Fluffy Bakery Style Banana Muffins are jumbo, soft muffins with a crunchy nut topping. These easy-to-make muffins are extra moist thanks to oil and sour cream or yogurt, and the crunchy, sugary tops get an extra bite from chopped walnuts.
These banana muffins are my favorite muffins on the blog, and maybe of all time. Crunchy on the outside, oh so soft and moist on the inside, with tall, domed muffin tops and a sought-after crunch. My best tip? Enjoy them warm with a slather of salted butter.
These bakery-style banana muffins are the perfect way to use up either frozen bananas, or bananas that are getting very brown and spotty on the counter. The darker, the better!
If you have lots of brown bananas, you can also try this Spiced Banana Cake with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting, Strawberry Banana Cake, or Double Chocolate Banana Muffins.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Simple to make - You only need a couple of bowls - no mixer needed.
Banana nut - This classic flavor combination goes so well in these moist banana muffins. The light and fluffy muffins pair perfectly with the nut-covered large domed tops.
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.
How to Make Big Fluffy Banana Muffins
Here's my best tips to making extra tall, bakery-style muffins:
- 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 cups 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.
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. 2-3 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.
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How to Make This Recipe
One: Mash the bananas, leaving them slightly chunky.
Two: Add all of the wet ingredients and sugars to a large bowl.
Three: Whisk thoroughly until completely smooth.
Four: Fold the mashed bananas into the wet batter.
Five: Whisk together the dry ingredients to combine and disperse the learners.
Six: Fold the flour partially into the batter, then add the chopped nuts and finish folding (but don't over-mix).
Seven: Add the batter evenly between the openings, filling them completely to the top.
Eight: Top the batter with coarse sugar and extra chopped walnuts, then bake according to instructions.
Expert Tips
- 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 (or openings) 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!
Recipe FAQs
This is likely due to overmixing. Muffin batter should be just barely mixed, stopping when the ingredients are nearly incorporated and a bit of flour is still showing. This creates a light and fluffy muffin.
For recipes only using baking powder, it is recommended to rest the batter. If you are using both baking powder and baking soda, it is best to bake the batter right away because the baking soda will lose its strength the longer it sits.
To get tall muffin tops, fill each well of the muffin tin almost to the top. Next, start the heat higher for the first 5 minutes to activate the baking powder, then reduce for the remainder of the cook time. Also, only fill every other muffin cups in the tin so more heat can circulate around each muffin to help them stand tall.
Storage
Store the muffins in a container or bag, but only partially covered. The muffins will remain most, while preventing the tops from getting soggy. Store for up to 4 days.
To freeze, add the muffins to a tightly sealed bag and freeze for up to three months. Thaw uncovered at room temperature.
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📖Recipe
Bakery Style Banana Muffins
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
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
This sounds like the perfect idea to me 😉
Teena Tran
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
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
So delicious! The crown was perfect! 🙂
Aubrey
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
These are the best banana nut muffins I’ve ever tried! They are so soft, moist, and flavorful!
The Cozy Plum
Thanks so much for your feedback, Kayla! And so happy to enjoyed them!