Chai Spiced Banana Muffins
Banana baked goods are one of the quintessential comfort foods. Most of us grew up eating homemade banana breads, muffins and pancakes—anything to use up those bananas that developed a few too many brown spots for anyone to want to eat them. Most of those recipes call for at least two bananas, often three or more. But what if you only have one? This recipe takes that single overripe banana and turns it into a small batch of just five soft, moist banana muffins, spiked with warm chai spices and topped with a crackly chai-sugar crust.
Bananas are a popular fruit in our house, most of the time. They get eaten plain, added to breakfast cereal or oatmeal and, occasionally, tossed into smoothies. But it isn’t unusual for my family to decide the bananas are a little too ripe for their taste halfway through the week—which usually means they’re very overripe by the weekend.
I certainly have plenty of banana recipes I can turn to, some I’ve already shared here (Banana Crumb Muffins, Banana Oat Whoopie Pies or most recently Browned Butter Banana Snack Cake), but they all call for two to three bananas. Recently, my family has developed a habit of leaving just one brown banana behind in the basket.
I decided it was time to develop a recipe specifically for that one banana. It needed to make at least five servings so everyone in the family could enjoy it, and I still wanted plenty of banana flavor. Rather than adapting a standard batch by replacing the moisture and structure of the missing bananas with additional eggs, oil or other ingredients—which would inevitably dilute that banana flavor—I built the recipe around a single banana from the start. The result is a naturally small batch of muffins that can still be scaled up when you happen to have more bananas on hand. And while cinnamon and nutmeg are classics in banana baking, I wanted to mix things up just a little. Swapping them for a chai spice blend brings ginger, cardamom and clove into the mix, giving the muffins more complexity and depth.
Today, I’m sharing the result: an elevated morning staple with warm chai spice and a crisp, spiced-sugar crust contrasting with the soft, tender crumb beneath. Five muffins is enough for the whole family to share, but still a manageable batch when you’re baking for only one or two. Paired with tea or coffee—or even a cozy cup of hot chocolate—they’re an easy addition to a fall breakfast or brunch table.
Chai Spiced Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a standard muffin pan with 5 paper liners.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and chai spice blend. Set aside.20 g sugar, 1 tsp chai spice blend
- In a medium bowl, mash the banana well. Add the sugar, egg, oil and vanilla. Whisk until well combined130 g banana, 55 g brown sugar, 1 large egg, 25 ml neutral oil, 1/2 tsp vanilla
- Add both flours, chai spice blend, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until combined.60 g white whole wheat flour, 30 g oat flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chai spice blend
- Divide the batter evenly between the 5 lined muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with the chai sugar blend – the mixture should remain visible on top of the muffins (if you have extra, store it in as small zip top bag to use another time).
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake for 12-15 minutes or until the tops are golden and spring back when touched (internal temperature of about 200°F).
- Remove from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool. You can enjoy them warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Private Notes
Nutrition
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