My well-loved Banana Muffin recipe makes incredibly soft, moist muffins with tall, bakery-style tops, sweet banana flavor, and an optional streusel topping. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Your New Favorite Breakfast Muffin
Today I’m re-sharing one of my favorite muffin recipes on the blog, and apparently, it’s one of your favorites too! With nearly 500 five-star ratings, this banana muffin recipe is so well-loved–and for good reason. These aren’t bland, boring, or basic banana muffins; they’re fluffy, moist, and loaded with banana flavor! And if that’s not enough, I recommend topping them with a crumbly, buttery streusel topping…yum.
It took a lot of tries and tweaks to get this recipe just perfect, but it was well worth the trial and error. This recipe makes the softest, most flavorful banana muffin I’ve ever tasted–with or without the streusel on top–and I’m so proud to share it with you!
What Makes My Banana Muffin Recipe the BEST:
- It produces big, beautiful muffin tops, thanks to a nifty oven trick.
- They truly taste like banana muffins, not banana bread in muffin form.
- No mixer needed–these come together easily by hand!
- They take just 30 minutes from start to finish.
What You Need
I found I needed several key ingredients for super flavorful banana muffins:
- Three ripe bananas. Ripe bananas mash easier and impart a stronger banana flavor, so save this recipe for those dark brown bananas lingering at the bottom of your fruit basket (unlike the ones pictured above!).
- Butter and oil. We’re using a blend of both for the best flavored and textured banana muffin (same reason I use a blend of the two in my vanilla cake!). Stick with a neutral oil like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed, and make sure your butter is unsalted.
- Sugar. Using some brown sugar gives the muffins a rich flavor that granulated alone wouldn’t provide.
- Buttermilk. This keeps the muffins nice and moist. If you’re low on buttermilk, give my easy buttermilk substitute a try!
SAM’S TIP: Overmixing your batter can lead to muffins that are too tough and dense. To avoid this, I strongly recommend stirring your banana muffin batter completely by hand. Luckily, we’re using melted butter in this recipe, so mixing by hand is a breeze!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Banana Muffins
- Mash your bananas, then add the oil and melted butter.
- Stir in the sugar, then add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk.
- Combine your dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gently fold them into the wet ingredients.
- Portion the batter into a paper-lined muffin tin, filling each liner is ¾ of the way full.
- Prepare your streusel, if using, and portion over each muffin.
- Bake your muffins for 8 minutes, then reduce the temperature and bake for another 7-8 minutes until done.
SAM’S TIP: While I personally love and recommend the streusel topping, I know not everyone wants the extra sugar or dishes. As you can see, the “naked” banana muffin pictured below baked up beautifully with an even tidier, higher muffin top. So feel free to skip it!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, although I do have a separate banana nut muffin recipe you might want to try (it uses browned butter too 🤤). You can add between 1-1½ cups of add-ins (chocolate chips work well!) to this banana muffin recipe. I recommend adding them when you’re almost done incorporating the dry ingredients.
Yes! To do this, you’ll follow the same instructions I provide for my bakery-style chocolate chip muffins:
Bake at 425F for 8 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350F (don’t open the door!) and continue baking until the muffins begin to turn golden brown. This can take anywhere from 7-15 minutes, so keep an eye on them!
This banana muffin recipe freezes very well! In fact, I did this in preparation for Luke’s arrival so I always had a quick breakfast handy during his newborn phase.
If you want want to freeze yours, allow them to cool completely, wrap individually in plastic wrap, place in a Ziploc bag, and freeze. To thaw, either set your muffins out at room temperature or microwave them (just use the defrost setting or they’ll become hard).
So, do you agree? Is this the BEST banana muffin recipe? Let me know in the comments!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
The Best Banana Muffin Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (385 g) well-mashed ripe bananas This is typically 3 large bananas for me
- ¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil (may substitute vegetable or avocado oil)
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled at least 5 minutes
- ½ cup (100 g) sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar tightly packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk room temperature preferred
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Streusel (optional)
- ½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cold
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C) and line a muffin tin with paper liners*
- Place peeled bananas in a large bowl and use a fork or a potato masher to mash them – bananas should be well-mashed.1 ½ cups (385 g) well-mashed ripe bananas
- Add oil and melted butter and stir well.¼ cup (60 ml) avocado oil or vegetable oil or canola oil, ¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- Stir in sugars until well-combined.½ cup (100 g) sugar, ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- Add eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and stir well. Set aside.2 large eggs, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, ¼ cup (60 ml) buttermilk
- In a separate bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients — flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add dry ingredients to your wet batter and gently fold in until ingredients are just combined (don't over-mix the batter!).
- Portion batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each liner ¾ of the way full. Set aside and prepare your Streusel topping.
Streusel Topping (optional)
- Combine flour, brown sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and use a fork to stir the ingredients together.½ cup (65 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Using a pastry cutter, cut in your cold butter until the butter is well-worked in and your mixture resembles coarse crumbs.¼ cup (60 g) unsalted butter, cold
- Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over each muffin.
