The Best Banana Muffin Recipe
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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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This recipe was originally published 01/05/2018. Updated with more information and better photos 10/17/2019.
Love this recipe. The best banana muffin I ever had! So much banana flavor and crunchy streusel on top. I made with ghee not butter, and 10% less sugar (cane sugar only). I also used aluminium free baking powder and 12 large delicious muffins came out great!
The muffins were for my mother on Mother’s day. My mother loves them much more than what she regularly buys from her favorite local store. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Will bake this again for sure!
I am so glad that the muffins were such a hit and the perfect treat for your mom on Mother’s Day! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
I haven’t made these yet but, just watching the video, I can tell this is a great recipe! I think a lot of recipes try to be extra simple or unnecessarily complicated. Yours, on the other hand, has creative solutions to get the best of both texture and flavor. Mixing oil/butter, mixing sugars, mixing temperatures? It all makes so much sense! And although it may not be a recipe with the fewest ingredients or steps, I can tell it will yield great results. I’m excited to make these!
Thank you so much, Tabitha! I am glad that you appreciate it and find the recipe easy to follow. I hope that you enjoy the muffins when you try them. 🙂
Hi! Possible to use cream as a buttrrmilk substitute as i have alot at hand?
I tried your recipe last week and making another batch as it was a hit with everyone! BEST EVERRRRR
I am so glad that you enjoyed the muffins, Shariffah! I have not tried it personally, however, I think that it SHOULD be ok. Keep me posted on how they turn out this second time around if you use it as a substitute. 🙂
The best!
Thank you so much, Suzanne! I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins. 🙂
This was not false advertising- these are the best banana muffins I have ever had! I put in chocolate chips and they were decadent. So moist, so much banana flavor and I would have never thought to put strudel on banana muffins, but it is delicious! Thank you for a fantastic recipe- I will never make another banana muffin recipe again.
Thank you so much, Alison! I am so happy to hear how much you enjoyed the muffins. Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Fantastic! Came out perfectly! Used some pecans in the strudel and used my immersion blender to process……so good!
Btw, only made 12 muffins, not 15.
I made 18 fairly large muffins with the recipe! 😋 more yummy for my tummy! Thank you for sharing Sam! Highly recommend the chocolate chips!!!
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Molly! Thank you for commenting and for trying my recipe. 🙂
I am so glad that you enjoyed it, Kimberly! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
I usually don’t comment on recipes this one is a winner! Made 18 muffins just right.
Thank you so much for commenting, Tami! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the muffins 🙂
The muffins are in the oven and I cannot wait to enjoy them! Do you think I can freeze them to enjoy later!?
Thanks for trying my recipe, Terri! Yes, once the muffins have cooled completely you can store them in an airtight container in the freezer to reheat as needed and enjoy later! 🙂
Hi! Love your recipes and excited to try this one. What can I use instead of the oil? Applesauce? Thanks!
Hi Alanna! I haven’t tried it but I think it will work. They probably won’t be quite as flavorful and fluffy. 🙂
Is this cooling time correct? Two times 8 minutes doesn’t seem like it’s enough. Shouldn’t it be a lot longer?
Hi, Robin! I am sorry if there is any confusion. You will 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)(16 minutes total). You will let the muffin cool before enjoying.. this should take 20-30 mins. I hope that helps explain.
i love this recipe… its very delicious …
but for the streusel, i used light brown sugar .. it’s too sweet for me even i used the light one.
but overall … its delicioussssssss
I am so glad that you enjoyed the muffins, Lielie! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
These are the best banana muffins I have ever made. I dipped in butter and coarse sugar rather than using the streusel topping.
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Adell! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Hi, thank you, these are wonderful.
I’m from Germany and my Canadian Dad infected me with muffin baking two decades ago. I googled this recipe, because I needed some new inspiration. I normalyy bake banana bread or a recipe from a really old book called “Muffin mania”.
These are really, really good. I just tried one for breakfast (Streusel) and am now a mixture of extremely happy and feeling a bit guilty about starting the day with sugar, but I seriously couldn’t resist!
So thanks from Germany 🙂
I am so glad that you have found a new muffin recipe to add to your repertoire, Julia! I am happy to hear how much you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Hii, can i use small bananas? If yes, how many?
Hi, Grace! Yes, that will be fine. You need about 1 1/2 cups mashed so I would say probably 5 small bananas. 🙂
Wow! I keep picking different recipes to make during this stay at home period and yours are by far the best! so far I’ve made these muffins, your ‘worst chocolate chip cookies’ and your soft and chewy m&m cookies! My family and I think everything is just amazing! I love how good everything turns out every time! Thanks for keeping me entertained! Any recommendations on what I should try next? I love your recipes Sam!!
What a compliment to receive, THANK YOU, Jess! You have been busy! I am so glad that you have enjoyed the recipes that you have tried so far. Top 5 suggestions: Texas Sheet Cake, Cheesecake, Pizza Dough, Cinnamon Rolls, Brookies. There are SO MANY to choose from but those are favorites of mine and my users. I hope that helps! 🙂
I am for sure gonna try those no yeast required cinnamon rolls next can’t wait! 😋
I am excited to hear what you think of them when you try them next, Jess! Enjoy! 🙂
Omg, I made these twice now! With and without added pecans….they just keep getting better! 🤩
I am so glad that you have enjoyed the recipe, Renate! Thank you so much for commenting. 🙂
Best banana bread muffins I’ve ever had! I only had 2 bananas on hand, and they still turned out amazing! My daughter likes chocolate chips in her, so I made 1/2 with chocolate chips added and 1/2 with the streusel on top. So delicious!
I am so glad that you loved them, Amy! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