The fluffiest, most tender muffins packed with extra banana flavor and chopped walnuts for a bit of crunch. These muffins retain their soft texture for days, making them ideal to bake and eat all week!

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I’ve been on summer break for less than a week and I’ve already been baking up a storm. Which then forces me to see as many friends and family as I can so I can pawn my baked goods off on them and NOT spend my summer baking and eating all day long. It’s kind of a wonderful deal.

I actually spent the first few days of my break with just me and my daughter, as my husband was out of town. She helped me bake these muffins (we did half chocolate chip, for her benefit). It was just so adorable watching her mash the bananas and hop around making up songs about muffins.

Oh, and it turns out I’m officially the only one in my family who likes walnuts in baked goods. Which is fine by me, because I got to have these muffins all to myself.

This is one of those effortlessly wonderful recipes. It’s the same base I use in my banana breads. One of my secrets is using bananas that aren’t super brown. I just prefer the flavor. Plus, they help these muffins pack even more banana flavor and retain their moisture. I’ve even found myself tossing a muffin in the toaster oven to get a bit of crisp back after a few days, because these just don’t dry out (in a good way).

Why this recipe works

The bananas and oil work together to keep these muffins moist for days. In fact, almost so moist that I considered leaving them in a non snap-tight container because they somehow get softer over time. However, I also use a bit of melted butter to add in some fluff. These aren’t the classic dense banana muffins, which is just how I like them.

The use of brown sugar also adds a depth of flavor that complements the banana flavor perfectly. Plus, just a bit of cinnamon helps create this lovely, warm flavor profile that is delicious all year long.

Finally, the walnuts. These are of course optional, but they add a bit of protein and healthy fats as well as some great texture to contrast the tenderness of the muffin. It’s such a lovely little treat with your morning coffee!

Key ingredients

Mashed banana. This helps keep the bread so, so moist for days. Plus, it has just the right amount of banana flavor.

Flour. Be sure to sift it and to measure carefully—spoon the flour into the measuring cup then level it off with the flat side of a knife (known as spoon-then-level).

Salt. Try to use sea salt, if possible, as it won’t create an overly salted taste and is actually better for you!

Baking powder. Not baking soda! Baking powder is more delicate and helps this rise without being dense.

Cinnamon. I like a lot of cinnamon! You can actually use a tiny bit more, if you’d like. I also suggest using high quality cinnamon, as the flavor is better.

Eggs. Be sure these are room temperature so they mix well with the other ingredients! If you forget to take them out ahead of time, you can put them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water for 15 minutes.

Oil. I suggest avocado or grapeseed oil, as these have a mild flavor but are healthier than vegetable or canola.

Vanilla. Use pure vanilla extract! Imitation will have a slightly different flavor and won’t give you the same pleasant flavor.

Butter. I suggest European style, as it has less water. Be sure to use unsalted, or omit the salt in the recipe. Be sure to melt it without letting it boil, as we don’t want browned butter.

Brown and granulated sugar. Brown sugar helps this stay moist while granulated helped it rise. Using both gives you the best of both worlds.

Chopped walnuts. You can toast these or leave them plain. But it’s important to chop the walnuts so they don’t cause the muffins to fall apart.

How to make banana nut muffins

1. Melt your butter. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. Sift and whisk together the dry ingredients. Sifting isn’t necessary, but I prefer it to keep the lumps to a minimum.

3. Mash the bananas and mix with wet ingredients. Save the butter for the end, streaming it in and whisking carefully so you don’t scramble the eggs.

4. Whisk in the sugars for 1 minute. You want the sugar mostly dissolved before you add the flour.

5. Fold in the dry ingredients. You actually want to leave a few dry streaks, which will get folded completely after you add the walnuts.

6. Fold in chopped walnuts. Be sure you’ve chopped these before starting the mixture so you don’t have to stop mid-mixing.

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Check a middle muffin to ensure there is no raw batter.

Enjoy!

Tips and FAQ’s for this recipe

How ripe should my bananas be?

I actually used bananas with just a little brown on them and it was fine. Bananas with too much green on them will be difficult to mash, but they will still work and will have a strong banana flavor. Brown bananas work fine, too, as long as they’re not too brow on the inside. Avoid using any parts that are so brown they’re turned to that rotted texture.

How do I know it’s baked through?

I always use a toothpick, but a small knife or kebab skewer will work, too. You want to catch the muffins when they’ve just barely stopped being raw, as they will cook a little more in the pan while they cool. So try to use a toothpick to check for moist crumbs but no raw batter.

Can I use another nut?

Absolutely! These would work with pecans or even peanuts. Just be sure to chop whatever nut you use so it’s not too large and will not cause the muffins to crumble.

Can I omit the nuts?

Definitely! I personally feel these need a little something, which is why I always use nuts or chocolate chips. However, you can absolutely make plain banana muffins. Or, for a little fun twist, you can use the streusel topping in these blueberry muffins.

Try toasting your walnuts!

This is my preference, for a stronger crunch. However, I knew my daughter wouldn’t even try them with toasted walnuts, so I went the plain route. Toasting nuts not only adds a crunchier texture, it also adds that lovely roasted depth of flavor that is just so earthy and delicious.

My muffin tools

Here are my must-have tools I use for making these muffins. Affiliate links provided.

Whisk (or stand mixer or handheld mixer)

Mesh sieve

Cupcake/muffin pans (I’ve used many over the years and these are the most consistently successful.)

Potato masher

Increasing the recipe

I wrote this recipe to make about 8 muffins, but you can easily double or triple it to get 16 or 24 muffins. (I felt that double and tripling was much easier math than something random like “do a 1.5 recipe or a 1/3 recipe”). Below are the measurements for a double or triple batch.

To make 16 muffins (a double batch):

• 1 ½ cups (204g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• 1 ½ teaspoons (6g) baking powder

• ½ teaspoon (3g) salt

• 1 teaspoon (3g) ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1 cup (about 300g) mashed banana (2 large or 3 medium very ripe bananas)

• 1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs, room temperature

• 4 tablespoons (56g) avocado or vegetable oil

• 4 tablespoons (56g) melted butter

• ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar

• ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar (light or dark will work)

• 1 cup (120g) chopped walnuts (fresh or toasted)

To make 24 muffins (a triple batch):

• 2 ¼ cups (306g) all-purpose flour, spooned then leveled

• 2 ¼ teaspoons (9g) baking powder 

• ¾ teaspoon (4g) salt

• 1 ½ tablespoons (12g) ground cinnamon

• 1 ½ cup (about 450g) mashed ripe bananas (3 large or 4 medium)

• 1 ½ tablespoons (19g) pure vanilla extract

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 6 tablespoons (84g) avocado or vegetable oil

• 6 tablespoons (84g) melted butter 

• ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar

• ¾ cup (150g) brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups (180g) chopped walnuts

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