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.
Incredible!! My 15 year old daughter just made these muffins with the streusel and they are amazing! Such a a nice treat to have while home. We only had two ripe banana’s but that didn’t stop her. Your recipe is a keeper thank you.
I’m so glad to hear this! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how they turned out, I appreciate it!! 🙂
Hi my name is Aliyah I just had a quick question. Does it matter if the butter is salted or unsalted?
Hi Aliyah! I recommend unsalted but you can see my post on salted vs unsalted butter if you wish to substitute. I hope you love the muffins! 🙂
Yor Banana Muffins with strudel were so delicious!!! My entire family absolutely loved them even the finicky ones. Thanks so much!
I am so glad that your family loved them, Suzanne! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
This recipe is out of this world! I will never make any other banana muffins!
Can you recommend timing for a loaf as opposed to muffins? Most loaves are about an hour but I’m not sure how long to do it at 425 before I drop it to 350.
I am so glad that you loved them, Christine! I actually have a banana bread recipe which is similar to this recipe that you can try instead. You can choose to add the streusel topping or leave it off. The bread takes approximately 60 minutes to bake. 🙂
Hi ! I want to try this but I don’t have butter. Could I substitute the butter for more oil ? So I would put 1/2 a cup of oil in the batter?
Hi, Lubna! You can do an even swap of butter with oil, the muffins just won’t have as great of a flavor but since so much flavor comes from the bananas it should be OK. Keep me posted on how they turn out. 🙂
Today I tried this recipe and it was AMAZING. I have been looking for an exceptional, easy to make banana muffin as my husband likes to snack on them. When he tasted these he told me not to make any other recipe except for this one. Thank you!
I am so glad he enjoyed them so much, Pamela! 🙂
Just made these and they are the best banana muffins I’ve ever had. I did add walnuts.
So glad you enjoyed! Thank you for commenting, Beth!
Hey I am in the UK and have a fan oven – are the oven temperatures still the same for a fan oven? Thanks 🙂
Hi Beckie! Unfortunately I am not familiar with the use of a fan oven, maybe someone else can chime in with some ideas.
Hi, as a rule of thumb when using a fan oven you decrease the temperature the recipe calls for by 10%
I hope that helps 🤞🏻😊
What is the substitute of buttermilk?
Hi, Maryem! Here is the link to my buttermilk substitute. 🙂
I only have 2 bananas! argh I’m assuming I need at least 3 for proper consistency?
Hi, Mary! Yes, you will need 3 bananas for proper consistency. You can half the recipe though. 😉
Oh duh! I blame the teacher/quarantine brain (my son’s too old to say baby brain anymore) 😛 Thanks!!
P.S. You’re my go-to-baked goods girl! Everyone always loves and raves about what I bake when using your recipes! I have such a sweet tooth and your variety is awesome! Definitely looking for fruity desserts now that it’s getting warmer outside (finally)!!
Thanks again!
You are fine, Mary! I am happy that I could help! Thank you so much for being a fan of my recipes and my blog. Hmm… fruity… Have you tried my strawberry pie or strawberry cake yet? Perfect time of year for them, FINALLY! 🙂
Have made these once before and they are absolutely deliciously. I’m getting ready to make them again and was wondering if gluten free flour would work?
I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe and are back to make it again, Jan! Unfortunately, I do not have experience baking gluten-free so I can not advise. Looking back through the other comments someone used the 1:1 gluten-free flour and had success. I hope that you do too! Keep me posted on how they turn out if you try it. 🙂
Delicious Muffins! I made 12 giant muffins instead of 15 regular sized muffins. I increased the cook time to 10 min at 425 and 13 min at 350 degrees and they came out perfect. Definitely a keeper.
I am so glad that you enjoyed the muffins, Alison! Thank you so much for letting me know how they turned out as jumbo muffins and how long that they took to bake. This information will be helpful to others so thanks for sharing. 🙂
I have been baking for well over 50 years and this banana muffin recipe went right into my keeper recipe book! Definitely do not overmix – an important hit for beginner muffin makers. I used three very overripe bananas (mashed) and a over a half of a barely ripe banana (barely mashed -adds a little chunk). Coconut oil is perfect for these muffins, too, plus a big handful of chopped walnuts. It made six monster muffins and six regular. Glorious muffins!
I am so glad that you enjoyed the muffins, Kathy, and you saved the recipe for the future. Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Gotta be “Simply The Best” banana muffin ever!!!! Second time I have made them and they are scrumptious !! Got my 12 muffins and put the leftover in a loaf tin and got a beautiful loaf as well !!! Thankyou sooooo much 🌟✨🌟✨❤️
Thank you so much, Judy! I am so glad that you enjoyed the muffins and that they turned out perfect each time that you have made them. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Sam, can I substitute Cake flour? My local stores are out of all purpose flour
Hi, Simone! Yes, that will be fine. To substitute cake flour for all-purpose flour use 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour for every cup of all-purpose flour. 🙂