Banana Muffins are an absolute favorite in our household. I bake these muffins at least twice a month because my daughter loves them, but also because they’re SO easy to make. They’re super budget-friendly and perfect to grab on the go for breakfast in the mornings. I usually don’t include chopped nuts in my banana muffins recipe, but you can certainly add them if you want. They’re perfectly moist, fluffy, and a must-have for stress-free mornings!
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Easy Banana Muffin Recipe
This recipe for banana muffins is a lot like our banana bread recipe, but with a little yogurt added for extra moisture. The combination of oil and yogurt keeps the muffins soft and tender, while a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg adds just the right amount of warmth. I also only use simple pantry ingredients, and this recipe is a great way to use up overly ripe bananas. I highly recommend making a double-batch and keeping some in the freezer (yep, they freeze perfectly!) to get ahead on your breakfast meal prep.
Banana Muffins Recipe
Servings 12 muffinsIngredients
- 4 Tbsp salted butter, room temperature ($0.54)
- ¼ cup cooking oil ($0.16)
- ½ cup granulated sugar ($0.18)
- ½ cup brown sugar ($0.26)
- 1.5 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas) ($0.84)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature* ($0.74)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt, room temperature** ($0.27)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract ($0.65)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ($0.40)
- 1 tsp baking powder ($0.04)
- ½ tsp baking soda ($0.01)
- ½ tsp salt ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg ($0.02)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the room-temperature butter, cooking oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to a mixing bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the ingredients together until they become light and creamy.
- Mash the bananas well, then add them to the mixing bowl with the butter and sugar, along with the eggs, yogurt, and vanilla extract. Use the mixer again to beat the ingredients together until smooth.
- In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon until well combined.
- Pour the flour mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients and fold them together just until combined. Do not overmix.***
- Divide the batter evenly between 12 greased or lined muffin wells.
- Bake the banana muffins for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven or until they have risen all the way in the center, have browned nicely, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (crumbs are okay, but no wet batter). Mine took about 32 minutes to bake.
- Allow the muffins to cool for about 5 minutes, then carefully loosen the edges with a knife and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
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Equipment
- Muffin Pan
- Hand Mixer
- 2 Mixing Bowls
Notes
Nutrition
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Gather all of your ingredients and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
Cream the butter and sugar: Add 4 Tbsp room-temperature salted butter, ¼ cup cooking oil, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar to a mixing bowl.
Using a hand mixer, cream together the butter, oil, and sugars until light and creamy.
Mash the bananas: If you haven’t already, mash 3-4 ripe bananas well using the back of a fork. It’s okay if there are still some little lumps. You need 1.5 cups of mashed bananas in total.
Make the batter: Add the mashed bananas to a mixing bowl with the creamed butter and sugar. Now add 2 large room-temperature eggs, ¼ cup room-temperature plain yogurt, and 1 tsp vanilla extract to the same bowl. Use your hand mixer to beat them together until nice and smooth.
In a different mixing bowl, add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. Mix together until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Carefully fold them together until just combined. It’s very important not to overmix at this point, as that can create tough muffins rather than light and fluffy ones.
Bake: Grease a muffin pan with butter (or use muffin liners) and divide the batter between 12 muffin wells.
Place your muffin pan into the oven for 30-35 minutes (mine took about 32 minutes) or until the muffins have risen all the way in the center and are browned nicely. You can also check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin—if it comes out clean, they’re ready (some crumbs are okay, but no wet batter).
Let your homemade banana muffins cool for about 5 minutes and then carefully loosen the edges with a knife. Let them finish cooling on a wire rack, and enjoy!
What Else Can I Add?
I really love the simplicity of these muffins because the banana flavor truly shines through. But, sometimes, I like to mix it up and add extra ingredients for a little variety. Here are a few of my favorite additions:
- Chocolate chips and cocoa powder to make banana chocolate muffins!
- Dried fruit, like raisins, cranberries, or chopped apricots
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Fresh blueberries (use 1 cup)
- Add a streusel topping (the one from my apple cinnamon muffin recipe would be delicious)
- Once cooled, top with a cream cheese frosting to make banana cake-style muffins
Recipe Success Tips!
- Use room temperature ingredients. I recommend using room-temperature eggs, yogurt, and butter for the best results. The reason for this is that room-temperature ingredients mix together more easily and evenly, creating a smoother batter.
- Be very careful not to overmix the batter. You only want to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until they’re just combined. Overmixing can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop and create tough, dense muffins. If you’re adding in any mix-ins, I’d fold them in gently after the batter is mixed.
- Use overly ripe bananas. I’m not joking when I say this recipe is perfect for using up those ultra-ripe bananas you have sitting on your counter. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your easy banana bread muffins will turn out!
- Don’t overbake them. Everyone’s ovens are different, so do keep an eye on your muffins as they bake. You want them to rise and be golden brown on top, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean (a few crumbs are fine). Mine took about 32 minutes to bake.
Storage Instructions
Let your homemade banana muffins cool before transferring them into an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. For longer storage, place the muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze them for up to 3 months. You can thaw them at room temperature, but honestly, I usually just warm them in the microwave for about 30 seconds until they’re thawed and warm!
