These banana muffins are soft, sweet, and delicious. They make the perfect breakfast treat or a quick snack for any time of day. Let those bananas get ripe, add a few basic pantry ingredients and you’ll have a batch of banana bread muffins ready in no time.
My Three-Banana Muffin Fix
I feel like I always end up with three spotty bananas on the counter, never two, never four. Instead of freezing them (and about forgetting them), I mash all three into a bowl with pantry basics like flour, sugar, an egg, and a splash of oil.
No mixer is needed, just a wooden spoon. The extra banana keeps each muffin moist and sweet, so they taste like mini banana breads without extra butter or fuss. If you ever have exactly three ripe bananas, grab a spoon and join me; the batter comes together before the oven finishes heating.
Need more Muffin Recipes? Try these Strawberry Banana Muffins, healthy Morning Glory Muffins, Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins, Blueberry Muffins, or my absolute favorite Lemon Muffins.
And if you extra bananas, you could make a banana cake or brown butter banana bread with ripe bananas. Homemade banana bread is always a good idea! But now that I have this recipe for banana bread muffins, I prefer to make them instead. Muffins are portable and have built-in portion control, making them an amazing breakfast option.
Used this recipe a couple of times now as they are becoming a family favourite to snack on from morning until night! Makes exactly 12 tasty muffins. Thanks
Colette
Key Ingredients
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Flour, Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Salt: Provide structure and lift for light muffins.
- Cinnamon and Vanilla Extract: Cinnamon adds gentle spice; vanilla deepens the flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Supplies sweetness and browning. We don’t need a lot of sugar in this recipe as the bananas add a lot of sweetness too.
- Egg: Use at room temperature so it blends smoothly.
- Ripe Bananas: You want to use very ripe bananas for baking. They should be yellow with brown spots on them. If they are green or haven’t yet started to turn brown, wait a day or two until they’re ready.
- Melted Butter: Adds moisture; melt and let it cool slightly before mixing in.
Tip!
You can use brown sugar, maple syrup, or your favorite sweetener in place of the granulated sugar in this recipe.
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Banana Muffins
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 12 cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3 large (300 g) ripe bananas mashed
- ¼ cup (57 g) melted unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° (180°C) or 160°C fan oven, and line a muffin pan with muffin liners. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt) and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, egg, mashed banana, melted butter, vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir just until mixed.
- Using a large cookie scoop, divide the batter between 12 muffin liners.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center of a muffin.
- Cool on a cooling rack, serve at room temperature.
Notes:
- Avoid Overmixing: Overmixed muffin batter will create tough muffins that don’t rise in the oven. Stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients are mixed in.
- Be Sure Your Bananas Are Ready: Don’t try to bake with bananas that aren’t ripe enough. Your bananas should look like the ones in my photo above, yellow with a good amount of brown spots on them.
- Add Some Fun: You can add chocolate chips, oats, nuts, or dried fruit to the batter to make these muffins extra special. I suggest adding no more than ½ cup of any add-ins. If you are adding oats, add a splash of milk as well to keep the batter and the muffins moist.
- Fill Muffin Cups Only Halfway: If the muffin cups are too full, the batter will rise up and overflow in the oven. Use a cookie scoop or a small measuring cup to get evenly filled muffin cups.
- Freezing: Simply wrap each muffin in plastic wrap, then place them all in a plastic freezer bag. Eat them within two months for best results.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Recipe Tips
- Avoid Overmixing: Overmixed muffin batter will create tough muffins that don’t rise in the oven. Stop mixing as soon as the dry ingredients are mixed in.
- Add Some Fun: You can add chocolate chips, oats, nuts, or dried fruit to the batter to make these muffins extra special. I suggest adding no more than ½ cup of any add-ins. If you are adding oats, add a splash of milk as well to keep the batter and the muffins moist.
- Fill Muffin Cups Only Halfway: If the muffin cups are too full, the batter will rise up and overflow in the oven. Use a cookie scoop or a small measuring cup to get evenly filled muffin cups.
Freezing Muffins
These muffins freeze well. Make a double batch and store some for later! Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap, then place them all in a plastic freezer bag. Eat them within two months for the best results.
How to Reheat Frozen Muffins
When you’re ready to enjoy a muffin from the freezer, let it thaw overnight in the freezer. In the morning, unwrap it and microwave on high for 30 seconds. It will taste like it just came out of the oven!
How to Mash Bananas?
You can mash your bananas in any way that feels good to you! The simplest way is to put the ripe bananas in a bowl and mash them with a fork. Mash the banana with the fork until there are no large lumps remaining. You can also use your mixer to do this work if you prefer.
I really loved the muffins! They were moist with the perfect about of sweetness.
Jeanna
Kelley says
Yummy recipe! Half full is perfect measurement so that the cups don’t overflow and you get nice rounding. Taste delicious and I want to try the recipe with large parchment liners next time.
Little Sunny Kitchen says
Thanks Kelly! I’m so happy to hear that you got perfectly shaped muffins with this recipe. Yay!
Betsi Bauer says
Can I use mini muffin tins … if so ~ how long ?
Diana says
I haven’t tried baking these in a mini muffin pan, but mini muffins bake faster, so start checking around 12 minutes. Enjoy!
Shannon says
My husband and guests absolutely loved them! Used some mixed seeds on top to give it a healthy crunchy topping!
Diana says
Glad they were a hit, Shannon! The mixed seeds on top sound like a great addition for extra crunch!
Tanya says
Absolutely delicious! My family loves them!
Diana says
So happy to hear that! 😊 Thanks for trying the recipe!
ulysses says
For small measuring cup,” How much would I need to fill these muffin cups halfway?”
Little Sunny Kitchen says
I’m not exactly sure, but I would use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to start. You may need to add a bit more to get the cups filled halfway.