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No Spoon Necessary

Seasonal Recipes & Unique Twists on Classic Dishes

Easy Banana Nut Muffins

Published February 12, 2020. Last Updated March 23, 2020 by Cheyanne

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These Banana Nut Muffins taste better than a bakery! Super moist, tender, loaded with bananas, studded with chopped walnuts and topped with (MORE!) honey coated nuts, you will want to make this muffin recipe again and again! Plus, these muffins are easy to prepare, made with basic kitchen ingredients (plus 3 ripe bananas) and freeze beautifully!

Overhead photo of Banana Nut Muffins in a metal 6 count muffin pan with a ramekin of honey cinnamon butter and a light tan linen next to the pan.

Updated:  This post was originally published in March 2019. I updated the post below to include more information about banana muffins. I also added step by step photos, plus a recipe video to show you how quick and easy these nut muffins are to make!

Hey, friends!

Welcome to the week of bananas! While I swear this banana recipe overload was totally unplanned, I for one, am not mad about it. I mean, gimme all the nutrients wrapped up in the form of a humble fruit (or berry if you want to get botanical with it)!

So, if you are like me and could eat bananas for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dessert and at every snack in between, I’ve totally got you covered!

But, regardless of whether you consider the Tally Man your BFF or not, I promise todays muffins will be a hit with everyone!
Overhead photo of flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in a large glass bowl with a whisk and linen off to the side - photo of step 2 of the Banana Nut Muffins recipe.

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

  • Banana Nut Muffins
    • What are banana nut muffins?
    • How to make banana nut muffins moist?
      • Why are my banana muffins dense?
    • How long to bake banana muffins?
    • How to store banana nut muffins?
      • How long do banana nut muffins last?
    • Can you freeze banana muffins?
    • How do I make bananas ripen faster for muffins?
    • How to make banana muffins from scratch?
      • Tips for the best banana muffins:
    • Banana Nut Muffins
      • Equipment
      • Ingredients
        • Optional: Coarse Sugar
        • Optional for Serving: Cinnamon Sugar, Honey Butter (recipe below)
      • Instructions
      • Video
      • Notes
      • Nutrition
      • You Might Also Like…

Banana Nut Muffins

Soft yet dense, moist, bakery-style muffins loaded with real bananas, spiced with warm cinnamon and studded with crunchy walnuts. Topped with sticky, sweet honey drenched walnuts, these muffins are irresistibly delicious!!

But, if you want to take these banana nut muffins to the next level of yum – slather them with a sweet and savory homemade cinnamon honey butter. Seriously, the combination of tender crumbed muffins with soft cinnamon butter is outrageously delish!

These muffins are perfect for breakfasts and snacks on the go, a wonderful addition to brunch spreads, and they are fabulous drizzled with honey for dessert!

While these banana muffins aren’t a one bowl situation, they are super quick and easy to throw together, plus they are made with basic kitchen ingredients (plus 3 ripe bananas)! Besides, they are so moist and flavorful, they are worth the extra bowl!

What are banana nut muffins?

Banana nut muffins are soft and moist muffins loaded with real mashed ripe bananas and studded with chopped nuts. They are a great way to use up bananas that are overly ripe and make a delicious breakfast, snack or dessert!

Overhead photo of chopped and mashed bananas in a white bowl with ramekins of melted butter, milk and 2 eggs off to the sides - photo of the prep for step 4 of the Banana Nut Muffins recipe.

How to make banana nut muffins moist?

To ensure your banana muffins turn out moist, make sure you use overripe bananas! The riper the banana the better (just make sure it isn’t rotten).

As well, using melted butter, eggs and brown sugar, plus a fourth of a cup of milk will give your muffins an incredibly soft, buttery and moist texture.

Also, to guarantee your muffins are tender, make sure you combine your wet and dry ingredients until they are just mixed. The muffin batter should still be a little lumpy. If you overmix your batter the muffins will turn out too dense and chewy.

Why are my banana muffins dense?

If your muffins come out dense, you overmixed the batter. When you mix batter you are developing gluten and, the more you mix your muffin batter, the more gluten you are developing. Overmixing will over-develop the gluten in the batter and cause the muffins to be very dense and slightly rubbery instead of light and tender.

Tips to prevent overmixing:

  • Scrape down the sides of the bowl. It is imperative you stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl between ingredient additions to ensure ingredients are incorporated. This will also help you avoid overmixing at the end.
  • Fold in the dry ingredients. Make sure you use a rubber spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. If you use a handheld or stand mixer, chances are you are going to overmix the batter.

Overhead photo of mashed bananas whisked with sugar and topped with melted butter and eggs in a large glass bowl - photo of step 4 of the Banana Nut Muffins recipe.

