Banana Nut Muffins

Here’s an unexpected family favorite muffin: this Banana Nut Muffins recipe! They’re sweet and exceedingly moist, with an irresistibly nutty flavor from toasted walnuts in the batter and sprinkled on top. Add a little crunchy sugar to those muffin tops, and the sweet- salty-nutty flavor combination is out of this world. Our family went wild for these, and I dare say we love these even more than Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins…if that’s possible. Here are the tricks to this tasty muffin!

Ingredients in banana nut muffins

These banana nut muffins are moist and fluffy, with the best nutty flavor that’s infused into the entire muffin. But there’s no tricks here: they’ve got basic ingredients and follow the traditional muffin method. The only added bonus: toasted nuts. Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

All-purpose flourCinnamon and ginger: these spices make for just the right cozy, nuanced flavorBaking powder, baking soda and saltBananasEggGranulated sugarVegetable oil: using oil instead of butter makes extremely moist muffinsVanilla extractWalnuts: you’ll toast the nuts to bring out the flavor: see below! You can also use pecans if you like. Turbinado sugar: this chunky sugar makes a lovely glittery topping

Toasting the nuts brings out the flavor

The key to this banana nut muffins recipe? Toasting the walnuts. Don’t be tempted to skip this step! Toasting nuts is like adding salt to savory food: it intensifies the nutty flavor. It takes just 5 minutes to toast walnuts on the stovetop. Here are the basic steps:

Place the nuts in a dry skillet (no oil) over medium heat. Heat, shaking the pan and stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the nuts are fragrant and slightly darker brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stay at the stove because the nuts can easily burn! Remove immediately from the heat and transfer to a plate to stop the cooking.

More tips for banana nut muffins

Aside from toasting the nuts, there are a few basic tips for banana nut muffins that are important to keep in mind. Here’s what to know:

Very ripe bananas are key. The riper and browner the better! Very ripe bananas make an intensely moist texture and sweet flavor: and there’s no faking it with a plain old ripe banana. Resist the urge to overmix. Overmixing muffin batter causes holes in the crumb and a denser texture. Mix just until the streaks of flour disappear.Baking at 400 degrees makes a taller muffin. Our favorite temperature for baking muffins is 400 degrees Fahrenheit (versus 350F, which you see more often). It makes a taller and fluffier muffin.

Variations and mix-ins

Of course, you can add even more mix-ins to this banana nut muffins recipe to customize it. It would be great with one of the following:

Use pecans or macadamia nuts instead of walnutsChocolate chips: add ½ cup bittersweet or semisweet chipsWhite chocolate chipsButterscotch chips: butterscotch would go well with the nutty flavor

Storage info

What’s the best way to store these banana nut muffins? Here are the best practices for muffin storage:

Room temperature up to 4 days: Store at room temperature in a sealed container. You can place a paper towel inside to absorb extra moisture and keep the tops crunchier.Refrigerated 1 week or more: These muffins store well in the refrigerator. (We kept ours almost 2 weeks and they still tasted great.)3 months: Freeze in a sealable container and store up to 3 months.

More banana muffin recipes

There are lots of ways to make a banana muffin! Here are some of our top muffin recipes:

Try classic Easy Banana MuffinsGo for Banana Chocolate Chip MuffinsGrab our fan-favorite Healthy Banana MuffinsTry Banana Oatmeal Muffins or Banana Blueberry Muffins