There’s a particular magic that fills the kitchen when banana bread is baking, but sometimes we need that comforting flavour in a more portable, single-serving form. That’s where these exceptionally Moist Banana Nut Muffins come in. This isn’t just any recipe; it’s my award-winning version, tweaked and perfected over countless bakes. I’ve been making this for over 8 years, and it never disappoints. The secret is in using properly overripe bananas, which lend an intense, sweet flavour and an unbelievably tender crumb that stays moist for days.

What sets these muffins apart is the texture. They have a wonderfully soft interior, studded with toasted walnuts that provide a satisfying, buttery crunch in every bite. A sprinkle of demerara sugar on top before baking creates a delightful, slightly crisp muffin top that shatters ever so slightly when you bite into it. They are substantial enough for a quick breakfast on the run, yet light enough to enjoy with an afternoon cup of tea. If you’re looking for a recipe that reliably produces bakery-quality results at home, you’ve truly found it. These always get compliments whenever I share them.

Recipe Overview

This recipe delivers consistently moist, flavour-packed banana nut muffins with tall, golden-brown tops. The flavour is deeply banana-forward, with warm notes from the cinnamon and a rich toastiness from the walnuts. I’ve found that melting the butter, rather than creaming it, contributes to the wonderfully dense and moist texture we’re aiming for.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Servings: 12 muffins
• Difficulty: Easy

Why You’ll Love This Moist Banana Nut Muffins Recipe

• Genuinely Moist Texture: Thanks to the combination of overripe bananas, melted butter, and buttermilk, these muffins have a tender, rich crumb that never feels dry.
• Ready in Under 40 Minutes: From gathering your ingredients to pulling a tray of warm muffins from the oven, the whole process is straightforward and comes together in about 35 minutes.
• A Truly Flexible Recipe: You can easily adapt this bake to your taste. Swap the walnuts for pecans or chocolate chips, or add a pinch of nutmeg alongside the cinnamon for extra warmth.
• Ideal for Breakfast or Snacking: These muffins work beautifully for a grab-and-go breakfast, a welcome addition to a lunchbox, or a satisfying afternoon treat with a coffee.
• Family Tested and Approved: My entire family adores these. The kids love the sweet banana flavour, and my husband appreciates the hearty crunch from the nuts. They disappear from the cooling rack very quickly in my house!

Moist Banana Nut Muffins

⏱️ 15 min prep  •  🍳 20 min cook  •  👥 12 servings

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Ingredients You’ll Need

The key to the best banana muffins is using very ripe, almost black bananas. Their high sugar content and soft texture are essential for both flavour and moisture. I always use unsalted butter to control the salt level, but if you only have salted, simply omit the extra salt from the recipe.

• 250g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 large, very ripe bananas (about 400g unpeeled)
• 115g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 150g light brown soft sugar
• 1 large free-range egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60ml buttermilk (or full-fat milk with 1/2 tsp lemon juice)
• 100g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Sara’s Tip: Toast your walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. This simple step deeply enhances their nutty flavour and makes a world of difference to the final muffin.

How to Make Moist Banana Nut Muffins

The process for these muffins follows the classic “muffin method,” where we mix the wet and dry ingredients separately before gently combining them. This technique is crucial for achieving a tender crumb and preventing tough, dense muffins. For a more detailed explanation of this method, Serious Eats has a fantastic guide.

1. Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. This ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed.
3. Prepare Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. I like to leave a few small lumps for texture. Whisk in the melted butter, light brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until just combined.
4. Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet banana mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the ingredients together until they are just combined. You should still see a few streaks of flour; this is okay. Do not overmix!
5. Add the Nuts: Gently fold in the chopped walnuts, being careful not to stir the batter too much.
6. Fill the Muffin Cases: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cases. They should be about three-quarters full. I find that using an ice cream scoop is the cleanest and most efficient way to do this.
7. Add the Topping: Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the top of the batter in each muffin case. This will create a lovely, crunchy top.
8. Bake to Perfection: Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the muffins are risen, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre of one comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
9. Cool Down: Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They are delicious warm but will hold together better once cooled.

