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Ditch the bakery and make these cinnamon streusel-topped Banana Muffins at home. Moist, tender, and full of banana flavor, they are easy to throw together and make for the BEST grab-and-go breakfast. Pure perfection!
If you have a few bananas that are just past their prime, this recipe might just be your dream come true. Yes, you could make banana bread or banana oatmeal cookies, and I would be 100% on board with that decision. But, you could also make these banana bread muffins.
With big banana flavor from 4 bananas, a crumbly cinnamon streusel, and the dreamiest muffin texture ever (tender, light, and fluffy…but still satisfyingly dense), you can’t get much better. Plus, they are HUGE! They have that sought-after, bakery-style muffin top that everyone knows is the best part! Fresh out of the oven, they are one of the most crave-able breakfast goodies you could imagine.
Seriously The Best Banana Muffins
Want to know why you need to stop what you’re doing and get these muffins in the oven asap? Here’s what makes them so incredible.
- BIG banana flavor. With nearly 2 cups of mashed banana, there’s lots of banana flavor in these babies.
- Ideal muffin texture. These muffins are so moist and tender, and they strike the perfect balance between light and fluffy, and dense. Somewhere between a cupcake and banana bread, I’d say.
- The BEST streusel topping. I love the extra flavor and texture the streusel contributes. Crumbly, buttery, and just the right amount of sweetness, it melts into the muffin tops, contributing extra moisture.
- Any time, anywhere. This is one of those snacks that you can grab and go any time of day. Enjoy for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or even dessert (add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and, wow!).
So, yeah. Basically, they are the greatest banana muffins ever (with the greatest streusel ever)!
What You’ll Need
Buckle up and head to the store! Here’s what you’ll need to make these magic muffins. You’ll find exact measurements if you scroll to the recipe card below.
For the Muffins
- All-purpose flour – Be sure to measure it accurately. This is the most important way to avoid dry muffins. I always recommend a food scale.
- Baking powder and baking soda – You need both baking soda and baking powder here to get the perfect rise and texture.
- Salt – Sweet treats need a little salt added to them. It adds depth and brings out the flavors.
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be melted. I used unsalted butter. If you only have salted butter, that’s fine. Just use less salt in the recipe.
- Vegetable oil – I used butter and oil in this recipe. The butter brings a richness to the muffins that the oil does not, while the oil adds moisture that the butter can’t achieve alone.
- Mashed bananas – You’ll need 4-5 bananas. Make sure they are nice and ripe (but not too ripe!). Look for speckled peels with some yellow remaining. To speed up the ripening process, you can store them in a paper bag.
- Sugar – I used a combination of granulated sugar and packed light brown sugar. The addition of brown sugar brings extra moisture and a deeper flavor than granulated sugar alone.
- Large eggs – Not medium or extra large eggs.
- Milk OR sour cream – The choice is yours here. Sour cream makes the muffins extra springy/spongy, but some people don’t love the subtle tang it adds or have it available.
- Vanilla extract – Just a smidge!
For the Streusel
- Sugar – To sweeten the deal. Light brown sugar would also work, although you may need a tad more flour to counteract the added moisture from the brown sugar.
- All-purpose flour
- Ground cinnamon – If you’d like to play with other warming spices here, you can. A dash of nutmeg could be nice.
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be straight out of the fridge and cubed.
How to Make Banana Muffins
Here’s a quick look at how to make banana muffins. Be sure to scroll to the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the melted butter, vegetable oil, mashed banana, and sugars in a larger bowl. Whisk in the egg and vanilla.
- Put it all together. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients just until combined.
- Rest. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes.
- Prep. Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
- Make the streusel. Mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon, and then cut the butter in until you achieve a crumbly texture.
- Assemble. Fill every other muffin cup almost to the top and top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of streusel.
- Bake. Bake the muffins for about 8 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake for 7-9 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out nearly clean.
- Cool. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
How to Get Tall Muffin Tops
If you’re looking to have a bakery-style muffin, follow these tips.
- Rest the batter. If you want nice, tall domes on your muffins, you must rest your batter. During this time, the flour absorbs more moisture from the liquid in the batter, allowing the gluten to swell and support a taller dome.
- Fill to the top. Filling the muffins to the top ensures there’s enough batter for the muffins to rise and overflow, giving you that big top.
- Fill every other cup. If you’re aiming for tall muffin tops, you’ll only want to fill every other muffin in the pan. Otherwise, the muffin tops will run over the sides and into each other. No muffin tops? No problem. Go ahead and fill every muffin 3/4 of the way full and bake for a little less time.