How long to bake banana muffins?

The length of time banana bread muffins take to bake will depend on the temperature of your oven. These banana honey muffins will take approximately 20-22 minutes to bake. You should always bake your muffins until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean (a few moist crumbs is fine).

The secret to muffins with a high rise and gorgeous muffin top (the best part!) is baking the muffins initially at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, and then reducing the oven temperature to 350 degrees F for the remainder of baking. The initial burst of hot air allows the muffins to spring up and rise tall. This genius secret muffin trick is from Sally’s Baking Addiction, and I absolutely swear by it!!!

Overhead photo of wet ingredients for muffin batter topped with the dry ingredients in a large glass bowl with a rubber spatula inserted into the bowl - photo of the first part of step 5 of the Banana Nut Muffins recipe.

How to store banana nut muffins?

Before storing muffins, make sure you allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack. Store banana bread muffins in an airtight container lined with a sheet of paper towels. Make sure you place the muffins in a single layer and cover the top of the muffins with another sheet of paper towels as well.

Since muffins release moisture as they are stored, it is important to line both the bottom of the container and the top of the muffins with paper towels. The paper towels will absorb the excess moisture from the muffins and allow them to stay fresher for longer.

How long do banana nut muffins last?

Muffins always taste best the day they are made. However, properly stored muffins will last up to 4 days. Alternatively, muffins can be frozen (directions below).

Overhead photo of banana muffin batter sprinkled with chopped walnuts in a large glass bowl with a rubber spatula inserted into the bowl - photo of the second part of step 5 of the Banana Nut Muffins recipe.

Can you freeze banana muffins?

Banana muffins freeze beautifully. To freeze, allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and then transferring them to a freezer-safe zip-closure bag. Muffins will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When ready to eat, you can allow the muffins to thaw at room temperature on the counter, or you can gently warm them in the oven. You can also microwave them at 50% power until slightly defrosted, but make sure you do not over-microwave the muffins or they will become extremely hard!

Overhead photo of banana muffin batter topped with honey coated walnuts spooned into paper lined muffin tins with two hands holding the sides of the muffin pan - photo of step 6 of the Banana Nut Muffins recipe.

How do I make bananas ripen faster for muffins?

Dying to make these banana bread muffins but you don’t have any overly ripe bananas? No worries! Below are a few different ways to quickly ripen bananas.

  1. To ripen bananas in 24 hours – Place the bananas in a brown paper bag and loosely fold the top. Make sure you check the bag occasionally to see if they are at desired ripeness.
  2. To ripen bananas in 12-18 hours – Place the bananas in a brown paper bag and add a ripe apple or tomato to the bag. Loosely fold the top. Make sure you check the bag occasionally to see if they are at desired ripeness.
  3. To ripen bananas in 15-30 minutes – Preheat oven to 300ºF. Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Check on the bananas frequently. Bananas are ripened when the peels are shiny and black. (Note: The bananas may leak a little bit, but don’t worry about it.)

Overhead photo of Banana Nut Muffins in a metal 6 count muffin pan with one of the muffins cut in half showcasing the interior of the muffin and a knife with a dollop of homemade honey cinnamon butter off to the side.

How to make banana muffins from scratch?

These nut muffins are easy to prepare and made with basic kitchen ingredients (plus 3 ripe bananas)! They are the perfect way to use up overripe bananas you have hanging around your kitchen!

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners.
  2. Prepare the dry ingredients:  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. Prepare the wet ingredients:  In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with wire whisk, beat the bananas with the sugar on medium speed until well whipped, about 2 minutes. Add in the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat well, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until everything is mostly combined. Add in the remaining ¾ cup walnuts and fold until all the ingredient are just combined – take care not to over-mix or the muffins will come out dry and dense.
  5. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each tin ¾ of the way full.
  6. Prepare the honey walnut topping:  In a small bowl, toss ½ cup of walnuts with ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and all the honey until well combined and walnuts are evenly coated. Sprinkle the honey coated walnuts (and coarse sugar if using) evenly on top.
  7. Bake:  Transfer the muffins to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, and without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for an additional 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs is fine).
  8. Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Serve and enjoy!

How to make banana nut muffins step by step photos:

Tips for the best banana muffins:

  1. You can use either all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour in this muffin recipe.
  2. Make sure you properly measure your flour! To do so, use a spoon to scoop the flour into measuring cup. Do not pack the flour down! Use a knife to gently level the flour.
  3. To ensure your banana muffins turn out moist, make sure you use overripe bananas! The riper the banana the better (just make sure it isn’t rotten).
  4. Want to make these muffins but don’t have ripe bananas? No worries! I’ve included a few different methods for how to quickly over-ripen bananas in the notes section of the recipe below.
  5. You can mash the bananas with a potato masher or a fork. You will be whipping them with sugar using a mixer, so don’t worry too much about mashing them up really well.
  6. These muffins are outrageously delicious slathered with Homemade cinnamon honey butter! I’ve included a super simple recipe for the butter in the notes section of the recipe below. is delicious with these muffins!