Tips From My Kitchen

• Room Temperature Ingredients: Using a room temperature egg and buttermilk helps the batter emulsify properly, creating a uniform texture. Cold ingredients can cause the melted butter to seize up.
• The Secret Step – A Short Rest: I learned that if you let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes after mixing and before baking, the flour has more time to hydrate. This small pause results in a taller rise and an even more tender crumb.
• Make-Ahead Method: You can whisk the dry ingredients together and store them in an airtight container for up to a month. When you’re ready to bake, you just need to prepare the wet ingredients and combine.
• Storage for Lasting Freshness: Store the cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Placing a piece of kitchen roll inside the container helps absorb excess moisture and stops them from becoming soggy. They’ll stay perfectly moist for up to 3 days.

Equipment You’ll Need

• 12-hole muffin tin
• Paper muffin cases
• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Whisk and spatula
• Wire cooling rack

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Over-mixing the Batter: The most common error in muffin making! Over-mixing develops gluten in the flour, which leads to tough, chewy, and dense muffins instead of light and tender ones. Stop mixing as soon as the flour is mostly incorporated.
• Using Under-ripe Bananas: Green or yellow bananas lack the sugar and moisture needed for this recipe. For the best, most authentic banana flavour, your bananas should be heavily speckled with black or even completely black.
• Filling the Cases Too Full: If you overfill the muffin cases, the batter will spill over during baking, creating a messy tin and muffins without a distinct domed top. Filling them about three-quarters of the way up is ideal.

Delicious Variations to Try

Once you’ve mastered the classic recipe, it’s fun to experiment. While these muffins are my go-to, sometimes I switch things up for a different kind of bake, like our easy Lemon Garlic Chicken for dinner.

• Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins: Swap the walnuts for 100g of dark or milk chocolate chips. The combination of banana and melting chocolate is a classic for a reason.
• Vegan Banana Nut Muffins: Use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water), melted coconut oil or dairy-free spread instead of butter, and a plant-based milk like almond or oat milk instead of buttermilk.
• Spiced Pecan Version: Replace the walnuts with pecans and add 1/2 tsp of ground nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of allspice along with the cinnamon for a warmer, more autumnal flavour profile.

What to Serve With Moist Banana Nut Muffins

These muffins are fantastic on their own, but here are a few ways to elevate them even further.

• Warm with Butter: There is nothing better than a warm muffin, split in half with a generous spread of salted butter melting into it.
• With Yoghurt and Fruit: For a more complete breakfast, serve a muffin alongside a bowl of thick Greek yoghurt and some fresh berries.
• A Hot Drink: These are a natural partner for a strong cup of English breakfast tea, a frothy cappuccino, or a simple black coffee. The bitterness of the coffee beautifully balances the sweetness of the muffin.

Frequently Asked Questions

Moist Banana Nut Muffins

Deliciously moist banana muffins packed with crunchy walnuts and topped with a sweet, crunchy sugar crust. The perfect treat for breakfast or a snack.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12 muffins

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Calories: 285

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 250 g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 large very ripe bananas (about 400g unpeeled)
• 115 g unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• 150 g light brown soft sugar
• 1 large free-range egg at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 60 ml buttermilk or full-fat milk with 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 100 g walnuts roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp demerara sugar for sprinkling

Method

 

1. Preheat and Prepare: Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
2. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. This ensures the leavening agents are evenly distributed.
3. Prepare Wet Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. I like to leave a few small lumps for texture. Whisk in the melted butter, light brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk until just combined.
4. Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet banana mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold the ingredients together until they are just combined. You should still see a few streaks of flour; this is okay. Do not overmix!
5. Add the Nuts: Gently fold in the chopped walnuts, being careful not to stir the batter too much.
6. Fill the Muffin Cases: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cases. They should be about three-quarters full. I find that using an ice cream scoop is the cleanest and most efficient way to do this.
7. Add the Topping: Sprinkle the demerara sugar evenly over the top of the batter in each muffin case. This will create a lovely, crunchy top.
8. Bake to Perfection: Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until the muffins are risen, golden brown, and a skewer inserted into the centre of one comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached.
9. Cool Down: Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. They are delicious warm but will hold together better once cooled.

Notes

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They are delicious warm but will hold together better once fully cooled.

I truly hope you enjoy baking these Moist Banana Nut Muffins as much as I do. They are a staple in my kitchen for a reason, and they fill the house with the most wonderful, comforting aroma. If you try the recipe, please let me know how they turned out in the comments below. Happy baking!
– Sara Gomez