Banana bread muffins are moist, tender, and full of banana flavor. Brown sugar, ripe bananas, vanilla and a touch of cinnamon add depth, while sour cream keeps the muffins extra moist. This is an easy, no-mixer recipe that delivers consistently perfect banana muffins.
Updated November 2, 2024 with new photos and recipe tips
If you love banana bread, you’ll adore these banana bread muffins. They capture all the familiar flavors—ripe banana, brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla—but bake much faster than a loaf. The batter comes together quickly by hand, and the muffins bake in under 20 minutes, giving you soft, flavorful muffins in far less time than traditional banana bread.
How to Make Moist Banana Bread Muffins
These muffins are simple to prepare. The process is straightforward:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a 12-cavity muffin pan with papers. You can also lightly grease the pan or use a silicone pan without papers.
- The higher initial temperature helps the muffins rise quickly—more on this in the baking section.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. The combination of baking soda and baking powder gives the muffins a great lift, while cinnamon enhances the flavor.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, and sour cream. Whisk until the sugars are mostly dissolved and the eggs are combined. The brown sugar adds a caramel-like depth, and the sour cream keeps the muffins tender and moist.
- Whisk the mashed bananas into the wet mixture—small lumps of banana are fine and add texture.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until just combined.
- Fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts if desired for crunch and flavor.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling each liner to the top. This yields 12–14 muffins with tall tops.
Baking the Muffins
For tall, domed muffins, fill the liners to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then—without removing the pan—reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C) and continue baking for about 10–12 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The quick burst of higher heat helps create a high rise and nicely browned edges.
If your oven takes longer to adjust temperatures, bake at 375°F (190°C) for the whole time; the muffins will need about 18–20 minutes in that case.
These muffins are great for breakfast, coffee breaks, or an afternoon snack. Quick to make and full of flavor, they offer all the charm of banana bread with less time and effort. Key highlights:
- Rich banana flavor from ripe bananas
- Extra-moist texture thanks to sour cream
- Soft, tender crumb
- Tall, golden muffin tops
- Ready from start to finish in under 30 minutes
If you enjoy these muffins, consider trying other banana-based treats with similar flavors and textures.
Banana Bread Muffins
Equipment
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12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup white sugar (100 grams)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (105 grams)
- 1/2 cup butter (112 grams), melted
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream, room temperature
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
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Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
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In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter with brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
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Stir the mashed bananas into the wet mixture.
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Make a well in the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and gently fold together by hand until just combined.
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Fold in the walnuts if using, then spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each liner to the top (12–14 muffins).
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Bake 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C), then reduce the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake another 10–12 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. If baking at 375°F (190°C) the entire time, bake for 18–20 minutes.
Notes
- Sugars: For a less-sweet muffin, reduce brown sugar to 1/4 cup and keep 1/2 cup white sugar.
- Sour Cream: You can substitute plain Greek yogurt for sour cream.
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas. Three large bananas should yield about 1 1/3 cups mashed.
- Oven Temperature: If your oven doesn’t adjust quickly when lowering the heat, bake at 375°F (190°C) for the full time (about 18–20 minutes).
- Storage: Muffins are best the day they’re baked. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze cooled muffins for up to 2 months and thaw in the fridge.