Banana Crumb Muffins
When you want the comforting, nostalgic flavor of banana bread in a more grab‑and‑go format, these Banana Crumb Muffins are the answer. Who can resist a lightly spiced, tender banana muffin topped with a crunchy cinnamon streusel? Standard‑sized muffins make a perfect breakfast or brunch option, while nearly bite‑sized mini muffins are a fantastic mid‑afternoon pick‑me‑up.
This recipe came from a little moment of kismet. I had a few overripe bananas sitting on my counter as I headed into the weekend — I knew I needed to use them, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make. I regularly read The New York Times: The Morning newsletter, which includes a “Recipe of the Week” every Saturday. And what should appear that morning but a recipe for King Arthur Flour’s Banana Crumb Muffins — originally from a 1997 State Baking Contest at the Connecticut State Fair, adapted by the Times, and now adapted just a little further by yours truly.
At its heart, this is a quick and easy recipe: no muss, no fuss, no unusual ingredients or special equipment. It’s the kind of recipe you turn to when you have a busy weekend ahead but still want to give your family a breakfast or snack that feels a little bit special — the kind of simple, comforting bake that turns a few overripe bananas into something warm, nostalgic, and genuinely worth sharing . The changes I made didn’t alter that vibe at all — they just deepen the flavor and add a little extra texture.
- First, the topping:
- Old‑Fashioned Oats: I love the extra texture and chew oats bring to a streusel topping. If you prefer something softer, you can use quick oats instead.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg is often paired with cinnamon, but I especially love it with bananas. It adds a warm, cozy complexity and actually boosts the banana flavor, making it taste deeper and richer.
- Salt: Streusel is sweet by nature, and a touch of salt helps keep everything balanced.
- Nuts: Completely optional, but I love the added crunch and flavor from the toasted pecans.
- Then the muffins:
- Salt: I bumped up the salt in the muffin base as well. Bananas are naturally sweet, and we’re adding sugar on top of that — the original ½ teaspoon didn’t feel quite balanced enough.
- Spice: I added both cinnamon and nutmeg to the batter. It leans into that nostalgic, comforting flavor pairing and enhances the banana flavor.
- Brown Sugar: I swapped some of the granulated sugar for brown sugar. The toffee‑caramel notes play beautifully with the banana and spice, and brown sugar helps the muffins stay moist longer.
The next time you have a few overripe bananas but feel too busy or overwhelmed to do anything with them, I hope you’ll give this recipe a try. I promise both you and anyone you share them with will be glad you did.
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease the cups of 1 standard (or 2 mini) muffin tin(s) (Do not use paper muffin cups/liners)
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.60 g flour, 20 g old fashioned oats, 25 g sugar, 25 g brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp salt
- Add the butter and cut into the dry mixture using a fork or pastry cutter until it resembles coarse crumbs with pieces no larger than a pea.56 g unsalted butter
- If you are using the pecans, stir them into the crumb mixture just to evenly distribute them. Set aside while preparing the muffin batter.28 g pecans
- In large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.180 g flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- In another medium bowl, combine the mashed bananas, sugars, egg and melted butter and mix until uniformly incorporated.390 g ripe bananas, 100 g sugar, 55 g brown sugar, 1 egg, 75 g unsalted butter
- Stir the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients mixture just until moistened with no visible streaks or pockets of dry ingredients.
- Fill cups of your prepared muffin tin(s) two-thirds full. Using your hands, sprinkle the crumb topping mixture over the muffin batter distributing it evenly across all of the muffins. On a standard muffin you’ll use about 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp of the crumb mixture on each muffin, on a mini muffin tin you’ll use about 1 1/2 to 2 tsp of the crumb mixture on each muffin.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes (or 2 minutes for mini muffins). Without opening the oven door, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 12-14 minutes (8-10 minutes for mini muffins) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin shows just a few moist crumbs (~200-205°F on an instant read thermometer). Cool in the pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely
Private Notes
Nutrition
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