For the best banana muffins that look like they’re straight out of a bakery, I have a mind-blowingly easy tip: Start the muffins off at a very high temperature in the oven so they grow tall, then reduce the temperature and continue baking. I have all the details for you below! You’ll wow your family with these beautiful and delicious banana muffins. If you’re looking for more easy muffin recipes, try my blueberry muffin recipe, easy chocolate muffins, and morning glory muffins.
What You Need to Make this Recipe
Leavening — baking powder and baking soda help the muffins puff up and give them that real bakery-style look. Cinnamon — for a hint of warmth and comforting flavor. Bananas — make sure the bananas are overripe, as in, the peels need to be mostly brown, and the flesh should be very soft. See below for my easy hack to ripen bananas in 10 minutes! Butter — since this banana muffin recipe already has salt in it, use melted unsalted butter. Sugar — you need white and brown sugar for the perfect sweetness with molasses notes. Eggs — eggs help to bind everything. Ensure they are at room temperature before you start baking. Vanilla — use a high-quality vanilla extract, not vanilla essence, which is artificially flavored.
How to Make Banana Muffins
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed banana, melted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined. Don’t try to make the mixture completely smooth — a few lumps are ideal.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Stir until combined, but don’t overmix.
- Divide the batter amongst a 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners.Bake in an oven preheated to 425°F for 5 minutes to get the muffins really tall, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the centers are springy and the tops are golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Pro Tips for Making this Recipe
Measure the flour correctly. Using too much flour is a surefire way to end up with dry muffins. The best way to measure flour is using a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff up the flour in its container, spoon it into your measuring cup, and level off the top with a butter knife. Use room temperature ingredients. Set out the eggs about 30 minutes before you start baking, so they warm to room temperature. This will help them incorporate better into the batter. Ripen bananas in 10 minutes: If your bananas aren’t ripe, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until blackened. Let cool completely, then peel and mash. Don’t overmix the batter. Stop mixing when everything is just combined. Mixing too much yields dense, tough muffins. Mix-in options: You can add chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts, as well as chocolate chips (or just try my banana chocolate chip muffins). Add about ½ cup of nuts or 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter right at the end, when the batter is just about ready.
If you’ve tried this banana muffin recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
