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The Best Banana Muffin Recipe

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An incredibly soft, moist banana muffin made with tall bakery-style muffin tops, sweet banana flavor, and a simple (optional) streusel crumb topping!  This is the very best banana muffin recipe! You just need three ripe bananas to get started! 

Banana muffin with bite out of it (to show soft fluffy center) on white plate

Your New Favorite Breakfast Muffin

Maybe you’ve tried these banana muffins already? They’re not brand new to the blog, in fact they’ve been around for several years and have garnered well over 150 five star ratings ⭐️. Not that I’m bragging or anything, but they’re all well-deserved, (in my totally and completely unbiased opinion) because I truly don’t know what more you could want in a banana muffin.

Soft, moist, and loaded with flavor. These aren’t bland, boring, or basic banana muffins. They’re made with ripe bananas, brown sugar, a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract, a blend of butter and oil (we talked about why we use both in my vanilla cake recipe) and a heavenly, crumbly, buttery streusel topping.

Or, no streusel…

Banana muffin without streusel on top

While I personally love and recommend the streusel topping, I know not everyone wants the extra sugar. Or maybe just doesn’t want the extra dishes (definitely been there… or more like currently there, actually). As you can see above they bake up beautifully (if not nakedly) with or without streusel and you’ll get tidier, higher muffin tops without it.

For your muffin bases, you’ll need the following:

  • Three ripe bananas. Try to get them much browner, softer, and splotchier than the bananas in the picture below. These were all I had on hand for this photo, but the riper your bananas are the better your banana muffins will taste.
  • Butter and oil. We’re using a blend of both for the best flavor and texture in our banana muffins
  • Flour. All purpose (or “plain” if you’re in the UK)
  • Sugar. A blend of white/granulated and brown gives us a great flavor.
  • Baking powder and baking soda. Helps to lift up those muffin tops!
  • Buttermilk. Or my easy buttermilk substitute.
  • Eggs. Two large.
  • Salt & Vanilla Extract. For flavor!

Ingredients for the best banana muffins recipe

Mixing banana muffin batter

Tips on How to Make Banana Muffins

  • The riper your bananas are, the easier they will be to mash and the better the flavor of your banana muffins will be.  Don’t shy away from brown spots on your banana peels, that’s what you want for this recipe!
  • I recommend mashing your bananas with a fork or with a potato masher — you want them to be well-mashed with very few lumps.
  • I strongly recommend stirring this banana muffin batter completely by hand. Since you’re not creaming any butter it can be easily stirred without a mixer and it helps avoid over-mixing.  Over-mixing this batter can lead to muffins that are too tough and dense — we want light and fluffy muffins!

About that Streusel

Again, it’s a personal preference. Either you like it or you’re wrong.

OK, sorry, my personal preference is showing. I’m obsessed with that buttery/crumbly topping. To make it you’ll need a pastry cutter. Stir together your flour, brown sugar, and salt and then use a pastry cutter to cut in cold butter until you have a crumbly topping.

banana muffin streusel in mixing bowl with pastry cutter

I mean just look how beautiful that is.

How to Freeze Banana Muffins

If you wish to freeze these muffins, allow them to cool completely, then wrap well in plastic wrap and then place in a ziploc bag and freeze.  You can set them out at room temperature to thaw, or you can microwave them (don’t overdo it, just defrost, or the muffins will become hard).

I’ve been baking and freezing these in preparation for Baby Boy’s arrival; it’s nice to know I have a few waiting for me in the freezer since I suspect baking is going to take a backseat in the upcoming months. Right now it’s hard to imagine what that is going to be like!

Two banana muffins: one without streusel (left) and one with streusel (right)

These banana muffins are honestly one of my favorites. It took a lot of tries and tweaks to get the recipe just perfect, but these are finally the ultimate, softest, most flavorful banana muffins I’ve ever tasted (with or without the streusel on top) and I hope you love them just as much as I do!

So, are you team streusel or no streusel?

More Muffins to Try!

