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.
These are the absolute best muffins I have ever made. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you so much, Barbara! I am so glad you enjoyed them so much. 🙂
Excellent banana muffins the secret is very ripe bananas and a little grated zucchini
Is so yummy
I made half with dry cranberries
Excellent
Excellent the best
If you add 1/4 to 1/2 cup grated zucchini no one will even know
Add dry cranberries if you like
That sounds so good, Yvonne! I am so glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
This is the BEST banana muffin recipient ever! The cake is moist and fluffy and delicious. For this of you debating the streusel – it adds a nice crunch and in my families opinion – its one of the best parts of this recipient! Easy to follow and super quick to bake!! Love it!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Sherry! 🙂
Absolutely amazing recipe! Thank you for the hint of letting the butter cool. I did use Bob’s 1-1 Gluten Free Flour and they turned out fabulous. Thank you!
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Patti! 🙂
Made these muffins several times and everyone loves them. Very easy to make, they’re light and fluffy but most of all they’re tasty!
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Cindy! 🙂
Omg – I just made this recipe – and omg this is so so deliciously good – the directions was very easy to follow – the quantity of ingredients was prefect – My family and I love this recipe 😀
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Nicole! 🙂
The banana muffins turned out yummy.
Easy recipe.
I used half the sugar. No one commented.
Everyone loved them.
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
These are without a doubt the best banana muffins I have ever made. I lost my recipe box and am recreating 50 years of recipes. I am so lucky I choose this to try,I won’t look at any more recipes this is my go to from now on. This is a easy recipe and if you want to impress someone make these. Everyone will think you are a wonderful baker.
Thank you for a recipe that is out of the world
Thank you so much, Marcia! I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins so much! 🙂
Can I make these without buttermilk? Looked up your tips on making buttermilk but even that seems challenging 😔
Hi Bev! The muffins should still turn out but they won’t be as fluffy and moist. They should still taste good though. 🙂
I tried today muffins were wonderful thanks for the recipe
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins so much, Anu! 🙂
Everything you could ever want from a banana bread muffin – flavor, moistness, perfect density. This is a winner.
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Kristine! 🙂
Super yummy! Made 1-1/2 X recipe since I had 5 over ripe bananas. Made some with nut topping and some with chocolate chunks. Reduced the sugars a tad to make more healthy. Nice rise!
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Karla! 🙂
These muffins are AMAZING! I’ve made 2 batches so far and they were perfect both times.
I only have 2 ripes bananas left now, how should I adapt this recipe for just 2?
Hi Michele! You would need to adjust the entire recipe by the same amount. It may get a little tricky because you are reducing the bananas by 1/3 so there would be a good bit of math involved here.
Delicious. I cut out half the sugar, half the oil and added extra buttermilk. They are wonderful. My kids are going to love them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Nada! Thank you for commenting, I appreciate it! 🙂
Made these this morning and they are delicious! However, there was too much flour in streusel topping. I’ll decrease it next time I make them…
Glad you enjoyed overall, Denise!