Banana Pecan Muffins are moist and delicious with buttery and sweet flavors. This recipe is amazing to make for breakfast, brunch or even dessert! Plus, these muffins are super easy to whip up, then pop them in the oven and watch them rise to perfection.
I could eat this whole batch of muffins, and I almost did! They have the best flavors and I used my favorite secret to making the best banana bread...let those bananas sit out on the countertop until the skins are almost entirely brown.
Allowing the fruit to really ripen decreases the acidity of bananas and increases the sweetness, meaning they get even more delicious in desserts.
For more of popular banana recipes, try this Banana Bread with Streusel Topping, Chocolate Peanut Butter Bananas and Mini Banana Pudding Cups.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick and Easy. The homemade muffin batter takes minutes to whip up, then let the oven do the work!
- Flavor Packed. These muffins are impossible to stop eating! They're sweet from the sugars and bananas with a toasted nutty taste from the pecans.
- Uses Simple Pantry Ingredients. Nothing fancy in this recipe and a great way to avoid tossing those old bananas. Anytime I see brown bananas on my counter, I immediately think "it's muffin time!"
- A Brunch Favorite. This is a great recipe for brunch. I love them for Mother's Day and wedding or baby showers. They're also extremely satisfying for breakfast and dessert.
For more popular brunch recipes to pair with these muffins, try these Bacon Brie Turnovers, Raspberry Lemon Loaf, and Strawberry Ricotta Toast.
Ingredients:
Bananas: The most important part of this recipe is making sure the bananas are really ripe, like to the point where you would no longer eat it out of the peel. Soft, ripe and mushy is equal to amazing taste.
Butter: Salted is my preference for this recipe and it needs to be softened to room temperature before starting the recipe.
Baking Powder: We're using baking powder for it's ability to make muffins rise really well.
*Find the full recipe ingredients and quantities in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- Unsalted butter can be used for this recipe, but I would increase the salt in the recipe by ½ teaspoon.
- The pecans can be substituted with walnuts or leave them out if you're worried about nut allergies.
- If you don't want the extra sugar, you can leave off the brown sugar topping, and just add the nuts.
- Equipment variation: If you don't have a stand mixer, use a large bowl with hand mixer.
For more yummy Muffin recipes, try these Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins (my kid's favorite), Banana Carrot Muffins, Bacon Cheese Muffins, and White Chocolate Raspberry Muffins.
How to Make Banana Pecan Muffins:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Give the pecans a good chop until finer in texture, then divide them into 2 equal piles and sit aside. One pile will go into the batter and the other for topping the muffins before baking.
Step 2: Peel the bananas and add them into a large bowl. Discard the peels. Mash with the back of the fork until the texture of baby food.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined.
Step 4: In a stand mixer bowl with beater attachment, add in the softened butter and beat for 15 seconds. Pour in granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes on medium low speed until light and fluffy.
Step 5: Add in eggs and vanilla and beat on medium low for 30 seconds. Add in the bananas and beat again for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides as needed when mixing.
Step 6: Pour in the dry ingredients and blend on low speed just until combined. Don't over mix. Stir in half the nuts into the batter.
Step 7: Line a 12 count muffin tin with 12 tulip muffin liners. Add about 3 tablespoons of batter to each muffin liner. *Note: If you're using regular cupcake liners, only fill them a little over half way full, which will make more muffins. Baking time may be quicker this way, so watch them well.
Step 8: Top each muffin with a sprinkle of brown sugar and add a bit of additional pecans to each top. Bake for 23-26 minutes until the centers are completely baked. To test, insert a toothpick into the center and pull out. It should have small crumbs with no wet batter.
Step 9: Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- The more ripe the bananas, the better. You want them to easily mush up into a baby food like texture.
- Leave the butter to soften on the counter for at least an hour. For a quicker softening, stick it in your pants pocket and even better, right into the hip side of your pants. I always bake in leggings, which makes this easy.
- Tulip liners are the best for muffins. You don't have to worry about overfilling and overflowing in the oven. (*product linked below in recipe card).
- If possible use a cookie scoop to make each muffin liner have the same amount of batter for even baking. I use a large one that holds 3 tablespoons.
If you love sweets, try this Strawberry Rhubarb Galette, Lime Bars with graham cracker crust, and Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie.
Recipe FAQs:
The softened butter creams together with the sugars to create an airy, fluffy mixture that will bring more air bubbles to the batter resulting in a fluffier muffin.
Allow the muffins to cool completely at room temperature, then store in sealed containers or a gallon sized ziplock bag. Enjoy within 2 days for the freshest taste.
More Brunch Recipes You'll Love:
If you tried this Banana Pecan Muffin Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
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Banana Pecan Muffins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Banana Pecan Muffins are moist and delicious with buttery and sweet flavors. This recipe is amazing to make for breakfast, brunch or even dessert! Plus, these muffins are super easy to whip up, then pop them in the oven and watch them rise to perfection.
Ingredients
- ½ cup pecans (whole or chopped)
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 1 and ½ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (break up any small clumps)
- ½ cup salted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed + 2 tablespoons for topping muffins
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Give the pecans a good chop until finer in texture, then divide them into 2 equal piles and sit aside. One pile will go into the batter and the other for topping the muffins before baking.
- Peel the bananas and add them into a large bowl. Discard the peels. Mash the bananas with the back of the fork until it looks like the texture of baby food.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients of flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg until combined.
- In a stand mixer bowl with beater attachment, add in the softened butter and beat for 15 seconds. Pour in granulated sugar and ½ cup brown sugar and beat for 1-2 minutes on medium low speed until light and fluffy.
- Add in eggs and vanilla and beat on medium low for 30 seconds. Add in the bananas and beat again for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides as needed when mixing.
- Pour in the dry ingredients and blend on low speed just until combined. Stir in half the nuts.
- Line a 12 count muffin tin with 12 tulip muffin liners. Add about 3 tablespoons of batter to each muffin liner. *Note: If you're using regular cupcake liners, only fill them a little over half way full and make more muffins. Baking time may be quicker this way.
- Top each muffin with a sprinkle of brown sugar and add a bit of additional pecans to each top. Bake for 23-26 minutes until the centers are completely baked. To test, insert a toothpick into the center and pull out. It should have small crumbs with no wet batter.
- Allow them to cool for 10-15 minutes, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The more ripe the bananas, the better. You want them to easily mush up into a baby food like texture.
- Leave the butter to soften on the counter for at least an hour. For a quicker softening, stick it in your pants pocket and even better, right into the hip side of your pants:) I always bake in leggings, which makes this easy.
- Tulip liners are the best for muffins. You don't have to worry about overfilling and overflowing in the oven. (*product linked below in recipe card).
- If possible use a cookie scoop to make each muffin liner have the same amount of batter for even baking. I use a large one that holds 3 tablespoons.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cooling Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: brunch
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
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