Banana muffin on plate with bite taken out

The Best Banana Muffin Recipe

The BEST Banana Muffin Recipe! The batter comes together in minutes and is baked on two temperatures for the most moist, fluffy banana muffins you've ever had. Can be made with or without streusel topping!
4.95 from 347 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana muffins, best banana muffins, breakfast recipe, easy muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 15 muffins
Calories: 275kcal
Author: Sam Merritt

Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • ¼ cup canola oil (may substitute vegetable oil) (60ml)
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 5 minutes (60g)
  • ½ cup sugar (100g)
  • ½ cup light brown sugar tightly packed (100g)
  • 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup buttermilk (60ml) room temperature preferred

Streusel (optional)

  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (100g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold (60g)

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.
  • Add canola oil and melted butter and stir well.  
  • Stir in sugars until well-combined.
  • Add eggs and vanilla extract and butermilk and stir well.  Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients -- flour, baking powder, baking soda, and 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 3/4 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.
  • Using a pastry cutter, cut in your cold butter until the butter is well-worked in and your mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  • 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

*Please note that this recipe makes about 15 muffins while most muffin tins are only 12-count.
Feel free to add nuts or chocolate chips! Just stir them in at the end.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 275kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

This recipe was originally published 01/05/2018. Updated with more information and better photos 10/17/2019.

Soft fluffy interior of banana muffin on muffin liner

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Comments

  1. I have made these muffins several times and they come out perfectly every time. Some folks in my family are gluten free. Can you modify the receipe for me to use almond and coconut flour instead of regular flour?

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry Deborah, I am not familiar with using almond or coconut flour. If you try it I would love to know how it turns out. 🙂

      Reply

  2. These muffins are great! Made them exactly the same way and they tasted and looked great. Crumby and high domes. Just like a coffee shop muffin.

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    These muffins were incredible! I used 4 bananas because they felt small and then the recipe made 24 muffins. Which at first I was worried about, thinking they’d turn out wrong, but instead I now have plenty more amazing, fluffy muffins! My husband and 3yr old also loved them. THANK YOU!!

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    I love your recipe! Quick question. Why use both baking soda and baking powder? Don’t they do the same thing?

    Reply

    • Hi Jackie! They each play a separate role in the recipe in terms of when they activate and which ingredients they activate with. I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins! 🙂

      Reply

  8. These muffins were DELICIOUS and by far the best banana muffins I’ve ever tasted. Easy to make and super moist. The only thing I added was a bit of cinnamon and allspice to the mixture. Tastes absolutely perfect without the streusel topping. Will definitely be making these again. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    These are the BEST banana muffins I have ever made. They are delicious and delightfully fluffy and moist. Flavor is simple yet addicting. I didn’t try the streusel topping. But it’s still SO GOOD as is. I just love that banana aroma filling up my whole house. It is an antidepressant. I will definitely be giving these muffins as Thank You or Get Well gifts.

    Reply

    • I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the muffins, Cynthia! The smell of freshly baked banana is heavenly for sure. Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂

      Reply

      • Hi Tiffany! I think that would work fine, but I haven’t tried it. Let me know how it goes. 🙂

  13. 5 stars
    These muffins are so delicious. They’re like a cross between a muffin and a cake. And so tender. I love when I follow a recipe and the result is exactly what it’s supposed to be. I will definitely be trying more of yours. Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Kate, and that you found the recipe easy to follow. I can’t wait to hear what recipe you try next. Thanks for commenting. 🙂

      Reply

  14. 5 stars
    We loved these muffins! I’ll definitely make them again. I had made yogurt a couple days ago and saved the whey after straining the yogurt. I used the whey in place of the buttermilk. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

    • Using the whey was such a great idea, Chris! I will have to try that the next time. I am happy to hear that the muffins were a hit. Thanks for trying my recipe. 🙂

      Reply

  15. I have being looking for a fluffy muffin and these one is a keeper !!! The bonus is the topping !

    Ottawa ,ontario

    Valérie

    Reply

    • I am so glad that you finally found a muffin recipe that you enjoyed, Valerie! Thanks for commenting. 🙂

      Reply

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