Bakery-Style Banana Bread Muffins with Cinnamon Walnut Streusel

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A banana bread muffing that tastes exactly like the kind of muffin you’d grab from a cozy corner bakery with an overpriced latte you’d gladly buy again. These soft, spiced banana bread muffins are generously topped with a cinnamon walnut streusel and garnished with a slice of banana. They’re so comforting, a little extra, and one of those muffin recipes you’ll be coming back to again and again. 

These banana bread muffins are oversized and a little extra in texture, but we are here for it all. The spiced banana muffin base is rich with banana flavor and cozy notes of cinnamon. Each muffin is topped with a cinnamon walnut streusel that bakes into a golden, crunchy topping. And for that bakery-style look, we topped each muffin with a slice of banana that was baked right on top. 

These bakery-style muffins are perfect for slow weekend mornings, snacking throughout the day, or for a brunch with friends. If you’re looking for the ultimate banana bread muffin recipe, you can stop your searching here. Let’s grab a bunch of ripe bananas and get to smashing! 

Why You’ll Love These Banana Bread Muffins

• Bakery-Style is better! We love taking a classic muffin flavor and making it a little extra – like a muffin you’d get at your local cafe. That means they’re a bit bigger and are topped with some extra toppings to make them feel more elevated.
• They check every box! They’re soft, moist, crunchy, cozy, and genuinely hard to stop at just eating one.
• Perfect for sharing! This recipe yields a batch of 12 muffins, making them perfect for serving when you have friends or family to entertain. Depending on how large or how hungry your group is, you can easily double the batch to feed more people.

How to Make Banana Bread Muffins, Step By Step

Step 1. Preheat the oven and line your muffin tin. 

Before you start whipping together the muffin batter, preheat the oven and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.

That way, your muffin tins are ready to be filled, the oven has been warmed to the right temperature, and you’re ready to pop the muffins in the oven. 

Step 2. Whisk the flour mixture together.

In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk the dry mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated. 

Set the flour mixture aside while you mash the bananas and mix the other wet ingredients.

Step 3. Mash bananas and mix wet ingredients.

In a separate bowl, remove the banana peels and mash several ripe bananas. Use a fork to mash the bananas into a smooth mixture. Once the bananas are mashed, whisk in eggs, sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and sour cream into the mashed bananas until the mixture is smooth. 

Sour cream is a secret weapon in muffins because it gives the muffins a deliciously soft crumb and a bit denser texture. 

Tip: Use the ripest bananas you can find. They will be easier to mash and blend into the batter. They will also taste sweeter.

Step 4. Combine the flour mixture with the wet ingredients.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry mixture. Gently stir until you have blended the dry ingredients into the wet and there aren’t any clumps of flour. 

Step 5. Fill muffin tins and bake!

Using an ice cream scoop or 1/4 measuring cup, scoop the banana bread muffin batter into each muffin tin cup. 

Each muffing tin should be filled at least 3/4 the way to the top. These will be larger muffins, so you should be able to fill 10-12 muffin tins with the batter. 

Pop them in the oven and bake at 350°F for 18-22 minutes. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack.

Tips for Making Bakery Style Banana Muffins

• The riper the banana, the better. The best bananas for banana bread are the ones that look inedible – they’re dark brown and super soft. Bananas that are too green or even yellow will be harder to mash, and they won’t add as much sweetness to the batter.
• Fill each muffin tin three-fourths of the way full. It may seem like you are filling them too full, but it will give the muffins large muffin tops.
• Do not overmix the batter! Overmixing the batter will create a tougher, chewier texture. 
• Sour cream never disappoints! Sour cream adds some extra fat and moisture to the batter. It’s our secret weapon to getting a deliciously soft crumb every single time!
• Use room temperature eggs. Cold eggs will not blend as smoothly into the batter. Set the eggs out for about 20 minutes before making the muffins to warm to room temperature. If you are running short on time, place eggs in a warm (not hot) water bath.

How to Store Leftover Muffins

If you do not plan on eating the muffins the same day, they will be good for 3-4 days in an airtight container or ziplock at room temperature. We do not recommend storing them in the fridge.

You can also package and store the muffins in the freezer. Place them in a single layer in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. 

How to Reheat Frozen Muffins

Depending on how much time you have on hand, you can either thaw at room temperature or reheat the muffins in the oven or microwave. The choice is yours!

• Thaw frozen muffins at room temperature: Thaw muffins in on the counter to thaw for 1-2 hours until completely thawed out. Warm them to your liking in the microwave for 10-15 seconds each. 
• Reheat in the Oven: Preheat oven to a low temperature, 350ºF. Place on a baking sheet and heat for 10-15 minutes until warm.
• Reheat in the Microwave: A quick way to reheat muffins is in the microwave. Unwrap and preheat for 30-60 seconds until warm. Timing will vary depending on how your microwave cooks.

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