i am a food blog

I am a banana addict. Not the actual fruit, just banana baked goods. Banana bread, banana cake, banana cookies, and especially banana muffins. There’s just something about bananas when they get baked that makes them incredibly irresistible to me. That sweet and sticky caramelized banana flavor – I just can’t get enough!

These lil banana muffins are perfect because they’re individually sized and portioned. I love popping one into my pocket before heading out on an evening walk because there’s nothing better than watching the sunset on a bench with your favorite person in the world and a banana muffin.

This is the best banana muffin you’ll ever make

But first, what is a banana muffin? Maybe you think this is a silly question, but this is the kind of thing that goes on in my head. Just what the heck is a banana muffin? Is a banana muffin banana bread in a muffin shape? Is it banana cake in a muffin shape? Just what makes a muffin a muffin?

Deep existential muffin thoughts aside, for the purpose of this post, a banana muffin is a little cake, made in the shape of a muffin with a muffin wrapper that is sweet, tender, moist, and full of banana flavor. These banana muffins have an even tight crumb with a nice bouncy springiness and just a touch of stickiness. It’s not too sweet and there are massive banana tones and subtle caramel notes.

The best banana muffin recipe is based off of the best banana bread recipe in the world

To be honest, this is just my favorite banana bread recipe baked into muffins. Joanne Chang’s Flour Bakery banana bread is famous for a reason. That banana bread recipe is essentially too good to touch. I did make a couple of edits though: I added a bit of baking powder for some loft and doming and I also increased the baking temperature right at the beginning.

According to the internet, if you want sky high muffins, the key is to bake at a high temp so your muffins explode from the heat, then turn the oven down so you the muffins continue to bake evenly. It worked! The muffins were rounded and domed and super cute.

To make the best banana muffins you need the best ingredients

This is a truly moist banana muffin and it’s perfect because you don’t need anything special to make it. It’s the perfect back pocket recipe for those times when you have a bunch of bananas languishing on your countertop. Super ripe, extra spotty and brown bananas make the best banana muffins – the more ripe, the sweeter and more moist your banana muffins will be.

Here’s what you need to make banana muffins

• all purpose flour – classic all purpose flour will give you the best crumb
• baking soda and baking powder – so they puff up tall and muffin-y
• cinnamon – for a hint of warmth
• salt – to highlight the sweetness of the bananas – extra ripe please!
• eggs – try to use room temp eggs, they will fluff better making your banana bread bake up light and fluffy
• sugar – regular granulated sugar will do
• oil – oil will always give you the moistest quick breads, more on that below
• extra ripe bananas – see above picture
• sour cream – a bit of tang to complement the caramelized bananas
• vanilla – for a creamy hint of vanilla flavor

Oil vs butter

I always prefer to make my banana bread and cakes with oil and you should too! Oil makes loaf cakes and quick breads like muffins more soft and moist. Oil gives you that classic banana bread flavor that you get when you buy a slice from a coffee shop. Of course, if you like the flavor of butter, melted butter will work too. Oil has the advantage of staying liquid when cold so it gives your baked good a more soft and tender texture.

How to make the best banana muffins

1. Mix. Mix together the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and a bit of salt in a bowl and then set it aside.
2. Whip. Whip eggs and sugar together until it’s light and fluffy and pale. The eggs and sugar will almost double in volume. Drizzle in the oil and whip until emulsified.
3. Mash. Mash your banana – I like to make sure my bananas are super smooth because I don’t like banana chunks in my bread. After the bananas are mashed, stir them into the egg and sugar batter, along with sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
4. Stir. Stir in the flour mix, making sure everything is throughly combined.
5. Bake. Divide the batter evenly amongst paper lined muffin tins and bake until fluffy and golden, cool slightly, and enjoy!

Banana muffin mix ins

I like my banana muffins classic but feel free to stir in any mix (1/2-1 cup) of the below for an over the top fully loaded banana muffin:

• nuts: toasted walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios
• dried fruits: toasted coconut, dried cherries, dried banana chips, raisins, craisins, dried blueberries
• chocolate: dark chocolate chunks, milk chocolate chunks, white chocolate chunks, chocolate chips

Banana chocolate chip muffins

Are you wondering how many chocolate chips you should use for banana chocolate chip muffins? The answer is based on preference of course, but I find that 1 cup is the perfect chocolate to banana muffin ratio. Simply mix in 1 cup of chocolate chips after you mix in the flour. If you like a chunkier chocolate, a chopped up dark chocolate bar is a pro move.

