Banana Nut Muffins
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Sweetened with honey and enriched with Greek yogurt, these banana nut muffins are incredibly tender and moist. A crunchy topping of honey, cinnamon, and walnuts makes them as beautiful as they are delicious—a perfect way to turn overripe bananas into something special!
When I was in culinary school, the chefs would randomly (and terrifyingly!) inspect our trash cans to ensure we hadn’t tossed any scraps that could be repurposed. I quickly learned that nothing goes to waste in a restaurant kitchen: stale bread becomes breadcrumbs or croutons, bones become stock, vegetable trimmings become soup, and overripe bananas are transformed into banana pancakes, banana cake, banana bread, or even banana ice cream. These banana nut muffins are one of my favorite ways to use up those spotted bananas—they’re quick to make, incredibly flavorful, and always a hit.
“Just made these and they turned out amazing. Super moist and fluffy…The sweetness is perfect, not too sweet. This is the perfect muffin recipe.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Nut Muffins
- Chopped Walnuts: Adds crunch and nutty flavor to the muffin topping. If you’d prefer not to use nuts, you can substitte a nut-free granola or a sprinkling of coarse sugar for crunch (omit the honey).
- Honey: Provides natural sweetness and helps to bind the topping. Additionally, it adds sweetness and moisture to the muffins.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice to enhance the flavor of the topping.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base for your muffins. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents, helping the muffins rise. Additionally, the baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients for extra lift.
- Butter: Adds richness, flavor, and moisture to the muffins.
- Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and contributes to their texture.
- Eggs: Add richness, help bind the ingredients together, and provide structure.
- Mashed Bananas: Offer moisture, sweetness, and banana flavor. The browner and spottier your bananas, the better.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the muffins.
- Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: Adds moisture and tenderness to the muffins.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, make the walnut topping: In a small bowl, toss the nuts with the honey and cinnamon until the nuts are evenly coated (the mixture will be sticky). Set aside.
Next, whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set it aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and honey, and beat until the mixture is nice and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the banana, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream).
Beat until blended (the batter will look grainy; that’s okay).
Mix in the dry ingredients. The batter will be thick.
Spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin (the cups will be very full) and sprinkle evenly with the nut topping.
Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and domed, 25 to 28 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. The muffins will keep nicely for several days; they can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
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Banana Nut Muffins
Got bananas? Turn them into these easy banana nut muffins—they’re perfect for breakfast or a sweet treat anytime!
Ingredients
For the Walnut Topping
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Muffins
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas, from 2 to 3 overripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (low fat is fine)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Make the walnut topping: In a small bowl, toss the nuts with the honey and cinnamon until the nuts are evenly coated (the mixture will be sticky). Set aside.
- For the Muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and honey until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary. At medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated between additions. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream) and beat until blended (the batter will look grainy; that's okay). Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin (the cups will be very full) and sprinkle evenly with the nut topping. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and domed, 25 to 28 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 302
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 21 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 216 mg
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Had a lot of ripe bananas and thought…banana muffins! They were SO moist and delicious! I stuck some in the freezer for a future treat.
This is def my new favorite recipe for banana muffins. I used half coconut sugar half regular and it turned out great 🙂
Can I use oil instead of butter like I do in most muffin recipes?
Hi Dawn, Unfortunately, oil won’t work here as you need something solid to cream with the butter. If you’d like to use oil, you could try (solidified) coconut oil. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
This is the best banana muffin recipe I’ve ever made. The cups were full as instructions indicated, but the muffins did not run together, they spread just enough to create the yummiest muffin tops. I have a heavier duty All Clad pan which bakes 12 muffins. Maybe the pan makes a difference.
These were my first “Once Upon a Chef” fail — though I’ll share the blame for not following my instincts. I find that muffin recipes frequently result in more batter than the recipe identifies. In this case, the recipe was to make 12 muffins. Under normal circumstances, I would simply make additional muffins to cover the overage — but since the directions said the cups would be quite full, I used the batter in just twelve muffins. No surprise — I had a real mess as the muffins ran together. The flavor is quite nice — but next time I will go back to filling the muffins as seems appropriate rather than follow the directions.
Just made this Banana Walnut recipe.
I happened to have all the ingredients called for, however I did cut the recipe in half as I only had 1 egg and just enough honey. This recipe is a keeper for sure!
Very easy and very good. Nice crunch on top. My bananas were ripe but not overly ripe so the muffins were not as sweet as perhaps some people would like. Enjoyed this recipe….thank you.