These fantastic banana nut muffins are perfect for snacking, dessert, or breakfast. Especially quick and easy on-the-go breakfasts!
They’re loaded with sweet, fruity banana flavor and plenty of nutty goodness. Each bite is a soft, crumbly mouthful of pure warm comfort.
Tender, moist, and slightly crunchy, they’re a cross between yummy banana bread and your favorite on-the-go muffin.
In short, these banana nut muffins are ones the whole family will love.
Best Ever Banana Nut Muffins Recipe
These banana nut muffins are the perfect way to curb your sweet cravings without overindulging.
Yes, they’re sweet, fluffy, nutty, and delicious. But they’re also much healthier than a thick chocolate brownie!
Plus, there are so many ways to jazz them up. You can top them with melted butter or toffee bits for extra decadence.
Best of all, you can make a big batch ahead of time. That way, you’ve got them on hand when you need something quick.
Ingredients
You’ll need only seven ingredients to make these sweet, ready-in-30-minutes-or-less banana nut muffins!
- Overripe bananas. The key to making the best banana nut muffins (and banana bread) is to use overripe bananas. They’re sweeter, more flavorful, and improve the consistency of the muffins.
- Brown sugar. Enhances the natural sweetness of the bananas.
- Pecans. I use chopped pecans for a burst of nutty goodness and a subtle crunch to the fluffy muffin. Feel free to use walnuts or macadamia nuts if you prefer.
- Butter. I used unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can use salted. Just leave out the extra salt you see in the recipe box. Either way, melt it and let it cool before mixing it with other ingredients.
- Eggs. Use room-temperature eggs to avoid clumping and over-mixing.
- All-purpose flour. All-purpose flour is the best option for banana nut muffins. Using another flour, like whole-wheat or gluten-free, may change the consistency.
- Baking soda. Allows the muffins to fluff up and rise.
Tips for The Best Banana Nut Muffins
Banana nut muffins are insanely easy to make. But I’ve still got a few tips to ensure they’re perfect!
- Ensure the bananas are overripe. I know I’ve already said it. But the best banana nut muffins start with the ripest bananas you can find. They’ll add more flavor and make the muffins incredibly moist and tender.
- Use the right nuts. Walnuts, pecans, or almonds make excellent additions to banana nut muffins because they’re lightly crunchy and buttery. Add extra chopped nuts to the tops before baking for added crunch!
- Soft brown sugar is the way to go. Also, ensure it’s fresh for optimal texture and consistency. If you don’t have any, try mixing molasses into white sugar!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing forms air bubbles, resulting in air holes inside the muffin.
- Take steps to prevent sticking. Spray the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. You can alternately use tall muffin liners.
- Want tall muffins? Remember this tip! For tall, bakery-style muffins, bake them at 425 degrees Fahrenheit during the first 8 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for the remainder of the baking time.
Banana Nut Muffin Variations and Add-Ins
These banana nut muffins are already loaded with flavor and deliciousness. If you want to take things up a notch, try these variations and add-ins!
- Chocolate chips. For a sweeter, chocolatey treat, top the muffins with chocolate chips and bake until melty.
- Dried fruits. If you want a sweetly tart muffin, incorporate dried fruits into the mix.
- Powdered sugar. A straightforward way to make your muffins sweeter is to sprinkle them with powdered sugar. It’s a fool-proof addition to bring some sparkle to your treats.
- Peanut or almond butter. Spread nut butter on baked muffins for extra texture and flavor.
- Nutella. This classic hazelnut cocoa spread always manages to revamp any sweet treat.
How to Store Muffins
Muffins are a delicious and perfect make-ahead snack that you can eat on the go. They also make a flavorful, healthy, on-the-go breakfast.
Store your leftovers properly to ensure you have breakfast for the next few days. Here’s how:
- To store. Store fully cooled muffins in an airtight container with a paper towel on the bottom. Store them at room temperature for up to 4 days. Use the same method (or a Ziploc bag) to keep them in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze. Wrap individual muffins in plastic wrap. Then, place all the wrapped muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze them for up to 3 months.
