My well-loved Banana Muffin recipe makes incredibly soft, moist muffins with tall, bakery-style tops, sweet banana flavor, and an optional streusel topping. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Your New Favorite Breakfast Muffin
Today I’m re-sharing one of my favorite muffin recipes on the blog, and apparently, it’s one of your favorites too! With nearly 500 five-star ratings, this banana muffin recipe is so well-loved–and for good reason. These aren’t bland, boring, or basic banana muffins; they’re fluffy, moist, and loaded with banana flavor! And if that’s not enough, I recommend topping them with a crumbly, buttery streusel topping…yum.
It took a lot of tries and tweaks to get this recipe just perfect, but it was well worth the trial and error. This recipe makes the softest, most flavorful banana muffin I’ve ever tasted–with or without the streusel on top–and I’m so proud to share it with you!
What Makes My Banana Muffin Recipe the BEST:
- It produces big, beautiful muffin tops, thanks to a nifty oven trick.
- They truly taste like banana muffins, not banana bread in muffin form.
- No mixer needed–these come together easily by hand!
- They take just 30 minutes from start to finish.
What You Need
I found I needed several key ingredients for super flavorful banana muffins:
- Three ripe bananas. Ripe bananas mash easier and impart a stronger banana flavor, so save this recipe for those dark brown bananas lingering at the bottom of your fruit basket (unlike the ones pictured above!).
- Butter and oil. We’re using a blend of both for the best flavored and textured banana muffin (same reason I use a blend of the two in my vanilla cake!). Stick with a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed, and make sure your butter is unsalted.
- Sugar. Using some brown sugar gives the muffins a rich flavor that granulated alone wouldn’t provide.
- Buttermilk. This keeps the muffins nice and moist. If you’re low on buttermilk, give my easy buttermilk substitute a try!
SAM’S TIP: Overmixing your batter can lead to muffins that are too tough and dense. To avoid this, I strongly recommend stirring your banana muffin batter completely by hand. Luckily, we’re using melted butter in this recipe, so mixing by hand is a breeze!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Banana Muffins
- Mash your bananas, then add the oil and melted butter.
- Stir in the sugar, then add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
- Combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gently fold them into the wet ingredients.
- Portion the batter into a paper-lined muffin tin, filling each liner is ¾ of the way full.
- Prepare your streusel, if using, and portion over each muffin.
- Bake your muffins for 8 minutes, then reduce the temperature and bake for another 7-8 minutes until done.
SAM’S TIP: While I personally love and recommend the streusel topping, I know not everyone wants the extra sugar or dishes. As you can see, the “naked” banana muffin pictured below baked up beautifully with an even tidier, higher muffin top. So feel free to skip it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, although I do have a separate banana nut muffin recipe you might want to try (it uses browned butter too 🤤). You can add between 1-1½ cups of add-ins (chocolate chips work well!) to this banana muffin recipe. I recommend adding them when you’re almost done incorporating the dry ingredients.
Yes! To do this, you’ll follow the same instructions I provide for my bakery-style chocolate chip muffins:
Bake at 425F for 8 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350F (don’t open the door!) and continue baking until the muffins begin to turn golden brown. This can take anywhere from 7-15 minutes, so keep an eye on them!
This banana muffin recipe freezes very well! In fact, I did this in preparation for Luke’s arrival so I always had a quick breakfast handy during his newborn phase.
If you want want to freeze yours, allow them to cool completely, wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in a Ziploc bag, and freeze. To thaw, either set your muffins out at room temperature or microwave them (just use the defrost setting or they’ll become hard).
So, do you agree? Is this the BEST banana muffin recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Best Banana Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (385 g) well-mashed ripe bananas This is typically 3 large bananas for me
- ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil (may substitute vegetable or avocado oil)
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 5 minutes
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar tightly packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Streusel (optional)
- ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners*
- Place peeled bananas in a large bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash them – bananas should be well-mashed.1 ½ cups (385 g) well-mashed ripe bananas
- Add oil and melted butter and stir well.¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil, ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- Stir in sugars until well-combined.½ cup (100 g) sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and stir well. Set aside.2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add dry ingredients to your wet batter and gently fold in until ingredients are just combined (don't over-mix the batter!).
- Portion batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each liner ¾ of the way full. Set aside and prepare your Streusel topping.
Streusel Topping (optional)
- Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and use a fork to stir the ingredients together.½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Using a pastry cutter, cut in your cold butter until the butter is well-worked in and your mixture resembles coarse crumbs.¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cold
- Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake muffins on 425F (218C) for 8 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 (175C) (do not open the oven door or remove the muffins, just leave them in and reduce the temperature) and bake another 7-8 minutes on 350F (177C). A toothpick inserted in the center of the largest muffin should come out clean or with few moist crumbs (no wet batter) to test for doneness.
- Allow muffins to cool before enjoying.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally published 01/05/2018. Updated with more information and better photos 10/17/2019.
Alexis Verbic
I made these muffins yesterday and they were GREAT! I did not have buttermilk, so I used yogurt and they tasted just fine. Very happy with them, and the family enjoyed them too! I usually never change a recipe the first time I make it, but I had 3 bananas that absolutely needed to be used, so that is why I substituted the yogurt for the buttermilk so I could use up the bananas. I will make sure the next time I make them I have buttermilk. But, two thumbs up – great recipe!!!
