These easy small batch one banana muffins will use up that one lonely ripe banana sitting on your counter. Just 1 brown banana yields 6 tall bakery-style banana bread muffins in this simple recipe. Add chocolate chips if you want to take them over the top!
A recipe using just one banana!
Ask me what my most-baked recipe is and honestly, out of all of them, it’s my easiest banana bread every. single. time. I realize that may not be a particularly exciting answer but it’s the truth – fan favorite banana bread is easy, comforting, and endlessly customizable (looking at you, double chocolate banana bread).
Sometimes, however, I don’t have time to make a full loaf OR I only have one sad, spotty brown banana sitting all by itself. Enter: these small batch banana muffins! We’re getting 6 delicious muffins using 1 banana and I have to say, it’s pretty satisfying.
These muffins bake up tall with a plush texture and subtly sweet, cozy banana flavor. I love to add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top before baking for that crunchy bakery-style muffin top. Adding chocolate chips never hurt anyone either! I’m showing the recipe with and without chocolate chips in the photos; you will get 6 muffins either way.
More recipes using one ripe banana:
- Small Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins – the rich chocolate version of this recipe!
- Baked Banana Donuts are another great way to use up one brown banana. You’ll get 8 donuts from that recipe!
Ingredients
One key ingredient is quite obvious for this small batch banana muffin recipe; below are the rest. I like recipes that are adaptable depending on what you have, so I give substitute options where appropriate.
- One spotty or completely brown banana. Overripe bananas produce better flavor. This should equal about 85-100g or 1/2 cup mashed banana.
- Unsalted butter, melted (can substitute olive oil, avocado oil, or coconut oil if you prefer)
- Brown sugar (just 1/3 cup; no sickly sweet muffins here – can substitute granulated sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1 Whole Egg (this is not one of those persnickety small batch recipes that will require just an egg white or egg yolk, hooray!)
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour (you can sub an equal amount of all-purpose gluten-free flour like Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 – I tried this and found no discernible difference in the final product)
- Baking powder and baking soda for lift
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Dark or semisweet chocolate chips (optional, if you want banana chocolate chip muffins) or chopped nuts (if you want banana nut muffins)
- Turbinado or granulated sugar, for bakery-style crunch on your muffin tops
Equipment Needed
- Glass mixing bowl(s) – note I give instructions below on how to make this a one bowl recipe!
- Whisk (or fork) and rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale – I highly recommend weighing your ingredients for most accurate results, especially the flour! This is the primary way I bake these days, rather than using measuring cups.
- 12-cup muffin pan
- Optional: parchment paper liners
- Optional but highly effective: 1/4 cup muffin/ice cream scoop
How to make 6 muffins from 1 banana
- Mash your banana in a large bowl until relatively smooth. Whisk in the other wet ingredients (melted butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla).
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl (note, you can skip this if you only want to dirty one bowl. Instead, add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt to the wet ingredients and whisk thoroughly before adding the flour and proceeding with step 3).
- Dump the flour mixture into the wet and stir with a spatula or fork until a batter is formed, but don’t keep stirring indefinitely. Just until it comes together – this prevents gummy muffins. Fold in the chocolate chips or nuts, if using.
- Spoon banana muffin batter into every other muffin cups in a 12-cup muffin pan (greased or in muffin liners), sprinkle turbinado or granulated sugar on top of the muffin batter, and more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake as directed below until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a couple moist crumbs attached. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and enjoy!
Tips for baking tall muffins
If you’re like me, you’ve been disappointed by muffins that puff up super tall in the oven and then deflate the second you take them out. It’s the worst, right? This is usually caused by the shock of taking the muffins out of the hot oven and into the cooler air outside of it before their structure has set.
I’ve done a lot of experimenting and research to figure out how to bake tall muffins that hold their shape and don’t sink, and here are my best tips:
- Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes at room temperature before scooping and baking. This thickens the batter and allows the baking powder to activate. (I’ve even left batter out up to an hour before baking with no discernible difference in the end product!)
- Only use every other muffin cup (see photo below) – meaning for 6 muffins, you’d use a 12-cup muffin tin. This allows for better air flow around the muffins and lets them rise higher.
- Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F WITHOUT opening the door and bake for another 12-15 minutes. The initial blast of high heat activates the chemical leavening reaction in the muffins and allows them to rise super tall, and the subsequent gradual reduction in heat allows their structure to set before they are removed from the oven.
You can use these tips in any muffin recipe and I promise it will work. I’ve tried these methods with all sorts of different recipes (even gluten-free ones) and have had great success. Just make sure to keep that oven door shut until they are set or else they’ll deflate on you!
Storage
These easy banana bread muffins can be stored as follows…
- Room temperature: 1-2 days in a tall airtight container that doesn’t touch the sugared tops, or individually wrap them in plastic wrap for a quick breakfast on the go
- Fridge: up to a week in an airtight container; microwave each muffin for 15-20 seconds to reheat
- Freezer: up to 3 months, well-wrapped individually in plastic and stored in a freezer bag. Microwave for 30 seconds to reheat or allow to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Additions and Substitutions
- In place of the all-purpose flour, substitute an equal volume (1 cup) or equal weight (125g) of a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix that contains xanthan gum. I tested and like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Chocolate chips: you can sub in 1/2 cup of nuts, dried fruit, or even fresh blueberries, or skip the add-ins entirely! Recipe works either way.