- Adjust the baking temperature. The initial high temperature allows the muffins to rise quickly. Then you’re going to want to turn it down, though, to prevent over-baking.
Pro Tips for Perfect Muffins
Striving for perfection? Check out these simple tips and tricks. They’ll help you achieve the perfect muffins.
- Don’t over-mix. Once you put the wet and dry ingredients together, be careful not to over-work the batter. Mix just until combined. Over-mixing can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, leading to tough muffins.
- Room temperature eggs. If the eggs are at room temperature, they will combine more easily with the other ingredients, helping to prevent over-mixing.
- No peeking. Keep the oven door closed throughout the baking process lest the heat escape and the muffin tops sink.
- Measure your bananas. You need one and 3/4 cup. That could be 4 or 5 bananas, or more or less, depending on their size. Be sure to measure that accurately.
Variation Ideas
If you want to throw your own spin on things, these muffins are highly adaptable. Here are some fun ideas to get your wheels turning.
- Mix-in mania. These banana muffins are beautiful in their simplicity but if you’d like to add in some chocolate chips and/or walnuts, I won’t hold it against you. Keep mix-ins to about 3/4 cup. You may get more muffins, too.
- Skip the streusel. If you’d like to nix the streusel and sprinkle the muffins with turbinado sugar, you can. Although, the streusel does contribute some moisture to the muffin tops.
How to Store
- Room temperature. Once cool, seal any leftover muffins in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Allow the muffins to cool before sealing them in an airtight container. You can also wrap individual muffins in a double layer of plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the muffins to thaw (if frozen) before wrapping each in aluminum foil and baking at 350°F for 10 minutes or until heated through. You can also microwave a muffin in 10-15-second intervals until warm.
More Winning Muffin Recipes
Need more muffins in your life? You’re in luck! I have some totally amazing recipes (aside from this one) that you have to try. Here they are:
Recipe
Banana Muffins
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Ditch the bakery! These cinnamon streusel-topped banana muffins are perfection. Moist, tender, and full of banana flavor, they are easy to throw together and make for the BEST grab-and-go breakfast.
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 3/4 cups (228g) all-purpose flour (measured properly)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 3/4 cups (390g) mashed banana (4–5 bananas)
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (112g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp (29g) sour cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Streusel
- 1/2 cup (104g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (65g) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, cold, cubed
Instructions
Make the Muffins
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Add the melted butter, vegetable oil, mashed banana and sugars to a large mixing bowl and whisk together to combine.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk together until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and gently stir until just well combined. Do not overmix.
- Set the batter aside and let it rest for about 15 minutes, while you make the streusel and preheat the oven.
Make the Streusel
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
- Add the sugar, flour and cinnamon to a medium-sized bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.
Assemble and Bake
- Fill the muffin cups almost to the top (89g) and top with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of crumb topping. You should get 12 muffins. You’ll want to fill every other muffin, leaving space between each so they don’t touch. This means you’ll get 6 muffins from a 12-muffin pan, so you’ll need to make two batches.
- Bake the muffins at 425°F for about 8 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350°F (do not open the oven door or remove the muffins, just leave them in and reduce the temperature) and bake for an additional 7-9 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Enjoy them while they’re still a little warm or let them cool completely.
- Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Best if eaten within 3-4 days.
Notes
- Mashed bananas – You’ll need 4-5 bananas. Make sure they are nice and ripe (but not too ripe!). Look for speckled peels with some yellow remaining. Be sure to measure 1 ¾ cups, rather than just assuming 4-5 bananas is correct. The number of bananas you need varies with their size.
- Sour cream – You can also use whole milk. Sour cream makes the muffins extra springy/spongy, but some people don’t love the subtle tang it adds or have it available.
- Storage – Once cool, seal any leftover muffins in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Freezing – Allow the muffins to cool before sealing them in an airtight container. You can also wrap individual muffins in a double layer of plastic wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating instructions – Allow the muffins to thaw (if frozen) before wrapping each in aluminum foil and baking at 350°F for 10 minutes or until heated through. You can also microwave a muffin in 10-15-second intervals until warm.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 337
- Sugar: 28.9 g
- Sodium: 194 mg
- Fat: 13.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.2 g
- Protein: 4.1 g
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
Another delicious recipe Lindsay, moist, light full of banana flavour! Added in a cup of chocolate chips and 2tbsp light cream! Definitely a keeper!!