Banana Honey-Walnut Muffins
If you opened my freezer and looked in the bottom drawer, you’d think I was some sort of crazy person who hordes old brown bananas. The truth is that I’m not crazy — it’s just that I always buy too many bananas and am a wee bit fanatic about not wasting food. It’s a trait that was ingrained in culinary school, where the chefs would randomly check trash cans to make sure nothing that could be transformed into something else was in there. Believe me, there had better not be, unless you wanted to get chewed out by a French chef, which I can tell you from experience, is completely humiliating! Nothing is wasted in restaurant kitchens: old bread becomes breadcrumbs or croutons, bones become stock, vegetable odds and ends become soup, cake trimmings become dessert trifles, and old bananas become banana muffins, banana bread or banana cupcakes.
I’m guessing you don’t have a lot of bones or cake trimmings lying around, but we’ve all got old bananas. Once they’re past their prime, let them get really spotty, peel them, and then throw them in a ziplock bag in the freezer. That way, you can whip up some banana baked goods whenever the mood strikes you. I have several recipes you might enjoy — such as Banana Bread, Chocolate Banana Bread, Banana Bread with Coconut & Pecans, Chai-Spiced Banana Bread, Sticky Toffee Banana Cake and Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread — but these muffins are unique because they’re sweetened with honey. They’re light and fluffy with a mild banana flavor that allows the distinctive taste of honey to shine through.
Banana Honey-Walnut Muffins
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon honey, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup mashed banana, from 1 large overripe banana
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup whole or low fat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray, then line with paper liners (it is necessary to do both so that the muffin tops don't stick to pan).
- In a small bowl, toss the nuts with 1 tablespoon of the honey and cinnamon until the nuts are evenly coated (obviously, it will be very sticky). Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup of honey until fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary. At medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated between additions. Beat in the banana and vanilla until blended. (It will look grainy.) At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with the milk.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin (I like to use an ice cream scooper) and sprinkle with the nut topping. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 235
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 5g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Sugar: 22g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 159g
- Cholesterol: 52mg
Reviews & Comments
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wow, so overly-sweet. Cinnamon and vanilla and honey and sugar and walnuts – way too much going on and way too much sugar. The banana flavor is buried.
This recipe was awesome! Only 2 adjustments were made…1 used 4 tbsp butter and 4 tbsp coconut oil versus the 8 tbsp butter called for. Used 2 bananas (1 cup) instead of 1 because I needed to use it up and i love more banana flavor. Moist and delicious. Will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
I have made this recipe many times and it is just perfect. Very moist. But I was wondering whether I could use grated apples instead of bananas?
Hi Jana, glad you like the muffins. I’m not certain how they’d turn out with apples, so instead, I’d suggest trying these Apple Spice Muffins or the Morning Glory Muffins.
Just way too sweet, and entirely too much sugar and not enough banana. Honey is a nice substitute, but it’s still sugar. We make banana muffins almost every week since I buy a big bulk bag at the beginning of each week and inevitably have a couple brown ones left at the end for muffins and smoothies.
I’m not sure why the directions were made to be so complex, just add wet stuff, add dry stuff, and they turn out fine. The topping was nice, but again- just too sugary and sweet. Banana muffins are generally a healthy recipe and you can usually get by with 1/2 cup or less of sugar… the amounts in here are at least two times too much. Let the banana sweeten it. Speaking of bananas- I could not taste the banana in these at all. I was curious about only using 1 banana (we usually need at least 3 for other recipes we’ve tried), and I can see it was basically just used for sugary taste rather than banana taste. Pretty disappointed in these, and I will definitely not use this recipe again.
You can multiply my 5 stars by 2 for these scrumptious muffins! My husband and I just had them with dinner and we each had 2! I bake a lot of muffins and these are uniquely delicious with their crunchy, yummy topping. I swapped out two ingredients that you might try: buttermilk that I always use for biscuits and muffins instead of regular milk for an amazingly tender crumb and maple syrup for the honey that we New Englanders can’t get enough of. I had 2 over-ripe bananas and went looking for a new banana nut muffin recipe…I’m so happy yours came up near the top of the list and, when I read it, I knew I wanted to try it. Now I can’t wait to ripen a few more bananas. This one will be my new signature muffin! Thanks so much!!!
This recipe is a gem! I even subscribed to Once Upon a Chef for it! And since then we’ve been enjoying Jenn’s recipes.
