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!
Valerie P says
Fast and easy recipe. I love that this only makes a small batch of muffins. I got 14 regular sized muffins when I made these. Turned out so fluffy and delicious! I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone. Also, I only use 3 bananas and a little more vanilla for fun!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Belle says
FLAVOR IS AMAZING. One thing is it’s a tiny bit dense for my taste. But still super delicious! I added some pine nuts and chocolate chips to half. Delicious.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Chuck M says
I made this recipe for my wife and her walking friend Saturday morning. I used 1 ripe banana and 1 not to ripe and muffins came out perfect. Not too sweet and perfect size if you make 12. Thank you! Chuck in Elk Grove, Ca
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Erika says
Can you use salted butter and reduce the salt?
Allison says
Sure!
Gale McGill says
I easily halved this recipe for a small batch, made 6 beautiful muffins, crunchy goodness on top and so moist and delicious inside! I greased my muffin tins and they came out easily. Quick and easy, used 2 super ripe bananas.
Allison says
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Toby Pascal says
Excellent recipe, so tasty and easty to make. I only had 2 bananas and the muffins turned out great.
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks for stopping by!
Nora Dines says
They are delicious!
Can I make the batter at night, refrigerate it, then bake them in the morning?
Allison says
Hi, Nora. I’m not sure how that will turn out. You’d have to play around with it.
Leslie says
These muffins are the best! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Allison says
You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to comment. 🙂
Freeda says
Made these for my husband to take to work—the work crew loved them!
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Debra Specht says
These are so delicious. I put a little extra brown sugar topping on the tops. So delicious warm with a dollop of butter. I will make these a lot for my family and the grands will love them. Thank you.
Allison says
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