The Best Banana Bread Muffins

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day but, unfortunately, it can get boring. Never fear! Another crossover food concept is here to breathe new life back into your breakfast.

Behold, banana bread muffins! Banana bread and muffins rolled into one tasty baked treat, perfect for grabbing as you run out the door in the morning. Imagine the dense sweetness of banana bread contained in the convenient size of a muffin instead of a whole loaf.

Whether you’re looking for a new recipe to try to reinvigorate your breakfast or you’ve got a cluster of overripe bananas you want to put to good use, we’ve got just the thing.

Here’s what you’ll need:

3 ripe bananas
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 egg
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prep time on these muffins is only about ten minutes, so you’ll want to get the oven warming up right away! Bust out your muffin baking pan, and depending on whether you want muffins with paper wrappers or without, either line each space with a muffin liner, apply cooking spray to the spaces, or lightly line each space with butter.

Step #1

Mash three soft, ripe bananas together with a fork until the texture is as smooth as you can get it.

Step #2

In a mixing bowl, add 1 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, and one egg. Stir together until the yellowy mixture is thick and creamy.

Step #3

Add your banana paste and 1/4 cup of crushed walnuts. Stir together until ingredients are evenly distributed.

Step #4

Stir in 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix all of this together until the result is smooth and creamy.

Step #5

Scoop even spoonfuls of batter into the muffin tray, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, checking frequently after 30 minutes. Your muffins are ready when you can poke one with a toothpick and have it come out clean.

Variations:

• For a less sweet version, use a 1/2 cup of sugar instead of the full cup.
• Instead of using walnuts, feel free to substitute for pecans, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips, or get creative!
• Once the muffins cool, consider sprinkling some cinnamon over top!
• For a version that’s a tad healthier, try using whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose.
• Experiment with adding in a 1/2 to a full teaspoon of vanilla or applesauce for some slight variations of flavor.

Vegan Banana Bread Muffins

Vegan? Not a problem. There’s no reason you should have to miss out on the banana bready goodness! Here’s an alternative recipe that will make moist banana bread muffins without the use of animal byproducts. Feel free to add in strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, oats, almonds, and any other ingredients you think would enhance your batch!

You will need:

2 tablespoons of flax meal
6 tablespoons of water
4 ripe bananas
1 cup of whole-wheat flour
1 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of light brown sugar
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/3 of vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and line your muffin baking tray with paper liners or grease the pan with vegetable shortening.

Step #1

Mix 2 tablespoons of flax meal and 6 tablespoons of water. Leave the mixture to thicken for five minutes.

Step #2

In the meantime, mash together 4 soft, ripe bananas until the result is a smooth, light paste.

Step #3

In a separate bowl, add together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/4 salt. Stir well.

Step #4

Mix in a 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of applesauce, 1/3 vegetable oil (or liquid coconut oil), 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and the mixture of thickened flax meal. Stir all the ingredients together until smooth (note that the batter should be thick and dense).

Step #5

Scoop even spoonfuls of batter into the prepared muffin tray. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, checking frequently until a muffin can be poked with a toothpick and come out dry.

And there you have it! Each recipe makes about 12 muffins, which will (hopefully!) last you the week. We all know there’s nothing better than a warm muffin fresh from the oven, but try not to eat ’em all at once!