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 :)
Kathy - Panini Happy says
I’ve got 3 bananas in my kitchen right now that are BEGGING to be turned into these muffins! And so they will be…this weekend. :-) They look so incredible!
Jennifer Farley says
Thanks Kathy! Let me know how they turn out!
Shea Goldstein says
Although I’m allergic to bananas, I love them and my kids would adore these muffins. Beautiful!
Jennifer Farley says
That’s too bad! Bananas are one of my favorite fruits. How do they effect you?
ashley - baker by nature says
Whoa… I want these. Like right now.
Laura says
Great post. Good luck on your project–I am so excited to see how it all turns out!
Jennifer says
These muffins look fabulous! Banana bread muffins are my favorite and I always love trying new recipes for them. I still can’t wait to hear what you are working on too!
Lorraine says
Wow I can’t wait to hear more about your project! You won’t keep us waiting for too long will you? :)
Jennifer Farley says
March is when everything will go public, I believe :)
Patty says
Can’t wait to hear about your recipe project!
I am a huge banana bread fan and I like your idea of creating a banana bead muffin-will have to give your recipe a try;-)
Aimee says
Oooh, can’t wait to see what you’re cooking up in the kitchen! Congrats on whatever it is. These muffins look incredible!
Averie says
Wow, Jen, these look amazing! I do love banana bread but am super picky about it. If you say these are amazing (and they come from a Cooks Illustrated recipe), no doubt they’re scrumptious!
I too dream of things food photography/styling related. Lol
Jennifer Farley says
See, I’m the opposite. I’ve always been kind of indifferent to banana bread but these muffins totally won me over. I’m glad I’m not the only one who obsesses in her sleep!
Four Green Steps says
Looks great! And yes, Pintrest is full of ideas!
Jackie says
I’m the same way. I find that even when I’m not “working” I’m still working. And without the structure of a 9 to 5, it all gets blurred and I feel guilty not being productive, even when its 9:30 at night. These muffins looks like a lovely way to start a busy day :)
natalie says
these look absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to see what you’ve got up your sleeve!
Carrie says
I can’t wait to see the results of your top secret project ;) these muffins look like perfection.
Nami says
Your life sounds really crazy but hang in there Jen! It’ll be worth it at the end and you will gain tremendous experience! Love your banana bread muffins! We can eat that everyday!
Marianne says
Could you use vanilla yogurt? That is all I have on hand!
Jennifer Farley says
You can try it but I can’t promise the same results! Those are usually sweetened.