Banana Bread Muffins with Toasted Walnuts

Moist, bakery-style banana muffins packed with sweet banana flavor and crunchy toasted walnuts, with golden domed tops and a tender crumb.

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (or neutral oil)
• 3/4 cup (150g) brown sugar (or white sugar)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional but recommended)
• 3/4 cup (90g) walnuts, roughly chopped (plus extra to top, optional)
• 2 tbsp milk or yogurt (only if needed to loosen batter)

Method

• 1

  Step 1: Prep the pan & oven

  Preheat oven to **425°F / 220°C**. Line a **12-hole** muffin tin with paper liners (or lightly grease). This hot start helps create those tall, bakery-style muffin tops.

• 2

  Step 2: Toast the walnuts (big flavor boost)

  Spread walnuts on a tray and toast for **5–7 minutes**, shaking once, until fragrant and slightly darker. Cool, then chop. (If you’re short on time, you can skip toasting—but it’s worth it.)

• 3

  Step 3: Mash bananas

  In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork until mostly smooth (a few small lumps are great for texture).

• 4

  Step 4: Mix wet ingredients

  Whisk in melted butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until glossy and well combined.

• 5

  Step 5: Add dry ingredients

  Sprinkle flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon over the wet mixture. Gently fold with a spatula **just until you no longer see dry flour**. The batter should look thick and lumpy—do not overmix or the muffins will turn tough.

• 6

  Step 6: Fold in walnuts

  Add the chopped toasted walnuts and fold **2–3 times** to distribute.

• 7

  Step 7: Fill the muffin cups

  Divide batter between muffin cups (they should be **very full**, about **heaped**). Top with a few extra walnut pieces if you like for a bakery look.

• 8

  Step 8: Bake for tall tops

  Bake at **425°F / 220°C for 5 minutes**, then (without opening the oven) reduce to **350°F / 175°C** and bake for **12–15 minutes** more, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter). Tops should be golden and spring back when lightly pressed.

• 9

  Step 9: Cool

  Rest muffins in the tin for **5 minutes**, then transfer to a rack to cool for at least **10 minutes** before eating (the crumb finishes setting as they cool).

Tips

• **Best bananas**: Use bananas with lots of brown/black spots—this gives maximum sweetness and moisture.
• **Butter vs oil**: Butter gives richer flavor; oil makes the crumb slightly softer and stays moist longer.
• **Don’t overmix**: Fold only until the flour disappears. Overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins dense.
• **Add-ins (pantry-staple friendly)**: A pinch of nutmeg, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips can be folded in (if you have them).
• **Storage**: Keep in an airtight container at room temp for **3 days**, or refrigerate **5 days**. Rewarm 10–15 seconds in the microwave for that just-baked feel.
• **Freezing**: Freeze cooled muffins in a zip-top bag for up to **3 months**. Thaw at room temp or microwave from frozen for **30–45 seconds**.

Nutrition (per serving, estimate)