Angle, up-close photo of Banana Nut Muffins in a metal 6 count muffin pan with the focus of the shot on one of the muffins cut in half showcasing the interior of the muffin.

Soft, buttery, loaded with flavor and topped with sticky honey coated walnuts, these banana bread nut muffins are delicious plain or slathered with warm homemade cinnamon butter! Easy to prepare and made with basic kitchen ingredients (plus 3 ripe bananas), this muffin recipe is guaranteed to become a go-to in your house!

Until next week, friends, cheers – to the humble banana!

XOXO

Cheyanne

 

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The best Banana Nut Muffins recipe plus step by step video👇

Overhead photo of Banana Nut Muffins in a metal 6 count muffin pan with a ramekin of honey cinnamon butter, jar of walnuts and a light tan linen next to the pan.
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Banana Nut Muffins

These banana nut muffins taste better than a bakery! Super moist, tender, loaded with bananas, studded with chopped walnuts and topped with (MORE!) honey coated walnuts, you will want to make this recipe again and again!
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time22 mins
Total Time37 mins
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana, honey, muffins, nut, walnuts
Servings: 12
Calories: 359kcal
Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Equipment

  • Mixing Bowls
  • Handheld or Stand Mixer
  • Muffin Pan

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour - spooned & leveled (SEE NOTES)
  • 1 ½ tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon - divided
  • ½ tsp Baking Soda
  • ½ tsp Kosher Salt
  • ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1 ¼ Cups Walnuts – chopped & divided
  • ¼ Cup Honey
  • 3 Overripe Bananas – peeled and mashed (SEE NOTES)
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar – packed
  • 8 TBS Unsalted Butter – melted & cooled
  • 2 Large Eggs – at room temperature
  • ¼ Cup Milk
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Optional: Coarse Sugar

    Optional for Serving: Cinnamon Sugar, Honey Butter (recipe below)

      Instructions

      • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners.
      • Prepare the honey walnut topping: In a small bowl, toss ½ cup of walnuts with ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and all the honey until well combined and walnuts are evenly coated. Set aside.
      • Prepare the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.
      • Prepare the wet ingredients: In a large bowl with a handheld mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with wire whisk, beat the bananas with the sugar on medium speed until well whipped, about 2 minutes. Add in the melted butter, eggs, milk and vanilla extract. Beat well, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
      • Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and use a rubber spatula to gently fold until everything is mostly combined. Add in the remaining ¾ cup walnuts and fold until all the ingredient are just combined – take care not to over-mix or the muffins will come out dry and dense.
      • Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each tin ¾ of the way full. Sprinkle the honey coated walnuts (and coarse sugar if using) evenly on top.
      • Bake:  Transfer the muffins to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Keeping the muffins in the oven, and without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for an additional 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (a few moist crumbs is fine).
      • Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
      • Serve and enjoy!

      Video

      Notes

      1. You can substitute whole wheat flour if desired.
      2. Make sure you properly measure your flour!  To do so, use a spoon to scoop the flour into measuring cup.  Do not pack the flour down!  Use a knife to gently level the flour.
      3. To ensure your banana muffins turn out moist, make sure you use overripe bananas!  The riper the banana the better (just make sure it isn’t rotten).
      4. To quickly over-ripen bananas:
        1. To ripen bananas in 24 hours - Place the bananas in a brown paper bag and loosely fold the top. Make sure you check the bag occasionally to see if they are at desired ripeness.
        2. To ripen bananas in 12-18 hours - Place the bananas in a brown paper bag and add a ripe apple or tomato to the bag.  Loosely fold the top.  Make sure you check the bag occasionally to see if they are at desired ripeness.
        3. To ripen bananas in 15-30 minutes - Preheat oven to 300ºF.  Place unpeeled bananas on a baking sheet and place in the oven.  Check on the bananas frequently.  Bananas are ripened when the peels are shiny and black.  (Note: The bananas may leak a little bit, but don't worry about it.)
      5. To mash bananas you can use a potato masher or a fork.  You will be whipping them with sugar using a mixer, so don’t worry too much about mashing them up really well.
      6. These muffins are outrageously delicious slathered with Homemade cinnamon honey butter!!  Recipe as follows:
      1 Stick Unsalted Butter – at room temperature
      3 TBS Honey
      ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
      1/8 tsp Kosher Salt
      Combine all ingredients in a bowl with a handheld mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.  Serve at room temperature.

