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.
Arundhati Poshattiwar says
Hey Tracy, I tried this recipe and the muffins turned out great except for a minor gripe. While the muffin tasted delicious, the bottoms turned out to be soggy. I added walnuts and pistachios to the recipe.
Is there any reason why the bottoms were soggy?
Tracy says
Sorry your muffins were soggy, but I’m glad they at least tasted good! I’ve never had that happen with this recipe, but here’s a good article on why muffin bottoms sometimes turn out soggy: https://foodal.com/knowledge/how-to/fix-soggy-muffin-bottoms/ Basically, the mix-ins might have sunk to the bottom and caused them not to fully cook or they might have gotten soggy if left to cool in the pan too long. Hope that helps!
Joyce Anne Ones Sibal says
Thank you for this recipe, Tracy! My husband loves it!
Tracy says
Thanks, Joyce! So happy to hear!
Melissa says
Thank you for sharing! I have been making these off and on the past couple months. They’re perfect because my boyfriend is lactose intolerant, and these are lactose free as well! I actually ended up with three very ripe bananas this week and want to make use of them tonight before we leave for vacation tomorrow, and rather than making three separate loaves, I was wondering how I can use this recipe for the three? I like yours since the ingredients are all things I have at home (and again, lactose free)! Can I just triple everything in the recipe? What should I do?
Tracy says
So happy to hear that, Melissa! I’ve never made these muffins into a loaf before, but other readers have, and it’s worked just fine for them. Tripling should work. Just start checking on the loaf at about 35 minutes, but don’t be worried if it takes significantly longer to bake. If you try it, please let me know how it worked out. And have a great vacation. 🙂
Melissa says
I have actually been making them into a loaf this whole time; I don’t have a muffin tray. But it was amazing every single time. I’ll go ahead and try baking a big one now. I just wanted to check about the tripling and the baking time. I’ll let you know how it goes later tonight!
Tracy says
Oh, gotcha. Glad the mini loaves have been good. Hope your big loaf turned out!
Kelli-waters says
Thanks for sharing! I mixed the first nine ingredients in a plastic container and poured about 1/3 of the batter into a large mug that I’d sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, then topped with some walnut pieces. I microwaved it for about 1 minute and 20 seconds — delicious!
Tracy says
Oh, thanks for the detailed comment. That’s so helpful for other people who want to cook these muffins in the microwave! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Tyra Rae says
I’m not much of a baker.
The last muffins I tried to bake came out rock hard (I followed the recipe exactly) & that was a few years ago.
But, this weekend I gathered enough courage to TRY baking muffins with the last 2 ripe bananas we had left.
When I woke up to do the baking……I found there was only 1 banana left…lol.
So, I decided to Google for a “1 banana muffin recipe” & decided to try your recipe.
I choose your recipe because
I liked your way of explaining your recipes.
I liked how you shared your stories.
I liked your sense of humor & your personality.
I followed your recipe exactly as written ~ I made no changes.
I am happy to report~ the muffins were so delicious that my husband ate 3 out of the 4 muffins!
He had to force himself to leave one for our son…lol.
Well, since this recipe turned out to taste so delicious, I decided to bake your small batch blueberry muffins (doubled it) & they too were eaten up before the day ended.
Thank you for these delicious recipes.
I will definitely be returning to try some of your other recipes.
May I ask this question?
I read others post
saying they made mini muffins & mini loaves
Does the baking time change when making the muffins in different sizes?
If the baking time does change:
Can you tell me ~ How long would the baking time be for:
Mini muffins?
Mini loaves?
Regular size loaf pan?
(Your 2 recipes were so delicious that I’ would like to bake mini loaves to give as gifts. I’d like to bake lots of mini muffins/instead of a few regular size muffins & would also like to try to make regular size blueberry & banana loaves)
Thank you very much.
Can you tell how excited I am about baking your recipes?
Really, I am.
Lol
I can very much relate with the person that posted about gaining confidence as a result of “baking successfully” with your recipe ~ because I too am not too confident in the kitchen
& this weekend’s success boosted my confidence 100%
Honestly, I have NEVER EVER thought of gifting anything I’ve baked before ~ too scared it might not always turn out delicious. ..but your recipes are sure proof!
Major Kudos to you ~ you are a “10”
Thank you again.
