Best Banana Muffins

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This recipe for the best banana muffins is easy to make from scratch in 20 minutes. They are light, moist and flavorful with a beautiful rise and perfect crumb!

3 banana muffins

These are not your average banana muffins. They are the best, bakery-style, soft and fluffy banana muffins you’ll ever make or eat! 

This recipe only takes 20 minutes to make and results in tender, soft and moist muffins with tons of banana flavor. They are homemade from scratch which means you can ditch the store-bought muffin mixes full of processed ingredients! 

You can add a streusel topping, chocolate chips, walnuts, etc. to make them your own. Plus they are freezer-friendly which means you can bake them once and have breakfast all week long! 

stack of 3 banana muffins

Banana Muffins: Ingredients

overhead view of the labeled ingredients in this banana muffin recipe
  • All-purpose flour. Use unbleached, all-purpose flour for best results.  Bread flour or pastry flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour.
  • Butter. Salted and unsalted butter can both be used in this banana muffin recipe. You can substitute canola or coconut oil for the butter as well. 
  • Eggs. I have not tested this recipe with a flax egg or egg replacer, if you do let me know how it turns out please!
  • Brown Sugar. Light and dark brown sugar work equally well in these banana muffins. Dark brown sugar will impart a slightly more detectable molasses taste. 
  • Granulated sugar. I use organic cane sugar in all my baking, any granulated white sugar works well. 
overhead view of a banana muffin cut in half with sliced bananas next to it

How to Make Banana Muffins

A lot of people wonder, “How do you make banana muffins from scratch?” I’m here to show you just how easy it is, so you can ditch the boxed muffin mixes for good! 

Begin my combining the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl, set aside.

two photos showing How to Make Banana Muffins - combining dry ingredients

Then, mash the bananas in a large bowl. Add the melted butter, eggs and vanilla and stir until everything is combined.

two photos showing How to Make Banana Muffins - combining wet ingredients

Next, add the white and brown sugar to the wet mixture and stir to combine. It’s important to make sure to break up any lumps of brown sugar that might form when it comes into contact with the wet ingredients. 

Then, add the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth and there are no lumps (other than a few chunks of banana).

two photos showing How to Make Banana Muffins - adding sugar and dry ingredients

Add Mix-Ins

At this point, if you’d like to you can add mix-ins (check out these chocolate chip banana muffins). There are so many possibilities when it comes to banana muffin mix-ins! Here are some of our favorites: 

  • Chocolate chips
  • Walnuts or pecans
  • dried cranberries
  • peanut butter chips
  • white chocolate chips
  • shredded coconut
banana muffins batter in a bowl with a spatula

Bake

Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or line the pan with cupcake liners and then grease. Place about ¼ cup of batter into each well of the prepared muffin pan, smooth the tops so they are even.

Optional: add crumb topping

If you would like to add a crumb topping to these banana muffins, do so after you fill the muffin cups with batter. 

Bake in preheated oven for 12-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

banana muffins in a pan before baking

Cool

Use a spoon or knife to loosen the banana muffins from the pan and immediately remove them from the muffin tin. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

banana muffins cooling on a wire rack

Serve

These best banana muffins stand on their own without any toppings or spreads, but here are some delicious suggestions .

overhead view of 8 banana muffins, one cut in half so you can see the moist texture inside

Store

These banana muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Freeze

To freeze, let the muffins come to room temperature. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. 

Reheat

Warm the muffins in the microwave for 30-60 seconds (depending on the number of muffins being reheated). You can also reheat them in the oven. To do so, place them in a small baking dish or loaf pan and cover with aluminum foil. Warm at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until warmed through. 

up close view of the inside of a banana muffin cut in half

Banana Muffins Recipe Recipe FAQs

What can you add to banana muffins? 

There are so many possibilities when it comes to banana muffin mix-ins! Here are some of our favorites: 
Chocolate chips
Walnuts or pecans
dried cranberries
peanut butter chips
white chocolate chips
shredded coconut

Is butter or oil better for muffins?

Both result in moist muffins, however I prefer butter because of the flavor it imparts into the muffins.

Can I use frozen bananas?

Yes, thaw them in a bowl until they reach room temperature. Stir to re-incorporate any liquid that may have been released during thawing and then use them in this banana muffins recipe.

stack of 2 banana muffins

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Best Banana Muffins Recipe

Laura
This recipe for the best banana muffins is easy to make from scratch in 20 minutes. They are light, moist and flavorful with a beautiful rise and perfect crumb!
5 from 10 votes
Course Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine American
Servings 12 Muffins
Calories 214
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin pan, or line with cupcake liners and grease. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt and cinnamon, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mash bananas.
  • Add melted butter and stir to combine.
  • Add eggs and vanilla and stir until mixture is homogenous (uniform throughout).
  • Add brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir to combine.
  • Add dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth and there are no lumps (other than a few chunks of banana).
  • Place ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter into each well of the prepared muffin pan, smooth the tops so they are even. (Optional: add crumb topping – see notes for recipe if desired).
  • Bake in preheated oven for 12-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.
  • Use a spoon to immediately remove muffins from the muffin tin and transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Video

Notes

Optional Crumb topping
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup flour  
  • ½  tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
Combine ingredients with a fork or pastry cutter. After filling each muffin cup with batter, place 1 ½ Tablespoons of crumb topping on each muffin and gently press so it sticks. Bake according to recipe instructions. 
Ingredient Substitutions
  • All-purpose flour. bread flour or pastry flour can be used in place of all-purpose flour. Use all-purpose gluten-free baking flour to make them gluten free.
  • Salted Butter. unsalted butter and coconut oil are good substitutions. 
  • Light Brown Sugar. use dark brown sugar for a stronger molasses flavor.
  • Granulated sugar. white sugar and organic cane sugar are the best choices. 
Store
These banana muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. 
Freeze
To freeze, let the muffins come to room temperature. Then transfer them to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Muffin | Calories: 214kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 195mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 295IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 10 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These muffins were absolutely amazing. Definitely will bake again. My only complaint is that the crumb topping turned out to be a bit on the buttery side rather than, well, what I imagined a crumb topping would be. I followed the measurements exactly, but I used my hands to mix it. Is that the problem? If so, what could I do to fix it? Or are crumb toppings supposed to be like that? (I’m new to baking/cooking)

  2. 5 stars
    If I could give this recipe infinite stars I would. These were the best muffins that I have ever tasted. Perfection is the only adjective that can be used to describe this recipe. My family went bananas for these muffins. Sorry I had to.

  3. 5 stars
    I made them mini!

    Easy, fast recipe.

    I like that I can substitute the sugar with Allulose, zero carb sugar. I am not a spokesperson for them. My husband is diabetic, and I am looking for recipes that I can use Allulose. Google it. I used Mapeline to get a brown sugar taste, but I will skip it next time because my bourbon vanilla has a rich taste that I like that may impart enough taste.

    Also, I couldn’t find a way to email you to let you know I purchased a Vitamix from your link. I hope you get credit.

    I will make these again.

    1. Thank you Martha! I’m so glad you made these your own and enjoyed them! And a new Vitamix is so exciting!!! You’ll have to let me know the first thing you make in it!

      1. Hi Laura!! Just wondering wether I could make this recipe as a big loaf instead of muffins? I know you have a banana bread recipe but this one looks amazing!

  4. 5 stars
    These are tasty! I didn’t notice the optional crumble topping until I added chocolate chips, so I skipped the topping and they are great! I also used ‘flax eggs’ as I am trying to save eggs for scrambling, and it worked out perfectly.