These Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins were meant to be a quick snack for my kids, but they’re so good my husband and I can’t stop eating them! They're tender, moist, and perfectly sweet. They’re packed with toasty walnuts—a perfect match for banana, just like in my Chocolate Banana Coffee Cake with Walnut Streusel.
No mini muffin tin? Just make them regular-sized! And if you’ve got extra ripe bananas, try these Vegan Zucchini Muffins next.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Fast: With this easy recipe, you'll be snacking on fresh, warm muffins in just 25 minutes!
- Tested Until Perfectly Moist & Tender: No dry muffins here! I tried countless ingredient combos to nail the softest, moistest mini muffins. Oil beats butter for a tender crumb and better banana flavor—plus, no waiting for it to warm up! Check the Tips section for more muffin-baking tricks.
- A Family Favorite: These banana nut mini muffins get devoured by my family. They're the perfectly bite-sized snack for kids and adults alike.
- Freezer Friendly: Great for stashing away in the freezer! Just let them cool completely after baking, and freeze for up to 3 months. I pack these frozen mini muffins into my kids lunch box the night before—they defrost in the fridge and are ready for school!
Ingredients (and substitutes)
These soft Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins use basic pantry ingredients you probably already have. And with no butter or dairy, there’s no need to wait for them to come to room temperature.
Here's what you need:
- Bananas: Use super ripe bananas—the darker, the better! I freeze ripe bananas so I always have some ready for baking. Check out my tips below for using frozen bananas.
- Oil: I prefer oil over butter—it makes banana bread more moist and lets the banana flavor shine. Grapeseed oil is my go-to, but you can use another neutral oil (like canola or vegetable). Or, substitute melted butter.
- Brown Sugar: I prefer dark brown sugar in these mini banana muffins. It adds more flavor and moisture. You can substitute light brown sugar instead.
- Baking Powder: Helps the muffins rise (in addition to baking soda). Baking powder has an expiry date, so check the label to make sure yours is still fresh and active!
- Walnuts: Use finely chopped raw (untoasted) walnuts, which get mixed into the batter and sprinkled on top. You can substitute pecans—or skip the nuts.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
How to make Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins
These quick and easy Banana Walnut Mini Muffins take just 25 minutes to make!
Here's how to make these delicious, family-friendly, snack-sized muffins:
1. Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.
2. Whisk together wet ingredients in a large bowl, until smooth.
3. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, along with half of the walnuts.
4. Stir just until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
5. Scoop batter into a mini muffin tin. Sprinkle with remaining half of the walnuts.
6. Bake on the middle rack until a tester inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
I recipe tested at least 7 versions of Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins. A big thank-you to the taste testers that helped me choose their favorite!
Here are the tips I learned along the way for baking the perfect mini banana muffins at home:
- Baking by weight is better: I highly recommend a kitchen scale for baking. Not only is it more accurate than measuring cups—but it's also faster and creates less dirty dishes.
- Use the darkest bananas: The riper the better! Darker bananas make banana bread more sweet and moist. Black bananas are best, but in a pinch, you can use bananas with black and brown streaks in a pinch.
- If using frozen bananas: Thaw your bananas in the microwave (use the defrost or low-power setting), then drain any brown liquid. This boosts the banana flavor and gives your muffins a fluffier texture. Just make sure they’re not cold—room temp ingredients mix better.
- Don't over mix: Gently mix the dry and wet ingredients just until combined. If you over mix the muffin batter, your muffins may not be as soft and springy.
- Know your leaveners: Baking soda and baking powder both help with rising, but they create different outcomes (see photo below). Baking soda creates more browning in banana muffins, but a combo of both was the winner. Make sure yours hasn’t expired! And for the best muffin tops, get the batter into the oven quickly after mixing.
- Start with untoasted walnuts: I tested using toasted vs. raw walnuts and found that pre-toasting isn’t really worth the effort. It's easy to over-toast walnuts, which makes them bitter. Stick with raw walnuts—they’ll toast just enough in the oven!
- Use a cookie scoop if you have: A small cookie scoop makes it very quick to portion the batter. I use this 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop for my favorite non-stick mini muffin tin.
Recipe FAQ's
Bananas vary in size, but you'll likely need about 4 to 5 bananas. Measure by weight or by volume, after removing the banana from it's peel.
Yes, you can easily substitute pecans—or leave the nuts out entirely.
Yes, these banana nut bread mini muffins freeze well. Let them fully cool at room temperature, before transferring to an air tight freezer bag. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let them defrost on the counter or in the fridge before eating. Or, if in a rush, you could use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Yes, you can turn these into standard sized muffins instead of mini muffins. Just divide the batter into a prepared 12 cup muffin pan. They'll take a bit longer to bake, about 20 minutes.
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📖 Recipe
Banana Nut Bread Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour (see note 1)
- 1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1⅓ cup mashed overripe banana (see note 2)
- ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar (or light brown)
- 1 large egg (room temperature, see note 3)
- ⅓ cup grapeseed oil (or another neutral oil, see note 4)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (untoasted)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a mini muffin pan with oil or line with baking cups (see note 5).
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk 1⅓ cup mashed overripe banana, ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar, and 1 large egg until smooth. Add ⅓ cup grapeseed oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and whisk until combined.
- Combine: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, along with half of the ½ cup finely chopped walnuts (¼ cup goes into the batter now, and the other ¼ cup will get sprinkled on top later). Use a stirring spoon to gently mix, just until the flour is incorporated. (Do not overmix).
- Bake: Scoop the batter into mini muffin cups, filling almost to the top. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup chopped walnuts. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measuring flour: Flour is often inaccurately measured by cups. Baking by weight is best. If you don't have a kitchen scale, use the "fluff, spoon, and level" method—where you fluff the flour, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup, then use the back of a knife to level it off.
- Bananas: Black bananas are best, otherwise use bananas that at least have black and brown streaks. (See photo in post for visual examples). You'll likely need 4 to 5 bananas to yield 1⅓ mashed, but it can differ based on size. If using frozen bananas, make sure they're defrosted and at room-temperature (a microwave is great for this). And, drain off the watery brown liquid that pools at the bottom (rather than adding it to the batter).
- Egg: It's best to use room-temperature ingredients because they mix better. You can quickly bring a fridge-cold egg up to room temperature by submerging it in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Oil: Another neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable. Oils keep the muffins more moist, for longer. You can substitute melted butter, but the muffins won't be quite as moist.
- How to make regular sized muffins: Divide batter into a standard 12-cup muffin tin (sprayed with oil or lined with parchment). Bake until a tester comes out clean from the center of the muffin, about 20 minutes.
- Storage tips: Store cooled muffins in a resealable container or freezer bag at room temperature, for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, let them defrost on the counter (or in the fridge overnight); or if in a hurry, you can use the defrost setting on your microwave.
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