- Bake muffins on 425F (218C) for 8 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 (175C) (do not open the oven door or remove the muffins, just leave them in and reduce the temperature) and bake another 7-8 minutes on 350F (177C). A toothpick inserted in the center of the largest muffin should come out clean or with few moist crumbs (no wet batter) to test for doneness.
- Allow muffins to cool before enjoying.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally published 01/05/2018. Updated with more information and better photos 10/17/2019.
Barbara
Made these this morning! Only change was Greek yogurt in place of buttermilk and cinnamon! Amazing! Moist, fluffy, great flavor, timing was perfect! Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Destiny
I made a normal batch and one utilizing the suggestions you had for mini muffins (which worked great!) … These are delicious, thank you!!
AG
Used greek yogurt bc I didn’t have buttermilk, and these turned out 10x better than we i made the recipe previously WITH the buttermilk. 15/10 for this recipe. “These are the best muffins I’ve ever had”- husband
Louise
Really the BEST!
sara
These are amazing. I used water instead of butter milk and they still turned out great.
Joylene
I only had one and 1/4 cups banana so I increased the buttermilk to half a cup. They still turned out extremely delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Robin
My family loved making and eating these muffins. We have tried a number of recipes and this is an all time favourite.
Ruth
boy oh boy I don’t know how this turned out. I followed the instructions, except, I had 4 bananas and decided to use them all. I grabbed the wrong measuring cup for the flour and ended up only putting in one cup. I had decided from the beginning that I was going to make only 8 muffins and use the rest of the batter and make a bread. After I started baking the muffins I was cleaning up the dirty dishes, that’s when I realized I used the wrong amount of flour. So I added an 8 oz can of crushed pineapples and guessed on the flour mixed that and put it into the bread pan. When the muffins came out of the oven they hardly filled the liner. I popped in the bread and baked that for 55 minutes. After everything had cooled and I tried them both were super good and very moist. Thanks for the recipe even though I messed it up it turned out great.
SOFIA LOPEZ
I just made your best banana muffins. I followed your directions- no changes, no add-ins. And they look amazing- the perfect muffin peak. I wish I could send you a photo. I think the two baking temps is the key to perfection!
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Sofia! If you have an Instagram you can tag me @Sugarspun_Sam I would love to see them! 🙂
Laurie
This was the best banana muffin ( or any muffin recipe) that I have ever baked! They were tender, high domed and delicious. I did not add the streusel this time but did sprinkle a little sparkling sugar on top, and added a touch of chai spice to the batter. So good, a permanent addition in our kitchen ❤️
Leslie
It wasn’t my day. I must comment on this banana muffin recipe. I arranged all my ingredients first BUT while cleaning up–ACK! There the buttermilk sat in it’s little dish! Additionally, I didn’t know my husband had eaten two out of four bananas. I substituted Greek yogurt to equal the banana grams. I had not previewed the recipe, In the middle of mixing, I noticed there was no cinnamon in the recipe, so I added it to both the batter and topping with an additional shake of Pumpkin Pie Spice. Mixed in 1/2 cup blueberries. These were to be special Election Day Muffins for us Inspectors. My husband and I each taste-tested one- they are delicious!! What a forgiving recipe!. Thanks! I will think of you while working long hours at the polls tomorrow.
Sam
I’m glad they turned out, Leslie! 🙂
Jess
Hands down the best banana muffin 🙌I’ve tried many and no other is as moist and flavourful as this one while being so easy to make 👌
Michele
it really is the best banana muffin recipe. made them with my granddaughter I omitted the streusal topping. They were moist and so delicious. I doubled the recipe and was going to freeze some but they were all eaten up . Thanks for this recipe.
Karen
As it turned out, the most difficult issue was having to wait for these cuties to cool!! Delicious, and THANK YOU!
Donna
Has anyone tried making these gluten free with success?
Sam
Hi Donna! Several commenters have had success using a 1:1 gluten free flour. 🙂
M Hamrick
I wish I could use this recipe but the page keeps getting obscured by a pop up demanding that I rate it or pin it. Unfortunately I can see the recipe long enough to give it a try.
Sam
Hmmm that’s very odd. You shouldn’t ever get a pop up asking you to rate or pin something. There are a few buttons to pin or rate the recipe but they shouldn’t be pop ups. Is it possible those buttons were accidentally clicked on?
Boochie
Delicious and moist! I added fresh pineapples and blueberries
Tara
times for Mimi muffins?
Sam
Hi Tara! I haven’t tried these as mini muffins, but I think it should work just fine. I would bake them on 375 for 11-13 minutes. You will want to keep an eye on them as they bake though. 🙂
Marie
Everyone loves these! Someone asked if I could this recipe for a cake. Suggestions?
Sam
Hi Marie! Actually I developed a banana cake recipe that would work best here. 🙂