This recipe has become my go-to when baking healthy muffins for my family. My two small changes: I’ve substituted APF to Whole wheat flour, and instead of sugar I’ve replaced it with 1/2 cup of honey. Works every time! 🙂
I just made this super delicious muffin! Smells and tastes heavenly.. Thank you for the recipe its awesome.. Just want to ask what is the life span of this muffin? Thanks and more power!!
Hi Kathy, So glad you enjoyed the muffins! These would probably last for about 4 – 5 days covered on the kitchen counter. They also freeze beautifully.
too sweet – cut sugar in half, add more banana and a tablespoon of yoghurt! You could also beef it up with some LSA mix etc.
Recipe was a bit complicated – just build it up like any old cake/muffin baking recipe; cream butter/sugar, bannanas, milk etc. sift in dry and fold together
These are so delicious! I am so appreciative of you sharing this recipe. I will definitely be baking these again! YUMMY!!!!!!!
Can I use a mixture of wheat flour and oats flour instead of all purpose flour?
Hi Sindhu, I would suggest starting with using just half whole wheat flour and half all purpose as I’m not sure how the oat flour will affect the texture of the muffins. That said, a few readers have used a combination of whole wheat and oat flour successfully with these muffins.
What is 1 stick of butter in grams?
Hi Rene, 1 stick of butter is the equivalent of 113 grams. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
I made these yesterday and they are marvelous. I try not eat too much gluten so I used 1/2 c of whole wheat flour, 1/2 c almond flour and 1/2 c of oat flour. I also added 1/4 c of shredded coconut. Delicious!
Hello, can I add the walnuts into the batter ? Will it turn out just as good ? And should I use more walnuts ? Thank you
Tanya G.
Yes Tanya, you can definitely add them to the batter. And you can use the same amount or a little more so you have some left over to sprinkle on top. Enjoy!
Thank you some much. Do I need to toss them in flour or they won’t sink ?
Thank you very much Jenn. I’m new at baking and you’re being so helpful.
Happy to help! No, I don’t think it’s necessary to toss the nuts in flour first.
Absolutely AMAZING muffins! Just loving your recipes, Jenn. Thank You so much for sharing your great recipes and your beautiful website: Such a delight to visit!
Amazing recipe. My knowledge in baking is almost zero but the recipe and picture are wonderfully helpful.
I bake it almost every weekend and fill my house with wonderful smell.
Thank you Jennifer
Is there an effect if you use cold soft butter?
Hi Marilen, I would recommend sticking with regular unsalted stick butter as I’m not sure how the soft butter would affect the texture of the muffins.
These muffins are delicious, but for me, the batter yield was only enough for 10 muffins. Definitely worth the effort. One small modification I made was to substitute a half-cup of shredded zucchini for the mashed banana, as I didn’t have any of the latter. Very nice muffins!
Can you tell me nutritional content of this recipe? Calories and protein useful as using this as snack for daughter who needs to gain weight.
Hi Karen, I just added the nutritional info to the recipe. Please let me know if there are any other recipes you’d like to see this for.
Thanks for this delicious recipe. I hardly ever make the same recipe twice, but this one is a keeper! I doubled the recipe and added walnuts to the batter. I also added a little more banana. Great recipe.
I just made these. They taste great. I accidently forget to put the honey in the mix. Still tasted great. This recipe is definately in my bank of must-do-again
I made these yesterday with yep , the bananas in the freezer that I hoard . I’am a monkey banana hoarder .. humm….OK !
Jenn the banana muffins are luscious ! I top these little babies with chai spiced whipped cream . A topping I am crazy in love with ! It is not my recipe but ” Leit’s
Culinarily” .
I just made these muffins exactly as recipe ! delicious ! Will make again !
Wow is all I can say! I was surprised but they turned out just as pictured and taste phenomenal
And do you have the measurement in metric?
Hi Grace, I went ahead and added the metric measurements. There is a button in the top right corner that allows you to select cup or metric measures. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jenn! Yes! It helps! 😀
Thanks Jenn! Your recipe is really good! 😀
Glad you enjoyed it!
These muffins are perfect!! My family couldn’t get enough of them they were so moist and delicious thank you for this amazing recipe 🙂
I made the banana walnut muffins. I my family doesn’t care for cinnamon (crazy family) so I just added the walnuts to the batter. My family, and I agree, said these were the best muffins ever! I think the honey made all the difference, and they made a point of telling me that they loved the texture too!
