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These moist and buttery banana nut muffins are filled with sweet banana flavor, warm cinnamon, and crunchy walnuts or pecans. The batter comes together quickly, and the recipe includes directions for making both standard and jumbo muffins.
Banana nut muffins are one of my favorite ways to use up overripe and forgotten bananas. Bursting with delicious banana flavor, these beautiful jumbo-sized muffins take just 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to bake (or less). They’re made with simple pantry ingredients and work perfectly for busy mornings, lunchbox snacks, or make-ahead breakfast. Enjoy them warm, fresh out of the oven, or freeze an extra batch and reheat in the microwave for a fast and easy on-the-go breakfast.
Looking for a muffin with a little extra protein? Try these soft and moist Banana Protein Muffins, made with Greek yogurt and vanilla protein powder.
Table of Contents
Banana Nut Muffin Ingredients
- All-purpose flour: Provides the structure for the muffins. Measure it by spooning the flour into the measuring cup and leveling off the top to avoid adding too much.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These leavening agents help the muffins rise and give them a soft, fluffy texture.
- Ground cinnamon: Adds warmth and complements the sweetness of the ripe bananas.
- Vegetable oil: Keeps the banana nut muffins moist and tender, even after they have cooled. Another neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or avocado oil, may also be used.
- Granulated and brown sugar: Granulated sugar adds sweetness and helps create lightly golden muffin tops, while brown sugar contributes moisture and a subtle caramel-like flavor.
- Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and provide structure and richness.
- Ripe bananas: Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the sweetest flavor. You can also make these muffins with frozen bananas. Thaw them completely before mashing and include the liquid released as they thaw.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the banana flavor and adds warmth.
- Milk: Any type of dairy or unsweetened plant-based milk may be used, including whole milk, 2% milk, almond milk, oat milk, or soy milk.
- Walnuts or pecans: Chopped walnuts are the classic choice, but pecans are equally delicious. Toasting the nuts before adding them to the batter gives them a deeper flavor and crunchier texture.
How to Make Banana Nut Muffins
This banana nut muffin recipe makes approximately 18 standard muffins or 12 jumbo muffins. For jumbo muffins, you will need two 6-cup jumbo muffin pans or bake the muffins in two batches.
1. Prepare the Oven and Muffin Pans:
- For standard muffins, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two standard muffin pans with approximately 18 paper liners.
- For jumbo muffins, preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two 6-cup jumbo muffin pans with paper liners.
2. Combine the Dry Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
3. Mix the Wet Ingredients: Add the bananas to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix until mashed. Add the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and milk and mix until combined.
4. Finish the Batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Do not overmix, as this can make the muffins dense. Remove the bowl from the mixer and gently fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans.
5. Fill the Muffin Pans: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle the tops with additional chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired.
6. Bake: The muffins are ready when the tops are golden, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- For standard banana nut muffins: Bake at 375°F for approximately 16-20 minutes.
- For jumbo banana nut muffins: Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking for 20-25 minutes.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips for the Best Banana Nut Muffins
- Use very ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the muffins will be. Look for bananas with heavily spotted or nearly black peels.
- Do not overmix the batter. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain. Overmixing can make the muffins dense or tough.
- Follow the correct baking instructions for your pan. Standard and jumbo muffins bake at different temperatures and for different lengths of time. Be sure to follow the directions for the muffin size you are making.
- Avoid opening the oven door too early. This is especially important when baking jumbo muffins. Keep the oven door closed when reducing the temperature so the muffins do not lose heat or collapse.
- Check for doneness. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
- Do not leave the muffins in the pan too long. Let them cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack. Leaving them in the hot pan can cause the bottoms and sides to become soggy.
Storage and Freezing
- Room temperature: Store cooled banana nut muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Place a paper towel beneath and over the muffins to help absorb excess moisture.
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate the muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Keep in mind that refrigeration may cause them to become slightly firmer or drier.
- Freezer: Allow the muffins to cool completely, then wrap them individually in plastic wrap or foil. Transfer them to a freezer-safe container or resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
- To thaw: Thaw frozen muffins at room temperature for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
- To reheat: Microwave an individual muffin for approximately 15-30 seconds, or warm several muffins in a 300°F oven for 5-10 minutes.
More Breads and Muffin Recipes
And if you try making these banana nut muffins, I would love to hear what you think! Please leave a comment and a star rating below. Your feedback helps other readers discover and enjoy this recipe too. Thank you so much! 💛
Banana Nut Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ¾ cup white sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 3 large eggs, whisked
- 4 large bananas, mashed
- 1¼ cups milk, any dairy or plant-based milk
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups crushed walnuts or pecans
Instructions
- Prepare the pans: For standard muffins, preheat the oven to 375°F and line two standard muffin tin with 18 paper liners.For jumbo muffins, preheat the oven to 425°F and line two 6-cup jumbo muffin pans with 12 paper liners. Alternatively, bake the jumbo muffins in two batches.
- Combine the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.3¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 tbsp + 2 tsp baking powder, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Mash the bananas: Add the bananas to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until mashed. A large mixing bowl and handheld mixer may also be used.4 large bananas
- Mix the wet ingredients: Add the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the mashed bananas. Mix for 1-2 minutes, or until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract and milk.½ cup vegetable oil, ¾ cup white sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar, 3 large eggs, 1¼ cups milk, 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Make the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans with a rubber spatula.1½ cups crushed walnuts or pecans
- Fill the muffin pans: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle the tops with additional chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired.
- Bake standard muffins: Bake standard muffins at 375°F for 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Bake jumbo muffins: Bake jumbo muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Allow the muffins to cool in the pans for 5-10 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Preface: I don’t have experience making banana bread but I had some over ripe bananas and didn’t want to wastd them.
The recipe wasn’t bad, but wasn’t great either. I made half the batch into some muffins and baked the rest into a loaf.
The texture is fine and not dry, but it’s lacking flavor. Will probably have to add jam or something to flavor them up. Perhaps my overripe bananas weren’t over ripe enough.
Followed the recipe to the exact proportions in grams. They flopped and tasted awful. Is 144g of baking powder correct? A waste of expensive ingredients!
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons of baking powder is equivalent to 23.2 grams, so it looks like you added 6.2 times that amount, thus the awful taste 🙁
Rainy Sunday baking day! These came out great. Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
Thanks for the great feedback, Laurie 😀
Found it to be lacking on flavor
Made these muffins today using regular sized tins. Very good. I checked them after 15 minutes. I think I should have checked them a little sooner because the liners seemed stuck to the muffin so that when removed a layer of the muffin came off with the liner. What should I do next time?
Great question Sharon. To try to avoid sticking, you could always try spraying the liners with a non-stick spray(vegetable oil or coconut oil for example) before adding the prepared batter 🙂
I use parchment liners and muffins and cupcakes never stick.
Great tip! Parchment liners are fantastic for preventing sticking and making cleanup so much easier. Thanks for sharing your experience—I’m sure other readers will find it helpful too!
Not sure what went wrong. I know my oven runs a bit hot so I decrease the temp. I made the jumbo ones. They look a bit burnt on the top and I’m not sure the are done inside yet 🤷♀️
Loved these muffins. They turned out perfect … so fluffy and moist. Thank you!
Loved this recipe. Super moist and delicious. I forgot the nuts this time, but I was making you other banana pumpkin healthy muffins at the same time and loaded them with nuts.
Thanks for the kind feedback Shiang-ling, it still should be tasty without the nuts 🙂