- To thaw. Transfer individually wrapped muffins to the refrigerator to thaw. Let them sit overnight. Then, reheat them in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds immediately before serving. You can also bake them at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins
Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Apple Strudel Muffins
Otis Spunkmeyer’s Blueberry Muffins
Banana Nut Muffins (Easy Recipe)
12
7
minutes20
minutes258
kcalLoaded with sweet, fruity banana flavor and plenty of nutty goodness, these fantastic banana nut muffins are perfect for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (1 1/2 sticks)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray the top of a muffin pan with cooking spray. Add muffin liners, if using.
- Mix the flour with the baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Then, set aside.
- In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork, then beat in the sugar with an electric mixer for 3 minutes.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix until well combined, and make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice.
- Stir the dry mixture into the wet ingredients until about half incorporated. There should still be a few streaks of flour.
- Add the nuts and any other extras. Then, gently mix by hand until all the streaks of flour are incorporated. Stop immediately to keep from overmixing.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tin until each mold is half-filled. Gently tap the tin on a flat surface to remove air bubbles.
- Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. (A few crumbs are okay.)
- After baking, let the muffins cool at room temperature before taking them out of the muffin tin. Serve warm, and enjoy!
Notes
- Top the muffin batter with chopped pecans or walnuts before baking for extra crunch!
The best banana nut muffin recipe I’ve found. I brown the butter, use walnuts, add a spoon full of Nutella and top with Turbinado sugar because I like the crunch. I’ve had several people ask for the recipe.
Hey there! I just made this recipe up tonight for the first time — in triplicate, no less, just because I had that many bananas I needed to use, and I wanted to see just exactly how many muffins this would make in triplicate, since my bananas were kinda small.
The recipe is ridiculously, traditionally cozy-good, like a cool, fall evening that tastes like a hug in muffin form. (I am all about those cooler autumn days!)๐๐๐ ๐๐
I subbed in English walnuts for pecans, though next time I might give the pecans a go when I have the extra $$ for them. Same with black walnuts — I looove black walnuts! ๐
Annnd, I am thinking of putting this batter into a loaf pan next time, since the muffins are deliciously banana-bread-like when cooled, just the way I like em — nice and dense.
Thank you for sharing your delightfully classic recipe with the world! ๐๐ป๐๐ป
Hi Kat, I’m so happy you liked it! Subbing walnuts for pecans sounds like a great idea. And I think it’ll be just as tasty in loaf form as it is in muffins!
can you use large muffin tins
Hi Nancy!
This recipe is for standard (large) muffins. It makes 12.
If you want jumbo muffins, you’ll get 6 out of the recipe and need to bake them for about 5-7 minutes longer
This is a GREAT recipe!! Not dry or crumbly at all! I added 1 full cup of chopped walnuts and probably close to a cup of mini chocolate chips, my kids and I loved them!
Thanks so much, Kate. So glad you and the kids liked them! This recipe is one of my faves too!
I absolutely loved these muffins! Yours look like you topped them with extra nuts???? Not sure… can you lemme know what topping, if any or maybe you used extra nuts? Thanks for sharing this fabulous recipe!
Hi Susan!
Yes, those have extra nuts on top ๐
After portioning in the liners, top the muffin batter with chopped pecans or walnuts before baking for extra crunch!
I’ve added this to the post too. Thanks, hope you like them!
Is this recipe good for altitude of 5000 feet? Any changes to be made?
Hi Doris,
Here’s the revised recipe for high altitude:
Revised Recipe for High Altitude:
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (+2 to 4 tablespoons)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (reduce by 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup brown sugar (reduce by 1 to 2 tablespoons)
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled (1 1/2 sticks)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Optional: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of additional liquid (milk, buttermilk, or water)
Oven Temperature:
Increase the oven temperature to 365-375ยฐF and check the bread slightly earlier for doneness.
These adjustments should help your banana bread rise properly and retain moisture at high altitude, ensuring a delicious, well-structured loaf!
I chose this recipe, out of the many out there, because I liked the color of the muffins in the picture. I tried them today, since I just so happened to have four over-ripe bananas. I loved the outcome, I followed the recipe almost exactly, except walnuts instead of pecans. These muffins were flavorful and very moist!
<3
So glad you enjoyed them, Alice!
I made the muffins and they were delicious my family loved them!
So glad! <3