small batch banana nut muffins

About These Small Batch Banana Nut Muffins

These small batch banana nut muffins are a small batch version of the banana muffin recipe in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking. Unlike the original recipe that yields 12+ muffins, this recipe only yields 6 muffins. It’s perfect for small households of 2- to 4- people!

And similar to my (best and favorite) recipe for banana bread, I used sour cream and brown sugar in the batter to keep the muffins super moist. Finally, I added a generous amount of walnuts to the original recipe for extra flavor and crunch.

For more homemade muffin recipes on Hummingbird High, check out my Muffin Recipe Collection! Popular recipes include these Bakery Style Snickerdoodle Muffins, these Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and this Small Batch Blueberry Muffin Recipe (featured in The New York Times!).

small batch banana nut muffins
small batch banana nut muffins

Ingredients and Substitutions

Now that I’ve convinced you to make this small batch banana nut muffin recipe, here’s your shopping list for the recipe:

Shopping List for Small Batch Banana Nut Muffin Recipe

And let’s talk about some of the key ingredients:

Ingredient Sources and Substitutions

  • Walnuts. You can use whatever nuts you prefer; I just made these muffins with walnuts because banana and walnut is a classic pairing. I could see these banana nut muffins working well with other nuts like hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, and pecans.

  • Bananas. This recipe works best if you use incredibly ripe, spotted, and almost black bananas. How ripe should bananas be for banana muffins? VERY ripe. Like “leaving them on the counter for another day is a bad idea because it would attract too many fruit flies” ripe.

  • Sour Cream. No sour cream? No problem. You can substitute it with plain, unsweetened full-fat regular OR Greek yogurt. AVOID using flavored yogurt since these have added sugars and artificial flavors that affect your banana bread.

  • All–Purpose Flour. You can use a 1-1 gluten free all purpose flour replacer to make the recipe gluten free. I like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour or King Arthur Flour Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.

  • Brown Sugar. Brown sugar is available in two varieties: light or dark. Dark brown sugar is my personal preference; because it contains more molasses, I find it to be more flavorful. However, you can use either in this banana muffin recipe without affecting its flavor too much.

Can I make banana muffins with yellow bananas?

Technically, yes, you can. But I guarantee you that the resulting banana muffins won’t be as moist as flavorful as the one that would have been if you’d used spotted black bananas. Why? As bananas naturally ripen, the fruit inside becomes more sugary and flavorful. Yellow bananas are still pretty starchy and don’t contain as much natural sugars and flavors.

How to Make Banana Muffins With Frozen Bananas

Yes, you can make these banana muffins with frozen bananas! In fact, I even encourage you to do so. I love freezing overripe bananas for future baking projects. I put the bananas, skin and all, in a gallon-size zip top bag and freeze them. In the freezer, the peel turns entirely black (don’t panic, this is normal!). It then leeches oil into the fruit to make the bananas more flavorful.

When I want to use the frozen bananas in a recipe, I transfer them to the fridge, still in their bag, and thaw them overnight. Alternatively, if it’s a hot day, I thaw them on the counter at room temperature for a few hours on a plate. The plate is important—as the bananas thaw, they’ll release a large amount of liquid. Don’t throw it out! Simply dump the fruit and its liquid into a bowl. Whisk them together before using in the recipe as directed. That banana juice is actually the secret to the making the very best and crazy moist banana muffins.

small batch banana nut muffins

How To Make The Muffins

Here are the basic steps to make small batch banana nut muffins from scratch:

  1. First, toast the nuts. (Work Time: 10 minutes)
    The best banana nut muffins are made with toasted nuts. Toasting them releases oils that rejuvenates the nuts and makes them more flavorful—learn more in the Recipe FAQ section below. The easiest way to toast nuts is to spread them in a thin layer on a sheet pan and bake in the oven until fragrant and lightly toasted.

  2. Next, make the muffin batter. (Work Time: <10 minutes)
    The banana nut muffin batter comes together in just 10 minutes or less. Simply cream together the butter, sugar, and egg, then add the dry ingredients in two parts. Finally, add the banana, sour cream, and vanilla, then mix in the walnuts.

  3. Assemble the small batch banana nut muffins. (Work Time: <5 minutes)
    One of the secrets to super tall and domed muffins is to fill up each cavity in the muffin pan with a generous amount of batter. Using the right tools will make the job go by quicker and faster—be sure to check out the baker’s notes for links to my favorite batter scooping tools!

  4. Bake the small batch banana nut muffins. (Bake Time: 22 minutes)
    Note that if you’ve replaced part of the all-purpose flour with an alternative flour like whole wheat flour or a gluten-free alternative flour, you may need to adjust Bake Time. Check out the ingredients section above for more specifics.
small batch banana nut muffins

Recipe Troubleshooting and FAQ

Why do I need to toast the walnuts?

