This extra moist Banana Muffin Recipe is delicious and easy to whip up. It uses extra-ripe banana, chocolate chips, and walnuts for a yummy snack.
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Banana Muffins are a great snack to grab on the go. This recipe can be easily modified to make a delicious banana loaf (or banana bread).
Ingredients, Substitutions, & Budget
This recipe makes 12 muffins for $6.84 (which is $0.57 per muffin).
Your grocery costs are probably different than mine. Location, shopping habits, seasonal availability, and other things can all have a major impact on the cost of food. Find out how I calculate what a recipe costs.
Homemade Banana Muffins Ingredients
There are 11 ingredients in this dish.
Bananas, extra-ripe ($1.25)
I like to use 5 medium bananas but I have made the recipe with just 4 and they’re still very good. Don’t stress over how many bananas or how big your bananas are, just go with what you’ve got.
Extra-ripe bananas are pretty black. They should be free from mold but mushy and have a strong scent.
It’s okay to use bananas of different ripenesses (is that a word?). If I’ve got 3 bananas that are overripe, I might grab 2 more at the grocery store and end up using 3 black and 2 yellow/black.
Butter ($1.04)
Butter adds a richness that can’t be easily replicated. However, it comes at a cost because butter is expensive these days.
If you’re looking for a substitute, the same amount of a neutral oil (safflower, canola, etc) or margerine will work.
Plain Greek Yogurt ($0.18)
There are a few options for greek yogurt substitutes:
- Sour Cream: use the same amount.
- Cottage Cheese: use the same amount.
- Banana: mash up an extra 30g of banana. Banana won’t be quite as creamy and it has no tang. It’s also sweeter than greek yogurt (so I’d reduce the sugar a bit as well).
- Avocado: mash up 30g of avocado. This will replace all the creaminess of the greek yogurt but lacks the tang.
- Regular Yogurt: you can use plain regular yogurt instead of greek. It’s a bit less creamy and has none of greek’s tang but it will work (and it’s usually cheaper).
Chocolate Chips ($1.59)
My method of measuring chocolate chips is pretty loose (and doesn’t include the ones I eat while baking): I measure by the handful! This makes for a pretty chip-filled muffin. Adjust for your preferences.
Any type of chocolate chips will work for these muffins: dark, milk, semi. You can also use chunks instead.
If you don’t want to add chocolate chips, you can omit them entirely. Or, you can substitute with nuts (I think walnuts are best).
7 More Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour ($0.54): I like to use unbleached white all-purpose flour for banana muffins. You can use bread flour and the results will be nearly the same. If you want to use 100% whole wheat flour (I never have for this recipe), you’ll also want to increase the liquid content (add some water, use more yogurt, add bananas, or a combination). Up to 50% whole wheat flour you can probably use as is.
- Baking Soda ($0.02)
- Salt ($0.02)
- Sugar, granulated white ($0.24): the first time I made these muffins, I started with 250g of sugar (1 1/8 cups). The current version of the recipe calls for 190g (and I’m probably going to keep this), which is just shy of 1 cup. I don’t want banana muffins that taste too sweet but if you’d like them sweeter, you can add more sugar (up to 260g) without making any other changes to the recipe (the added dry weight will make the muffins slightly less moist but they’ll still be amazing).
- Egg ($0.31): I have a friend with an egg allergy who swears that you can replace eggs in baked goods with chia. I’ve never tried it, but her instructions for this recipe are: Mix 2 tbsp ground chia seeds with 4 tbsp of water and let rest for 10 minutes. Mix into recipe as instructed instead of an egg.
- Vanilla Extract ($0.57): out of vanilla? Don’t worry! You can substitute with the same amount of maple syrup, bourbon, brandy, or dark rum. You can also use less vanilla extract (down to 1 tsp) or use 1/2 tsp of almond extract.
- Walnuts ($1.08): I like adding a coating of walnuts on top to give some crunch. You can use a different nut or skip them entirely.
How to make Budget Banana Muffins
Make these muffins on a budget by trying one (or all) of these low-cost options:
- Replace the butter! Butter is so much more expensive than oil. Switching to canola oil would cost $0.46 instead, saving you a total of $0.58 (which is $0.05 per muffin).
- No chocolate chips! This is a big saving (for your diet and your budget). Removing the chocolate chips will save you $1.59 total (which is $0.13 per muffin).
- No nuts! This is another big saving. Removing the nuts will save you $1.08 total (which is $0.09 per muffin).
Doing all three of these would save you $3.25 bringing your total recipe cost down to just $3.59 (which would be $0.30 per muffin).
Equipment & Plating
There’s nothing fancy needed for banana muffins.
Mixing Bowl(s)
Two mixing bowls will enable you to mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately before combining them.
Muffin Tin/Pan
This banana muffin recipe is meant to make 12 muffins so you’ll need enough slots in your tin/pan for that.
Small Tools
To make this recipe, you’re going to want the following small tools:
- Measuring Cups & Spoons and/or Food Scale
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- Muffin Tin Liners (paper or silicone)
- Toothpicks or Food Thermometer
Looking to stock your kitchen with the best equipment? Learn about the best kitchen tools you should own!
Serving
Banana muffins don’t need anything for serving. Just grab one and go!
Making Banana Loaf Instead of Muffins
This recipe can be easily converted to a banana bread recipe.
Set the oven to 325*F, use a loaf pan instead of muffin pan, and cook for about 75 minutes. Everything else is the exact same.
Got Leftovers?
If your household can exercise the willpower to leave some muffins for more than 24 hours, here’s what to do with them:
- 4 Days: if you’ll eat the muffins within 4 days, store them in an airtight container out of direct sunlight.
- Freeze: muffins can be frozen (after being baked and cooled) for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat, let it thaw overnight or give it a quick zap in the microwave.
Extra Moist Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry Items
- 272 g All-Purpose Flour ($0.54)
- 6.5 g Baking Soda ($0.02)
- 3.5 g Salt ($0.02)
Wet Items
- 200 g Sugar, white granulated ($0.24)
- 125 g Butter, melted ($1.04)
- 1 Egg, large ($0.31)
- 30 g Greek Yogurt ($0.18)
- 18 g Vanilla Extract ($0.57)
- 5 Bananas, very ripe ($1.25)
Remaining (Optional)
- 255 g Chocolate Chips ($1.59)
- 62 g Walnuts, chopped ($1.08)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425*F. Position rack in center of oven. Line (or grease) muffin tins.
- Mix flour, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.272 g All-Purpose Flour, 6.5 g Baking Soda, 3.5 g Salt
- In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, butter, and egg until combined.200 g Sugar, white granulated, 125 g Butter, melted, 1 Egg, large
- Add yogurt, vanilla, and bananas. Mash together until well mixed and mushy.30 g Greek Yogurt, 18 g Vanilla Extract, 5 Bananas, very ripe
- Add dry ingredients (from step 2) and mix until just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX!
- Optional: add chocolate chips and mix lightly.255 g Chocolate Chips
- Pour batter evenly into 12 muffin tins. If desired, sprinkle walnuts on top.62 g Walnuts, chopped
- Put into oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 375*F. Bake until toothpick comes out clean (about 25 minutes).
- Remove from oven and cool inpan for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and cool on wire rack until room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Enjoy Your Banana Muffins!
Did you make this banana muffin recipe? How did it turn out? What changes did you make? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Until next time. Xoxo