These epic banana bread muffins are foolproof, soft and flavorful, with perfectly rounded dome tops. I’ve adapted them from my favorite banana bread recipe, and the results are everything I want in a muffin. They’re also incredibly fast and easy. You’re going to love these easy muffins! Trust me; just make them!
I never used to be a huge fan of banana bread, but let me tell you- I fell in love with these muffins the moment I tasted them. They’re soft, nutty, moist without being overly sweet or dense.
I’ve gone on to make these many more times since that first batch, and I can safely say we are both hooked.
Recipe Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ll need the following:
- Bananas
- All-purpose flour
- Walnuts
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Plain yogurt
- Large eggs
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
How to Make Banana Bread Muffins
If you’ve ever made banana bread, preparing these muffins is almost exactly the same process except you use a standard muffin pan instead of a loaf pan. It’s also a very similar process to making muffins:
- Mash super ripe bananas in one bowl.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in another bowl, followed by the wet ingredients in another.
- Combine the three, divide evenly among greased muffin tins. Bake!
I adapted these muffins from a Cook’s Illustrated banana bread recipe. They have never let me down, and this time was no exception.
I love these so much that I’ve even gone one step further and created brown butter banana bread muffins If you like brown butter as much as I do, I highly recommend checking those out.
Recipe tips
- I chop the walnuts very finely, both because I prefer less texture in the muffins, and because I think you get better flavor distribution that way. If you’re using raw nuts and need to toast them first, spread the walnuts in a thin layer on a baking sheet, and toast in a 350 degree F oven for around 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan once or twice, until fragrant.
- I always recommend weighing the flour over using a measuring cup. I used 10 ounces of flour. If you measure out two cups, it might be 8 ounces (or more/less). You can buy inexpensive kitchen scales on Amazon. So worth it. You can also read more about this in my post How to Measure Flour Correctly.
- I always use plain, full fat or part-skim yogurt in this recipe, but I’d imagine that sour cream works as well. However, I haven’t personally tried it yet.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas
To speed up ripening, place the bananas in a paper bag and loosely fold the top to seal. If available, add an apple or 1-2 already ripe bananas to the bag to increase the amount of ethylene gas (this is what causes ripening). With this method, your bananas should ripen within 1-2 days.
How to Store
To store banana bread muffins, place them in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag, then store at room temperature for up to three days.
Can You Freeze These Muffins?
Yes, you can absolutely store these muffins in the freezer. It’s a great way to preserve their shelf life! To freeze, store the muffins in resealable freezer bags freeze for up to three months.
Why Egg Size Matters in Baking
This recipe calls for large eggs. Using different size eggs can drastically impact baked goods. Don’t substitute a different size unless you have a kitchen scale to measure an equal weight by volume (ounces or grams) to get the same total amount of egg.
Read more about why egg size matters in baking (and how to make substitutions).
How to Measure Flour
For baked goods (as well as desserts like custard and ice cream), I always recommend using a kitchen scale to measure flour by weight instead of volume. Weight (ounces, grams, etc) will always give an accurate measurement of dry goods; volume (cups) can create varied results.
A cup of flour can weigh anywhere from 3 1/2 to 5 ounces. That could make a big difference in your recipe! If you still want to use cups, there’s a proper technique to make sure you get the best results possible.
My post How to Measure Flour explains all of this in more detail.
More Muffin Recipes
Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
- 10 ounces all-purpose flour (approximately 2 cups using the Scoop & Sweep Method)
- 1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts, chopped finely
- 5 1/4 ounces granulated sugar (approximately 3/4 cup)
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt (I recommend full or low-fat)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup standard-size muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and walnuts together. In a separate bowl, combine the bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined. Scoop the batter evenly between the muffin tins.
- Bake until the muffins are golden brown on top, approximately 20-25 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag at room temperature for up to three days. You can also freeze them in a freezer bag for up to three months.
