We took our all-time favorite easy banana bread and turned it into the best banana nut muffins. These are soft, fluffy, and moist banana nut muffins with a crackly-crunchy brown sugar topping that makes these muffins extra delicious! Try our blueberry banana muffins, too!
“These muffins were out of this world delicious!! My neighbor thought so too. Best we’ve ever had. Definitely won’t ever be using any other recipe besides this one. Thank you so much!”
★★★★★
– Kim
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What sets this recipe apart
BROWN SUGAR: Brown sugar is the only sugar used in this recipe. It makes the muffins moist and imparts a deep, caramel-like sweetness.
TOPPING: A sprinkle of brown sugar and nuts on top of each muffin creates a crackly-crunchy topping that can’t be beat!
NUTS: Think beyond the typical walnuts that you see on a banana nut muffin. Try macadamia nuts, pecans, or hazelnuts for something different!
5-STAR REVIEWS: This recipe is a reader favorite with hundreds of 5-star reviews.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Step 1
Whisk melted butter and brown sugar.
Step 2
Add eggs, vanilla, and mashed banana.
Step 3
Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt. Followed by chopped nuts.
Step 4
Scoop the batter into a muffin pan and sprinkle the top of each muffin with brown sugar and chopped nuts.
Step 5
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.
Banana nut muffin ingredient swaps
Less sugar: Reduce the brown sugar to ½ cup (in the batter). I still recommend sprinkling brown sugar on top.
No butter: Swap the melted butter for melted coconut oil or mild olive oil.
Gluten free: Swap the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking blend.
Whole grain: Swap ¾ cup of the all purpose flour for white whole wheat flour.
My recipe testing tips
Use overripe (brown speckled) bananas, they’ll be extra sweet!
Mash the bananas on a paper plate then fold the plate to slide the mashed banana into the measuring cup.
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 (or even a combination of nuts). Walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are all delicious.
Top these muffins with salted butter, honey butter or maple butter to make them extra tasty.
Want a high dome? Check your oven temp! More on this below.
Technique: how to get a high dome on muffins
Oven temp
In order to get a nice dome on your muffins it is important that your oven is all the way up to temperature before adding the pan of muffins. The high heat activates the leavening agents leading to a better rise.
IMPORTANT: When your oven beeps that is preheated, it’s highly likely that it is NOT actually all the way up to temperature. I use an oven thermometer and wait until that indicates the temperature I’m looking for. Note: in my oven that often takes an additional 8 minutes or so.
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, fluff the flour, lightly scoop and level
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- ½ cup chopped walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, or hazelnuts
Topping:
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, or hazelnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (see note).
- 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 or line 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
Oven temp:
Make sure your oven is fully up to 350°F before adding the muffins (this helps with the rise). I use an oven thermometer and bake based on that temp, not the temp displayed on the oven itself.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. Serve warm, reheated in the microwave or toaster oven.Ingredient swaps:
See full post for several ingredient swaps including gluten free and reduced sugar.Half recipe:
Recipe can be halved. You’ll get 7-8 muffins, bake time will be about the same.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!
FeeFee says
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! I found this recipe while trying to figure out what to do with some bananas that were sitting on my counter. It was easy and super yummy! After the bananas were used, I wanted more. They were EXCELLENT with mashed sweet potatoes subbed for the bananas. This recipe is a 5 star keeper!
Allison says
Glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Amanda says
Made these this morning. I ended up mixing the sugar with the rest of the dry ingredients and it still turned out good! Also made mini muffins. Made about 48 with a little batter left over but not enough to bother with. Baked 350 for 12 minutes. Next time I’ll add more crushed pecans and brown sugar to the top.
Allison says
Thank for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Cristiana says
This muffins were awesome and easy to make. I didn’t even have to haul out the stand mixer. I am absolutely making these again.
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Taylor Melton says
These came out SO DELICIOUS! I’m not a baker by any means, but I followed this recipe to a T and they came out fluffy, and soft! 10/10 recommend!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
Teresa Valdez says
These are sooo good. I didn’t have enough bananas ( only had 3 small ones) so I added a snack size of unsweetened cinnamon applesauce. I also only had self rising flour so I used that and eliminated the salt and baking soda. My son doesn’t like banana muffins but he came into the kitchen asking what smelled so good. I’ll have to share with neighbors so I don’t eat them all.
Allison says
Great idea! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
JENNIFER SPENCER says
Best banana nut muffins I’ve ever made. They did take longer then recommended but came out wonderful. Will make these again.
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Renee Ramsey says
The best muffin I’ve ever eaten!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
DeeAnna says
what would I need to do to make these Jumbo muffins? Cook at same temp but maybe 25-30 minutes?
Allison says
Yes, you’ll need to add to the bake time. Start checking them at 25 minutes, then every few minutes until they are done. Enjoy!
Pam says
I only had two overripe bananas, so I mashed and measured them, then made up the rest of the 2 cups with applesauce. These were amazing!
Allison says
Perfect! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Jenny Robertson says
These are the best muffins and are easy to make! I accidentally used baking powder the first time and they still tasted good lol. This time I made sure to use baking soda and they look and smell amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!
Allison says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!