If you have one lonely ripe banana on the counter, these small batch banana muffins are the answer. This recipe makes six soft, moist muffins with a simple blend of melted butter, brown sugar, and sour cream, which gives them that hearty bakery-style texture. Chopped walnuts add a little bite, and a cinnamon sugar topping bakes into a sweet, crackly crunch. Ready in under 30 minutes, they’re just right for an easy breakfast, a lunchbox treat, or a satisfying midday snack.

A banana muffin on a wood plate, cut in half to reveal a moist crumb studded with walnuts.

Banana Muffins: The Highlights

Yield: 6 muffins
Total Time: 31 minutes
Flavors: Creamy banana paired with brown sugar and butter richness, with warm spices and earthy walnuts.
Texture: A moist, substantial crumb with nutty bites and sweet crunch throughout.
✨Why Bake These: One banana, one bowl, and ready to be enjoyed any time of day.

In my household of two, a dozen muffins will go stale before they can be eaten. And ironically, there always seems to be one banana leftover from the bunch, no matter how many I buy. But I despise throwing away food.

While some may look at that single spotty banana as ready for the trash, I see it as an ingredient that can impart creamy sweetness and moisture to a small batch of six muffins. The ideal amount for my husband and me to enjoy one, a couple of times a day (of course), before they dry out.

Technically, my small batch banana bread can be made into muffins. But with the smaller shape and shorter bake time, I chose a different route for these muffins to give them their expected substantial texture.

Taking cues from my classic chocolate chip muffins, I use a butter-based batter vs. oil. Melted butter gives the muffins extra flavor, but it also means they will dry out faster than an oil-based one. To give the muffins a moisture bump, I use a combination of sour cream and all brown sugar to keep the crumb tender without watering down flavor.

Walnuts, Spice, and a Cinnamon Sugar Crunch

As I was developing this recipe, I kept thinking banana nut muffins because it’s the only way I’ve seen a store-bought banana muffin. Walnut is the natural pairing, and a few chopped pieces in the batter give the muffins a buttery, earthy bite.

I add a little ground cinnamon and allspice in the batter itself to give the muffins depth of flavor. And because a bare-top muffin (or bread) has never been my style, these muffins get the same cinnamon sugar crunch top that made my pumpkin bread a reader favorite.

A stack of two banana muffins in brown liners on a table next to a jar of milk.

How To Mash Bananas

To make these muffins, I actually go through the first step of measuring the banana. One large banana will yield the half-cup we need for the muffins. Are your bananas smaller? No problem, two smaller ones will give you the amount you need.

The easiest way to mash the banana is to use a fork. Do this in a separate bowl to make measuring it out easy and accurate. The slightest bit more or less changes the final texture. Too much mashed banana, and the muffins will be gummy. Not enough, and the muffins will be dry.

Make Banana Muffins

Add the mashed banana to a mixing bowl with the melted butter, sugar, sour cream, egg, and vanilla. Whisk that until the mixture is mostly smooth (you will have little bits of banana, which is fine), and the egg is well combined.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over the bowl and sift in the flour, spices, leaveners, and salt. Mix that just until you don’t see dry streaks.

Add the chopped walnuts to the batter and fold them in with a spatula until just combined. The batter should be a little loose. You don’t want to overmix it, or the muffins will come out dense and tough.

Portion the batter into the muffin pan. I use cupcake/muffin liners to make it easy to remove the muffins. Otherwise, you can lightly grease each well if you prefer to skip the paper liners.

Bake At High Heat First

I always bake my muffins at high heat for the first 5 minutes to give them the signature tall muffin tops. The short burst activates the leaveners and pushes the batter up.

Then reduce the heat to normal, and bake until the muffins are golden. Because these are moist muffins, a few moist crumbs on the toothpick test are expected. Just be careful not to overbake, or they will come out dry.

Fresh from the oven small batch banana muffins in a muffin tin next to a white napkin.

Erin’s Banana Muffin Tips

Not quite ready to use that spotty banana? Freeze it. Put it in a zipper-top bag, and when you want to make the muffins, thaw it in the refrigerator the night before. It will release moisture as it thaws, so when you peel it, blot away the excess moisture with paper towel.
If your banana isn’t ripe enough, put it in a closed paper bag for 24 hours at room temperature. The paper bag traps the banana’s natural gases and speeds up the softening and sweetness, without it going bad.
The muffin liners peel away more easily when the muffins are cool. Additionally, quality paper liners are less likely to stick to the muffins.
Change the flavors. Macadamia nuts and crystallized ginger pieces take the muffins a little more tropical. Or skip the walnuts and add mini chocolate chips as a simple swap (the mini chips won’t sink).

Small batch banana muffins stacked on a small wood trivet.

Did You Make It? Let’s Hear About It!

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Did you add walnuts, or a different nut? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below – your feedback helps other bakers find this muffin recipe.