These small batch banana muffins with a crunchy cinnamon streusel stay soft and moist for days. Quick and easy to make – these come together in 30 minutes, and no mixer, no softening of butter required!

Small Batch Banana Muffins

I love making homemade muffins. They are super simple and come together quickly. They are also very freezer-friendly

If you have one or two spotty bananas lying around, this is a great way to make use of them. These muffins are super easy to make and come together in just about 30 minutes – no softening butter required.

While these banana muffins are soft and moist I felt that it needed some contrast in texture. I made a simple streusel topping which, when freshly baked, gives you a nice crunch and an extra boost of flavor with each bite.

This small batch recipe makes five muffins. You can easily double the recipe if you need more, and they also freeze well if you got some extra.

a close-up photo of the inside of a moist banana muffin

Why you’ll love this recipe:

This small batch banana muffin recipe is perfect if you have just 1 or 2 spotty bananas you don’t want to waste.
This is ready in 30 minutes, more or less! So this is great if you love banana bread but you want to make something quick and easy.
You don’t need to wash a lot of bowls to make these muffins. All you need are 2 bowls.
No need to take our your mixer and go through the steps of creaming butter and sugar.
It’s very easy customize this recipe to your liking. Simply replace the pecans with your choice of mix-ins in equal amount.

For example, you can replace the 50 grams of pecans with 50 grams walnuts, or use 25 grams each of pecans and chocolate chips to get the best of both worlds.

Here are some ideas for your mix-ins:

dark/ milk chopped chocolate
dark/ milk chocolate chips (regular or mini)
walnuts
cashews

The best bananas to use for baking

Over ripe bananas are best. Basically, the browner the bananas, the better they are for baking. You don’t want them rotten or mouldy though.

When your bananas start to have a lot of brown spots, you can use them to make these banana muffins, or if you need a bigger format, try this banana bread recipe (It is the best!).

two banana muffins stacked on top each other

Tips for Success

The culprit to a tough and chewy muffin is over mixing. Make sure that when you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients carefully mix the batter carefully and stop when you don’t see any streaks of flour.
Do not whisk or stir too long and too hard. This develops gluten in your batter that makes the muffin tough.

How to make small batch banana muffins

Shop efficiently (treat this as your grocery list) and gather your ingredients at home without running circles in your kitchen. (i.e. One trip to the fridge to get all your dairy needs.)

INGREDIENT SHOPPING LIST

DAIRY

45g (3 tbsps) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg (about 50 grams without the shell)
15 grams (1 tablespoon) whole/ full-fat milk

PANTRY

95 grams (3/4 cup) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- if you can’t find nutmeg, you can simply skip this ingredient
210 grams mashed over ripe/ spotty bananas ( about 1 cup)
70 grams (1/3 cup) dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
50 grams pecans/ walnuts/ chocolate chips

ingredients you need to make small batch banana muffins

TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

muffin / cupcake pan
- Did you know that muffins pans are the same as cupcake pans?
muffin / cupcake liners
- if you don’t have a liner, grease your muffin pan with butter or baking spray

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

STEP 1: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat the oven to 425F/ 218C. Grease a muffin pan with butter or nonstick spray, or use muffin/cupcake liners. You will use 5 holes of the muffin pan.

STEP 2: Make the streusel by combining dark brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Mix well then set aside.

STEP 3: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a medium ball. This will be your dry ingredients mixure. Set aside.

STEP 4: Let’s make the muffin batter. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Whisk in the melted buttter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and milk. Pour the dry ingredients (that we made in STEP 3) into the wet ingredients, then whisk until combined.

DO NOT OVERMIX or you’ll ge tough muffins. If adding nuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now. The batter should be thick.

STEP 5: Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top. I used 80grams of batter for each muffin hole, giving me 5 muffins. Top each muffin with the streusel we made in Step 2.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425F (218C), then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350F (177C). Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a toothpick/skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. Make sure you did not poke into a piece of gooey chocolate chip and use that as a judge!

STEP 6: Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage

Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these small batch banana muffins will last up to 4 days.

Muffins, in general, freeze very well. To do this, place the muffins in a tray/ baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid, then transfer to a ziploc bag.

FAQs

How do these banana muffins differ from banana bread?

These banana muffins taste like banana bread but they have a lighter, softer, and more buttery texture. You’re gonna love it. 🙂

Can I use frozen bananas?

Yes, you can use frozen bananas. Defrost the bananas overnight and strain off any excess juices before using them.

Why are there two temperatures indicated in the recipe?

The two temperatures are necessary in order to get a nice, springy, domed muffin. The muffins go in the oven at a relatively high heat 450 F for 5 minutes, then the oven temperature is dropped to 350F. The initial blast of heat lets the muffins puff up nicely in the oven, giving them a domed top. The final baking time at a lower temperature allows the insides of the mufffin to be fully baked.

How do I know if my muffins are done baking?

The muffins are done when no wet batter comes out after inserting a skewer or a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. A few crumbs clinging to it is good as well. Make sure you did not poke into a piece of gooey chocolate chip and use that as a judge!

Alternatively, gently poke the the muffin with your finger and if they spring back, they are done.

How many bananas do I need to make this small batch banana muffins?

Bananas come in different sizes, depending on where you live so it is not accurate for me to say, like, 2 large or 2 medium bananas.

Instead, weight measurement is provided so we are all using the same amount regardless of where you are from. This is the weight of the mashed bananas, which means you weigh them after removing the banana peels.

For reference, here in Canada, 210 grams of mashed bananas are about one and a half to two pieces of bananas that are available in most groceries.

So if I have 1 or 2 over ripe bananas, I use this small batch banana muffin recipe, but if I have 3 or 4 bananas, I make my favorite banana bread.

Can these muffins be made smaller or larger?

You can also bake these small batch banana muffins into a mini muffin pan. The baking time will be shorter so be sure to watch carefully.

I haven’t tried this using jumbo (Texas sized) muffin pan. Since that would mean a lot of batter, by the time the inside is cooked, I feel that the outside will be very done.

How to reheat muffins

To reheat a muffin, put them in the microwave in 10-second increments using low power (I always use the defrost mode).

If from frozen, you can thaw them overnight in the fridge or on your kitchen counter at room temperature for about 1-2 hours before reheating.

Watch How To Make It

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Printable Recipe Card

Baking in Grams

Bakeologie ensures that all recipes are meticulously crafted with gram measurements to allow you to effortlessly replicate them in your kitchen (regardless of location) with guaranteed success.

Volume measurements are prone to significant inaccuracies and can result in errors due to the inconsistency of measuring cups.

A common example: 1 cup of flour, depending on how you scooped it, can be anywhere form 120 grams to 145 grams, while 120 grams is still 120 grams regardless of how you scooped it.

Providing precise gram measurements (with the exception of minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp) enables you to prepare these recipes with precision and minimal cleanup. The only tool you need is a kitchen scale. They are cheap and come in cute colors, too!

In case you remain unconvinced, the recipe card also includes volume measurements, but I strongly recommend that you bake using a digital scale for a more accurate result.

I also maintain a Baking Conversion Chart which I use for recipe testings.

Small Batch Banana Muffins