Traditional Banana Nut Muffins from Scratch

If you love the rich taste of banana and the crunch of walnuts or pecans, this is the recipe for you! This simple from-scratch banana nut muffin recipe is incredibly easy. It’s also delicious and economical!

How to Bake with Bananas

If you’re like I am you’ve always got over-ripe bananas lying around. My intentions are good. I buy them, thinking I will eat them or use them in smoothies.

But, do I? No.

Usually on about day four or five I realize I’m at that inevitable place where those bananas will have to be used for baking or I’ll have to toss them. And, in today’s economy? Tossing things is irresponsible.

So, I use them for baking. I’ve made so many delicious banana bread recipes already: my mayonnaise-infused banana bread, my classic banana bread, my banana chocolate chip muffins. I’ve even got a banana bar! Oh, and if you’re not a fan of gluten, I’ve got a gluten-free banana nut muffin mix.

But, until now, I haven’t uploaded a simple traditional banana nut muffin recipe for you, my readers. So, I decided to take advantage of this surplus of bananas to do just that.

Banana Nut Muffin Ingredients

You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make these traditional banana nut muffins. No doubt you have most of these simple ingredients in your pantry already.

• butter
• brown sugar
• granulated sugar
• egg
• vanilla extract
• overripe bananas
• flour
• baking soda
• salt
• pecans or walnuts

How to Make Easy Banana Muffins

You can make these in a traditional cupcake pan or a jumbo-sized pan. It should make fifteen of the regular sized muffins or a dozen larger ones.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cream the room temperature butter in a medium bowl. (You can use melted butter if you choose but make sure it’s not hot.) If your butter is room temperature you can do this by hand with a wooden spoon. I opted to use my hand mixer. Add sugars and mix well.

Add vanilla extract and egg. Mix until smooth and creamy.

It’s time to add the mashed bananas. Mix until incorporated but you don’t want them to break down completely.

In a separate small bowl combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Whisk and add to the banana mixture.

Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Don’t over mix.

Add chopped nuts. As I said, you can use walnuts or pecans.

I went with pecans because that’s what I happened to have on hand.

Put cupcake liners into muffin tins and use an ice cream scoop to fill the liners to the 2/3 point with the muffin batter.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes or until they spring back to the touch. Baking time may vary, depending on your oven.

Remove and place on wire rack to cool.

Once cooled you can enjoy right away or store in an airtight container to eat later. I like to put mine in the freezer to eat later. They’re easy to heat in the microwave later on if you use paper liners. Don’t use the foil ones. (They can’t go in the microwave.)

To freeze, place muffins in freezer bag. (You might opt to double bag them.) Store up to two months in the freezer.

What to Expect from this Banana Muffin Recipe

It doesn’t get much better than this, folks! These are delicious banana nut muffins!

This delicious recipe produces light, fluffy muffins, almost cake-like in texture.

I particularly love the fruity taste of the bananas in combination with the crunch of the nuts. (I’ll confess, I always order banana nut muffins when I’m in coffee shops!) These make me feel like I’ve paid a fortune. But they’re not pricey. Mine are very economical!

These would be terrific for breakfast, a great snack in the mid-afternoon, or even dessert in the evening! I think they would be particularly good for a brunch with friends.

Variations on this Recipe

This is one of those basic muffin recipes that you will use again and again. There are so many ways to change things up. Here are some things to try:

Streusel: These would be delicious with streusel on top! I have a great recipe for that.

Oats: Replace half of the all purpose flour with quick oats. This will add a lovely texture and additional flavor.

Chocolate Chips: Yes. . .and amen! Chocolate and bananas just go together! Add half a cup to the mix (along with the nuts or without).

Cinnamon and/or nutmeg: These fall flavors are particularly yummy with banana nut muffins!

Cranberries: I haven’t tried this yet, but I’m guessing a banana-cranberry muffin would be simply delicious. Add half a cup of chopped fresh cranberries.

Brown Sugar: The addition of brown sugar makes this recipe extra special. If you want to take that flavor all the way, skip the granulated sugar and make these with 3/4 cup brown sugar.

Banana Cake: Skip the cupcake pan and muffin liners! Bake this batter in a bundt pan for a delicious banana cake!

Maple syrup: Drizzle maple syrup or caramel over the top of the muffins before serving.

Mini Muffins: Bake in a mini muffin pans to make this recipe stretch to serve more guests!

Whole wheat flour: Looking for a healthy option? Use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose.

Other Breakfast Items from Out of the Box Baking

This is a wonderful quick bread recipe, perfect for breakfast. But I have a lot of other offerings as well! Here are some of my personal favorites:

Easy Cranberry Breakfast Cake: If you love a luscious coffee cake but also love the luscious twang of cranberries, this is the recipe for you! This easy breakfast cake comes together so easily and best of all, it’s from scratch!

Easy Blackberry Crumble Bars: If you love a crunchy breakfast bar, loaded with the flavor of blackberries, this is the recipe for you. A rich crumbly crust, a sticky middle, and a lovely streusel topping. . .all in one luscious bite. Best of all, it’s not overly sweet!

Lemon Blueberry Coffee Cake with Sour Cream: If you love delicious coffee cake and you’re also a fan of blueberries, I’ve got an amazing recipe for you. This easy bundt cake is the best of both worlds, a luscious blueberry coffee cake made with rich sour cream!

Easy Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake: If you love the combination of cinnamon and sugar and you happen to love streusel topping with crunchy toasted pecans, then I’ve got the perfect recipe for you. This Easy Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake is perfect for breakfast. . .or any time of day!

Banana Spice Cake: If you love a yummy spice cake and you’re also a fan of banana bread, this is the perfect simple treat for you. It comes together quickly and starts with a box of yellow cake mix. 

Check out this yummy-looking Paleo Banana Muffins recipe from Five Monsters Paleo. They look delicious!

---

That’s it for this post, friends! Let me know your thoughts about this easy banana nut muffins recipe!

See this recipe at

Full Plate Thursday 

Weekend Potluck

Busy Monday

About the Author

---

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.