Banana Nut Muffins Recipe
Soft banana muffins with toasted walnuts in every bite and on top. This is the bakery style version, made with real sugar and butter.
Bakery Style Banana Nut Muffins Worth Baking Again and Again
Every recipe on Everything Muffins starts in our kitchen and finishes in yours. Our team of bakers developed these banana nut muffins batch by batch, testing raw against toasted walnuts. Toasted won every time. Then we shared the recipe with our community of home test bakers, who made it in their own kitchens with their own ovens, pans and ingredients.
What they told us went straight into the recipe below. [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Toasted walnut crunch: A full cup of toasted walnuts in the batter and on top.
- Bakery style tops: A hot oven start and a short batter rest give tall, domed tops.
- Community tested: Our bakers built it, then home bakers tested it in their own kitchens before it went live.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Full amounts are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each ingredient does and what you can swap.
- Flour: all-purpose for a sturdier muffin or pastry flour for a softer one. The recipe card lists cups and grams for both.
- Brown sugar: deep caramel flavor that tastes like banana bread.
- Baking powder and baking soda: baking powder does most of the lifting, and the soda helps the tops brown.
- Eggs: two, at room temperature, for rise and structure.
- Butter and sour cream: rich flavor and a soft crumb. Greek yogurt works in place of sour cream.
- Bananas: the spottier the better. Very ripe bananas are sweeter and mash easily.
- Walnuts: toast them for 8 minutes at 350°F. Pecans work too.
How to Make Banana Nut Muffins Recipe
Step 1: Make the batter
Mash the bananas until mostly smooth, then whisk in the remaining wet ingredients. Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and fold everything together just until no dry flour is left, then fold in the walnuts.
Baker’s Tip: Toast the walnuts first. It takes 8 minutes and makes them taste twice as nutty.
Step 2: Rest and fill
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats. Then use a large cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measure to fill all 12 liners to the top.
Tester Tip: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
Step 3: Bake
Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F without opening the door and bake 15 to 18 minutes more.
They’re done when the tops spring back, a toothpick comes out clean and the centers read 200 to 205°F.
What Our Test Bakers Learned
Before a recipe goes live, our community bakes it and reports back. Here’s what they found and what we changed because of it.
- Ovens and pans our testers used: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
- What testers changed or asked about: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
- Their favorite way to serve them: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
Tips for Perfect Muffins Every Time
- Weigh your flour, or spoon it into the cup and level it. Extra flour makes thick batter and dense muffins.
- Use room temperature eggs and dairy. Set eggs in warm water for 5 minutes if you forget.
- Do not open the oven when you lower the temperature. That first blast of heat is what gives you tall tops.
- Check your oven with an oven thermometer. Many ovens run hot or cold.
- Dark pans bake faster, so start checking 2 to 3 minutes early.
- Freeze overripe bananas in their peels. Thaw, then use the bananas and the liquid that comes out.
Storing and Freezing
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap them individually and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight or warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Toasting brings out much more flavor and crunch.
Yes. Pecans are a great swap.
Very ripe, with lots of brown spots.
Yes. Try our healthy banana nut muffins, made with honey or maple syrup instead of granulated sugar.
Easy Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with parchment liners, or lightly spray paper liners with oil so the muffins release cleanly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, packed brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the mashed banana, eggs, melted butter, sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold just until no dry flour remains. Fold in the walnuts. Do not overmix. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes before scooping for taller tops.
- Use a large cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measure to divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners, filling them to the top. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the door, lower the oven to 350°F and bake 15 to 18 minutes more, until the tops spring back, a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the center reads 200 to 205°F.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move the muffins to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before peeling off the liners.
Notes
| Calories | 307 |
|---|---|
| Total fat | 16 g |
| Saturated fat | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 54 mg |
| Sodium | 250 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 37 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugars | 17 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