- Double the recipe for 12 muffins instead of 6! If you don’t want to bake them in two batches, you can bake them all in a 12-cup muffin pan following the high-to-low-heat trick, which will still produce fairly tall muffins.
- Mini banana muffins: this recipe will make 12 mini muffins. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F and 5 more minutes at 350F (check often for doneness) — or 8-10 minutes at 375F the whole time.
More Small Batch Muffin Recipes
- Small Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins (the chocolate version of this recipe!)
- Small Batch Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Small Batch Apple Cider Donut Muffins
- Small Batch Molasses Gingerbread Muffins
Recipe
Small Batch One Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted (can substitute with a neutral oil)
- 1 overripe banana (will equal 85-100g or about 1/2 cup mashed banana)
- 1/3 cup (66g) brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (85g) dark or semisweet chocolate chips (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) turbinado or granulated sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line or grease every other cup of a 12-cup muffin tin (recipe makes 6 muffins; using every other cup creates better air flow and taller muffins).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter. Add banana and mash thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Whisk in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet and stir together until a batter forms. Stir until just incorporated; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips or other add-ins, if using.
- Optional: Let batter sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before scooping for tallest muffins.
- Spoon the batter equally into the 6 muffin cups. Top each with a generous sprinkle of turbinado or granulated sugar, and more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C), then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) WITHOUT opening the oven door, and bake for 12-15 more minutes until domed and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.
- Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Notes
If you make these small batch, one banana muffins, please leave a star rating and review below. It helps other bakers find and successfully bake the recipe!
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This recipe does not give the amount of flour to use with a measuring cup.
Nice flavor and texture to the banana muffins. Will add nuts or chocolate chips next time, for the added interest. Thanks for the tip about waiting 15-20 minutes after mixing to fill muffin cups and bake. They were beautiful! Wish I’d taken a picture.
Easy to do! Plus they’re delish 💕
love that, thank you so much!
Made it once was super delicious! Made it again but I used wholewheat flour this time. I added applesauce, extra virgin olive oil and walnuts! Still a hit!!! ☺️❤️
love that! thank you so much!
I love this recipe so much!!! simple to understand and the tips you gave are very useful. I’m definitely going to be making these a lot. <333
thank you Kit!!
Love this recipe…lighter than most banana muffin recipes…perfect!
Made a double batch today.
thank you!!
Followed recipe as is and used mini choc. chips. Very happy with the results. Thank you for helping me put that last banana to use.
love that! thank you!! another one banana recipe coming very shortly so stay tuned…
Best Muffin recipe ever ! They came out so good and tasty and simple and easy ! Family absolutely loved it and so do I. Thank you for sharing the recipes. This will be in my recipe box for life. Looking forward to making more of your recipes…
awesome!! thank you!
I’ve made these easy and delicious muffins many times; we love them! I didn’t feel like digging out my muffin pan today so I baked this in an 8” square pan for 16 minutes (@ 350). Yum! Now we can cut any size piece to enjoy without ‘committing’ to a whole muffin! I normally add dried cranberries but only had dried currants so I added 1/4 cup currants + 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. A fabulous snack for our snowy weather! Thanks for an easy, quick and delicious recipe.
I’ll have to try them as bars, thanks for the idea and so glad you enjoyed!
I bake for hubby and me so this small quantity is great. The muffins have a wonderful flavor and texture. I added toasted pecans. I have a 6-cup dark metal muffin pan. My muffins were a bit too brown so I think I’ll lower the initial oven temperature to 400 and check them at 10 minutes instead of 12. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
thank you Carmen!
I tried this and it came out so good. Super easy recipe. Just wanted to use the overripe banana. Will definitely make again.
so glad to hear it, thank you!
I just made these. Followed recipe to a tee, fantastic!
awesome thank you!
Loved this recipe! A keeper. Made his recipe since I had one very ripe banana and I didn’t want to throw it out or freeze it, so thank you for this recipe. I didn’t have turbinado sugar so I used regular granulated sugar and it still came out great; had a nice sheen on top. I took one bite and thought oh my! Took another bite and thought wow! This tastes real good. No changes required for me, I did add 1 1/2 tablespoons sweetened shredded coconut.
Thanks again!
thank you so much Mary Ann!
Easy to make and very delicious. So soft!! I didn’t have unsalted butter so I used Irish butter and they came out perfect.
I have to try it with Irish butter now – thanks Andrea!
What are the time adjustments at each temperature for making mini muffins?
Hi Brenda – you can do 12-14 minutes at 350 the whole time, or do 425 for 5 minutes and 350 for 5 minutes.
Easy-peasy. Ultimately a bit dry but that could be because I went rogue and used 1/2 whole wheat flour. Next time I’ll add a few tablespoons yogurt or applesauce as per a previous comment.
