30 Minute Banana Bread Muffins

These easy banana bread muffins come together in less than 30 minutes and are a great recipe to use up overripe bananas. This banana bread muffin recipe gives you all the flavour of a classic banana bread, but in a fraction of the baking time!

Hi hi! I am just popping in to share this super easy banana bread muffin recipe! I recently posted my banana chocolate chip muffin recipe, and wanted to follow it up with the recipe for banana bread muffins.

I love making homemade banana bread, but sometimes I don't want to wait the full hour that it takes to bake in the oven - enter these banana bread muffins. They have the exact same taste and texture as a banana bread, but bake up in far less time, making them a super quick and easy alternative. They are great way to use up leftover bananas!

I am slowly filling up my muffin recipe collection here on the site (it is weirdly lacking, not sure if that makes me a terrible baking blogger or not?!), and these banana muffins are the perfect addition, if I may say so myself!

If you are after a dairy free or egg free muffin recipe, check out my vegan banana muffin recipe! I also love my banana chocolate chip muffin recipe if you're looking for a lighter textured muffin than this one!

How to make banana muffins

This easy banana bread muffin recipe truly couldn't be more simple - you just mix up a classic banana bread batter, and plop it into your muffin pans!

This is a super simple recipe - you cream together your butter and sugars (we use both brown and white sugar in this banana muffin recipe), add the eggs, then pop in the mashed banana mixture and yoghurt. You then fold in the dry ingredients, and the batter is plopped into the prepared muffin pans.

I like to sprinkle mine with a little raw / turbinado sugar just for a little crunch, but you do you here! You can finish them any way that you like. They then have a quick spin in the oven, and you are all good to go!

How to tell when muffins are done

The best way to tell when a muffin is done is to give one a gentle poke with your finger. You want it to spring back completely. You can also insert a toothpick or skewer into the middle - when it comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, you know your muffins are properly baked.

Muffin liners vs no muffin liners

I often make my own parchment paper muffin liners, but for this banana bread recipe I baked them directly in the muffin pan. I love that nice caramelised edge that banana bread has, and didn't want to sacrifice that with my banana bread muffin recipe. Make sure that your pan is well greased / you are using one that you know won't stick too much so that your muffins remove easily! If you are worried, the recipe will also work great using regular muffin liners.

To see how to make your own parchment paper liners, check out my post: 30 Minute Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

How to mash bananas

Confession: I hate mashing bananas. It's one of my least favourite tasks. However, enter my handy trick: using a handheld electric mixer to mash my bananas. You can use a fork or a masher to mash bananas if you like, but giving them a quick mix with the mixer gets the job done super quick, and you're using the mixer anyway, so it really makes sense!

How to make banana muffins moist

Often muffins can be a little bit boring if you ask me - and they can very often be dry. While banana bread muffins don't often run that risk as much as something like a chocolate muffin, I have a few wee things I do to help keep these banana muffins nice and moist, the main one being the addition of a little bit of greek yoghurt!

I love using yoghurt in my baking recipes - it makes it's way into a bunch of things including my vanilla cake and my tiramisu cake. What it does is provide moisture without adding too much liquid. If you don't have greek yoghurt on hand, you can easily sub in some sour cream if you have some that needs to be used up!

The tip to a perfectly domed muffin

I use two baking temperatures in this banana bread muffin recipe, in order to get a nice springy, domed muffin. It is particularly important for a more dense recipe like a banana bread muffin.

The muffins go into the oven at a relatively high heat (430°f / 220°c) for 10 minutes, then the oven temperature is dropped to 375°f / 190°c. The reason for the initial blast of heat is to give the muffins a chance to puff up nicely in the oven, giving them that lovely domed top. The final baking time at a lower temperature gives the insides of the muffin a chance to bake fully.

Can this recipe be made into jumbo muffins?

I tried, and it got a bit weird. They were super flat because they needed so long in the oven. It does work, but I much prefer regular sized muffins. It would however make super yum mini banana muffins!

How do you store muffins?

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. I like to eat them fresh on the day that they are made, then zap them briefly in the microwave or toast lightly before serving if it is past the day that you made them on.

Muffins with frozen bananas

Can you make banana muffins with frozen bananas? Absolutely you can. If you are using frozen bananas, defrost the bananas then discard any super wet liquid, then weigh out the quantity you need and proceed with the recipe. This is another reason why baking in grams is so good - regardless of whether your bananas are fresh or frozen, you still end up with the correct quantity (there truly is nothing worse than a recipe calling for four bananas and not specifying the size)

Can muffins be frozen?

Another thing I love about muffins - they freeze super well. Just pop them into an airtight container or a ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months, then bring out and defrost at room temperature. I prefer to re warm them or toast them slightly if I am eating them from frozen.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page

Which pan did you use?
My favourite muffin pan is a USA pan muffin pan - they are super non stick, and a great investment! You can use whatever pan you like though!

Can I add mix-ins to banana muffins?
Yes - add whatever you like! Chocolate chips would be super yum, or stir in some nuts such as toasted pecans or chopped walnuts just before you add the batter to the tins.

For more Banana recipes, check out:

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