Banana nut muffins

Bananas and nuts go together like PB&J! Just like chocolate, the right ratio is 1 cup of toasted chopped nuts. Classic nuts to try are walnuts and pecans. If you want something a bit different, try chopped toasted macadamia nuts, pistachios, hazelnuts, almonds, or cashews. Stir in the nuts after you stir in the flour.

How long to bake banana muffins

Banana muffins take about 20-25 minute in the oven. A good way to tell when they’re done: they will be set and golden and brown on top, spring back when you lightly press down on them, and a toothpick in the middle will come out pretty clean, with just a couple of crumbs clinging to it.

Banana muffin FAQ

Why are my banana muffins browning unevenly?

Your oven might have hot spots! To prevent uneven browning, make sure you rotate your muffin pans when halfway when baking. If you want to ensure perfectly baked muffins every time, get an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is at the correct temperature.

Why are my banana muffins flat?

For fluffy, high, bakery-style muffin tops, there are a couple of tips!

• Check your baking soda and baking powder. Baking soda will fizz in hot water and baking powder will fizz with vinegar or lemon.
• Room temp ingredients. Room temp ingredients will bake up taller and fluffier than ingredients from the fridge so make sure your eggs and other ingredients are room temp.
• Resting. Resting banana muffin batter helps it thicken up because the flour has time to absorb the liquid in the batter. The starch molecules swell up and thicken making the batter thicker.
• Fill your muffin cups almost to the top. Leave just smidgen of space at the top of your muffin cup, about 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Filling the cups up high will ensure you get a tall muffin.
• High temps. Higher temps at the beginning of baking can cause oven-spring: a high blast of heat that will create steam that will lift the batter tall and fluffy. After the muffins spring, you turn down the heat so they can continue to bake through.

How do I make my banana muffins more banana-y?

For extra banana-y muffins you need incredibly ripe, spotty, bananas. The riper they are, the more banana-flavored your muffins will be.

How do I ripen bananas quickly?

To quickly ripen bananas:

1. Separate all the bananas. Single bananas ripen faster because they release more ethylene gas, which is the gas that ripens fruit.
2. Pop the separated bananas in a brown paper bag. Use a paper bag to trap the gas to encourage the bananas to ripen even more quickly.
3. Store in warm spot. Just find a nice cozy warm spot for your bananas. Fruit ripens more quickly when it’s warm.

How to mash bananas

I like to peel my bananas, place them in a wide bowl and use a potato masher to mash until the bananas are very liquid-y without any visible lumps.

Why is there sour cream in banana muffins?

Sour cream is perfect in loaves and muffins! It keeps them moist and flavorful, adding a bit of tang that compliments the sweetness of bananas. If you don’t have any sour cream, you can substitute with yogurt, regular or Greek.

What to serve with banana bread

Give yourself those at home cafe feels with these cafe style drinks:

• fluffy dalgona coffee
• coffee jelly coffee milk
• mint mojito pour over
• matcha latte
• whipped hot chocolate

Banana Muffins

Sky high extra banana-ey banana muffins based on one of the best banana bread recipes of all time.

Serves 16 muffins

4.90 from 19 votes

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cup all purpose flour 210g
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons - 230g
• 2 large eggs room temp
• 1/2 cup neutral oil such as canola oil - 100g
• 3 1/2 bananas very ripe, peeled and mashed, ~1.5 cups, 340g
• 2 tbsp sour cream or Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

• With the rack in the center of the oven, preheat to 425°F. Line 16 muffin tins with papers. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl and set aside.
  
• With a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat together the sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Switch to low speed and slowly drizzle in the oil, taking your time.
  
• Add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, and continue to mix on low speed just until combined.
  
• Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible.
  
• Pour the batter into the muffin tins and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F then turn the heat down to 325°F and continue to bake for 15-20 minutes.
  
• The muffins should be golden brown on top, a toothpick will come out clean and the muffins will spring back when you gently press down. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and let cool completely on the wire rack. Enjoy!
  

Notes

Inspired by Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe

Estimated Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Banana Muffins

Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)

Calories 189 Calories from Fat 67

% Daily Value*

Fat 7.4g11%

Saturated Fat 0.9g6%

Cholesterol 24mg8%

Sodium 163mg7%

Potassium 117mg3%

Carbohydrates 29.5g10%

Fiber 0.9g4%

Sugar 17.1g19%

Protein 2.4g5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.