The whole bit about resting the batter and briefly baking in a 425° oven certainly produced well risen muffins!
Topped them with a quick maple syrup and cream cheese glaze. Delightful.
so glad you enjoyed them Corina!
I made these one time when I only had 1 overripe banana left. Big mistake! My hubby loved them so much, I can’t make any other kind now….LOL! Great recipe…and sooo easy.
haha, best kind of problem to have! thank you Marianne!
I used half almond flour with all-purpose flour (being a vegetarian I wanted extra protein) and coconut oil for the butter. Easy and delicious.
Love that, thank you Rita!
This recipe is an instant keeper. The perfect amount of effort for when you realize at 10pm you have a perfectly brown banana and NEED banana muffins. I used mini CCs and the batter made 9 regular sized muffins for me. I might add some walnuts next time too.
Thanks so much, love that modification to minis!
Quick and very easy to make. Quite tasty too!!
thank you!
I absolutely loved these muffins! They had the perfect texture and a lovely crispy top. I ate them while they were still warm and the biggest pro: I already had all the ingredients at home. 100% baking these again.
so awesome! thanks Jannet!
Fantastic recipe! Will use it every time I have leftover bananas!
thank you Eryn!
This muffin recipe makes delicious muffins but all of Katie’s recipes are delicious. The only changes I made (and I did not want to make any changes) I had to use “salted” butter because I didn’t have “unsalted” butter on hand so I eliminated the 1/4 tsp of salt. Katie also mentioned that you could use 1/4 tsp of baking soda instead of 1/2 tsp so I used just a 1/4 tsp. Also, Katie gave a recommendation to add 2 tablespoons of yogurt or applesauce to create more moisture so I added 2 tbsp of nonfat plain greek yogurt. For my add-ins I used semi sweet chocolate chips. These muffins will definitely be on my repeat recipes list because they are easy, delicious, semi-healthy and only makes 6 muffins. I used all of Katie’s tips including weighing the flour, using every other muffin cup, don’t over stir batter, letting the batter sit for 20 minutes before filling cups, etc. Plus, no lugging out your mixer or hand mixer…just use a whisk and spoon. I didn’t use any of her storage tips because they were all eaten within minutes of coming out of the oven!
Thanks so much for this detailed review, Brenda! I’m so glad you love the muffins!
I made these muffins and the were just so very good. My husband loved them too. I love just making 6, so much easier than 12. I will d making them again and again. Love your web site Katie!!!!!
Susie Busch
Thank you so much Susie!
Was really good!!
So happy to hear that, thank you!
Loved this recipe…excellent way of using up one ripe banana. Will be making again
Thanks so much!!
I just tried this recipe, it so fluffy and tall and the ingredients is just perfect😋, but it was a little dry i don’t what did i do wrong 🤷♀️
Hi Mona – glad you enjoyed it! You could add a couple tablespoons of yogurt or applesauce to the batter next time to create more moisture.
Oh my God. I made these yesterday. These muffins are to die for. My husband is not too fond of sweets , but he polished off one in a blink. This recipe is a keeper
Amazing!! Thank you Madhura!
Oh my God. I made these yesterday. They are to die for. My husband is not too fond of sweets, but he polished off one muffin in a blink.. My friends loved it too. This recipe is a keeper.
super recipe. Turn out moist and fluffy, kids love them. They are very easy to bake, very tasty and only need one banana. Thanks for sharing Katie.
Thanks so much Milly!!
Great llittle batch recipe to add to my collection.
I use the 425/for 5 minute trick everytime I make muffins.
Works like a charm to get tall, imptessive muffins.
I also like to bake mufins in parchemnt tulip cupcake papers.
The batter never sticks and I can fill the cup to the top and get even higher muffins. In addition, they present so pretty and professional..
Thank you Nancy! great tip on the tulip liners.
Great recipe. Love the tips and how easy the instructions were. I added in apple chunks bc i was short on walnuts and chocolate chips which I think would have made it more stellar. Only thing I would want is more banana in it. Mine ended to be very mellow in banana flavour.
thanks for the great feedback, Michelle!
Made these this morning and they tasted great! Thanks Katie! They rose tall and are fluffy and moist. However I feel like I can slightly taste the baking soda or baking powder. Might just be me being sensitive so I’d like to try reducing it next time around. If so, which one?
Hi Hiba – after seeing your comment, I tested the recipe this weekend with half the baking soda (so 1/4 tsp instead of 1/2 tsp) and they still turned out very tall and fluffy, so I’d try that first if you’re sensitive to the taste.
LOVE these easy muffins. I always wind up with one spotty banana leftover when my kids don’t eat them all, and I hate throwing them out. This is the perfect solution! Mine rose so tall too, I feel like a pro when I make these. Thanks Katie!!
Sorry me again, also are these oven temps based on fan oven? Thank you
Hi Colette – you can take the muffins out of the oven once the full time is up. And this recipe was developed using a conventional American oven, so no fan. I hope these turn out well for you!
Thank you, will definitely try these.
Once done, and time is up, do they need to stay in the oven once it’s off for them to set?