Easy Banana Nut Bread and Muffins Recipe

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These banana muffins are soft, buttery, and spiced with cinnamon. They're wonderful plain, with chopped walnuts, or even chocolate chips. You need 3 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, Noelle, 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 ingredients for basically everything.

1. Flour: I tested the recipe with both all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour and LOVED both variations. See recipe note below.
2. 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.
3. Bananas, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg: These guys lend most of the flavor.
4. Egg: 1 egg gives the muffins structure.
5. Milk: A common ingredient in some muffin recipes including pumpkin muffins, milk provides necessary moisture. Dry muffins… the worst.
6. 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 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
• Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins (these include oats)
• Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
• Healthy Apple Muffins & Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins
• Zucchini Muffins

Would love to know if you try any of them!

Print

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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.

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• 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 large ripebananas (about 1 and 1/2 cups mashed)*
• 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

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1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use cupcake liners.
2. 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.
3. Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 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 rack to continue cooling.
4. Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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Notes

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Milk: Use your favorite variety of dairy or nondairy milk.
7. Banana Bread: Here's my favorite banana bread recipe. 🙂

Keywords: banana muffins

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