Tracy says
Thanks so much, Tyra. This comment totally made my day! As for cooking times for different sizes of muffins/loaves, it’s going to differ for every recipes. Generally, mini muffins will take 10-15 minutes, mini loaf pans 20-30 minutes, and full loaves 35-55 minutes. When I’m trying a new recipe, I’ll wait until the tops of the muffin/loaf have puffed up and look well-set and then start testing for doneness. Hope that helps!
Tyra Rae says
Hi Tracy,
Thank you do much for your reply
& help.
Today I baked the mini muffins.
You were absolutely right about the time.
They were ready in 15 minutes. I started checking them like you said to to do at the 10 minute mark.
All baked up & worked out perfectly.
I made them with the chocolate chips.
You know my husband is in “muffin heaven!”
Truly your recipe is full-proof!.
Thank you again for your help & for sharing your recipes.
Have a Blessed week!
Tracy says
Thank you, Tyra! So glad the minis worked out!
Bee says
Hi Tracy! Thank you so so much for this recipe. I’m an average baker who’s been having a very long rubbish streak. But thanks to you and these muffins, I’m back on track! They came out absolutely perfect and so fluffy and moist, I could’ve eaten all 4 in one go. Also to anyone like me who hates tossing stuff out and has no clue what to do with one sad egg yolk, I used the entire egg and the recipe was just fine.
Tracy says
So happy to hear these helped break your rubbish streak, Bee!! 😉
Hannah says
Hi I just wanted to know is the calories for all 4 or is it for each muffin? Thanks x
Tracy says
Hi, Hannah. It’s per muffin.
Courtney says
This recipe is so good, I triple it. Forget the lone banana when you can shove them into your mouth. I add two kinds of chocolate chips, semi sweet and milk and I cut up one extra banana which I don’t mash for banana “chunks”. I might also have added Nutella swirls to the top but that would be too much so don’t tel anyone (and it’s not too much). Love, love, love! Thank you 🙂
Tracy says
LOL, Courtney! I like the way you bake! 😉
Novice Baker says
I made these for the first time a couple of weeks ago and the whole family loved them! They turned out perfect. I was so proud of myself for turning something that was going to be trash into yummy goodness instead! So, of course, I went to make them again when I had a couple brown bananas.
I tried substituting coconut flour this time though, and boy did that change the consistency!!! The coconut and banana flavor were great together, but I think I’ll be sticking with your original recipe! (unless anyone has any advice for me?)
Tracy says
Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! And if you want to make a coconut flour version, I’d actually try looking for a banana muffin recipe created specifically for coconut flour. Because there’s no hard and fast substitution rule, it can be kind of tricky to adapt AP flour recipes for coconut flour.
Manisha says
Hi Tracy…. I stumbled upon your blog when I started looking for small batch baking recipes that could help novice like me.. And I am so glad I did.. Tried this one with doubled up ingredients and into a loaf pan.. And boy!! Wasn’t it the most amazing thing that came out of my oven for the first time… Didn’t take much time to finish off either and the compliments I owe it to you.. Gave me some confidence that I needed after a series of baking mishaps.. Will keep coming back for more.. Love… 🙂
Tracy says
Thank you! This makes me so happy to hear!
Margo says
I just made these for the third time. Yummy! Thanks for the recipe. I made mini muffins and he kids gobbled they right up.
Tracy says
Yay! Glad the kiddos enjoyed them!!
Christine says
I substituted regular flour with gluten free flour, the namaste brand, and made no other changes. They came out perfect!! Love the small batch because I don’t buy many bananas at a time – and now if I eat ALL FOUR I won’t feel too bad about it. Thanks very much. I will check out some of your other recipes as well.
Tracy says
So happy to hear these worked out for you, Christine! And thanks for the specifics on the flour. It’s really helpful for other readers looking to substitute!
marie stanley says
These cooked up really well in my toaster oven ! And taste so very good. Nice texture throughout !
Tracy says
So happy to hear, Marie!
susanna says
these were great! I used 1.5 small bananas and they weren’t even as ripe as I would have liked but they still turned out!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Susanna!
Theresa says
Thanks for the small batch recipe! I have some frozen mashed bananas I will try with this recipe.
Theresa
Tracy says
I hope you enjoy them, Theresa!!
Jessica says
I made these a couple of weeks ago, and my boyfriend really loves them. He said they’re so good, they don’t even need the chocolate chips. They’re now my go to muffin recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jessica! I’m so glad you both enjoyed them!!