Warm, homemade banana nut muffins are always in season! These fluffy, moist, and perfectly sweet muffins are ready to eat in only 30 minutes. Plus, they're packed with banana flavor and crispy walnuts! You'll love this easy one-bowl recipe! Here's what people have to say:
- 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!"
If you love easy, moist muffins like these, you'll also enjoy my Bisquick Applesauce Cinnamon Muffins.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love Banana Nut Muffins
- One Bowl. No need to bring out multiple bowls (i.e., one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet ingredients). Everything is mixed in one bowl!
- Customizable. You can easily swap out the walnuts with pecans or chocolate chips. This recipe works well for mini muffins, too.
- Moist Every Time. No fail recipe ensures a moist muffin (because dry muffins are just the pits!)
- Perfectly Sweet. My readers have told me time and time again that these muffins have the perfect blend of white sugar and brown sugar.
- Tastes just like Banana Nut Bread!
Check out my White Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins. Just like these muffins, they're pretty awesome! What's your favorite muffin?
Ingredient Photo, Notes, and Swaps
- Ripe Bananas - you'll want to use overripe bananas (look for the dark spots but no bruises) and mash them until they resemble baby food. You can also puree the bananas in your food processor for extra fluff!
- Real Butter - use unsalted butter, but if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use that.
- Whole Milk - I recommend whole milk because it has a higher fat content which helps keep the muffins moist.
- Egg - room temperature eggs seem to blend better with the melted butter. Easy swap - liquid eggs (like EggBeaters).
- Pure Vanilla Extract - vanilla extract is a classic flavor enhancer! Easy swap - use maple extract for a deep maple flavor.
- White and Light Brown Sugars - 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. Easy swap - use whole wheat flour.
- 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. Easy swap - unsalted chopped pecans.
If you still have a bunch (pun absolutely intended) of overripe bananas, use them to make my Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes! They use a lot of the same ingredients as these muffins.
Delicious Add-ins
- Add some chocolate chips (my husband's suggestion, lol).
- Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the batter.
How to Make Banana Nut Muffins
- Add the mashed bananas, melted butter, and milk to a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add egg, vanilla, and brown sugar. Blend with a whisk.
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients. Blend with a whisk. Fold in the walnuts.
- Fill muffin pan cups to about ¾ full*. An ice cream scoop works well for this step. Bake as directed in the recipe card. Enjoy!
* Ensure each muffin cup has an equal amount of batter. Top with additional walnuts for that bakery-style flair, if desired.
Pair your muffins with a batch of pumpkin spice breakfast pancakes for the coziest autumn morning.
Tips for Perfect Banana Nut Muffins
- 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.
Delicious Topping Ideas
These muffins are perfect just the way they are! But if you're feeling a little fancy, dress them up with these fantastic serving ideas:
- Spread butter, peanut butter, or almond butter on sliced, warm muffins.
- Spreading some Nutella on that baked muffin for a unique and surprising flavor combo!
- Sprinkle the tops of the cooked, cooled muffins with powdered sugar.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas
- Microwave. Pierce the banana skin severeal times with a fork (don't peel the banana). Microwave on high for 30 seconds, then gently press around the banana to see if it's soft enough. If not quite soft enough, continue to cook in 30-second intervals.
- Oven. Preheat your oven to 300F. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and cook until the skins turn black, usually at the 15 to 20 minute mark.
- Brown paper bag. Place bananas in a brown paper bag (be sure to close the bag). They should be much softer in a day or two. Tip - adding an apple or avocado to the bag speeds it up a little more!
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, cream cheese, or apple butter.
Yes! If you have frozen bananas, just let them thaw and then mash them up!
Best Way to Store Muffins
So now that you've made these delicious muffins, what's the best way to store them? Store them in an airtight container (ziptop bag or sealable container) on your countertop for several days. Putting them in the refrigerator may dry them out a bit. But they also freeze perfectly fine. Once thawed, they're still moist!
