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.
Get my four-part BAKING SERIES packed with TIPS and TESTED RECIPES
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!
Jessica says
Made them exactly as written and they are AMAZING. so soft and moist. Amazing flavor. ❤️
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! 🙂
Cindy says
I plan to try this recipe tomorrow. Looking forward to trying them.
Shannon says
Not only did these turn out Beautifully but were Delicious as well! And KID APPROVED! Thanks for the Amazing Recipe!
Allison says
You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Kristen says
Excellent! I tried it today, but overfilled mine and made 12 instead of 15 (who has THAT pan?! LOL)
I used macadamias and added white chocolate chips (why not?).
Thanks for the recipe!🙃
Allison says
You’re welcome. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Sheila says
These are the best muffins I’ve ever had! Super soft with a slightly crunchy top. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Allison says
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Carol says
This recipe looks and sounds Delicious, can i freeze these?
Allison says
Yes, you should be able to freeze them for up to 2 months.
Shar says
I like these muffins a lot, but they are also picky-eater hubby approved! He won’t let me use any other recipe but this one when I tell him I want to use up overripe bananas. I overfilled the 12 muffins cups in my pan and added extra baking time. Thanks for publishing!
Allison says
You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind review.
Michael Mulheran says
Amazingly simple and incredible taste. In my part of the country Pecans are the nut of choice. The cinnamon gives the hint of it in every bite. The brown sugar and pecan pieces is the kicker.. Tomorrow morning I’m hitting all the grocery stores for over ripe bananas.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Carol Richardson says
Moist and flavorful. The amount of banana is half again the amount in bread and it makes all the difference in the muffin. I bumped up the amount of cinnamon and added a little nutmeg to match my family’s preference. Adding the recipe to my binder. It’s a good one.
Jayme says
DELICIOUS! Easy to prepare. Definitely adding to favorites!
Barbara says
Do you have recommendations on how to make this into a cupcake? Or have a banana nut cupcake recipe?
Allison says
Hi! You can make the muffins as written and add vanilla buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting. I also have recipes for banana sheet cake and banana bundt cake.