Turn overripe bananas into delicious muffins with this easy recipe (2023)

How many times have you added bananas to your basket at the market and thought, "If I don't eat them all, I'll just make banana bread or muffins?"

We are all guilty of muttering these words, or at least thinking them. To then throw away the last 3 or 4 bananas 10 days later.

I myself am guilty of this crime. But once I perfected a quick and easy banana muffin recipe, I stopped throwing away overripe bananas.

This is possible with 5 minutes of prep time and 20-22 minutes of baking timeavoid throwing the bananaswhile you sit back and enjoy a fresh muffin.

Always perfect

Banana muffins are perfect for any time of day. They are great for a quick, easy breakfast that will keep you going. They make a great afternoon snack to avoid greasy chips.

Or, if you like to snack after dinner but before bed, enjoy a homemade banana muffin and avoid the guilt.

Banana muffins make breakfast on the go easy. Packaged in a nice little package, you can toss it to the kids as they head to the bus or grab it as you run out the door.

If you tend to eat smaller meals but snack in between, homemade banana muffins are great to have on hand. You still get a sweet treat, but you have control over the ingredients.

Adding chocolate chips helps make the muffins more dessert-like.

Sometimes you want a little snack while you're scrolling through social media or watching your favorite late night show. Homemade Banana Muffins are easy to grab and guilt-free.

Materials on hand

Because this recipe is so simple, you probably already have all the ingredients on hand.

Flour, egg, sugar, butter, baking powder and soda and bananas! As long as you don't use a box, you can control what goes into your muffins. You can easily swap out almond flour and have a delicious banana muffin if you are gluten sensitive.

You can also reduce the amount of sugar and add extra fresh fruit, like blueberries, for even healthier muffins bursting with flavor.

To work

Apart from mashing the bananas, melting the butter and mixing, there is not much else to prepare these easy homemade muffins.

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and line muffin tins with paper.

If you ever find that your muffins are sticking to your pan, add a few grains of rice before putting in the paper cases. The rice will help keep the paper from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

If you have kids at home who like to help out in the kitchen, this is a great way to get them involved.

Kids are great at lining muffin tins with paper liners. If you are not using a liner, use a non-stick cooking spray and brush each cup with a small amount of butter.

Taking all the ingredients out of the cupboards or pantry is a great way to save time when baking. When you have everything at hand and ready to go, there's no need to dig and look for what you need.

Confusing things

You want to peel and mash 3 to 4 ripe or slightly overripe bananas. This is another great way to get your kids involved in the process. Ripe bananas are easily peeled and thrown into a bowl.

After peeling the bananas, using a fork or potato masher, mash the bananas well and set aside.

If mixing and sifting dry ingredients is your thing, now is the time to do it. I never take this step. I don't notice enough of a difference in the final product to take the time to do this.

When it comes to baking, I use my Kitchen-Aid Mixer for everything. But recently I tried using an extra large spoon, and my homemade banana muffins tasted the same. This is another step where you do what makes you happy!

Add the mashed bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter to a medium bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). Mix until combined.

With a medium spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the liquid. If you are using a mixer, I like to give it a gentle stir before turning the mixer on to avoid a mess. Over mixing at this stage can cause heavy muffins.

Spoon banana muffin mix into muffin tins and bake. 22 minutes is the perfect amount of time to bake perfectly browned and moist muffins.

A little longer, and your muffins will be darker brown and dry. trust me on this one.

Add some fun

The recipe above is for generic and regular homemade banana muffins. I like to make different kinds of muffins. I start by making 4 simple muffins following the steps above.

Then I like to mix in chocolate chips because chocolate makes everything better. Dark chocolate chips or dairy-free chocolate chips also work well in this recipe if you're sensitive to dairy.

Once I've made 4-6 Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, I like to add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to the remaining batter to make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.

You can also make these muffins healthier by adding nuts, chia seeds, or fresh or frozen blueberries.

save banana muffins

If you plan to eat your muffins within 2-3 days of baking, you can store them in an airtight container.

If you like to bake in bulk and plan to freeze some muffins, wrap them in waxed paper or aluminum foil once completely cool and store in a freezer bag.

Muffins keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months. Take out a muffin when it is ready to eat and let it come to room temperature. You can also heat it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.

If you are heating the muffin in the microwave, wrap your muffin in a damp paper towel to prevent the muffin from drying out.

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