These banana pecan muffins have twice the nuts as other recipes. I like the buttery, sweet nutty flavor of pecans the best, but walnuts are another common option.
This recipe also uses half the sugar as other banana nut muffin recipes, and it's still sweet. That's because 3 bananas have about as much sugar as ¼ cup of granulated sugar. So it's not necessary to use the full cup of sugar that most muffins (banana nut or otherwise) call for.
I also have instructions for using more (or less) bananas. As you'll probably be making these from a bunch of bananas that have gotten too ripe for fresh eating and I want you to make the most of them.
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Recipe
Ingredients
Wet bowl ingredients
- 3 large bananas (or 4 small-medium)
- ¼ cup sugar add a ¼ cup more for a sweeter muffin)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry bowl ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 6.75 ounces
- ½ cup nut flour 2.25 ounces. Can also use whole wheat, or more all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon cardamom optional
Nut mix-ins
- 8 ounces chopped pecans about 1 ¾ cups
Instructions
Optional: toast pecans
- Toasting pecans brings out the nutty flavors even more, which comes through, even in muffins.
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees and add pecans to a baking tray. Bake for 5-8 minutes, until they smell nutty and just start getting a hint of golden color. Toast whole if you have whole pecans, otherwise toast the pre-chopped pecans for 3-6 minutes. SET A TIMER for the low end, nuts can burn easily.
Make the banana pecan muffins
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease the muffin tin.
- Chop pecans. Small pieces distribute more evenly, spreading out the nutty flavor even more. Scoop up any little crumbs and shavings - they help add flavor!
- Wet bowl ingredients: Use a larger bowl. Peel and mash 3 large bananas in the bowl. Then mix in the rest of the wet bowl ingredients.
- Dry bowl ingredients: Use a medium bowl. Mix together all of the dry bowl ingredients to evenly distribute the baking soda and spices.
- Pour dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir by hand to combine. Don't beat it or overmix, which will make a tougher muffin. But you should mix until all of the flour is incorporated. Then gently stir in all but ⅓ cup of the pecans. (reserving them for a topping).
Bake at 350℉ for about 25 minutes, until center reaches 200-210℉
- Scoop batter into muffin tins. It will fill them almost to the top (see photo in post). Then top with remaining pecans.
- Bake (without convection) for 20 minutes and check on them. They will likely need to go longer, depending on your oven. The internal temperature should be 200-210℉. Let cool before serving.
Notes
Bananas
Ripe to overripe bananas all work well, with nearly equal amounts of natural sugar. The riper they are, the easier they mash. 2, 3, or 4 bananas:- If you use only 2 bananas, add an extra tablespoon (or two) of sugar. Will cook 5-10 minutes faster.
- For 3 bananas, use the recipe as written.
- To use an extra bananas, add another ¼ - ⅓ cup of flour so the batter isn't too runny, and they don't bake up gummy.
Nuts
- Pecans have a buttery, sweet flavor with little bitterness
- Walnuts can be bitter - and with this many nuts that can definitely impart a bitter flavor to the muffins
- Avoid almonds, unless they are slivered then chopped (they have a harder texture)
Flour
You can use 2 cups of all-purpose flour, or a mix of all-purpose and whole wheat. I keep a mixed nut flour in the freezer for muffins like this (and brownies).Nutrition
Nutrition & calories
Most muffins I make have reduced sugar because I rely on the natural sugars in the fruit. This banana nut muffin recipe is no different, using half the sugar as other recipes. The mashed bananas are already pretty sweet and they're evenly distributed throughout the batter, reducing the need for more added sugar.
Here's how the sugar breaks down in these muffins:
- Bananas: 4 grams sugar per muffin
- White & brown sugar: 8.5 grams sugar per muffin
- Other ingredients: 1.5 grams sugar per muffin
A good chunk of the calories in the banana pecan muffins comes from the nuts themselves. While I use half the sugar as other recipes, I also use twice the nuts.
The pecans alone account for 130 calories per muffin. Any other type of nut has similar calories, including walnuts. You could use half the amount, which is similar to other banana nut recipes, but nuts are good for you!
