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 muffins are amazing. My 9 year old daughter makes them on her own. The topping is delicious. We don’t use muffins liners though. We prefer the crunchy crispy edges you get from an oiled or buttered muffin tin.
These don’t last long in our house.
Thanks for a new family favourite muffin recipe!!
I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Teresa! It’s even better when someone makes them for you. 😉
Good recipe. Easy to follow.
Love the topping on them!
I used muffin pans with cupcake liners….they soaked through the paper. I used tulip shaped liners.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Rosanne! I find that if I leave my muffins in the tin too long afterwards they will soak through the liner. It’s not a big issue, but if you’d like to avoid this you can gently lift them out of the pan to finish cooling on a wire rack about 5 minutes after removing from the oven. 🙂
Thanx for comments.
I did take them out of pan shortly after removing from oven. I always do that with cupcakes and muffins so bottom doesn’t get soggy.
OMG!!! These are hands down THE best banana muffins I’ve ever made! My family & I love them! Think I’m going to have to keep some ripe bananas on hand to make a batch weekly. The crumb topping takes them to another dimension; don’t even need butter on them! My husband requested nuts for the next ones, but I love the simplicity of them plain. Thank you so much for your hard work to share this fabulous recipe…
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Ann! 🙂
I made your banana muffins with blueberries in them they were awesome. Thank you so much love recipe
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Penny! 🙂
Hey these muffins are awesome!!
Can I add chocolate chips?
Do you think those will be good in here?
Chocolate chips would be delicious in these muffins. 🙂
I baked these las weekend and they were so delicious! My family is requesting it again but with almond flour. Can I substitute almond flour instead of all purpose?
Hi Lai! I’d be worried about the muffins falling apart and being too dry if you do a 1 to 1 substitute. I haven’t tried it though so I can’t be sure. Hopefully someone else who has tried can chime in.
thanks you inspired me .
Hi Sam. I just realized I have only 30 ml of oil can I sub the other 30 with more melted butter?
Hi Bethany! Yes I would use melted butter to make up the difference. 🙂
No kidding! This was a great recipe, I did want to only make 6 muffins and i divided the recipe by half and ended up with a bit of leftover batter that i had to throw out because i didn’t want to bake only one muffin. How should i reduce the recipe slightly to make only 6?
Hi Veronica! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! I would probably just divide that very little bit of batter between the other 6 muffins, unless your cavities are already too full. 🙂
This is such a good recipe— my husband lives for banana cake which he has on birthdays and other occasions and he and my son love banana bread as well- I must have tried 30-40 recipes over the years for banana cakes, breads and muffins but this is now my favourite. The crumb is very tender and they seem to hold up well and have just the right amount of sweetness and bananas— also the streusel topping is nice as it adds a touch of salt. I used really good French butter so I don’t know if the muffin texture will be the same with a different kind of butter but they turned out beautifully.. Thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Eleanor! 🙂
Hey Sam. Wanted to make these muffins but i’m not sure if it would work with my oven’s heat settings. The upper heat can only get to 200 degrees celsius while the lower heat can get up to 230 degrees celsius. Do you have any advice please? Thanks 🙂
Hi Dione! If your lower oven will reach up to 230 C that will be enough as you will only need 220. 🙂
These truly are the best! Super easy to put together. I usually add chocolate chips and pecans. I use a 1/2 cup scoop, and get a dozen each of full size and mini muffins. For the mini muffins, I just bake them at 350 for 11-12 minutes. Thanks so much for sharing.
These are the best!!! I have been trying a new banana muffin recipe every couple weeks and this is going to be my go to from now on. So moist and such good banana flavor. I will add cinnamon to the topping next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Cassi! 🙂
I’ve been using this recipe for years and the muffins have come out perfectly every time. Such a simple recipe to follow. I usually add in chocolate chips at the end, and they are a hit!
I’m so glad you have enjoyed them so much, Andrea! 🙂
These truly are the best, and easiest banana muffins out there. I made these last week and just made them again today. I would love to freeze some, but they are gone before I can get them in the freezer. This is my new go-to recipe. Try these, you cannot go wrong.
These banana muffins are AMAZING!! Cannot wait to make them for my grand children. Fresh out of the oven I put butter inside it awesome. Thank you
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Murlie! 🙂