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.
Trisha
These were phenomenal! I like the idea that these can bake in 16 mins vs a loaf in an hour. I completely omitted the buttermilk because I only had almond milk and didn’t think it would make the consistently of buttermilk with the vinegar. Dash of cinnamon and a few pecans in half my batch cuz I love a crunch. I know these will be 10 stars with the buttermilk and strussal additional! Highly recommend this recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the banana muffins, Trisha! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Dawn
I added walnuts, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 C of butterscotch chips. Took it over the top! Very good recipe. I would have given 5 stars except that I’ve made hundreds of batches of muffins in my life and never had one fall. These fell. This is usually due to the oven temperature being too low, so, second batch I baked on 400 for 17 minutes and they came out perfectly. I always bake muffins at 400 regardless of what the recipe says. I am at a high altitude so that might have something to do with it. I don’t know. So, if you are at high altitude try 400 for the entire time.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the banana muffins, Dawn! Most likely they fell due to the high altitude. I appreciate you sharing what worked well for you so anyone else baking in these conditions can make similar adjustments if needed. Thanks again for trying my recipe. I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
Melissa
Just made these amazing muffins for the fifth time in two weeks! They come out perfectly every time! Thank you so much for a delicious recipe! I also love your chocolate chip muffin recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed the muffins, Melissa! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Linda Gosch
The very best banana muffins recipe I have ever used!!!! Very moist! I now am anxious for my bananas to turn aged
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the muffins, Linda! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Jennifer
I’ve made these twice now. They’re so good! I love how easy they are to freeze. They thaw quite quickly and taste as delicious as a fresh muffin. Thank you so much for sharing!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you have enjoyed the banana muffin recipe, Jennifer! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Daniela
Absolutely scrumptious! We added walnuts and a dash of cinnamon and left off the streusel topping. Also we made them without the paper liners (directly onto sprayed muffin pan) and they got a nice browned exterior. We will definitely make these again!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the banana muffins, Daniela! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Kelly Byers
Delish!! Can’t wait to try your blueberry!!!
Judy
Absolutely delicious! Easy to make! Love the somewhat salty topping!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Judy! I am so glad that you enjoyed the banana muffins. 🙂
Mia
We used his recipe at school for my cooking classes and they were so good. we added chocolate chips and we won the class competition.
Sugar Spun Run
Congrats on your win, Mia! I am so happy to hear how much everyone enjoyed the banana chocolate chip muffins. Thank you for using my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Beth
The taste was crazy good just too much streusel topping. I’ll either omit or cut in half next time.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that you enjoyed the banana muffins, Beth! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Sally
These are wonderful! I added some coconut as we all love it and there used to be a banana coconut cake you could make in the microwave years ago that was soooo good and very easy. I have to say these are just as good. I only had 1/4 c. of coconut but it really made them yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Sugar Spun Run
The addition of coconut sounds delicious, Sally! Thank you for trying this banana muffin recipe. I am so happy that you enjoyed it. 🙂
Sally
Thank you, you are my new favorite recipe site. Sally
Sandra
My husband fell in love with these muffins…I added some chopped walnuts. They are excellent. I usually make two batches and freeze them. I always try to have them on hand.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that he enjoyed the muffins, Sandra! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Caitlyn Hartley
I’m afraid I didn’t like this recipe. I think it was the canola oil I didn’t like because the batter smelled funny to me and that didn’t happen with the second recipe of someone else’s that I tried. So unfortunately for me this didn’t work. It was moist but I didn’t like the taste. I found another recipe that used cinnamon and was much easier to follow, no oil, and that was much better.
Sugar Spun Run
I am sorry that you weren’t a fan of this recipe. I appreciate you trying it and giving me feedback. 🙂
Rainey
They came out perfect! This will be my go to banana nut muffins from now on!
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Liz! I am so glad that you loved the muffins! 🙂
AmyJo
My autistic daughter and I made these tonight, we ended up with 23 muffins. We loved them. They stuck to the paper liners a little, would spraying them with cooking spray help?
Sugar Spun Run
I hope that you and your daughter enjoyed baking the muffins together, AmyJo. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed them, but sorry that they stuck to the liners. Lightly spraying the liners will help prevent this next time. 🙂