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There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked super easy banana muffins wafting through the house. These banana bread muffins are the perfect combination of tender crumb, sweet banana flavor, and quick simplicity, making them a favorite for breakfast, lunchboxes, snack time, or even dessert with a dollop of butter. Whether your bananas are way past ripe or you’re craving a cozy baking project, this recipe delivers moist, delicious muffins every time with minimal fuss.
I love a good muffin recipe for breakfast! Try my Peanut Butter Banana Muffins or Chocolate Chip Muffins next.
Why you’ll love this banana bread muffin recipe!
This recipe for easy banana muffins is a classic! There’s nothing fancy or fussy here—it’s just an old-fashioned recipe that tastes a little bit like banana bread in muffin form. If you have a bunch of over-ripe bananas sitting on the counter, this is the perfect way to put them to use so they don’t go to waste!
This muffin recipe is great for making with kids because as long as you don’t over-mix it, it’s pretty much no-fail! Let younger kids peel the bananas and mash them with a fork; older kids can make the whole thing by themselves, with some assistance putting the muffin pan in and out of the oven.
- Ridiculously simple: Just mix, scoop, and bake — no fancy techniques needed.
- Crazy moist: Thanks to ripe bananas and a touch of yogurt or sour cream.
- Kid-approved: Sweet but not overly sugary, perfect for lunchboxes or snacks.
- Customizable: Add nuts, chocolate chips, or swap for whole wheat flour.
(Looking for more muffin recipes? Try my Easy Strawberry Muffins and Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, too!)
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Easy Banana Muffins
This is just a quick summary of the most important ingredients. The full list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
- All-purpose flour – You can use gluten-free flour to make these gluten-free banana muffins.
- Sugar – Or try one of these sugar substitutes.
- Baking soda – Leavening that helps these muffins rise perfectly.
- Ripe bananas – Also essential for my 4-Ingredient Banana Bread recipe!
- Egg – Let the egg sit on the counter a bit so it comes to room temperature.
- Vanilla extract – Be sure to use pure vanilla extract, not imitation!
Variations + Additions
Feel free to add any of these to your muffins:
- Cinnamon
- Chopped apples
- Blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries
- Shredded coconut
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped nuts – Like Banana Nut Bread in muffin form!
- Streusel topping – Use the streusel from my Cake Mix Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe.
How to Make Banana Muffins
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients: Combine them in two separate bowls.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients
- Finish the batter: Stir until just moistened, being careful not to over-mix. (It’s okay if there’s still a streak or two of flour in the batter.)
- Bake: Divide the batter into the muffin cups, then bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
How to Store Banana Muffins
- Refrigerator: Store the banana bread muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days.
- Freezer: These muffins can also be frozen in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months; let them thaw at room temperature before serving or warm them up in the microwave from frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe is moist thanks to the bananas! In a typical muffin recipe, it’s the oil that makes the muffins moist, but with the addition of bananas, you don’t need the oil.
Banana muffins are more of a treat than a health food, but because the bananas add sweetness and moisture, they are healthier than many other types of muffins that use more sugar and oil.
I would recommend using white whole wheat flour or a combination of half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour, rather than substituting all the flour for whole wheat flour.
If your muffins are tough, it’s almost always from over-mixing. The more you stir muffin batter, the more the gluten in the flour develops, and this makes muffins tough, rubbery, and dry. It’s better to have a few streaks of flour in the batter than to mix it too much.
More Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Pancake Muffins
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Blueberry Muffins
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Apple Cinnamon Muffins
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Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 medium ripe bananas
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, mash the bananas. Add egg, butter and vanilla; mix well.
- Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened.
- Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups half full using a scoop.
- Bake at for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter: It can make muffins tough instead of tender.
- Banana ripeness matters: The darker the banana, the stronger the flavor.
- Add-in balance: If using nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in gently so muffins bake evenly.
- Check early: Ovens vary; start checking at 18 minutes to avoid overbaking.
