Soft and tender banana muffins with delicate moist crumbs and full of banana flavor! Simple one-bowl muffins in less than 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe:
I halved my popular banana bread recipe, which makes 2 loaves, and made it into muffins!
The same amazing flavor, but in a convenient, portable size.
Muffins (both regular and mini ones!) are especially popular among young kids!
- Simple pantry ingredients
- Quick and easy to make – no special equipment required!
- Intense banana flavor
- Moist and tender texture
- Reduced sugar and butter without compromising on flavor
Key Ingredients:
- Bananas – You want to freeze ripe, or even overripe bananas for this recipe. Ripe bananas are sweet and intensifies the banana flavor in the muffins.
- Butter – I recommend unsalted butter to control salt amount in the muffins.
- Sugar is reduced to the minimum amount that yields perfect texture and balanced sweetness.
- Flour – I recommend all-purpose for this recipe.
- Baking soda in this recipe plays a significant role in browning the muffins.
- Baking powder, on other hand, is here to produce fluffy and tall banana bread muffins.
What’s the secret to making moist banana muffins?
Using frozen bananas is the secret to the moist and tender banana muffins.
My recipe doesn’t call for any liquids. And that’s not a mistake!
When you defrost frozen bananas, you’ll get lots of flavorful liquid along with mashed bananas. And that’s GOLD!!
How to freeze bananas:
Method 1:
When you have ripe bananas that are starting to turn soft, put them in the freezer. This way, you can make delicious banana bread or muffins later.
Unpeeled bananas freeze well for up to 3 months!
Method 2:
You can also peel the bananas, mash them and freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
Peeled bananas tend to freezer-burn, so that’s why it’s best to use them within a month.
How to make this muffin recipe:
1. Prepare the bananas
Place frozen bananas under hot running tap water for about a minute.
Then peel them and place in a large bowl.
Microwave the bananas for 5 minutes to thaw completely.
Tip
Do NOT drain excess liquid from thawed bananas. Use it all in your batter for extra moist and flavorful muffins.
2. Make the batter
- Mash bananas well with a wooden spoon.
- Add sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Then stir in lightly beaten egg. (TIP: I add the egg later to prevent the eggs from scrambling in a hot bananas.)
- Finally, add the rest of dry ingredients and mix the batter until just combined. Don’t over-mix it.
OPTIONAL STEP… You may add some chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts at this point too.
3. Bake
Line muffin cups with paper liners, if desired. Then lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Tip
Since this is a low fat muffins, they tend to stick to the paper liners. That’s why I like to spray with a cooking spray. It’s totally optional though.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Fill 16 muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Tip
I like using this large cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly. 1 scoop in each muffin cup.
Tips for Mashing Bananas:
It’s important to mash the bananas well before making the batter. You can use a fork or a wooden spoon to mash the bananas. If the bananas are thawed, they should be soft enough to mash with a wooden spoon.
Using a wooden spoon, cut the bananas into small chunks and then mash them with the back of the spoon.
Bananas don’t have to be completely smooth, small chunks are ok. Just avoid leaving big chunks, or you’ll end up with wet spots in your muffins.
Muffin Storing Tips:
- Store muffins, covered, on the counter for up to 3 days.
- You may also refrigerate the muffins, in an airtight container, for up to a week.
- These muffins also freeze well. Place them in an airtight container or a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
FAQs:
My banana muffins recipe calls for baking soda, even though there is no acid present that would react with it.
That’s because baking soda helps to brown the muffins beautifully.
Without baking soda, muffins come out pale as pictured below.
You would want frozen overripe bananas for the best result. Simply freeze the bananas when they turn soft and with lots of black spots.
Absolutely. Banana muffins freeze well for up to 3 months in an airtight container, or freezer bags.
Video:
Try Some of My Other Muffin Recipes:
Easy Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 frozen medium-to-large bananas thawed Note 1
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg lightly beaten, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup toasted chopped walnuts optional
- ½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Line 16 regular-size muffin cups with paper liners and lightly spray with non-stick spray. (Note 2)
- In a large bowl, mash thawed bananas with a fork or wooden spoon.
- Add sugar, melted butter and vanilla extract, and mix everything until combined.
- Then stir in lightly beaten egg.
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined. Don't overman the batter.
- Add walnuts and/or chocolate chips, if using.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups. (TIP: Use a large cookie scoop to evenly divide the batter. 1 scoop into each muffin cup.)
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before serving.
Tips & Notes:
– Store muffins, covered, on the counter for up to 3 days.
– Or refrigerate for up to a week.
– These muffins also freeze well. Place the muffins in airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition Facts:
This recipe was originally published in March, 2020.
Sharon Myles says
Moist and delicious & will keep this recipe
Diana says
These are SO DAMN GOOD!! So easy Thank you!! Yes, I did add chocolate chips 👍🏼
Linda from Ontario, Canada says
I decided to make SOMETHING out of frozen bananas other than smoothies, and I’m so glad I found this recipe! We have construction workers here for the week, and boy were they thrilled to get homemade Banana Chocolate Chip muffins as a treat! Thanks so much Shinee 🙂
Shinee says
YAY, so happy you tried and loved this recipe, Linda! Thank you for your feedback!