If you're going to be taking them somewhere, I really like a sturdy plastic carrier that keeps the muffins from moving around. The Southern Homewares 3-in-1 Plastic Holder Container is perfect for transporting pies, muffins, and cupcakes. It offers easy-grip handles, a snap-tight lid, and it's made out of durable plastic. Available now on Amazon!
More Amazing Muffin Recipes
Recipe
Banana Nut Muffin Recipe
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 the oven to 350°F. Spray a standard size (12-servings) muffin pan with non-stick spray or use muffin liners and spray them with non-stick spray.
- Add the mashed bananas, melted butter, and milk to a large bowl. Blend with a whisk to combine.3 ripe bananas, mashed, ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted, ¼ cup whole milk
- Add the egg, vanilla, and brown sugar. Blend with a whisk.1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- Add in the remaining dry ingredients and fold in until just mixed. Then, fold in the walnuts.2 cups all purpose flour, ½ cup white sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 cup unsalted walnuts, chopped (plus extra for topping if desired)
- Fill muffin pan cups to about ¾ full. Make sure each muffin cup has an equal amount of muffin batter. Top with additional walnuts, if desired.
- Place in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out fairly clean (no wet batter stuck on it). Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- 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.
- For extra fluffy muffins, puree the bananas in a food processor.
- Don't overmix the batter. Just blend it enough with a whisk to incorporate the ingredients. How to Store Muffins: You can store muffins at room temperature for up to 3 days if they're stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze muffins for up to 3 months if you wrap them tightly in aluminum foil or place them in plastic freezer bags. What to Put on a Baked Muffin: They're pretty darn good all by themselves, but you can try adding a pat of butter, peanut butter, Nutella, cream cheese, honey, or apple butter.
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.
Heidi Gottschalk says
Delicious and easy. I added a tip of cinnamon, because I always do. Great small batch recipe that can easily be doubled. I appreciate the actual measurement (1cup) of bananas. They come in all shapes and sizes and recipes that ask for a general number of bananas can be all over the place with results.
Anne Clark says
Thanks for letting me know, Heidi! Cinnamon is a great addition. I'm glad you liked the muffins 🙂
Amanda Hamilton says
So yummy! We’ve made these twice so far. We used pecans instead of walnuts. Will definitely make these again! Thanks!
Angele says
I don’t have whole milk. Would 1% work?
MyKitchenSerenity says
Hi Angele! I think 1% milk is fine. Thanks for asking. Hope you enjoy the muffins.
Tracy K says
I followed the recipe , so delicious and moist.
MyKitchenSerenity says
Thanks for your comment, Tracy! I'm so glad you liked the muffins 🙂
Lori C says
So good! Recipe is excellent and 5 stars (6 stars, really) as written. The second time I made them, I subbed 1 cup of the all purpose flour for whole wheat flour for a little extra nutrition and it was still 5 stars! I put an extra splash of milk in to compensate for the absorbency of the wheat for and they were perfectly moist. Also, as others suggest, add a shake of cinnamon. Thank you for this great recipe!
MyKitchenSerenity says
Yay! Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad you liked them. Wish I had a couple of them now. Thanks for your substitutes, it’s very helpful to others. Have a wonderful day!
Anne H. says
Just made these and OMG. So good. I tagged you on my Instagram post for them! @mama_mosaic. The only thing I did different was I swapped the all purpose flour for self rising flour and didn't put nuts on top . my toddlers love them!
MyKitchenSerenity says
Thanks for letting me know, Anne!! I'm so glad you and your family liked the muffins. Thanks for the tag, too!!
Nancy says
Delicious! I substituted unsweetened coconut milk for the whole milk (same amount). I also added 1/2 cup of golden raisins along with the 1 cup of walnuts. Turned out great. Baked for 22 minutes.
Anne Clark says
Thanks for letting me know, Nancy. I’m so happy you liked the muffins!