Here's a breakdown of the calories by ingredient:
| Ingredient | Calories per muffin |
|---|---|
| Bananas | 30 |
| White & brown sugars | 33 |
| Melted butter | 68 |
| Flours | 78 |
| Pecans | 130 |
| Milk & eggs | 11 |
| Total | 350 |
I also have a detailed breakdown for banana nut muffin nutrition based on other recipes, store-bought, and bakery muffins.
Bananas - does quantity & ripeness matter?
Banana nut muffin batter adapts to varying amounts of bananas and levels of ripeness pretty easily. If you've made banana bread and added that extra banana before it goes bad, or made it one short, you've probably noticed it turns out just fine.
Quantity
This recipe calls for 3 large bananas, which is about 4 smaller ones. But you can use 2 large bananas, or even 4 large ones if you want. I do it all the time so I can use up whatever bananas are hanging around.
The number of bananas will affect the moistness of the muffins as well as the cook time. Less bananas result in drier muffins that cook 5-10 minutes faster. Whereas using more bananas will make moist muffins, but they can end up on the gummy side if you don't cook them longer than specified.
If I add an extra banana, I usually also add in an extra ⅓ cup flour to offset the extra water content. A large banana can have 80-100 grams of water, depending on just how big it is, which is about ⅓ cup of water. It's not perfect science, but that's why I offset it with an extra ⅓ cup of flour.
Bananas also contain a fair amount of sugar, so you can adjust the recipe if you want. A large banana contains about 17 grams of sugar, which is about 4 teaspoons of sugar (equal to 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon). You can remove (or add) sugar based on the number of bananas you use.
Ripeness
Banana nut muffins are made with ripe and overripe bananas. Most people report that the banana flavor is more prominent with overripe bananas.
However, the differences between the moisture and sugar content of bananas as various stages is negligible. Here are the differences when comparing an overripe banana that has brown and black sections all over the peel to a slightly ripe banana that is yellow with faint green edges:
- Overripe banana has about 2 grams more sugar (½ teaspoon)
- Overripe banana has about 5 grams more water (⅓ teaspoon)
If you add that up across 3 bananas, you get a difference of 1.5 teaspoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of water for the entire batch of muffins. So as you can see, using ripe or overripe bananas will yield similar results.
These values are based on the study titled "Dietary fiber, starch, and sugars in bananas at different stages of ripeness in the retail market," by Phillips et al., 2021.
Pecans & other nuts
Pecans and walnuts are the classic options for banana nut muffins because of their softer texture. As an example, chopped almonds would stay much harder even after baking, unless they were slivered and then chopped.
I think pecans work best in this recipe, simply because pecans are less bitter and taste slightly sweeter than walnuts.
Bitterness can be a problem in this particular banana nut muffin for two reasons. First, there are a lot of nuts in this recipe. If you end up with bitter walnuts, that flavor would take over. Bitterness can actually help balance really sweet desserts, but this isn't one of them.
Which brings me to the second point: these muffins are low in added sugar. Pecans have a buttery, slightly sweet nutty flavor that enhances these muffins beautifully. They work with the ingredients, not against them.
If you add extra sugar to this banana pecan muffin recipe (you can double the sugar to be more similar to other recipes), then bitter walnuts wouldn't stand out as much. You can also try a mix of pecans and walnuts.
Toasting nuts
Why go through the trouble of toasting the pecans when you're just adding them to the muffin batter? You might be wondering if it makes a difference - the answer is that it does!
- Toasting nuts enhances their nutty, sweet flavors while also diminishing any bitter flavors.
- They become slightly softer and more buttery, blending into the texture of the muffin better.
- When toasted, it brings oils to the surface which mix into the muffin batter, distributing the nutty flavor even more.
However, you want to be careful to not toast them too long or they'll turn bitter or even acrid. A longer toast, or a darker golden color does not make them tastier (like it does when caramelizing vegetables).
Take the pecans out when they just start to turn light golden. If you're unsure if the nuts are golden brown enough or not, err on the side of caution and take them out early.