      Nutrition

      Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 292mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 2.7mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1.8mg

      ©No Spoon Necessary.  All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use any images without prior permission. Please do not republish this recipe without prior consent. If you want to reference this recipe, please do so by linking directly to this post.

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      Comments

      1. Teresa Jensen says

        August 23, 2020 at 5:17 pm

        5 stars
        Oh my ..thes muffins are de..licious. They were fun to make. This recipe Is perfect and needs no adjustments whatsoever. Thank you for sharing. I will make these again. They really are the best ever..

        Reply
        • Cheyanne says

          August 26, 2020 at 6:33 pm

          Hi Teresa,
          I’m so thrilled to hear you loved the muffins and will make them again! You’ve made my day! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how everything went over! Cheers! 🙂

          Reply
      2. Jodie says

        February 29, 2020 at 12:48 pm

        5 stars
        These muffins baked beautifully! Can’t wait to dive in!

        Reply
        • Cheyanne says

          February 29, 2020 at 5:41 pm

          Hi Jodie,
          I’m thrilled to hear the muffins turned out great!! Thank you for coming back and letting me know how everything went over! Cheers!

          Reply
      3. Gemma says

        February 21, 2020 at 11:16 am

        These muffins sound out of this world! I just had to pin them to my cakes and muffins board. Thanks so much for including step by step photos, as I like to know my mixture is the same consistency as its supposed to be 😀 xo

        Reply
      4. Ben @ Havocinthekitchen says

        February 11, 2020 at 12:48 pm

        5 stars
        I love banana baked goodies, but I avoid getting them from bakeries and coffee shops as they often tend to be underbanked, soggy. Plus, they don’t always put nuts which is a strange thing to do. These muffins are nothing like those you can get at your local bakery; these guys look and sound outrageously delicious!

        Reply
      5. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

        February 10, 2020 at 10:51 am

        5 stars
        Love the updated photos and the video for these beauties Chey. I can never, ever pass up a banana muffin and neither can our son Sean! These look totally delicious and the perfect side for my morning coffee! Pinned!

        Reply
      6. Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says

        February 10, 2020 at 9:27 am

        5 stars
        Banana muffins are the best! I’ll never turn one down–and these look PERFECT. I have to try your recipe because I have exactly three over-ripe bananas on my kitchen counter right now :). Have an awesome week, Chey!

        Reply
      7. Kevin says

        March 18, 2019 at 4:22 pm

        5 stars
        Definitely know what to make with those browning bananas sitting there!

        Reply
      8. Geraldine | Green Valley Kitchen says

        March 16, 2019 at 12:18 pm

        5 stars
        Yes, to banana muffins, Cheyanne! Sometimes I find muffins dry but adding banana makes all the difference and makes a nice moist muffin. These are the perfect for breakfast or a grab and go snack. Love the honey walnut topping!

        Reply
      9. Marissa says

        March 15, 2019 at 7:30 pm

        5 stars
        I love banana muffins with ALL the nuts so these are totally calling my name!! Love this kind of tasty, healthy, portable breakfast or snack!!

        Reply
      10. Ben|Havocinthekitchen says

        March 14, 2019 at 2:17 pm

        5 stars
        Of course these muffins taste better than from a bakery (Because bakeries often don’t put enough nuts in their produce…which should be considered a felony in my book). But I have nothing negative to say about these bad (Good indeed) boys as they look and sound spectacular…Not to mention all these walnuts!

        Reply
      11. Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says

        March 14, 2019 at 9:17 am

        I always have bananas around, so I always have over-ripe bananas. Perfect to try these fabulous muffins. Loving the walnut topping!

        Reply
      12. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

        March 14, 2019 at 6:57 am

        5 stars
        Nothing better than a homemade banana muffin Chey. And I’ve always got extra bananas around just for this purpose. You know my love of nuts, walnuts, pecans, whatever, I’m so into adding them for that extra crunch. Slathered with that homemade cinnamon honey butter and breakfast never looked better! Pinned!

        Reply
      13. angiesrecipes says

        March 14, 2019 at 5:14 am

        So moist, and not overloaded, and perfect with those honey coated walnut topping!

        Reply

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      About me

      Welcome to No Spoon Necessary! My name is Cheyanne - I am the blogger and girl behind the camera. I'm a culinary school graduate with a degree in culinary arts, and I have years of experience in a professional kitchen. I have a passion for seasonal ingredients and I believe anyone can create sensational food! Thank you for stopping by! I hope you stay awhile!

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