Banana Nut Muffins
Fluffy and moist one banana nut muffins spiced with cinnamon, studded with chopped nuts and topped with a sugared nut crumble.
I would apologize for the excess of banana recipes lately but I mean they are delicious so you’re welcome lol. Someone brought me a TON of bananas and they all ripened at the same time so I had to put them to good use.
Why you’ll love these banana nut muffins
- Convenient because they use up two ripe bananas.
- They’re large and have perfectly domed muffin tops but can also be made smaller if desired.
- Muffins are moist but not gummy like some banana bread recipes.
- Banana flavor dances beautifully with the cinnamon and pecans!
- The sugar nut crumble on top is to die for.
If you love these muffins, I have a plain banana bread muffin, a chocolate chip banana nut bread, pumpkin muffin also with a nut crumble, chocolate chip muffins, blueberry, strawberry, vanilla, lemon poppy seed and pumpkin banana muffins. I also have a zucchini muffin available for download below.
Ingredients
- Bananas: I use medium/large bananas so not small ones but not giant ones. It’s best to measure it out by weight but if you don’t have a scale, just use two medium-large ripe bananas.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- 1:1 Gluten-free flour substitutes should work fine.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: We’re going to need both here and a lot of them to get that gorgeous muffin top.
- Sugar: I used granulated sugar but light or dark brown will work well in this recipe as well.
- Oil: I used oil in this recipe because I wanted to keep the muffins a little fluffier and spongier. I recommend avocado oil to make them slightly healthier but keep the neutral flavor.
- Eggs: I use room temperature, large eggs. Place them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
- Greek yogurt: I like to add greek yogurt as a healthier option but sour cream and plain yogurt also work. Make sure the yogurt is unsweetened.
- Cinnamon: I used ground cinnamon and I will never not add a little cinnamon to my banana recipes lol.
- Pecans: I used pecans because I made my banana nut bread with walnuts so I wanted to try it with pecans. I prefer the flavor of pecans but if you like walnuts, that would work fine here too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mash the bananas well, until there are no more large chunks and it looks like puree.
Step 2: Whisk the sugar and oil aggressively until they’re well combined.
Step 3: Whisk in the eggs. This is important; whisk in one egg at a time for about 30 seconds, until it’s completely combined, pale and fluffy. Then add the other egg, etc.
Step 4: Add the greek yogurt and bananas and whisk until it’s completely smooth.
Step 5: Add the dry ingredients together whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt into the wet ingredients until they’re completely combined.
Step 6: Fold in the chopped pecans just until they’re evenly distributed.
Step 7: Rest the batter – another important step – cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1-2 hours. This allows the gluten to relax and the leaveners to get a head start.
Step 8: Fill the muffin pan all the way to the top rim and top generously with the streusel topping, pressing it into the batter so it sticks a little.
Step 9: Ground the rest of the pecans with the sugar and top each muffin with the mixture.
Step 10: Bake for five minutes at 425 F (218C) and then reduce oven temperature to 375 F (190C) and bake for another 13-15 minutes.
Pro Tips for the best muffin tops:
- The baking powder and baking soda seem excessive but you’ll need that much to get a nice muffin top, especially on a batter with heavy ingredients like banana, so don’t reduce or skip one of them.
- The resting allows the baking soda to activate before it hits the oven, helping you get that nice large muffin top.
- Make sure to whisk each ingredient well before adding the next. This is especially important with the eggs. Beating a little air into the batter with each egg will help make these muffins fluffier.
- Make sure to press the nut mixture into the batter a little when topping the muffins. This will help them stick better instead of falling off as the muffin grows in the oven.
- Place a cookie sheet larger than the muffin tin underneath the muffin tin so that it catches any crumbles that fall off and they don’t burn on the bottom of your oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake these muffins in a loaf pan?
I haven’t tested it but I would assume it works. I also have a fabulous banana nut bread recipe though and you can skip the chocolate and sub the walnuts for pecans if you wish!
Can I add in other mix-ins?
You can add 1 cup of white or dark chocolate chips to the batter. A little lemon zest would also be really good, along with different spices like cardamom or a blend of masala chai.
Can I make these smaller?
Yup, I filled mine to the top of the muffin tins, giving me 12 large muffins with large muffin tops. You can also just fill them ¾ full and you’ll probably get about 18 muffins. Reduce the second bake time by 4-6 minutes.
Can I halve the recipe?
Unfortunately this recipe uses three eggs so it’s awkward to halve but I do have my pumpkin banana muffin recipe that makes only 6 muffins. You can replace the pumpkin with an extra banana (125g) or with ½ cup (120g) greek yogurt and add the nuts too.
How to store muffins
I place the muffins under a cake dome or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. If it’s longer you can refrigerate for a couple of days but they dry out quicker in the fridge, so I recommend freezing instead. You can freeze them and bring them back to room temperature before serving.
How to freeze muffins
Bakes stay more fresh when they’re frozen. Place muffins in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag.
You can also wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then place those in a freezer bag so you can easily remove one at a time.
Freeze for up to a couple of months. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. If you make these banana nut muffins, I would appreciate it if you could leave me a star rating or a review if you make them.
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
Banana Nut Muffin Recipe
Fluffy and moist one banana nut muffins spiced with cinnamon, studded with chopped nuts and topped with a sugared nut crumble.
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250g) mashed ripe bananas 2 medium-large bananas
- 1 1/4 cup (250g) light brown sugar lightly packed
- 1/2 cup (120mL) oil any vegetable, olive or avocado oil works
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup (170g) Greek Yogurt
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups (8oz) pecan halves finely chopped or roughly ground
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar for topping *optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas until they're pureed and there are no more large chunks. Set aside.1 cup (250g) mashed ripe bananas
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and oil until they're well combined.1 1/4 cup (250g) light brown sugar, 1/2 cup (120mL) oil
- Add in one egg and whisk until it’s well combined and has lightened in color, about 30-60 seconds. Repeat with the next two eggs, one at a time.3 large eggs
- Add in the Greek Yogurt, mashed bananas and the vanilla extract and whisk until it’s completely smooth.3/4 cup (170g) Greek Yogurt, 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon and then whisk it into the wet ingredients, just until the last streak of flour is incorporated.2 1/2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until they're small chunks. Add half of the nuts to the batter and fold them in just until they're evenly distributed.2 cups (8oz) pecan halves
- Cover with a lid, plastic wrap or a tea towel and set aside to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- When the hour is almost up, place the 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar in the bowl of the food processor with the other half of the nuts. Pulse for another few seconds, until they're a little more finely ground.
- Preheat the oven to 425F (218C) and line 12 muffins tins.
- Use a large cookie scooper to fill the muffins tins to the top, the batter should be enough for 12 large muffins, filled all the way to the top.
- Top each muffin with about 1 Tbsp of the sugar nut mixture. Make sure to press it into the muffin batter, around the sides too so they don't all fall off when the muffin grows.2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- Place a cookie sheet larger than the muffin tin underneath the muffin tin in the oven so the crumbles don't fall off and burn on the bottom of your oven.
- Bake for 5 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 375F (190C) and bake for 12 minutes, just until the muffins are golden brown and spring back when you press on the center gently.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10-20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 436kcalCarbohydrates: 51gProtein: 7gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 14gTrans Fat: 0.04gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 276mgPotassium: 213mgFiber: 3gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 79IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 118mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!