Banana Nut Muffin
intro
Moist, tender spiced muffins packed with sweet ripe banana and crunchy walnuts, perfect for cozy breakfasts, coffee breaks, or on-the-go snacks.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and muffin tin
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the center. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup with non-stick spray or melted butter to prevent sticking.
Mix wet ingredient base
Peel the 3 ripe spotty bananas, place them in a large mixing bowl, and mash thoroughly with a fork until mostly smooth (a few small ½cm lumps are fine for texture). Add the cooled melted butter, granulated sugar, packed brown sugar, room-temperature eggs, whole milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk for 45 seconds until all ingredients are fully combined with no streaks of unincorporated egg remaining.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the spooned and leveled all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and fine table salt. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to evenly distribute the leavening and spices, ensuring no clumps of baking soda remain that can create bitter spots in finished muffins.
Fold batter and walnuts
Pour the entire dry ingredient mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients, along with 75g (¾ cup) of the chopped walnuts. Use a flexible rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together gently, stopping as soon as no dry white flour streaks remain—do not overmix, as this will develop gluten and create tough, dense muffins. The finished batter will be thick and slightly lumpy.
Portion batter into tin
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each paper liner exactly ⅔ full (about 85g of batter per cup) to leave adequate room for rising during baking. Sprinkle the remaining 25g (¼ cup) of chopped walnuts evenly over the top of each muffin portion for a crunchy, textured golden top.
Bake and cool muffins
Place the filled tin on the middle rack of the preheated 190°C (375°F) oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of a middle muffin: it is done when the pick comes out with 2-3 small moist crumbs attached, not wet batter. Remove the tin from the oven, let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips
2.Do not overmix the batter once dry ingredients are added: overworking the mixture develops wheat gluten, leading to tough, chewy muffins instead of the desired light, tender crumb. Lumps in the batter are completely normal.
3.Store fully cooled leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months for quick grab-and-go breakfasts or snacks.
OMG these are SO good! I had three super spotty bananas sitting on my counter I was about to toss and this recipe was perfect. My kids devoured half the batch before they even fully cooled, I had to hide a couple for my husband’s work lunch tomorrow. The crunch from the walnuts is *chef’s kiss* not too sweet either, which I love. 10/10 will be making these every week for meal prep!
Solid muffin recipe! I swapped the walnuts for pecans because that’s what I had in the pantry, and they turned out great. Only note is I had to add 3 extra minutes of bake time because my oven runs a little cool, but that’s standard for me. Would make again for the next office potluck.
As someone who burns toast 50% of the time, I was shocked how easy these were to make! No fancy equipment, just a bowl and a fork, and they came out fluffy and perfect. I didn’t even have nuts so I left them out and they still slapped. 10/10 for beginner bakers.
Taste was great, but I tried making these with 1:1 gluten free flour and they came out a little gummy in the middle. Did I do something wrong? I followed the rest of the recipe exactly, used super ripe bananas, baked for the full 35 minutes.
Made these to take on a day hike in Rocky Mountain National Park last weekend and they were the perfect trail snack. Held up great in my pack, not too crumbly, the banana flavor was front and center and the nuts gave a nice little protein boost. Will be stashing these in my hiking bag from now on.
Brought these to my neighborhood block party last night and they were gone in 10 minutes flat! Three people asked me for the recipe before I even finished my first burger. I added a little cinnamon streusel topping on mine for extra flair, highly recommend.
Really good muffins! My only tiny complaint is I wish the nut quantity was a little higher? I love a super nutty muffin, so next time I’ll probably add an extra half cup of chopped walnuts. Otherwise, texture was perfect, not too sweet, great for quick breakfasts on school mornings.
These are a weekly meal prep staple for me! I make a batch every Sunday, pop them in the freezer, and grab one on my way to work each morning. 30 seconds in the microwave and they taste like they just came out of the oven. Game changer for my chaotic weekday mornings.
I’ve been making banana nut muffins for 40 years and I have to say, this recipe is one of the best I’ve tried. The ratio of mashed banana to batter is perfect, no weird artificial vanilla flavor needed, the tops get that perfect slightly crispy edge while the middle stays soft. Kudos on a great classic recipe.
Yum! I added a handful of dark chocolate chips to half the batch for my roommate who hates nuts, and both versions were chef’s kiss. Only thing is I think my muffin tin is a little bigger than standard because I only got 9 muffins instead of 12, oops. Still delicious though!
Made these when my mom was in town helping after we had our new baby, and she said they’re better than the banana bread she’s been making since I was a kid! We ate them for breakfast every day she was here, and I’ve already made two more batches for friends who dropped off meals for us. So easy to make even when you’re running on 2 hours of sleep.
Was worried these would be heavy or greasy like so many bakery muffins, but they’re light, moist, and actually taste like banana instead of just sugar. I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose to add a little fiber, and it worked perfectly. No weird texture at all.
Made a batch before our cross country road trip from Phoenix to Nashville, and they held up so well the whole drive! No mold, no getting stale, we ate them for quick breakfasts between rest stops and they saved us so much money on fast food. 10/10 for travel snacks.
Tasted good, but my muffin tops stuck really bad to the paper liners? I used regular cheap liners, did I need to spray them? I lost half the top of every muffin when I peeled the paper off, so sad.
Served these at my monthly brunch with the girls and everyone raved! I put out little bowls of honey butter and cream cheese to spread on them, and people were going back for seconds and thirds. Paired perfectly with mimosas and my famous egg casserole. Will be on my permanent brunch rotation.
I’m a 4th grade teacher and I made these for my class as a reward for hitting their reading goal, and every single kid asked for seconds! Even the kid who swears he hates all fruit ate two and said it was the best muffin he’s ever had. Super easy to make after school when I’m already tired, no fuss at all.
I have a tree nut allergy so I swapped the walnuts for roasted salted sunflower seeds, and these turned out amazing! I was worried they’d be weird, but the sunflower seeds added the same nice crunch without the nuts. Will definitely make again.
I used to drop $4 a day on banana nut muffins from my local coffee shop, and these taste exactly the same if not better! I calculated the cost and a whole batch costs less than what I used to spend on two muffins. Total money saver, and they’re so much fresher than the ones that sit in the bakery case for days.
Just pulled these out of the oven and my whole apartment smells incredible! I added a half teaspoon of nutmeg and a dash of allspice to the batter because I love warm spices, and it’s such a cozy upgrade. Can’t wait to dig in once they cool a little.