Why You’ll Love These Banana Muffins
- Banana Bread… But In Muffin Form—These muffins are basically my all-time favorite banana bread baked into muffins—yes, please!
- Anytime Treat—Grab a muffin in the morning for a quick breakfast, snack on one midday, or enjoy one for dessert—they’re the perfect sweet treat any time of day!
- Brown Sugar Streusel—A simple streusel topping adds extra sweetness and slightly crunchy texture.
To me, the perfect banana muffin tastes just like banana bread—fluffy, moist, and full of banana flavor—just in a smaller, more easily portable form. And that’s exactly what these muffins deliver! Based on my favorite banana bread recipe, these muffins are soft, flavorful, and stay fresh for days. And because a muffin deserves something a little extra special, I top them with a quick brown sugar streusel that bakes into a golden, buttery crumble. Whether you’re eating these muffins for breakfast, brunch, dessert, or as a midday snack, you’ll find yourself reaching for one after another… after another.
Banana Muffins Ingredient Notes
Bananas: You’ll need around 3 medium overripe bananas to yield about 1 ½ cups of mashed bananas. Depending on the bananas you have, you might need 4 smaller bananas, 2 large bananas, etc. You want the banana peels to be heavily speckled and turning brown—the more overripe they are, the sweeter they’ll be.
Can you use frozen bananas?
Yes—I love to do this! I prefer to place overripe bananas in an airtight zipper bag as-is (no peeling) and place them directly in the freezer. The night before making these muffins, I place the frozen bananas in the fridge to thaw. I recommend using kitchen shears to cut open the peel, as the bananas will be softer and more difficult to peel than before freezing. Then, use them just as you would bananas straight from your counter—mash them and add them to your batter.
Butter: If you’ve read through other recipes on HTBH, you’ve likely noticed that I pretty much exclusively use salted butter—and these muffins are no exception. However, if you are using unsalted butter for this recipe, I recommend upping the added salt to about ¾ – 1 teaspoon.
Vanilla Extract: Vanilla pairs really well with the mashed bananas in these muffins. I always recommend my favorite “good” vanilla (as The Barefoot Contessa would say)—shop it on Amazon or Williams-Sonoma.
Sour Cream: A generous amount of sour cream gives these muffins an ultra-moist, tender texture without making them mushy or overly dense. You won’t taste the sour cream, but you will notice the difference it makes!
Equipment & Tools
You’ll Also Need…
- A stand mixer (or hand mixer and a mixing bowl).
- A rubber spatula—I love this Le Creuset one.
- A regular muffin tin (12-ct).
- A fork and small bowl to make the streusel.
- Baking spray (or cooking spray, if you don’t have baking spray).
How to Make Banana Muffins: Step By Step
Step 1. Preheat your oven.
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
Step 2. Prep the dry ingredients.
Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Make sure you either spoon and level the flour or measure it by weight using a kitchen scale (3 cups AP flour = 360 g). Whisk the dry ingredients well and set aside.
Step 3. Prep the bananas.
Step 4. Make the banana muffin batter.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, add softened salted butter and white granulated sugar. Mix on low for 3-4 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Then, add the eggs one at a time, still mixing on low speed. Scrape down the bowl, then add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix on low until combined. Add your mashed bananas.
Scrape down your bowl again using a rubber spatula. Then, add the dry ingredients about ½ – 1 cup at a time. Mix on low until just combined—then stir in any dry ingredients the mixer might have missed by hand. Do not overmix this batter!
Step 5. Make the streusel.
In a small bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour and brown sugar. Pour 5 tablespoons of melted salted butter over the flour mixture. Then, add the vanilla extract. Use a fork to roughly mix the streusel, creating chunks of various sizes. Do not overmix as this will turn the streusel into a paste.
Step 6. Prep the pan and scoop the muffins.
Add liners to each cup in your muffin tin before lightly spraying the insides of the liners with baking spray (or cooking spray, if you don’t have baking spray). Add ¼ cup of the banana muffin batter to each cup, which should nearly fill them to the top. Then, top each muffin with a generous amount of streusel (about 1½ – 2 generous teaspoons), piling it up slightly in the center.
Step 7. Bake the banana muffins.
Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven, turn the heat down to 350°F and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Step 8. Cool & serve!
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about 3-4 minutes. Then, carefully remove them and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve with coffee for breakfast, grab one on the go for a midday snack, or serve these muffins for dessert! They’re delicious any time of the day.
How to Store Leftover Banana Muffins
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container or bag on the counter. They are best when eaten on the first and second day, but will stay moist and last well for 3-4 days if stored properly.
Tips for Success
- Get the muffins in the oven. This is not a batter you can make ahead and store in the fridge overnight. Once the wet ingredients are mixed in, the baking soda starts working.
- Leave the streusel chunky. Bigger crumbles = better texture.
- Start hot. That 5-minute bake at a higher temp helps the muffins rise. Use an oven thermometer to make sure your oven is fully preheated.
- Do not overbake. Pull the muffins from the oven as soon as a toothpick comes out clean (or with a few crumbs). Otherwise, you’ll end up with dry muffins.
Read on for the full recipe for these extra moist banana bread muffins!
Once you’ve baked up some muffins and given them a try, come back to leave a rating and review below—I would love to hear how you like them!
Banana Muffins With Streusel Topping
Equipment (Includes Affiliate Links)
Ingredients
Banana Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ⅓ tsp salt
- 1½ cups mashed bananas about 3 medium bananas
- ¾ cup salted butter softened
- 1½ cups white granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cups sour cream, plus 2 teaspoons
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Simple Brown Sugar Streusel
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 5 tbsp salted butter melted
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk well. Set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ tsp baking soda, ⅓ tsp salt
- Mash the bananas in a bowl or large glass measuring cup (makes it easier to measure as you go!). You should end up with approx. 1½ cups of mashed bananas. Set aside.1½ cups mashed bananas
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer), cream together the softened salted butter and white granulated sugar on low speed for about 3-4 minutes, or until smooth.¾ cup salted butter, 1½ cups white granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low speed. Scrape down your bowl.3 eggs
- Add the vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix until well combined.1½ cups sour cream, plus 2 teaspoons, 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- Add the mashed bananas. Mix on low until combined. Then, scrape down your bowl well.
- Spoon in the dry ingredients about ½-1 cup at a time. Mix on low until just combined. Then, remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl and mix in any pockets of dry ingredients that the mixer might have mixed.
- Make your quick streusel. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and brown sugar. Pour in the melted butter and vanilla extract. Use a fork to roughly mix the streusel, almost chopping and slicing it as you mix to create lumps of various sizes. Do not overmix as this will cause the streusel to turn to a paste.1 cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, 5 tbsp salted butter, ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Add liners to a regular muffin tin and spray the insides with baking spray. Spoon ¼ cup muffin batter into each cup, then top with 1-2 generous teaspoons of streusel (or to taste), piling it slightly in the center.
- Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, turn the heat down to 350°F. Bake for an additional 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs stuck to it. Do not overbake!
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 3-4 minutes before carefully (use oven mitts!) transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
- Serve and enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or anytime! Store any leftover muffins in an airtight bag or container on the counter for 3-4 days.
Notes from the Happy To Be Here Kitchen
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