Bakery style banana muffins are the move when you've got spotted bananas sitting on the counter and 30 minutes to spare. Two bowls, a couple folds, and done. And they taste like you put in way more effort than you actually did with crunchy tops, fluffy insides, and banana flavor in every single bite.
Absolutely delicious muffins! I’m just going to let my bananas go so I can make these every week. And both the kiddos give two thumbs up!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Jessie
I've been making banana muffins for years, but I was never fully satisfied with the results. They were fine. Tasty, even! But they were always a little flat on top, a little dense in the middle, and nothing like the ones you get at a good coffee shop. So I worked through the method until these came out exactly the way I wanted them - bakery-worthy, every single time.
These are now on permanent rotation, and if you love a good banana bake and have loads of ripe or frozen bananas, try this spiced banana cake, chocolate banana muffins, strawberry banana cake, banana cinnamon rolls, or blueberry banana muffins!
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Why We Love It!
- Jumbo or standard - For the classic bakery style, make these into jumbo banana muffins. Or make these in a standard muffin tin and get more yield per recipe.
- Deep banana flavor - Using deeply spotted or even black bananas means maximum sweetness and banana intensity in every bite.
- Two bowls and done - No stand mixer, no fuss. These come together in about 10 minutes before they go into the oven.
- Sugared tops - we love a crunchy, sugary muffin top, which is why we made these gingerbread muffins, pistachio muffins, and pumpkin muffins in a similar way!
Ingredients
- Ground cinnamon. It just adds a little something special!
- Sugars. Both granulated sugar and brown sugar are used for the perfect combination of sweetness and crunch.
- Neutral oil. A flavorless oil such as canola oil or vegetable oil is used to provide extra moisture to the muffins.
- Sour cream. Full-fat sour cream, at a true room temperature, should be used.
- Bananas. 3-4 very brown, spotted bananas are used. Keep them chunky while mashing!
- Walnuts. Chopped for the batter and the tops.
- Demerara or turbinado sugar. For the tops, and essential (in my opinion) to get the full textural effect of a bakery style banana muffin.
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add ⅔ cup chocolate chips to the batter for a chocolate banana version.
- Add ⅔ cup fresh or frozen berries tossed in flour so the berries don’t sink to the bottom.
- Add a streusel topping for a nut-free version like from these Cinnamon Apple Crumble Muffins.
- Make these banana nut muffins jumbo or regular-sized. See the recipe card for instructions for both sizes.
- If you prefer muffins without walnuts, omit them altogether or substitute toasted pecans or almonds.
- If you like dried fruit, mix dried cranberries or raisins into the batter.
- You can use sour cream or greek yogurt in the batter.
📸 Step By Step Overview
This is a quick visual overview. See the recipe card for full, detailed instructions.
- Step 1: Mash the bananas, leaving them slightly chunky.
- Step 2: Add all of the wet ingredients and sugars to a large bowl.
- Step 3: Fold the mashed bananas into the wet batter.
- Step 4: Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Step 5: Fill the muffin liners and sprinkle with coarse sugar and chopped walnuts.
- Step 6: Bake and cool, then enjoy!
Pro tip
The Secret to Big Muffin Tops
- Measure the flour correctly (using a scale is best, otherwise, use the fluff, scoop, and level method) and don't over mix the batter.
- Fill the muffin wells to the very top.
- Start with very high heat to activate the baking powder and get the tops to pop, then reduce the temperature to finish baking.
- Alternate the batter in the openings (only filling half of the pan) so the air can circulate the whole way around and help the muffins rise.
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Tips for Success
- Use very brown, ultra-ripe bananas for the best flavor. You should be able to smell the bananas when you walk into the kitchen.
- Use room temperature ingredients which helps them incorporate more easily and avoids over-mixing.
- Keep some chunks when mashing the banana for extra moisture in the muffins.
- Only mix the batter until the flour is just combined to keep the muffins light and fluffy. It’s ok if a few streaks of flour remain.
- Fill the muffin liners to the very top for the best results.
- Make sure the oven is completely preheated before baking to ensure tall muffin tops.
- Need to make your own muffin liners? Watch this video!
Testing Notes
- I've made and tested these so many times over the years, trying out different combinations of ingredients and this is the recipe I always come back to.
- It really makes a difference to use deeply spotted bananas (we're talking almost black). If they're just not quite ripe enough, you lose out on a ton of banana flavor.