Kris Tina says
Recipe made 15 muffins
Bake time was 25 minutes
House smells amazing
Warm soft and delicious
Sally Brett says
Excellent recipe! Used Pecans instead of walnuts and made 6 very large muffins. Wonderful and soooo easy. Thanks
Jessica says
Just made these this morning and they are incredible! So moist and not too overly sweet. I topped mine with extra walnuts and a sprinkle of brown sugar for a little added crunch on top. Perfect with some butter and a cold glass of milk!
MyKitchenSerenity says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Jessica! I love your addition of extra walnuts and brown sugar...sounds delicious!
Jane Boice says
Can you substitute self rising flour and eliminate the baking powder?
MyKitchenSerenity says
Hi Jane. Thank you for your question. I have not tried that so I can't say for sure. However, I would *think* you would need to eliminate both the baking soda and the salt. The muffins may not look exactly the same if you had used all-purpose, but they would *probably* still taste good. Let me know how they turn out!
Tricia says
Hi I am using your receipt for the first time. You say in this reply to eliminate the baking powder. Look at your recipe… nowhere does it say baking powder. It says baking soda. There is a difference. So what is it a am suppose to use? Baking powder or baking soda…
My Kitchen Serenity says
Hi Tricia. You’re correct, thanks for noticing! The recipe has baking soda (not baking powder). I don’t recommend using self rising flour because I have not tried it. If you’re going to make my recipe, please use the exact ingredients in the recipe card for the best results. Hope you enjoy!
Carol Tucker says
I’ve made these several times, they are delicious. The only thing different is I added about 1 Tab. Cinnamon to a double recipe. Gave it to several friends and they love it. My husband said its the best. Can I substitute apples for the bananas.
MyKitchenSerenity says
Hi Carol. Thank you for your comment! I love the addition of cinnamon. I'm glad you and your husband liked them! I'm not sure about substituting apples for the bananas...the bananas add moisture as well as flavor. I think applesauce would be a good sub. Let me know the results if you choose apples. I have a Cinnamon Applesauce Muffin recipe on the blog, if you want to try that one. Thanks!
Linda Kahl says
This is the second time I’ve made these and they are consistently delicious! I used 2% milk because it’s what I keep on hand and I added about 3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon cinnamon because we love cinnamon :). My family will love their special treat in the morning after the trial of being in Covid quarantine and recovery. A little something special is in order to bring some smiles around here!
MyKitchenSerenity says
Thank you for your comment, Linda. I'm so glad you like the muffins and I hope your family enjoys them, too. Stay well!
Danielle says
Thanks for the great recipe! I made it gluten and refined sugar free substituting organic agave nectar for both sugars and a blend of gluten free flours ( 1c banana flour, 1/4 c multigrain al purpose gf flour, 1/2c rice flour and 1/2-3/4c almond flour) the flours i used was just what I had on hand, I’m sure you could use an all purpose for all of it but I find for gluten free a blend is best. Also I’ve never heard of banana flour before I moved to Central America . In the U.S. I would have used tapioca flour or oat flour or quinoa flour even!
One last note In case anyone is interested, when you use agave instead of refined or brown sugars it’s a liquid so the flour measurement needs to be increased a little. My measurements includes an extra 1/4-1/2 c to compensate for the extra liquid.
It turned out fabulous!
MAKAYLA STREET says
Maple Syrup is good too with it along with butter! I love your recipe. Accidentally added 1/3 cup milk and ended up having to add an extra half of cup of all-purpose flour, but it still turned out great. I used pecans instead of walnuts. Top favorite recipe. Will use again. Thank you for making it.
Anne Clark says
Thanks for your comment, Makayla! I will definitely try maple syrup and butter next time I make these muffins. I'm so glad you let me know that you loved the muffins; thank you so much!
MBeau says
I love this recipe! So instead of 1/2cupsugar, i used 1/4cup sugar. Reason is becuase i added chocolate chip to the recipw. My brown sugar stayed 1/2cup.
Overall, it came out perfect!
Anne Clark says
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you liked the muffins. Thank you for your comment!