I love your recipes so much that I have tried so many of them. My colleagues thought that I am a good baker when I am simply copying yours. One friend requested for banana with chocolate chip muffins, can I simply replace nuts with chocolate chips?
Hi Shirley, I’m so sorry for the late reply! Somehow your comment got filed under spam and I’m just now seeing it. Anyway, I would probably stir the chocolate chips into the batter (but dust them with a touch of flour first so they don’t sink to the bottom). You can also sprinkle a few on top if you like. Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
My kids loved these muffins and so did my husband. So happy friends referred me to once upon a chef. I’m such a fan
Thanks, Tara!
Thank you so much for a wonderful recipe. I don’t generally bake but the moment I saw this recipe, I wanted to try. The muffins were very delicious and tastes like store bought.
Thank u so much.
Mine didn’t rise. My baking powder was fine, but the muffins are flat. Any ideas?
Hi Dana, These muffins don’t rise especially high — they are more delicate and cake-like, which means they won’t dome.
How much is 1 stick butter.
Hi Yati, One stick of butter is 1/2 cup, 4 ounces, or 113 grams.
Will the muffins come out good if I add 4 bananas? Or would it affect it and not come out the same?
Hi Sarah, That’s a lot of extra bananas — I’d stick to the recipe for the best results. Sorry!
Amazing!!!!!
The banana, honey and walnut recipe is sooooooo yummy…. A winner for all!!
Can’t wait to try her other recipes, I can’t believe how great it was!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe! We tried it and replaced the regular sugar with brown sugar, and all purpose flour with 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of rolled oats(instant).Turned out really tasty and healthy!
Looking after ‘the boys’ in the school holidays and they loved the Banana Honey Walnut Muffins!! Recipe was well set out for me — only had to Google the weight of a Stick of Butter as that isn’t a term used in Australia!!
Thank you.
I followed this recipie to a T and it was so easy to make. My son said he didn’t want walnuts but I added them anyway and he loved it. My apartment smelled of bananas and honey! Next time i would try it with whole wheat flour and either reducing the honey or the sugar by just a bit. but my mom who is such a picky eater loved it. Going to freeze half the batch for breakfast To serve my son whenever! Thanks for the yummy recipe.
These were really delicious! We replaced the butter with coconut oil and had no issues at all. These will be going into regular rotation in our home.
Just mde these, they’re great! So moist and flavorful. I also (by mistake) added the cinnamon to the batter and the topping, and they are awesome! Thank you for the recipe, it’s a keeper!!
Love this recipe!!! Thank you. Beautiful photos, too.
I haven’t made this yet, but I want to completely get rid of the sugar and change the recipe to 2 overripe bananas. Would that be enough to make it less sweet? Or should I cut down on the honey as well? I’m hoping it won’t mess with the consistency, I just want lightly sweetened muffins. Can’t wait to try these!
Hi Yuliya, I’m afraid I can’t advise omitting the sugar — it will definitely change the consistency. Sorry!
Since I also hate to waste any uneaten bananas I puree mine and then freeze in small containers. When I need to use in a recipe, it’s easy to thaw. Have found it works better than freezing whole bananas. Love all your recipes, Jenn! You inspire me every week and my husband loves the results.
So simple and quick to make. Absolutely delicious. I loved the honey walnuts on top! Thank you for the recipe. I went 1/3 cup less on the sugar and they still tasted deliciously sweet!
Wonderful muffins. I took them to work and everyone loved them. So easy to make. I signed up for your email newsletter last week and wasn’t sure when to expect my first newsletter. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the muffins, Susie! Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. I’ve been away for the holidays so it has not gone out in a few weeks, but I plan to resume in the next few days.
I’ve never made muffins before today and I’m 20. However, these muffins came out amazing and i was able to impress my wife and mother in law and even myself. Just wanted to say thanks for the recipe.
These were a major hit today – I made them first thing this morning, and the hubby gobbled them up when he got home from work for breakfast. 🙂
Back to school planning in progress. Looking for something I can make in advance and then have quick breakfasts ready for a 5 yr old and 8 yr old that are sorta picky. I think they would like these if I made them, but thoughts on freezing and serving at later date? Also, do you think if I made the nuts really fine in a food processor, would it hide them from a kid, but allow the flavor to still come through? I’m a sneaky parent when it comes to introducing new things to the kids.