- I stand by the high heat/low heat method for muffins. I want a crunchy top and super moist, soft insides, and that's exactly what this method gives you.
- I've found that resting the batter for 15-30 minutes before baking can make them even taller, but usually I just want to get them done quickly so I bake them right away.
Common Questions
The riper the better! Deeply spotted or fully black bananas are ideal. They're sweeter, softer, and have way more banana flavor than yellow ones. If your bananas aren't ripe yet, you can pop unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet in a 300℉ oven for about 20 minutes until the skins are black.
Absolutely! Just leave them out entirely. The muffins will still be delicious. You can also swap in chocolate chips, pecans, or dried fruit if you want something in their place.
Yes! Thaw them completely and drain off any excess liquid before mashing. Frozen bananas tend to be very soft and work great in this recipe.
Storage
Store the muffins lightly covered at room temperature for up to 4 days. The key word there is lightly - leave a little air circulating so the tops don't get soggy. A piece of foil loosely tented over them works great.
The turbinado sugar tops will stay crunchy for the first day. After that, pop them into a 375℉ oven for about 5 minutes to bring the crunch back.
Freezing: Let the muffins cool completely, then wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and place into a zip-top bag with the air squeezed out. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature, completely unwrapped, then reheat in a 375℉ oven for 5 minutes or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Looking for more muffin recipes to add to your rotation? There are so many good ones waiting for you!
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
📖Recipe
Bakery Style Banana Muffins (with Crunchy Walnut Tops)
Equipment
- 6-hole jumbo muffin tin OR 12-hole standard muffin tin
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium bananas deeply spotted or even black (~350g mashed)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¼ cup sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup chopped walnuts plus extra for the muffin tops
- demerara or turbinado sugar for muffin tops optional, but recommended
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉ and line a 6-hole jumbo muffin tin or a 12-hole normal muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- Peel and mash your ripe bananas with a fork, keeping a good amount of chunks.3-4 medium bananas
- Mix together the dry ingredients with a whisk until combined.1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1½ teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugars, butter, vegetable oil, vanilla, egg, and sour cream until combined. Gently fold in the bananas with a rubber spatula.½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract, 1 large egg, ¼ cup sour cream
- Add in the dry ingredients and walnuts and gently fold it into the wet ingredients with a rubber spatula until it is just combined.½ cup chopped walnuts
- Distribute the batter evenly between the liners, filling the whole way to the top, then sprinkle chopped walnuts and the turbinado sugar to cover the tops.demerara or turbinado sugar for muffin tops
- Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400℉.
- For jumbo muffins, bake for an additional 15-18 minutes. For regular muffins, bake for an additional 11-14 minutes. For either, you want a toothpick inserted in the center to come out clean with no wet batter.
Jessie says
Absolutely delicious muffins! I’m just going to let my bananas go so I can make these every week. And both the kiddos give two thumbs up!
Callan Wenner says
This sounds like the perfect idea to me 😉
Cindy G. says
Great recipe, muffins were moist and delicious, cake-like - great banana flavor!
Callan Wenner says
Woo! Thanks so much for trying them, Cindy. I love these muffins!
Bonnie says
I made these muffins and they are absolutely fantastic!
Callan Wenner says
So happy to hear this, Bonnie! Thank you for trying them 🙂
Teena Tran says
hi! i just wanted to let you know that this recipe is really good! i’ve baked it twice already! i wanted to ask, i would like to make them in a 24 mini baking tin, how long would i have to bake it for?
thank you so much in advance!
The Cozy Plum says
Hi Teena - so glad you liked them...these are one of my absolute favorites! I haven't tried in the mini muffin tin for these, but I would start checking them around the 10 minute mark and keep checking the very center of the muffins until they're risen and no longer wet! Let me know how it goes!
Jeffrey says
So delicious! The crown was perfect! 🙂
Aubrey says
Oh wow these were good. So ‘m-word’ (know what I mean?) and the muffin tops were lovely and slightly crisp. Was a bummer I didn’t have Demerara sugar. Next time!
Kayla says
These are the best banana nut muffins I’ve ever tried! They are so soft, moist, and flavorful!
The Cozy Plum says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Kayla! And so happy to enjoyed them!
Tracy T. says
Best banana muffins ever! So fluffy and moist. Great banana flavor. I made them for breakfast for the week. I will definitely continue to use this recipe again and again! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Callan Wenner says
Wahoo! So happy to hear this. I'm making a batch this week!