Honestly, you can skip it to save time, but your muffins likely won’t be as good and flavorful as mine. Why? Toasting nuts brings out more flavorful oils within the nuts themselves, leading to deeper flavors. You also improve their texture by adding snap and crunchiness. If you skip this step, you’ll be sacrificing flavor and texture.

Many stores sell “roasted” nuts. These are technically nuts that have already been toasted. However, the longer they sit, the staler and less flavorful they become. So even if you have roasted nuts on hand, I suggest you toast them anyway. You may want to toast for less time than what’s listed in the recipe below—I’d start checking for doneness at the 5 minute mark.

Can you freeze banana nut muffins?

Yes! Place individually wrapped muffins in the freezer for up to 3 months. To serve, thaw them in the refrigerator the night before you’re planning on serving. You can then rewarm in the microwave, or sliced in half lengthwise in the oven or toaster oven with a pat of butter on each half.

Best Recipe Tips

Ingredient Tip

  • Bananas are listed in the recipe by weight, not volume or size. Why? It’s risky not to include exact measures for banana bread. Too little banana, and your banana bread will turn out dry, flavorless, and maybe even soapy tasting. Banana’s natural acidity helps neutralize the baking soda in the recipe, so without enough fruit, the banana bread will taste like baking soda! But go the other way and use too much banana, your bread will take forever to bake or collapse in the center. For best results, first peel the bananas, then use a digital scale to weigh the naked fruit. But for those of you who insist on volume measurements, use ⅔ cups mashed bananas, from about 1 large banana.

Equipment Tip

  • This recipe instructs you to fill your muffin tin with a generous portion of batter (6 tablespoons per cavity). The batter is fairly thick, so it will its shape before and during baking, resulting in sky-high domes. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie dough scoop or a 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each cavity evenly and efficiently with the right amount of batter.

Technique Tip

  • Watch out for the nuts! You’ll need to toast them before using in the recipe (read more above as to why this is important). To save time, toast the nuts first. As the nuts are toasting in the oven, prep all the ingredients for the banana nut muffins by measuring them out and getting them ready for the batter.
small batch banana nut muffins
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Get the Recipe: Small Batch Banana Nut Muffin Recipe

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 22 minutes
Total: 52 minutes
Servings: 6 muffins
Author: Michelle Lopez
This small batch banana nut muffin recipe only makes 6 muffins! The muffins are super moist, thanks to the combination of sour cream and brown sugar in the recipe. The generous amount of walnuts add lots of delicious crunch too!
(4.92 stars) 34 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Small Batch Banana Nut Muffins

  • 1 cup (3.5 ounces or 99 grams) walnuts, chopped into ¼- to ½-inch pieces
  • 5 ounces (or 142 grams) very ripe peeled bananas (see baker's tips for cup measures)
  • 2 Tablespoons sour cream
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (4.5 ounces or 128 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup tightly packed (3.75 ounces or 106 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg

Instructions
 

For the Small Batch Banana Nut Muffins

  • Prep your oven and pan. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a muffin pan with six paper liners.
  • Toast the nuts. Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the walnuts in a single layer across the pan. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, or until fragrant and toasted brown. Use a heatproof rubber spatula to toss the nuts every 2 to 3 minutes to ensure even toasting. Once toasted, scrape the nuts onto a plate to prevent them from cooking further.
  • Make the muffin batter. In a medium bowl, use a fork to mash the bananas, adding the sour cream and vanilla and stirring them into the mixture as you do. The mixture will be thick and chunky, but that's totally okay, I promise!
  • In another medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar. Beat on medium until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg, mixing until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients in two equal parts, adding the second half only when the first half has been just combined. Add the banana mixture all at once and beat on low until just combined. Add ¾ cup of the walnuts and beat until evenly distributed. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Use a 1-tablespoon or 3-tablespoon cookie dough scoop to fill each lined cavity with 6 tablespoons of the batter. Sprinkle the top of each muffin, aiming for the batter and avoiding the pan, with the remaining walnuts. Pour warm water into the empty cavities of the muffin tin, filling them at least ⅔-rds of the way up.
  • Bake the muffins. Bake for 22 minutes, or until the muffins are domed and golden brown around the edges. A skewer inserted into the center of a muffin should come out with few crumbs attached. Cool in the muffin tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn the muffins out onto the rack.
  • Serve and store. Serve warm or at room temperature. The muffins can be wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Michelle holding Weeknight Baking cookbook covering her face.

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Weeknight Baking:
Recipes to Fit your Schedule

Over the past several years of running Hummingbird High, I kept a crucial aspect of my life hidden from my readers: I had a full-time, extremely demanding job in the tech world. In my debut cookbook, Weeknight Baking, I finally reveal the secrets to baking delicious desserts on a tight schedule.

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