Sam
Thank you so much, Alexis! I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins! 🙂
Kimberly Panteloglow
I MUST have done something wrong!!! These were HORRIBLE!!! The ONLY deviation I committed was to not use buttermilk. I didn’t have any. I didn’t even have any milk. They are salty and the consistency is awful. I followed everything else exactly as directed.
I am so sad to have wasted so much time, effort and money. I am honestly embarrassed to let them go to anyone!!!
Sam
Hi Kimberly, leaving out the buttermilk was where things went wrong. Unfortunately, all ingredients are listed for a reason and if you leave any of them out you are likely to have less than stellar results.
Dalene Rosas
Wow this is an incredible recipe! I added chopped english walnuts to batter and streusel. I also used salted butter as it was all I had, 2 xlarge eggs, plus actually had 4 over ripe bananas so used all. The recipe made 12 reg c-cakes plus 4 minnie loaves, I just used the xlg cupcake liners in 4 of the 8x minnie loaf pan that I usually use to make cornbread in, n baked them/loaves an extra 6 min+@ 350* remember they will continue to cook after removing from oven, so watch carefully. My husband said they were the best muffins he ever tasted and I agree, they are moist, soft crumb, so flavorful and love the crunchy topping. The English walnuts were an awesome addition to the cakes n the streusel. Needless to say, I will not be making banana bread any longer, this will be my go to recipe to use up my over ripe bananas. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe! I look forward to trying many more of your delights!
Sam
Thank you so much, Dalene! I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins! 🙂
Daisy Hughes
This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Daisy! 🙂
Teresa
Made them, they looked delicious!, waiting for my husband taste them
Sam
I hope everyone loves them, Teresa! 🙂
Renee keel
Best banana muffins ever!!! Is it ok to only cook it at 350 the whole time? I have an additive that I can’t cook past that temp.
Sam
Hi Renee! If you don’t use the higher temperature first they won’t have quite the rise and they may turn out a little drier than they should. 🙂
A
If I know your “additive”, the internal temp doesn’t get high enough to degrade the additive.
Annice L Hill
I am 67 years old and have never made banana muffins before. A young lady at work requested them for a celebration so I found your recipe. I made just like you said one time and added pecans to the muffins and the topping in another batch.
Everyone at work loved them – the best ever! Something I would have never made but will again.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the muffins, Annice! 🙂
Shauna Lee
Lol! I tried doubling the recipe to make more muffins because my husband eats them before I even get a couple! I ended up with 24 muffins and a loaf pan full so I tried baking them all together because muffin mix is tricky and doesn’t rise well if you wait for the first batch to cook. Anyways didn’t work out too well. I did the first 8 mins at 425 then reduced the temperature as it says and took the muffins out they turned out nice but the loaf is still baking and its spilling over and I don’t know if it will end up cooking through lol. So I don’t recommend doubling the recipe. 😅😅😅
Sam
O no! It can definitely be tough to do a lot of muffins. I hope you were still able to enjoy them. 🙂
Janice
I don’t normally like banana bread, but I had extra over ripe bananas so found this recipe and…yum! These will not last long once my family tries them!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Janice! 🙂
Anne
I just made thes muffins. I used margarine instead of butter because I wasn’t sure how they would turn out They’re still delicious. .. next time I’ll use my butter ….! Even better!!
Sam
Hi Anne! I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins! Thank you for the feedback using margarine. 🙂
CAROL F HACKER
Hi!!! Just wondering, can walnuts be added?
Sam
Hi Carol! Definitely! Add them in while you are stirring in the flour (once the flour mixture is mostly combined into the wet ingredients, add the walnuts). I’d say you could probably use 1-1 1/2 cups of chopped walnuts, though you can certainly adjust according to your preferences. Enjoy!
Lori Ginsberg
Recipe is awesome— have made many times and they are always a hit! I am wondering if these could be made as mini muffins. How do I adjust the baking time?
Sam
Hi Lori! You can bake them as mini muffins, but unfortunately I have not tried it so I can’t advise on how long they will need to bake.
Emer Ruane
The nicest banana muffins I’ve ever been made. They were all eaten Inn 10 minutes!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them, Emer! 🙂
Tiffany
I’ve been slowly adapting and perfecting my banana muffin recipe for years and this is nearly identical to mine! I do use 5 bananas (I try for 2 cups of banana for extra banana flavor! Which does mean a slightly longer bake time. I also find that baking on the top rack of the oven gives you a little extra “lift”! I’m going to try your strudel! These are the perfect muffin. Look no further!
Sam
Thank you so much, Tiffany! 🙂
Janet Green
Has anyone done large muffins? I’m wondering what the baking times would be.
Sam
Hi Janet! I haven’t tried making these muffins that way, but I would recommend baking them on 425F (218C) for 8 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 (177C) (do not open the oven door or remove the muffins, just leave them in and reduce the temperature) and bake another 15 minutes, or until tops are just beginning to turn golden brown. Enjoy! 🙂
Tiffany
If you use tulip muffin liners you can make quite large muffins! I love them for muffins! But they are considered a standard sized muffin.
Cathy Shippey
Best recipe for banana bread or muffins I’ve ever come across!
Sam
Thank you so much, Cathy! I am so glad you like it! 🙂