These perfectly delicious small-batch banana muffins can be made with one banana, one bowl, and half an hour.
I have two questions for you today:
Do you have one sad browning banana sitting on your counter?
Do you have a bowl and basic kitchen staples?
Yes and yes? Then you can and absolutely should make these small-batch banana muffins (or if you feel like chocolate, try these Small-batch Chocolate Banana Muffins)!
I’m all about recipes that solve problems, and this recipe solves two. It gets rid of that piece of fruit rotting on your counter and makes sure you won’t overindulge in a sweet treat because it only makes four muffins.
That’s right, just four perfect little moist and delicious banana muffins.
And they are so fast and easy to make. They literally go from banana-on-the-counter to in-the-oven in 5 minutes, because you just mash a banana, mix everything in one bowl, scoop into a muffin pan, and bake.
They come out of the oven so moist and soft and good. It’s the perfect impromptu baking project for a lazy Sunday morning or rainy afternoon.
Ingredient Notes
- One very ripe banana: Craving banana muffins but don’t have any ripe bananas on hand? Go read my post on how to quickly ripen bananas.
- An egg white: This recipe calls for just an egg white. Check out my post of Egg Yolk Recipes for ideas on what to do with the leftover yolk (I recommend a small batch of chocolate chip cookies.)
- Flour: I’ve always made these muffins with all-purpose flour, but I’ve had a number of readers tell me they turn out well with gluten-free flour, so if you’re gluten-free, measure for measure/1 to 1 should work great.
Banana Muffin Variations
- Chocolate chip banana muffins: This is one of my favorites, fold ⅓ cup of chocolate chips to the batter before you transfer it to your muffin pan.
- Cinnamon sugar crust: Sprinkle ½ to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar over the top of each muffin before baking.
- Streusel topping: If you’d like to add streusel to the muffins, go make my favorite streusel recipe. The half batch will make slightly too much for 4 muffins, so you can either freeze the leftovers for a later batch or eat it. 😉
More Small-batch Muffin Recipes
- Small-batch Blueberry Muffins
- Small-batch Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Small-batch Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Small-batch Pumpkin Muffins
- Small-batch Apple Crumb Muffins
FAQ
Can I double this recipe?
Absolutely! And if doubling the recipe, you can use 1 whole egg instead of 2 egg whites. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.
Can I use a whole egg instead of just an egg white?
Yes. This is the modification readers most often tell me they’ve made with these muffins, so if you don’t want to go through the trouble of separating an egg, just use the whole thing.
More Banana Recipes
- One Banana Banana Bread
- The Best Banana Pudding
- My Favorite Banana Bread
- Banana Pancakes for Two
- 20+ Banana Recipes to Use Up Your Brown Bananas
Small-batch Banana Muffin Recipe Notes
- Freezing: Banana muffins freeze well! Individually wrap muffins in cling wrap and then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow them to come to room temperature before eating.
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Extra bananas: Have more than one sad brown banana? Freeze the rest! Bananas freeze super well for baking. Go check out my post How to Freeze Bananas for all the freezing tips and tricks.
One Banana, One Bowl Small-batch Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 large very ripe banana
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 1 tablespoon and 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of nutmeg
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with four liners (or grease).
- In a medium bowl, completely mash banana with a potato masher or fork. Add sugar, egg white, and oil. Stir with a spoon until just combined (mixture will still be lumpy).
- Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until just combined. If desired, stir in optional chocolate chips.
- Divide mixture between the four prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out mostly clean and the tops of the muffins begin to turn golden.
- Cool in the pan until cool enough to handle before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Doubling: If doubling, instead of using 2 egg whites, you can use a single whole egg.
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Individually wrap muffins in cling wrap and then store them in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow them to come to room temperature before eating.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.
Anita says
Really good and I liked how it didn’t make too many dishes! Replace oil with butter.
Seneca says
I have made these twice. Once with walnuts and once without. This recipe is fail proof! Perfection! It’s everything you want it to be!
Amanda says
Made this recipe on a whim today as I had 1 very ripe banana left that I didn’t want to just throw out. I added chocolate chips and walnuts and lessens the amount of sugar a tad. They were DELICIOUS! I’ll be saving this recipe for sure!
Rachael says
Wow! These are a big hit in my house. My husband and I along with our 4 year old and almost 1 year old boys love them. For the baby’s sake, I swap the oil for apple sauce and omit the sugar. They’re a delicious breakfast this way, but may not quite satisfy a dessert craving. I also sprinkle the tops of the batter with almond crumbs. And thank you, Baking Mischief, for the one egg yolk cookie recipe! Hands down the best cookie I’ve ever made.
Renette says
I used this recipe to make in my mini
muffin maker. I used the whole egg instead of just the whites (it was a small egg too)
Baked for 5 minutes. One batch made 14 mini muffins.
So happy! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I got this mini muffin maker for Christmas and the recipes booklet has 5 recipes in. So I had no idea how to make a muffin batch with one banana.
Looking forward to testing your other recipes.
Toni says
Love these! I’ve made them a few times. Just wanted to come say that I didn’t have an extra egg when I made these today, and they still turned out fantastic!
subira says
awesome recipe!!! these were so good, probably the best banana muffin recipe ive ever had. so moist, so flavourful! i will be making these regularly from now on. they were so easy too literally everyone needs to try these!!!!
Miranda says
Amazing recipe! My boyfriend usually doesn’t comment on things but he said those are pretty good. My 3 year old loved them too..
Katr says
These are one of the best things I’ve ever baked.
I did make a lot of healthy-ish swaps/adds and still, they are FANTASTIC.
I used half all purpose and half whole wheat flour.
Used half brown sugar, half white.
Added vanilla.
Added turmeric — I find I can’t really taste it and I want the nutrients. It turned them a really fun orange color.
Did the cinnamon sugar topping with half white and half brown sugar.
Baked them in greased mini muffin tins at 350 for 10 minutes. Yielded 15 mini muffins.
Truly AWESOME.
Emily Prows says
These were really good. A great amount of banana flavor. (My banana was 3.5 oz, btw.) I did not use choc chips. Definitely saving this recipe. It’s nice to have small batch recipes because I can’t overeat!!
Katie G. says
I have made this recipe 3 or 4 times over the past month, anytime we end up with a lone, overripe banana (which is very common in our household). It’s so quick, simple, and delicious. And the kids get a treat while I get to use up that last banana!
I have used both white and brown sugar with equal success, and I also usually do a scant 1/4 c, rather than a full one.
Thank you for this recipe!
Meredith says
Perfect! This made 15 mini muffins in about 15 mins. Used a tbsp to scoop the mixture into the pan. I used a brush to apply small amount of oil to the pan so no need for paper. I didn’t use nutmeg. They’re awesome.
Shelia says
Made these this morning and my husband LOVED them! I made them with chopped pecans instead of the chocolate chips. They just came out of the oven as he was coming downstairs and he said they smelled so good. Thank you for a great recipe for two.
Betsy says
Straight-forward and quick as promised! I made a few modifications: the whole egg, trying to use up some sour cream, so I used that instead of oil, and 60 grams date paste instead of the sugar. Made 12 beautiful, moist, delicious muffins. My baby and I loved them.