Banana Pecan Muffins
Super moist, light, and fluffy, these banana pecan muffins make the perfect snack. This sweet treat can be made and baked in under an hour. They’re moist and fluffy, with a bit crunch from toasted pecans.
Banana pecan muffins are a delicious and easy-to-make breakfast or snack option. Made with ripe bananas, toasted pecans, and a few other pantry staples, these muffins are moist, fluffy, and bursting with flavor.
Banana nut muffins are also a great way to use up overripe bananas. They add natural sweetness and moisture to the batter. The crunch of pecans adds a great texture to these delicious muffins.
If you want a little more bite, add a crunchy streusel topping like in these brown butter banana muffins.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need for this moist banana muffin recipe. You can find the specific measurements in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Melted butter: Salted or unsalted butter, it adds a rich flavor to the muffins.
- Over-ripe bananas: Opt for extra-ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots for the best banana flavor and sweetness. Thaw first if using frozen bananas.
- Soft brown sugar: Its caramel undertones perfectly complement the banana.
- Whole eggs: They provide structure to the muffins.
- Vanilla extract or paste: An essential flavor enhancer.
- All-purpose flour: The base of the muffin batter.
- Cinnamon and nutmeg – Warming spices
- Baking powder and baking soda: These leavening agents help the muffins rise.
- Unflavored yogurt: Adds acidity for a better rise and tender texture. You can use greek yogurt or plain yogurt. Sour cream or buttermilk can be used as alternatives.
- Salt: Works as a flavor enhancer.
- Chopped pecans: For extra crunch and nutty taste and some extra pecans to decorate the top of the muffins.
Method
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and grease or line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
Heat a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pecans and spread them in a single layer.
Stir the pecans frequently to prevent burning, and toast them for 3-5 minutes or until they are fragrant.
Remove the pecans from the heat and transfer them to a bowl to cool down.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
Add the melted butter, large egg, brown sugar, yogurt and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas and mix well until combined.
Add in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the muffin batter together until nearly combined.
Add in the pecans and fold until everything is combined. Take care not to over-mix it.
Use a cookie scoop to spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling them to the top.
Add a piece of sliced banana and a pecan half on top of each muffin, pressing them in slightly.
Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven heat to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The total time will depend on your oven.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool further to room temperature.
Storing
Leftover banana pecan muffins can be covered and stored at room temperature for 4 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week. Muffins freeze very well too.
Cover the muffins tightly with plastic wrap, place them in an airtight container or freezer bag, and freeze them for up to three months. Let them defrost at room temperature, and gently rewarm them in the microwave.
Related recipes
Here are some more muffin recipes to try next time.
Banana Pecan Muffins
Super moist, light, and fluffy, these pecan banana muffins make the perfect snack.
Ingredients
- 160g (1 cup) pecan halves
- 250g (2 cups*) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 360g (3 large) overripe bananas
- 150g (¾ cup) soft brown sugar
- 120g (½ cup) natural yogurt (or use sour cream or buttermilk)
- 113g (½ cup) butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping (optional)
- 12 pecan halves
- 12 banana slices
- Turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C) and grease or line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
- Chop the pecans into small pieces. Heat a dry, non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pecans and spread them in a single layer.
- Stir the pecans frequently to prevent burning, and toast them for 3-5 minutes or until they are fragrant.
- Remove the pecans from the heat and transfer them to a bowl to cool down. After they're cooled, chop them into smaller pieces.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas and mix well until combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to fold the muffin batter together until nearly combined. Add in the pecans and fold until everything is combined. Take care not to over-mix it.
- Use a cookie scoop to spoon batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling them to the top.
- Add a piece of sliced banana and a pecan half on top of each muffin, pressing them in slightly. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes in the preheated oven at 425°F (220°C), then lower the oven heat to 350°F (180°C) and continue baking for 16-18 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. The total time will depend on your oven.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them and place them on a wire rack to cool further to room temperature.
Notes
*Cup sizes given are US-sized cups. Note that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results, use grams.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 298Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 305mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 2gSugar: 16gProtein: 5g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
Curious as the metric amounts with the cups in brackets don’t equal. For instance 160 grams of pecans is one cup but 250 grams of flour is 2 cups. I want to go metric but the flour doesn’t seem to be enough in grams. If I measure two American measuring cups of flour it is over 250 grams
Hey Teresa,
Pecans are heavier than flour, so one cup pecans is approximately 160g, while 1 cup spooned and leveled flour is approximately 125g.
However since everyone fills their cups differently, cups are never as accurate as metric. The same goes with cup sizes, they differ depending where you are in the world too. If your 2 cups flour weighed more than 250g, then they are packed fuller than needed for this recipe.
For best result use a kitchen scale and grams 🙂
Thank you so much – I have a scale and love it but get confused when I see cup measurements in brackets that seem different.
You don’t mention in the instructions to add in the cinnamon and nutmeg. Not sure if they are supposed to be included in this recipe, or you just missed them in the instructions.
I did miss that! Fixed now, thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Made these muffins a couple of days ago and they were super good, gone in a flash. I used gram measurements and 2 x 6 slot Texas Muffin pans; I like my muffins big! The recipe mixture filled 10 slots a couple of mm from the top and baked a couple of mm over the top. I did not decorate the top as no spare pecans or bananas, I used Dark Cane sugar to sprinkle the top as Turbinado Sugar was new to me. Google helped but no ‘raw’ sugar in the pantry! Very moist and tasty with the crunch of the Pecan and banana flavour, yum.