Banana Nut Muffin
intro
Tender, cinnamon-kissed banana nut muffins with crunchy walnuts and a moist, sweet crumb, perfect for portable snacks or casual morning meals.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and muffin tin
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with a rack positioned in the middle. 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 during baking.
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 lumps add nice texture). Add the cooled melted butter, granulated sugar, packed brown sugar, room-temperature eggs, whole milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk steadily for 1 minute until all wet ingredients are fully combined with no streaks of egg remaining.
Whisk dry ingredients
In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and fine table salt. Whisk vigorously for 30 seconds to evenly distribute leavening and spices, which prevents unevenly risen or bland muffins. Fold in 75g (3/4 cup) of the chopped walnuts, reserving the remaining 25g (1/4 cup) for topping.
Fold batter to combine
Pour the entire dry ingredient mixture into the bowl of wet ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the ingredients together, stopping as soon as no dry flour streaks remain. Do not overmix—lumpy batter is ideal, as overmixing develops gluten and leads to tough, dense muffins. This mixing step should take no longer than 45 seconds.
Portion batter into tin
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin cups, filling each cup roughly 2/3 full (approximately 60g of batter per cup) to leave adequate room for rising. Sprinkle the reserved 25g (1/4 cup) of chopped walnuts evenly over the top of each muffin portion for a crunchy, visible nut topping.
Bake to golden perfection
Place the muffin tin in the preheated 190°C (375°F) oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Do not open the oven door for the first 15 minutes of baking, as sudden temperature drops can cause risen muffins to sink. Test doneness by inserting a wooden toothpick into the center of a middle muffin: it should come out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached, not wet batter. If wet batter remains, bake for 2 additional minutes before retesting.
Cool before serving
Once baked, remove the muffin tin from the oven and let muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving. This resting period allows the crumb to set, so muffins do not fall apart when removed from their paper liners.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the batter once dry ingredients are added: overmixing develops wheat gluten, leading to tough, dense muffins instead of light, tender ones. A few lumps in the batter are completely normal and desirable.
3.Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months for quick, portable breakfasts or snacks.
OMG these are SO good! I had three super spotty bananas sitting on my counter I was about to toss, threw these together before my kid’s soccer practice and the whole team devoured them after the game. Perfectly moist, not too sweet, the walnut crunch is *chef’s kiss*. 10/10 will be making these for weekly meal prep from now on.
Super easy recipe, total game changer for my morning commute. I swapped walnuts for pecans because that’s what I had in the pantry, and they still turned out perfect. Not dry at all, which is usually my biggest issue with banana muffin recipes. Only note is I added a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top and it was *chefs kiss*.
Brought these to our neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were asking me for the recipe before I even finished my first muffin! I used a mix of walnuts and chopped macadamia nuts for extra texture, and they stayed moist for three full days stored in an airtight container. Absolute win.
Wait, quick question—can I make these gluten free? I have a friend coming over who’s celiac and I don’t want to mess up! The cook time says 35 minutes, would that change if I use GF all purpose flour?
My kids loved it! I’m usually the guy manning the grill, not baking, but this was so easy even I couldn’t mess it up. My 7 year old helped mash the bananas and add the nuts, she was so proud to eat a muffin she “made all by herself” for breakfast.
Really solid recipe! I cut the sugar a tiny bit to make them a little more breakfast-friendly for my meal prep, and they’re great with a scoop of peanut butter on top after the gym. The only reason I’m not giving 5 stars is I wish the nut flavor came through a little more, I’ll probably add extra walnuts next time I make them.
Okay full transparency, I overbaked these by 8 minutes because I got caught up binging my show and I was convinced they’d be rock hard… but they were STILL moist? How is that even possible? I think this is the only banana muffin recipe I’ll ever use from now on. Game. Changer.
Made these last night without the nuts for my son who has a severe tree nut allergy, and they were amazing! I added a handful of rolled oats on top for a little extra crunch and they were perfect. My super picky eater ate two for breakfast this morning, which basically never happens in our house.
So easy to make in my tiny dorm kitchen! I don’t even have a fancy mixer, just mashed the bananas with a fork and mixed everything in one bowl, no mess. Cook time was exactly 35 minutes in my janky old dorm oven, they came out perfect. Way better than the sad muffins they sell at the campus café for $4 a pop.
Made these for my monthly girls’ brunch last weekend and everyone raved! I drizzled a tiny bit of cream cheese glaze on top for a little extra decadence, paired perfectly with mimosas. The texture is so moist, none of that dry crumbly muffin garbage you get at the grocery store bakery.
These are a staple in my Sunday meal prep! I bake a batch on Sundays, pop them in the freezer, and grab one on my way out the door to work every morning. They thaw perfectly by the time I get to the office, still taste just as moist as the day I baked them. 10/10, zero notes.