Banana Nut Muffins
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Lightly sweetened with honey, these fluffy banana nut muffins are a delicious way to use up overripe bananas.
When I was in culinary school, the chefs would randomly (and terrifyingly!) inspect our trash cans to make we hadn’t tossed any scraps that could be repurposed into something else. I quickly learned that absolutely nothing is wasted in restaurant kitchens: stale bread becomes breadcrumbs and croutons; bones become stock; vegetable odds and ends become soup; cake trimmings become dessert trifles; and old bananas become muffins, banana cake, banana bread or banana ice cream.
These fluffy banana nut muffins sweetened with honey and enriched with Greek yogurt are one of my favorite ways to use up overripe bananas. Instead of folding the walnuts into the batter, I toss them with honey and cinnamon and sprinkle them over top to give each muffin a sweet and crunchy lid.
Table of Contents
“Just made these and they turned out amazing. Super moist and fluffy…The sweetness is perfect, not too sweet. This is the perfect muffin recipe.”
What You’ll Need To Make Banana Nut Muffins
- Chopped Walnuts: Adds crunch and nutty flavor to the muffin topping.
- Honey: Provides natural sweetness and helps to bind the topping. Additionally, it adds sweetness and moisture to the muffins.
- Cinnamon: Adds warmth and spice to enhance the flavor of the topping.
- All-Purpose Flour: The base for your muffins. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Act as leavening agents, helping the muffins rise. Additionally, the baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients for extra lift.
- Butter: Adds richness, flavor, and moisture to the muffins.
- Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and contributes to their texture.
- Eggs: Add richness, help bind the ingredients together, and provide structure.
- Mashed Bananas: Offer moisture, sweetness, and banana flavor. The browner and spottier your bananas, the better.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the muffins.
- Greek Yogurt or Sour Cream: Adds moisture and tenderness to the muffins.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
To begin, make the walnut topping: In a small bowl, toss the nuts with the honey and cinnamon until the nuts are evenly coated (the mixture will be sticky). Set aside.
Next, combine the dry ingredients for the muffins in a medium bowl.
Whisk and set aside.
In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, sugar and honey.
Beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the banana, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream).
Beat until blended (the batter will look grainy; that’s okay).
Add the dry ingredients.
The batter will look like this.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin (the cups will be very full) and sprinkle evenly with the nut topping.
Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and domed, 25 to 28 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Banana nut muffins, banana bread, and banana cookies are best when your bananas are overripe, so you’re looking for them to be pretty brown and spotty. If your bananas are not quite ripe enough for baking, you can speed things up by placing them in a brown paper bag and folding down the top. The natural ethylene gas produced by the bananas is trapped in the bag, which accelerates the ripening process.
Sure! Banana nut muffins keep nicely, covered, at room temperature, for up to 4 days.
Absolutely, the muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or resealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
It’s fine to omit the nuts; just add the cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Or if you’d still like a crunchy topping, you can try a nut-free granola or a sprinkling of coarse sugar (omit the honey).
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Banana Nut Muffins
Lightly sweetened with honey, these fluffy banana nut muffins are a delicious way to use up overripe bananas.
Ingredients
For the Walnut Topping
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the Muffins
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed bananas, from 2 to 3 overripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream (low fat is fine)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Make the walnut topping: In a small bowl, toss the nuts with the honey and cinnamon until the nuts are evenly coated (the mixture will be sticky). Set aside.
- For the Muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, and honey until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula if necessary. At medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating until fully incorporated between additions. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and yogurt (or sour cream) and beat until blended (the batter will look grainy; that's okay). Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin (the cups will be very full) and sprinkle evenly with the nut topping. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and domed, 25 to 28 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 302
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 38 g
- Sugar: 21 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 216 mg
- Cholesterol: 52 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These Banana Nut Muffins are to die for! The glazed pecan topping take a wonderful banana muffin way over the top! These are now my favorite go to muffin! I usually put half in the freezer and then reheat them in foil in the oven . . .They come out so perfect!
Had extra bananas …..Jen to the rescue! These muffins were perfect…..couldn’t decide between these and banana bread…..glad I choose these…..moist and now my favorites….Thanks!
I just made these and they are so good fresh out of the oven. I have always had a problem with American recipes when it comes to baking, preferring to use British or Australian recipes instead. But with your recipes, they really are foolproof. Both sweet and savoury recipes. I trust your recipes 100% and even bought your book from Amazon to show my support.
❤️
Just took a batch out of the oven. My kitchen smells divine. Did have a little bit of spread over the pan but they’ve come out of the pan fine. So light and fluffy and taste wonderful. Only thing I changed was that I didn’t quite have enough banana to make 1 cup so topped up with unsweetened applesauce. Yummy! Will be making these again for sure.
You are my favorite online chef. Every recipe I’ve tried has been excellent and a favorite. Your cookbook is great. The recipe for Banana Nut Muffins is perfect. I’m a retired home economist and many of your recipes have replaced my old favorites.
💗 So glad you like the recipes!
This made the best tasting banana nut muffin I’ve ever had! I followed the recipe but didn’t have quite enough sour cream. I finished up the required amount with about 2 tablespoons of drained, plain yogurt. The recipe worked perfectly for me and made 12 beautiful, tall muffins with a moist tender crumb. I only needed 24 minutes of cooking time in my oven. I know I’ll be making these muffins again. Btw, I also made and froze the dough for the Cheddar & Herb Cheese Straws today. Another fantastic recipe!
Hi Jenn,
Can the walnut topping be replaced by mini chocolate chips? Thanks.
Sure, that should work. Enjoy!
Against my better judgement I filled the cups all the way up as the recipe suggested and the muffins all ran into each other. They also did not rise as they should of. My baking soda and baking powder are new and I bake almost daily without issues. Not quite sure what I did wrong but I won’t be attempting this recipe again. The only swap I did was added a little whole wheat flour mixed in with the regular… which normally works no problemo. Not for this recipe 😅 So if you are debating making these a little healthier, this recipe does not seem to be overly forgiving.
These came out HUGE, moist, and beautiful. They looked like coffee shop muffins! They were way, way too sweet for me, however. I’ll definitely make them again but use only half the sugar next time.
Mine also looked like bakery bought muffins, so big and beautiful! I had read a lot of reviews before I made and after I read your review I was hoping they wouldn’t be to sweet, but they weren’t and I followed the recipe as written. I did use a local very delicious honey though. I am a good cook but far from a chef, but i think that may be why. Some honeys from grocery stores are so flipping sweet. If you ever tasted a local honey in comparison you may understand why I say that. Just thought I’d put that idea out there for you to try if you ever make again.
Another winning recipe, however I found my mixture was too much for 12 muffins. I filled the muffin cases as described but once in the oven the mixture spread all over the top of the muffin trays and so didn’t ‘peak’ as suggested. They tasted phenomenal though. Next time I will make 16!
excellent recipe! Reduced sugar too 100g and tasted great and fluffy! Walnut topping is phenomenal!