They freeze beautifully. Grinding the nuts would work but not sure your kids won’t notice them — I know my picky daughter can spot a nut from a mile away 🙂
Wonderful muffins. Made these and took them when we were going fishing. Got the boat launched, then had a great breakfast of these muffins. With a piece of fresh fruit and a cup of coffee was ready for a morning of good fishing.
Ѕuperb, what a webpage it is! This web site presents useful information to us, keep it up.
I cannot wait to try this before all of the bananas disappear! My four year old loves bananas. 🙂
This muffin recipe is simply divine….I love baking muffins and this is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made. The honey flavor makes this muffin not too sweet and the added walnut topping makes is yummerific!
These muffins were amazing! I never knew what to do with my old bananas! This is one of my go to favorites! Love you e-blast! Thank You! Thank You!
I loved this recipe. The muffins turned out perfect!
Almost all my muffins turn out bland and just plain bad. This one and the chocaholic ones on here are the only two muffin recipes that I have ever made and were good.
Thank you for these!!
Plain delicous! These are the best muffins I’ve ever made.
These were awesome. I substituted agave nectar for the honey as that’s what I had on hand. It probably made it a little sweeter but my kids didn’t complain :).
Classic yummy!
I’m stuffing my face with a just-cooled Banana Honey-Walnut muffin as I type. Banana and honey are 2 of my favorite flavors, especially combined. I am adoring this recipe, since it really lets the honey shine through. The honey/cinnamon walnuts are a great topper and give a nice crunch. For muffins, these really have a wonderful fluffy texture. As you suggested, I used 1/2 c whole wheat and 1 c AP flour. My husband doesn’t like walnuts, so I left the topping off of 6 muffins but threw in a handful of dark chocolate chips to half of the batter. This is going in my permanent recipe file! Oh, and thanks for the tip on defrosting the banana in a bowl, you weren’t kidding about the leak factor.
Great blend of being superbly moist with a crunch! A family favorite.
I love these muffins
hi!! thank you for this lovely recipe. i will soon try this. i had a query, i would like to know if i can use another substitute for granulated sugar as i am going to bake it for my mom who is diabetic! 😀
Hi Sharmeen, I think that would be just fine. Hope you and your mom enjoy the muffins!
These sound delicious. Can’t wait to try them.
I made these yesterday with my 3 year old son and they came out perfect! I love the topping and the batter is so light and fluffy. Yum!
I wanted to comment on how delicious, light and fluffy these muffins are! My whole family loves them. I also think they would be fantastic as cupcakes just skip the nuts on top and frost with cream cheese icing!
Hey Jennifer! I wanted to comment to enter your AWESOME giveaway and also let you know that these muffins are so awesome that my sister in law made them after I made them and her three little sons gobbled them up! She made them even more decadent by using half and half in place of milk because she was trying to use stuff up in the fridge. yum. thanks for the great recipe. -Meg
these are heavenly! i made 6 jumbo muffins instead of 12 regular muffins… yum.
I made these this morning for a group breakfast they are sooo yummy! Thanks for the great idea I will post them on your FB wall soon!
I also collect ripe bananas in my freezer but cut into chunks for smoothies. This recipe sounds amazing and I will be making it this weekend!
I just made this and they are delcious! The best banana nut muffins I’ve made yet. Light, fluffy and yummy! Thanks for sharing.
..more on frozen bananas, they are good just to eat like a popsicle, the sweetness of the fruit is intensified.
I like Banana Honey-Walnut Muffins. This recipe is really very nice and also it looking are great. Also here all recipes look are awesome.
I’ve never heard of freezing old bananas! Needless to say, the one on my counter has a new destination tonight! Thanks for the tip… but I do need to ask, do you peel it before you freeze it?
Yes, make sure you peel your ripe bananas before freezing.
Otherwise, they’re impossible to peel.
Frozen bananas also make great smoothie ingredients!
these look amazing:) i cant help but freeze bananas as well. my husband is mad about banana bread, i cant wait to make some of these for him soon. thanks for sharing this.
My neighbor an I were just discussing our craving for a yummy muffin and here it is! And, I too, have bananas in the bottom of my freezer. Can’t wait to try these.
They do leak! First time I made bread from thawed, ripened bananas I was unsure if it was a good idea… The consistency is not what you have from a very ripe “fresh” banana. My husband eyed the bowl full of bananas with a mixture of disgust and much uncertainty! But the finished product yielded a taste that was divine.
I too have a stash of yucky black bananas in my freezer! Yummy muffins!
I also gather old bananas in the freezer! I love honey added to anything, this recipe looks great 🙂