Banana Nut Muffins

Bursting with sweet bananas and chopped pecans or walnuts, these banana nut muffins feature a crunchy sugar topping for a breakfast or afternoon snack you’ll adore.

Fall is always a chaotic time. Even once we get settled into a back-to-school routine, there are extracurriculars and school pictures and parent-teacher conferences and holidays.

And that’s on top of trying to simply enjoy the fall season.

So obviously I look for ways to make breakfasts and afternoon snacks quick and easy. Sometimes that means making a batch of muffins for snacking on throughout the week.

Right now my girl is loving these banana nut muffins. The crunchy sugar topping is everything on these!

PERFECT BANANA NUT MUFFINS

I realized recently that I have banana crumb muffins on the site, and I even have strawberry banana muffins on here, but I have failed to share a banana nut muffin recipe until now.

It’s such a classic, I don’t know how I have skipped it until now. 

These banana nut muffins are simple and perfect. I honestly think that the best muffin recipes are pretty straightforward. 

Keeping this recipe simple allows the natural sweetness of the mashed bananas to shine through. I paired them with a little bit of cinnamon, some chopped nuts, and a little coarse sugar for a crunchy topping.

My family thought the crunchy sugar topping on my zucchini muffins was the best part, so you know I had to do it again here. 

So even though they’re simple, these banana nut muffins are anything but bland or boring. They’re simply perfect just the way they are. 

HOW TO MAKE BANANA NUT MUFFINS

Ingredients you’ll need

When you’re making any kind of muffin, you want it to be moist and delicious. Dry muffins are not where it’s at.

That’s why this recipe uses 3 whole bananas and vegetable oil. This means you’ll get tons of banana flavor and the muffins will stay moist after baking.

Here’s a full list of what you’ll need to make these banana nut muffins:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 ½ cups)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
• Coarse sugar, for topping

I love pairing cinnamon with bananas. If you don’t care for or can’t use cinnamon, you could use nutmeg instead, like I did in my brown butter banana bread. 

Helpful resources

• Make sure you know how to measure flour correctly before getting started. This will help the muffins to turn out perfect every time.
• Did your brown sugar harden in the pantry? Don’t stress – I have a post on how to soften brown sugar and save yourself a trip to the store.
• If you run out of brown sugar completely, learn how to make an easy brown sugar substitute.

Making this recipe

This recipe makes 12 banana nut muffins, so line or grease 12 standard muffin cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, sugars, egg, oil, and vanilla. Stir this mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined, then fold in the chopped nuts.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. I like to use a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop to do this.

Bake the banana nut muffins in a 425°F oven for 8 minutes. Keeping the pan in the oven with the door closed, turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for an additional 6-8 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

RECIPE FAQS

How should you store these banana nut muffins?

Banana nut muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Can these muffins be frozen?

Yes! Place the muffins in an airtight container or zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to a month. 

When you’re ready to enjoy one, microwave it for 30-60 seconds from frozen to thaw and warm through. You can also simply let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour to thaw.

Can I make these into mini banana nut muffins instead?

Sure! When making mini muffins, you should get at least 24 muffins from this recipe. 

Note that your baking time will differ if you change the size of the muffins. 

Start them at 425°F – turn on the oven light, and watch for when the tops of the muffins have risen. At that point, turn the temperature down to 350°F (don’t open the oven door) and continue baking until the banana nut muffins are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

You can follow the same baking method for jumbo muffins. You should get about 6 jumbo banana nut muffins from this recipe.

What nuts are best in this recipe?

I recommend using pecans or walnuts in these muffins. The texture and flavor of both pair well with the tenderness of the muffins and sweetness of the bananas.

I would avoid crunchier nuts like almonds or cashews in this recipe; their texture won’t pair as nicely with the tender muffin batter.

Can I make these with gluten-free flour?

I have not tested this banana nut muffin recipe with gluten-free flour, but a number of readers have tried my quick bread recipes with a one-to-one gluten-free baking mix with success in the past.

What’s the best way to mash bananas for banana nut muffins?

You need 3 bananas for these muffins. The riper the bananas are, the easier they’ll be to mash. 

If mashing them with a fork is too hard due to mobility issues, try using a potato masher or pressing them through a potato ricer. You could also use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mash them.