The pecans don't even need to be burnt to taste bitter or acrid. If they turn a dark golden brown, that's usually enough to develop off flavors.
Use low heat
Nuts should be toasted low & slow to prevent them from burning. Most recipes suggest toasting nuts in a 325-350ºF for 5-7 minutes, but I've burnt entire batches of nuts too many times.
What you should actually do: toast them at 250ºF for 5-8 minutes.
- Pecans toast faster than a lot of other nuts, including almonds
- It's best to toast nuts whole, before chopping them
- If you buy pre-chopped pecans, they will toast faster - check on them after just 3-4 minutes.
Burning the pecans isn't the only problem you can encounter - the actual temperature they are toasted at matters too. Toasting nuts at higher heat can cause them to taste bitter and rancid, even if they aren't over-toasted. So follow the recipe and toast them at 250ºF.
Butter vs oil (and other liquids)
Butter and oil affect the flavor and texture of muffins differently. Butter is known for having a better (buttery) flavor, whereas oil creates a moister texture.
In my opinion, butter is better for these banana pecan muffins because the bananas already create a moist muffin. These muffins don't end up with a dry crumb like other types of muffins do when butter is used.
Some banana nut muffins also use other liquids, like sour cream or buttermilk to add tang, or maple syrup for the flavor. Here are some recipes to check out if those sound good to you:
- Banana nut muffins with sour cream and a touch of maple syrup from Butternut Bakery
- Banana walnut muffins with melted butter and buttermilk from The Cozy Apron
- Banana nut muffins with vegetable oil from The Busy Baker
Banana pecan muffin batter
Muffin batter consistency has a pretty big range from relatively thin to thick, depending on the recipe. For this particular banana pecan muffin recipe, the batter is on the thinner side - like a thick pancake batter.
The dry ingredients are mixed together using a spoon (or a whisk) to evenly distribute the ingredients. The wet ingredients are mixed together separately so you can combine them without worrying about over-mixing. To combine them, mix by hand until the flour is totally absorbed. Avoid beating the batter, which can create a denser texture for the muffins.
Filling the muffin tin
This makes a lot of batter for muffins that rise taller. Fill each muffin well until it's almost full. It will fill more than ¾ths of each one.
Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top. They shouldn't burn or even over-toast. It seems like having the batter around them keeps them cool enough, as long as they aren't right under your oven's heating element.
Use a thermometer to check when the muffins are done: 200-205°F
I've never been that confident using a toothpick to check for doneness of a muffin or quickbread. There's a big range between batter clinging to the toothpick and coming out clean with few (or no) crumbs.
At one point, after a particular gummy banana bread, I decided to use a thermometer to check on the doneness. The next bread came out perfect. And so has every one past that!
I always use an instant read thermometer now to check when baked goods are done, from muffins to breads to brownies. (140°F is the perfect temperature for fudgy brownies that don't dry out, by the way!).
The Thermoworks blog has internal cooking temperatures for different types of baked goods including cookies, cakes and muffins. They also explain a little bit about the science behind how the composition of each type of recipe affects the final internal temperature goal.
- Quickbread, muffins, cornbread, and scones: 200 - 205°F (93°C - 96°C)
- Cakes and cupcakes: 200 - 209°F (93°C - 98°C)
- Cookies: 180°F (82°C)
I have the Thermoworks Thermapen, which is pricey but I love it. For other price points, you can find instant read thermometers on Amazon (that's an affiliate link and I want to be up front that I haven't tried any of these specific products).
More recipes & resources
More banana nut muffins recipes to try:
- Whole wheat banana walnut muffins, sweetened with honey by Ambitious Kitchen
- Oat banana nut muffins, using coconut oil, milk, and sweetened with maple syrup, by Sally's Baking
- Banana nut muffins with a streusel topping, light on the nuts. Recipe by Serious Eats
If you're looking to use up bananas, you can try this banana bread with fresh figs. Or make some other muffins, depending on the season:
If you're wondering what else is currently in season, check out my calendars to see what produce is in season each month (and coming up soon).
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