Warm, homemade banana nut muffins are always in season! Ready in 30 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. These muffins are moist, fluffy, and full of banana flavor and crispy walnuts! You'll love this easy recipe!
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Why You'll Love These Muffins
How do you enjoy homemade muffins the day after you've baked them? You can certainly eat them at room temperature but have you ever sliced a muffin in half and toasted it? Try it! Spread butter over each hot half of the muffin...it is so good.
I've received SO MANY wonderful comments about these muffins!
- Kelli said, "Had to hide them from my 4 year old and hubby."
- Sha wrote, "Omg!! Perfection!! And my house smells AMAZING!! Soooo yummy!!!"
- Dave commented, "Doubled recipe. Made loaves instead of muffins - still great."
- Paul wrote, "Came out great I just added some cinnamon."
- Jenn said, "I made these into banana nut mini muffins. Turned out great and the kids loved them!"
Many people have told me that this is the best banana nut muffins with walnuts recipe. Thanks, I really appreciate all the comments! Keep 'em coming 🙂
Ingredients Needed for this Recipe
Non-stick cooking spray - or use paper muffin cups.
Ripe Bananas - you’ll want to use overripe bananas (look for the dark spots) and mash them until they resemble baby food.
Real Butter - use unsalted butter, but if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use that.
Whole Milk - use almond milk if that's all you have.
Egg - room temperature eggs seem to blend better with the melted butter.
Pure Vanilla Extract - Substitute maple extract for a deeper maple flavor.
Light Brown Sugar - I have not tried this recipe with dark brown sugar so I don't know how the muffins would taste if using the dark brown sugar.
White Granulated Sugar - combining both white and brown sugar ensures the perfect level of sweetness with just a hint of molasses flavor from the brown sugar.
All-purpose flour - do not substitute with self-rising flour. The texture won't be the same if you do.
Salt and Baking Soda - common baking ingredients when using all-purpose flour. Do not substitute the baking soda with baking powder. The results won't be the same!
Unsalted Walnuts - you can find unsalted walnuts in the baking section of the store. Do not use salted walnuts which are typically found in the snacks section of a store.
You can view my Google Web Story for these Easy Banana Nut Muffins.
Kitchen Tools/Equipment Needed
Muffin pan - this recipe uses a standard size muffin pan. You could use the jumbo size or mini size muffin pan but you'll need to adjust the baking time to accommodate for the different size muffins.
Large mixing bowl
Measuring cups and measuring spoons
Whisk - do not use an electric mixer for this recipe - all you need to do is gently blend the ingredients. A whisk works well for the blending process.
How to Make Banana Nut Muffins
(1) Add the mashed bananas, melted butter, and milk to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
(2) Add egg, vanilla, and brown sugar. Blend with a whisk.
(3) Add in the remaining dry ingredients. Blend with a whisk.
(4) Add the walnuts and gently blend.
(5) Combine the batter well, but do not overmix. No need to beat the batter 🙂
(6) Fill muffin pan cups to about ¾ full. An ice cream scoop works well for this step.
(7) Ensure each muffin cup has an equal amount of muffin mix. Top with additional walnuts for that bakery-style flair, if desired.
(8) Bake as directed in the recipe card. Enjoy!
Substitutions and Variations
- Use chopped pecans instead of walnuts (or leave the nuts out altogether).
- Add some chocolate chips (my husband's suggestion, lol).
- Spread peanut butter or almond butter on sliced, warm muffins.
- Nutella banana muffins are a unique and surprising flavor combo so try spreading some Nutella on that baked muffin!
- Sprinkle the tops of the cooked, cooled muffins with powdered sugar.
Frequently Asked Questions
To keep these muffins fresh and moist, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days (refrigerate them and they'll keep fresh for a couple days more).
Absolutely! You can freeze these muffins for up to 3 months if you wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or place them in plastic freezer bags. When ready to eat, it only takes about 10-15 minutes for one to thaw on the countertop or wrap one frozen muffin in a paper towel and microwave on high for 10-15 seconds.
As I stated earlier, nothing is more wonderful than putting a small pat of real butter on a freshly baked, hot muffin! But here are some other things you may want to try spreading onto a banana nut muffin:
honey
Nutella
cream cheese
apple butter
Expert Tips
This recipe calls for packed brown sugar: spoon the brown sugar into a measuring cup. With the back of a spoon, press down the brown sugar. Spoon more brown sugar into the measuring cup, and pack down again with a spoon. Repeat the process until the measuring cup is full of brown sugar.
Don't overmix the batter. Just blend it enough with a whisk to incorporate the ingredients.
Spray a standard 12-muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. OXO offers a wonderful, heavy gauge muffin pan with easy grip sides.
How to Transport Muffins
So now that you've made these delicious muffins, what's the best way to transport them? I recently discovered a plastic carrier that's perfect for transporting pies, muffins, and cupcakes. It's the Southern Homewares 3-in-1 Plastic Holder Container. It offers easy-grip handles, a snap-tight lid, and it's made out of durable plastic. Available now on Amazon!
Other Amazing Muffin and Cake Recipes
Recipe
Banana Nut Muffins
Equipment
- Standard muffin pan
- large mixing bowl
- measuring cup(s)
- measuring spoons
- whisk
Ingredients
- non-stick cooking spray
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed about a cup of mashed bananas
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted walnuts, chopped (plus extra for topping if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a standard muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside
- Add the mashed bananas, melted butter, and milk to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla, and brown sugar.
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients and fold in until just mixed. Then, fold in the walnuts.
- Fill muffin pan cups to about ¾ full. Ensure each muffin cup has an equal amount of muffin mix. Top with additional walnuts, if desired.
- Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy to my readers. I'm not a nutritionist and I don't guarantee the accuracy of this data. The data may differ according to the brands I used versus the brands you use. To calculate the data yourself using your brands, try using an online nutrition calculator or app.
Monica
Could you substitute whole Milk for oatmilk or almond Milk?
Anne Clark
Hi Monica! If I had to choose, I would pick the oat milk because of its flavor and consistency. If you use almond milk, that’s fine but the muffins won’t be as fluffy and they may cook more quickly so keep an eye on them. My recommendation is to use the oat milk. Thanks for visiting!
Adrienne
How can I use honey or maple syrup to sweeten this rather than refined sugar?
Anne Clark
Hi Adrienne! That’s a great question! Since honey is sweeter than refined sugar and already “wet”, I would use 3/4 cup honey instead of the white and brown sugars. Lower the oven temp to 325F because honey makes baked goods brown faster. Reduce the bake time as well - so check on the muffins after about 10 minutes of bake time and keep a close eye on them until they’re done. These same recommendations go for maple syrup, too!
Cheyenne Stewart
And the notes You state that these can be frozen but how would you suggest they be thawed out? Should I just pop it in the microwave for a few seconds or thaw in the fridge the night before?
Anne Clark
Hi Cheyenne! It only takes about 10-15 minutes for one to thaw on the countertop or wrap one frozen muffin in a paper towel and microwave on high for 10-15 seconds. Thanks for asking
Courtney
Hello! What is the baking time for 24 ‘mini’ muffins?
Anne Clark
Hey Courtney! For mini muffins, I would bake them for 10-13 minutes or until the edges start to brown. You can insert a wooden toothpick in the center of a muffin to see if any batter sticks to it...if the toothpick comes out clean, the muffins are done. I love the idea of mini muffins - so easy to pop the whole muffin in your mouth!