Ali says
Absolutely love this recipe! Comes out perfect every time and I’m lazy and don’t freeze my bananas!
Shinee says
Thanks for your feedback, Ali!
Karen Teeling says
Surprised at amount of baking soda and salt for this muffin recipe. Your “bread” recipe halved would equal 3/4 tsp soda and ont 1/4 tsp salt – why are they more in this recipe?
Shinee says
Hi, Karen! Great question and observation! When doubling a recipe, you could double pretty much all of the ingredients, except for baking powder and baking soda. You don’t need that much baking powder/soda for double batch, and typically it’s advised to reduce the amount of those ingredients slightly when doubling a recipe. As for salt, it’s just a personal preference. 1/2 teaspoon of salt works for single and double batch. You may reduce to 1/4 teaspoon for single batch, if you prefer.
Karen C says
These are the best banana muffins I have ever had.
Isabelle Valois says
Wow excellent and fast and truly in one bowl. It took me 15minute from the “get go”. Perfect banana muffin.
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you tried and loved the recipe. Thank you for your feedback, Isabelle!
Tungalag says
Hi Shinee, my Vanilla extract is expired, do you think I can still use it in the muffin?
Shinee says
Hi, Tungalag! Yeah, I’d say you can still use it. Typically vanilla extracts have indefinite shelf life.
Cee says
Hi there – can I cut the sugar from 3/4 cups to 1/2 cup? Wpuld I need to make any other adjustments? We are using hersheys mini semi-sweet chipits. Figured that should be sweet enough for us.
Shinee says
Hi, Cee. These banana muffins are not sweet at all. I’ve reduced the sugar amount to the lowest possible. You can, of course, lowering it to 1/2 cup, if you want to. But it might affect the texture, rise and look of the muffins.
Stella says
Hi both,
I have halved the sugar and the muffins came out very sweet. I know it’s personal taste but I think that very ripe bananas add already A LOT of sweetness. Lovely muffins!
Shinee says
So happy to hear that! As long as you’re happy with texture and look of the muffins, nothing is wrong with reducing the sugar. Thanks for your feedback, Stella.
Thelma says
Can I use “frozen” bananas and do use that liquid, before adding them to the batter? Thank You.
Shinee says
Not sure what you mean by “frozen”? My recipe calls for frozen banana and yes, including all the liquid.
Thelma says
You answered my question – Thank You. ( I meant once I defrost the bananas, do I use the liquid) .
Thelma says
Hi…Going to try these muffins, for the 1st time.. (for a Christmas plate giveaway) I would like to add crushed pineapple. Do I have to substitute something to do that ??? Many thanks !!
Shinee says
Hi, Thelma. I don’t have an advice on this, as I’ve never tested the recipe with crushed pineapples. You may want to use crushed pineapple for half of the banana?
Thelma says
Thank You…. I’ll do that !!
Jordan says
I love this recipe! I’ve made it as muffins and as a loaf. For the loaf, I took the suggestion of another commenter and baked at 350f for approximately 45 minutes. This is a perfect use for all the frozen bananas I’ve been storing up for smoothies!
Shinee says
So happy to hear you loved the recipe!! It’s our family favorite too! Thank you for your feedback, Jordan!
Sheila says
Hello,
Can I add blueberries to this recipe? If yes, how many cups? Also, when adding nuts, what amount should be added?
Thanks
Shinee says
Hi, Sheila. Although I’ve never tried it, I supposed you could add blueberries. As for nuts, you can add up to 1 cup of nuts.
Lisa says
These were absolutely delicious and moist, using toasted walnut and semi sweet mini chips.
I will be making these again and again. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us.
Shinee says
Hi, Lisa. So glad you tried and loved the recipe. Thank you for your feedback.
Menam says
made this recipe as a loaf and baked for ≈45 minutes tasted amazing! i loved the overall taste and everyone else did too! It was gone in less than a day!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy you enjoyed it, Menam. Thank you for your feedback!
AP says
Delicious 😋 😋
Shinee says
Thank you!!
Dor says
Just wondering if “¾ cup 150gr sugar” means 3/4 cup sugar + 150g sugar… Thanks!
D says
The reasons I am asking are 1. 1.5 cups of flour seem to be 128 grams and 2. when I adjust the # of muffins, only the cups/tsps changed. It’d be great if you could confirm if the grams are there to correspond the amount for 12 muffins.
Sorry for asking this silly question, I’m new to baking.
Shinee says
Hi, Dor. Sorry for confusion. Not a silly question at all! You’ll need only 3/4 cup of sugar, which is 150g in metric system. And as for flour, you’ll need 1.5 cups of all-purpose flour, or 190g.
(We recently switched our recipe display system, and things are a little wonky! I so appreciate your question, because you brought the issue to my attention. 🙂 And I just fixed everything. It should look better now. Let me know if you have any questions.)
Dor says
Thank you for answering Shinee 🙂 I shall try the recipe soon!
Su says
I’ve never baked anything that turned out to be good–I’ve always been under the impression that baking is not for me. This recipe changed that! It is simple and the muffins turned out amazing!!! thank you!!!
Shinee says
Hi, Su! Yay, so happy you made these muffins and loved them! I truly believe anyone can be a good baker, and I’m so happy to read your comment. Hope you’ll be baking more and more. And thank you for sharing your feedback!