Banana Muffins
These Banana Muffins are delicious, easy to make, packed with flavor, and ready in a little over 30 minutes. The perfect way to use up overripe bananas!
Do you always end up with too many bananas on your counter at the end of the week? Over the years I’ve shared some of my favorite way to use up overripe bananas with my homemade banana bread, banana cake, and blueberry banana baked oatmeal.
So today I wanted to share another fantastic way to use up those ripe bananas with these easy banana muffins. One of the things that I love about this recipe is that you don’t need a mixer to make it. You only need a couple of bowls and about 30 minutes to make these muffins.
I think these muffins are fantastic plain, but if you want to add some chopped nuts, chocolate chips or even blueberries I’ve added some options for that as well. These also freeze well, so you can make a batch and leave them in the freezer for an easy breakfast or snack when you need it!
How To Make Banana Muffins
To make these banana muffins, you’ll start out by whisking together your dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
- All-Purpose Flour: As with all of my recipes, you want to make sure to spoon and level your flour. Too much flour can lead to really dense muffins, so make sure to measure your flour correctly first.
- Baking Soda: This helps the muffins rise nice and tall and browns them a little too.
- Ground Cinnamon: I love the addition of the cinnamon in these muffins, but feel free to leave it out if you prefer.
- Salt: To help balance out the sweetness and enhance the flavor of the other ingredients.
Once the dry ingredients are mixed up, you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. For the wet ingredients, you’ll be using some melted butter, brown sugar, an egg, vanilla extract, and mashed bananas. Let’s break down each ingredient:
- Melted Butter: To make this recipe a bit easier, I decided to just use melted butter so you don’t have to use a mixer. I suggest using unsalted butter, but if you use salted butter you’ll want to reduce the salt in the recipe to just a tiny pinch.
- Brown Sugar: The flavor of the brown sugar pairs beautifully with the banana flavor and it helps to keep the muffins moist too.
- Egg: It’s best to use a room temperature egg for this recipe so that the melted butter doesn’t get cold again. If you need to bring your egg to room temperature quickly, just place it in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- Vanilla Extract: For a little extra flavor!
- Mashed Bananas: Because you can’t have banana muffins without bananas, right?! Remember the darker and riper the bananas, the better!
Once the dry and wet ingredients are mixed up, you’ll mix the two together until just combined. You may see a few lumps in your batter, but this okay! You want to avoid overmixing the batter because that can lead to denser muffins.
Then, just line a 12-count muffin pan with liners and evenly distribute the batter between all 12 liners. The muffins will need to bake for about 16-20 minutes, you’ll know they’re done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. I suggest removing them from the pan and letting them cool slightly before you enjoy them.
FAQ’s
How many bananas will I need?
You’ll need about 3 medium bananas for this recipe.
How do you freeze these muffins?
Once the muffins have cooled, you can store them in a freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw to room temperature or microwave individual muffins for 20-30 seconds.
Can I make these muffins with whole wheat flour?
I don’t suggest using only whole wheat flour because it can dry the muffins out and make them dense. You can use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose flour in this recipe if you prefer though.
Recipe Variations
As I mentioned, these banana bread muffins are fantastic plain but here are a few ways that you can change up the recipe:
- Banana Nut Muffins: Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins: Add 1 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- Blueberry Banana Muffins: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw and stir them into the batter gently. If using blueberries, you’ll likely need to make more than 12 muffins and adjust the baking time slightly.
Baking Tips
- When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it from the container. Instead, stir the flour around to aerate it, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level it off with the back of a knife.
- Avoid overmixing the wet and dry ingredients together, this can lead to denser muffins that don’t taste as good.
- Need to ripen your bananas faster? You can place them in a brown paper bag and close it tightly for 2-3 days to help ripen them quickly.
Recipe Video
Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 and ½ cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ⅔ cup (135 grams) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 and ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and ½ cups (375 grams) mashed ripe bananas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with muffin liners and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and mashed banana until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until just combined, making sure not to over mix the batter.
- Evenly distribute the batter between all 12 liners in the muffin pan.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully remove the muffins from the pan, and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Banana Nut Muffins: Add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts to the batter.
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins: Add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips to the batter.
- Blueberry Banana Muffins: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, do not thaw and stir them into the batter gently. If using blueberries, you'll likely need to make a few extra muffins.
This was such a good recipe! Easy and quick to make and tasted so delicious!
Wow~ what a fantastic recipe. I was looking for banana bread recipes and clicked on yours because the picture was awesome. Then I perused your site and thought I’d try something different …and I’m so happy I did! The muffins are just the right mix between fluffy and moist, no need to toast and add butter – and so easy to make! This is definitely my new “go-to” banana muffin recipe. Thank you so much!
I’m a live-in aide for an elderly lady, and made these for her today. She told me: “You whipped them up in a hurry but you got perfectness out of them. Pretty good.” If it reaches ‘Grandma’s’ standards, it’s sure a keeper 🙂
Love them soooooo much. My friends too. They ask for orders. Great for breakfast and desert with vanilla ice creme.