Video
Notes
Please read my full post for additional recipe notes, tips, and serving suggestions!
Nutrition
Recipe Troubleshooting
For immediate help troubleshooting a recipe, please email me using the form on my contact page. I’ll try to respond to urgent questions as quickly as possible! For all general questions, please leave a comment here :)
Jenny says
I love banana bread! this seems like an amazing way to make it as you can freeze some and not end up eating a whole loaf on one go (its happened more than once over here!)
Jennifer Farley says
Exactly! I’m a big fan of portion control.
Hayley says
HECK. YES. I super heart banana bread and in muffin form, they’re *almost* too cute to eat. And yay for secret projects ;)
Jennifer Farley says
Aren’t they just the cutest little things? We were cooing the entire time ate them (not really) :D
Carol says
I have 3 very ripe bananas on my counter just begging to be made into these lovely looking muffins!!!
Jennifer Farley says
Let me know what you think if you try them! I have one super ripe banana sitting on my counter that I need to do something with ASAP. Might be smoothie time.
Erin says
Jen, I can’t wait to see what you are cooking up and the many things that are inspiring you! PS. I love putting yogurt in muffins. It adds a little tang and makes them so moist!
Jennifer Farley says
I cannot wait to show everyone! And yes, yogurt is that perfect secret ingredient in many baked goods.
Bev says
Oh me oh my. I like this.
Jennifer Farley says
Yay!
Liz says
Too funny about your dream! Your muffins are perfectly domed…and irresistible!
Jennifer Farley says
Have you ever done that? I find myself working in my dreams all the time now and it’s a little bit disturbing!
Laura says
These look absolutely perfect.
Jennifer Farley says
Thank you, Laura!
Alison says
These are so good! They turned out so moist and delicious. I didn’t have walnuts, so I substituted 1/2 a cup of dates soaked in rum. I think this is my new favorite recipe for leftover bananas…so much cuter than banana bread.
Jennifer Farley says
Oh I’m so happy you liked them! The rum-soaked dates sound like an amazing addition!
kelly says
You just reminded me of the door-ful (yes, you read right) of frozen bananas in my freezer! These are simply gorgeous and perfect for munching while in the midst of a project. My schedule in grad school was procrastinate >> research recipes >> bake >> take out books >> munch >> start reading >> munch >> try to write >> munch… etc. etc. There were lots of muffins involved! :)
Jennifer Farley says
Ha, I should have added “procrastinate” to a few spots in my day. And I have a door ful of bananas myself so I totally believe you!
Little Kitchie says
These look fabulous! Will have to try – I’m always looking for new banana bread/muffin recipes to use up all those overripe bananas!
Jennifer Farley says
Let me know what you think if you make them! They’re the best muffins I’ve had in quite some time.
Anna says
I could talk about food styling and props for hours! Love it! The spaghetti photo is gorgeous! As are these muffins! Easy yet delicious! Love the styling :)
Jennifer Farley says
Thank you! If you ever want to get into a chat about it I am so all over props and styling at the moment (if you can’t tell.) Some of the food photography I’m seeing right now is absolute art! I want to play.
Joanne says
LMAO! I love the dreaming of props you don’t have. These banana bread muffins look KILLER!
Jennifer Farley says
Isn’t that hilarious? And I think once I got the photo styled just right in my head I actually fell back to normal dreaming, as though my subconscious was like “ah, problem solved.” Luckily my subconscious is kind of dumb.
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
I love banana bread, these are my kind of muffins!
Jennifer Farley says
Thanks, Laura!
Sush says
These look fantastic! Can’t wait to give them a try!
Jennifer Farley says
Let me know if you do!
Maggie says
These muffins look delicious! I love a muffin that gets a nice dome on top instead of being flat!
SIOBHAN says
I get where you’re coming from… I’d often be thinking about a work related problem going to bed and what is amazing is how I could wake up with a solution… and that’s a good start to any day. Muffins look fab, great photograph. Siobhan :)