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Use those overripe bananas to make a batch of these mini banana muffins! These little muffins are easy to make and can be packaged up for quick weekday breakfasts or after-school snacks. Make them your own by adding your favorite mix-ins, such as mini chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
I don’t think it’s exactly a secret how much we love banana recipes around here.Â
I buy bananas for the girls and even though I try to only get what I think we can eat, we still end up with overripe bananas on our counter.
So what’s a gal to do but turn them into something delicious? Whether it’s Dominique Ansel’s banana bread, peanut butter banana bread, or moist banana cake, my family loves all of it.
These mini banana muffins are another one that my family loves, especially my youngest. They’re the perfect snack for little hands or quick breakfast when you’re on the go.
How to make your own mini banana muffins
I know that you can buy boxes of mini muffins at the store. But you can make a batch of these homemade mini banana muffins for less than it costs to buy a box of them from the store—and you’ll get twice as many muffins out of it.
Ingredients you’ll need
You probably already have most of the ingredients on hand to make these mini banana muffins. You’ll need:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups lightly packed light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter
- 1 large room-temperature egg
- 3 very ripe mashed bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 8 ounces room-temperature sour cream room temperatureÂ
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. It seems like an easy thing to do, but getting it right helps your muffins come out perfect every time!Â
Using brown sugar in this recipe adds lots of flavor and helps keep the muffins moist. If you are out of brown sugar, throw together a simple 2-ingredient brown sugar substitute to use here.
Don’t panic if your brown sugar hardened in the pantry. Check out my post with tips for softening brown sugar to save yourself an extra trip to the store!
Sour cream is the secret ingredient for these muffins. If you’ve ever used sour cream as a buttermilk substitute, you know that the lactic acid in sour cream adds a great tang and tenderness to baked goods.Â
Making these muffins
This recipe makes about 42 mini muffins. Most mini muffin pans hold 24 muffins, so you will either need 2 pans or you will need to bake these muffins in two batches.Â
Once you have a mini muffin pan, you’ll be able to bake all kinds of muffins with it, including this recipe and chocolate chip mini muffins. So it’s a good pan to have!Â
First, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set this mixture aside.
Next, use a mixer to cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. This will take about 3-5 minutes.
Add the egg and mix until well combined. Then add the bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated.
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.Â
Divide the batter into the mini muffin wells. Make sure you spray the pan with nonstick spray or line the wells with mini paper liners.
I like to use a medium cookie scoop to portion the batter into the muffin wells.
Bake the muffins at 350°F for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let the mini banana muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack. If needed, finish baking off the rest of the batter.Â
Suggested mix-ins
My kids love this mini banana muffin recipe as-is, but you can make them your own by adding in some mix ins.
Add mini chocolate chips for mini banana chocolate chip muffins. Just make sure to use the mini chips!
Chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, are great for a mini version of banana nut muffins.Â
You could even toss some sprinkles in there if you want. We all know sprinkles make everything more fun, especially for kids.
Because this recipe makes 40+ muffins, you could easily divide the batter in half to make two different flavors. Twice the mini-muffin fun!Â
Storing mini banana muffins
Store mini banana muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
You can also freeze them in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months.
If you want to make these muffins an even easier breakfast or after-school snack, try packaging them up in individual portions in reusable snack bags and freeze. Grab a bag out of the freezer to thaw the night before or a few hours before you want to enjoy them.
Frequently asked questions
For a dairy-free version, swap the butter for your preferred vegan/dairy-free margarine and use dairy-free sour cream or yogurt in place of the sour cream.
To make the muffins vegan, make the above substitutions and use a flax egg in place of the egg.
I have not made a gluten-free version of these mini banana muffins, but I have had many readers use 1-for-1 gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour in my muffins and quick bread recipes before with great success.
Sure! Standard-size muffins typically need to bake for about 18-22 minutes. You can also check out my recipe for banana bread muffins.
Yes. If you don’t like using sour cream, feel free to use plain yogurt in this recipe instead. I recommend using full-fat plain greek yogurt when substituting for sour cream.
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with mini paper muffin liners.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes.
1 ¼ cups lightly packed light brown sugar, 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
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Add in the egg, mixing until incorporated. Add in the bananas, sour cream and vanilla and mix until fully combined.
1 large egg, 3 very ripe bananas, 8 ounces sour cream, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
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With the mixer on low, gradually add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
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Use a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) to divide the batter amongst the mini muffin wells.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
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Cool mini muffins in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Repeat with remaining batter as needed.
Feel free to add your favorite mix-ins, such as mini chocolate chips or finely chopped nuts, before dividing the batter into the muffin tins.
Serving: 1mini muffin, Calories: 83kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 72mg, Potassium: 54mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 95IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 14mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