Hi wil i b able to make this in loaf an or springform pan an how long would i bake for?
Yes, you could bake this in a loaf pan! You will need to increase the baking time, but I’m not sure how long it would be.
This is a great recipe. I browned the butter and feel like it brought out the banana flavor even more. Delish, I’ll make again! Thanks!
This is my go-to banana muffin recipe. Sweet, but not too sweet, rich from the butter, the perfect amount of cinnamon and banana. I have made it several times over the last few months. Secretly, I buy bananas hoping they’ll get too ripe to eat so I can make them again!
Havent made this up yet but I have a question. Im thinking of mixing the egg to butter-sugar mixture by mixing it until you get the ribbon texture just to help rise up the muffins more. What you think?
I haven’t tried it, but it would probably be okay.
Why are there differences in the recipes for banana bread and banana muffins? Couldn’t you use the same recipe for both?
I prefer this method for the muffins because it’s easier. You can feel free to use my banana bread recipe to make muffins though.
These were delicious. What is the nutritional information?
So glad you enjoyed the muffins, Patti! I’m not sure about the nutritional information, but you can plug everything into an online calculator to get an estimate.
We just love these muffins! This recipe is perfect for those mornings when we want a little bit of fresh from the oven goodness. Thanks !
Hi! I have some frozen bananas that I’d like to use up – will they work in this recipe?
That would be fine! I would drain any excess liquid from them once they thaw out, then mash them, and measure out 1 and 1/2 cups.
Hi! Can i substitute oil for melted butter? If so, how much oil would i need to use? Thanks!
I think that would be fine! I would just use an equal amount oil in place of the melted butter.
Made these this morning. Enjoyed by my husband, a couple of grandsons and myself. Your recipes are all so delicious and dependable.
Do you have the nutritional info for this recipe? Love these muffins!
Hi, Shawna! I’m not sure about the nutritional information, but you can plug everything into an online calculator to get an estimate.
SO DANG YUMMY! No butter needed on them. I made mini and regular. this will be my go to recipe for sure!!
I haven’t made them yet but was looking for a good recipe. I follow the weight watchers program so I would like the nutritional information please. Thank you
Hi, Lori! I’m not sure about the nutritional information, but you can plug everything into an online calculator to get an estimate.
I recently started WW also, and by omitting the 6 T melted butter and using 6 T unsweetened applesauce, I got her original recipe down from 6 SPs to 4 and it was fabulous. Or you could do mini ones as written for 3. The only other option would be to use brown sugar substitute, but I’ve not tried one.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! I wanted to try a new banana muffin recipe because this other one I tried was finicky. On a whim, I tried this one and it shocked me how good this was. I accidentally forgot the vanilla, but it’s still a 5/5! I love the hint of cinnamon in them. I originally kept it in the oven for 16 minutes, but ended up baking them about 7 minutes longer (they may look burnt, but don’t be deceived!). Under-baked banana bread is a problem I struggle with too often, hence baking them longer. The brown sugar, I believe, caramelizes the top of the muffin for a nice, thin crunch; yet the inside is so fluffy and moist. Will definitely make again.
These are the best banana muffins!!! Kids LOVE THEM.
Such a great recipe. We’re trying to cut back on refined sugars. We added an extra banana (4 total) and cut the sugar to 1/3 cup. They turned out delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Absolutely delicious muffins. This is such a great recipe. I’ll be making these again!
just made these for the first time and they are perfect! easy to follow recipe but onw I can make my own with nuts, oatmeal, wheatgerm etc!
These were perfection. So easy and super delicious. This is going to be my new go-to recipe. Thank you so much.
I’m not a baker so I was happy at how easy these were to make and how well they turned out. Thanks!
These muffins are so good! Followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfect. Thank you for this simple recipe and the great tips. It has become my go-to recipe for banana muffins.
Turned out perfectly! Thanks for such an easy recipe.
Amazing ???
I love baking this banana muffins, and I’m doing this for an extra income especially those days of trying times. Thank you so much Ma. Danielle for sharing your recipes, it’s a big help for me.
God bless you
Thank you, Rosalie! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes!
I made these muffins with frozen blueberries as you suggested and they were delicious. Thanks Danielle!
So glad you enjoyed the muffins, Vanda!
These literally are the best banana muffins! Followed the recipe exactly. Light, fluffy, and moist.
Thank you, Lisa! So glad you loved the muffins!
Thank you for the recipe please let me know if soda bicarbonate is the same…it will replace the baking powder ?
Sodium bicarbonate is the same as baking soda.
Delicious recipe as always! Thanks for the helpful tips!
Thank you, Judy! So glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Hi! Would I be able to add oats to this?
The oats would absorb some moisture and likely dry out the muffins. You could sprinkle some oats on top right before baking or try my baked banana oatmeal cup recipe here.