuts with chocolate chips (mini or regular morsels), or skip all of the above; just note that youโll end up with slightly smaller muffins.
Step-by-step instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together banana, melted butter, sugar, and egg. Using a rubber spatula, carefully stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Muffin batter will be lumpy after adding the dry ingredients; do not overmix. Fold in nuts, if using.
- Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (I like using a measuring scoop).
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- Cool 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield:ย My Banana Muffin recipe creates 12 regular-sized muffins.
- Storage:ย Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer:ย Transfer Banana Muffins to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When youโre ready to enjoy them, thaw the muffins at room temperature overnight, then reheat thawed muffins at 300 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes or until warm.
- Add a spread: Banana Muffins are delicious on their own, but you certainly canโt go wrong by splitting one open to add a pat of butter. If thatโs not your jam, try a schmear ofย Almond Butter,ย Peanut Butter,ย Tahini,ย Sunflower Seed Butter, orย Cashew Butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Time is the best solution. When stored at room temperature and purchased at medium ripeness, bananas generally ripen to Banana Muffin-ready territory in 1 to 5 days. But if you donโt have days to spare, you canย ripen bananasย in a 300-degree oven: Arrange unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet, then bake until banana skins are completely black all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely, scoop banana pulp from peel, and mash. I donโt advise attempting this with green bananas, as the flavor will not compare; even after oven โripening.โ
If you have a few days to spare, put bananas in a brown paper bag and fold over the top. If you have other ripe, ethylene-producing fruit, like avocados or apples, add them to the bag with the bananas. The ethylene gas will circulate and should ripen your fruit in about 24 to 36 hours
Chocolate chips or nuts (such as pecans or walnuts) are classic mix-ins.You can also try dried fruit,ย toasted coconut, or a few shakes of cinnamon.
I prefer melted butter that has been cooled for muffin recipes, which mixes much more seamlessly into the batter than cold, or even softened, butter.
Absolutely. Mini muffin tin, jumbo muffin tin; do you! Just be sure to adjust the cooking time to avoid over- or undercooking.
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Banana Muffins
Ingredientsย
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 to 4 large, see note 1)
- 1/3 cup butter melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans, optional
Instructionsย
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together banana, melted butter, sugar, and egg. Using a rubber spatula, carefully stir in flour mixture. Muffin batter will be lumpy, do not overmix. Fold in nuts, if using.
- Divide batter among prepared muffin cups (I like using a measuring scoop). Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with a few crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Bananas: Use fully-ripe or slightly overripe bananas for the best flavor (brown spots mean naturally sweet!). If your bananas arenโt quite ripe yet, you can ripen the bananas in a 300-degree oven: Arrange unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet, then bake until banana skins are completely black all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely, scoop banana pulp from peel, and mash.
- Yield: My Banana Muffin recipe creates 12 regular-sized muffins.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.