You’re going to love these soft, fluffy, and moist banana nut muffins topped with brown sugar and chopped nuts. This easy muffin recipe comes together in minutes, and they bake up perfectly every time.
We took our all-time favorite easy banana bread and turned it into the best banana nut muffins. Prepare to ravenously consume several of these incredible muffins straight from the oven. Have blueberries on hand? Try our blueberry banana muffins!
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What makes this recipe the best
- Bananas – This banana bread is loaded with bananas – two whole cups! We use 3-4 overripe bananas to make this bread sweet, moist, and undeniably banana-flavored.
- Brown sugar – The only sugar used in these muffins is brown sugar. It is in the batter and it gets sprinkled on top before baking. The brown sugar gives the bread a deeper flavor and almost caramel-like sweetness. Plus, brown sugar and bananas are a fantastic flavor combo.
- Topping – Each muffin is topped with a sprinkling of brown sugar and chopped walnuts. This adds a delicate sweet and crunchy layer right on top of each muffin.
Recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
- Whisk melted butter and brown sugar.
- Add eggs, vanilla, and mashed banana.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in the chopped nuts.
Scoop the batter into a muffin pan and sprinkle the top of each muffin with brown sugar and chopped nuts.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
Recipe tips
- The more ripe your bananas are, the sweeter they’ll be. Make sure your bananas are speckled with brown spots, as this ensures they will mash easily and lend lots of natural sweetness and banana flavor the muffins.
- Your brown sugar should be fresh and soft. Since this is a key ingredient (used in both the topping and the batter), make sure it is fresh and moist.
- Use your favorite nuts. I chose chopped walnuts for this version, but chopped pecans, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are also delicious. Feel free to even use a combination of nuts.
- Top these muffins with salted butter, honey butter or maple butter to make them extra tasty.
Serving and storage
These muffins are best the day they are made; however, leftovers can be stored tightly-covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for several days longer.
These are best served warm. I reheat them in the microwave or toaster oven and serve with a smear of salted butter.
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Recipe
Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed, make sure it is fresh and soft
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups mashed very ripe bananas , about 3-4 bananas
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, or swap for macadamia nuts, pecans, or hazelnuts
Topping:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk melted butter and ⅔ cup brown sugar until well combined, about 1 full minute. Add eggs, mashed banana, and vanilla, whisking until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a rubber spatula to lightly stir the batter until almost combined. Add ½ cup chopped nuts and stir until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Grease 15 standard-sized muffin cups and divide the batter evenly among the cups. Sprinkle the top of the each cup with brown sugar and chopped walnuts (topping). Bake for 14-17 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Cecilia
Easy and delicious. Will use this recipe from now on!
Allison
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Denise Fortino
Moist, easy-to-make and delicious, even without the brown sugar/walnut topping…destined to become a regular in my kitchen for sure!
Allison
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Fk
Can I make the batter tonight and put in muffin pans and cook in the morning for a breakfast function so they will be warm
Allison
No, I recommend baking right after assembling the batter.
Heather
Added chocolate chips to mine. These were a big hit in my family. Actually on here right now to send out the recipe to my aunt who absolutely loved them. Make them now!!
Allison
Thanks for the kind review, Heather.
Bernadette Dickson
Excellent! Only change I did, which I always do for baking,1/2 the sugar and butter and use equal applesauce. Delicious!!! Thanks so much!!
Allison
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Cheryl Clark
Excellent! I will make these again. I subbed coconut oil for butter, added 3x cinnamon, I only had 2 bananas so I used applesauce for the rest, added 2x walnuts, used half Truvia brown sugar and half regular brown sugar.
Lilian Amir
The best muffins I ever had !!!
Allison
Yay! That’s to great to hear. 🙂