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.
Becky says
Hi Tracy, can i use 2 instead of 1 banana for this recipe since i really love the nana flavour, thanks!
Tracy says
Hi, Becky, without further testing, I couldn’t say for sure. I worry the muffins would end up too wet and mushy with the moisture from the extra banana.
Becky says
Great thanks for the advice Tracy, i will stick to just 1 nana then 🙂
Rachel says
I just made these muffins and they were amazing! thank you so much for the recipe! I used a whole egg instead of just the white like one of the reviews suggested, and the muffins were moist and delicious. Definitely something I’ll try again
Tracy says
Thanks, Rachel! So glad you enjoyed them!
Alexis says
The best banana bread recipe I’ve tried! So quick and easy and just the right amount of muffins for my little family. I used a whole egg instead of egg white, and a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract. It came out perfect! Also added chocolate chips. They’ve only been out of the oven for 15 minutes and they’re almost gone. Thanks for sharing!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Alexis! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
Eunkyung says
Made this for the first time yesterday and it lasted less than 5 mins!! I had to go out to buy more bananas today! Fluffy and moist! Thank you so much for the recipe
Tracy says
Lol! So glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Grace says
I couldn’t find the old 1 banana recipe I used to have, so I did a search and came across yours. It was great!! I made 12 minis and had some left over which I put in a ramekin for the rice cooker.
I also did a full cup, half flour, half oatmeal. I did half an egg instead of the full egg and it still worked out really well. I also started checking the oven at 10 min. like you suggested and it came out perfect. Rose perfectly, everything was gone at the end of the day which never happens. I even decreased the sugar added and it was still sweet enough for us.
Thanks!!! Will be reusing this recipe.
Tracy says
Thanks for the detailed comment, Grace! I love that you used oatmeal in there. I’m going to have to give that a try. And I’m so happy the muffins worked out for you!
Meg says
Thanks for this recipe 🙂 I had one lonely brown banana and wanted to make something with it, so this was perfect.
I made a few changes, and it still turned out really really good.
– I had no granulated white sugar, so used brown sugar instead.
– used the whole egg
– added 1/3 cup walnuts instead of the choc chips
– used gluten free flour
I was worried the gluten free flour would make them harder, but they were still super fluffy and everyone loved them 🙂
Tracy says
Glad to hear these worked out for you, Meg. Thanks for the detailed comment!
Nan says
Most delicious banana muffins I’ve made in long while. Thank you!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them. Thanks, Nan!
Jamie says
Yum! These are so good! I doubled the recipe and used a whole egg. Great recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jamie! Thrilled you enjoyed them!
Jody says
I can’t believe how easy and quick these are to make and yet they are really really good. I use walnuts and dark chocolate chips and live in high altitude and they come out perfectly! Love this recipe!
Tracy says
Thanks, Jody! I’m so happy you liked them!
Kim Kautzer says
Yes! That was me. One sad banana. Plus, I can’t keep big-batch anything in my house … because I have no willpower. So four muffins is perfect for the two of us!
These are fantastic! Crispy around the edges, tender crumb, and just-right banana flavor. I added walnuts instead of chocolate chips b/c that’s what was on hand. Looking forward to trying some of your other muffins!
Tracy says
LOL, thanks, Kim! So glad these muffins were able to hit the spot!
Yasmin says
Hello. I made this recipe and it turned out amazing! The banana I had wasn’t a very big one, so I used a whole egg and baked it as a cake. Thank you so much Tracy.
Tracy says
Thanks, Yasmin! A little banana cake sounds adorable! 🙂
Grace says
Hi Tracy, this may be self explanatory but I’m about to use 3 bananas I have, so would I use one whole egg, and one egg white?
Thank you
G.D.
Tracy says
Yes, if you’re tripling the recipe, 1 egg + 1 egg white will work just fine. Hope you enjoy them!
Margaret says
EXCELLENT! I can make these and clean up by the time my oven preheats. I’ve made both 4 and 8, and they come out perfect every time. I use 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips and add 1/4 tsp of vanilla. They freeze perfectly!
Tracy says
So happy you’ve enjoyed these, Margaret!!
Cindy says
I just got back from a trip where I took a banana from the breakfast buffet on day 1. On day 3, that lone banana got packed in my carryon and was sitting on my counter until I stumbled onto this recipe. I love all of the comments that answered my questions. Can I use the whole egg and can I sub butter for the oil. Voila!
Tracy says
Yay! So glad you were able to turn your buffet banana into something good!
Vicki says
This is my “go-to” recipe for banana muffins, so I thought it was high time that I comment. Thank you so much for the recipe! I make this, if not weekly, at least twice a month. I find myself hoping some of the bananas get overripe… I usually sub butter for the oil and add a splash of vanilla. We like our muffins firm, so I add an extra tablespoon or two of flour. I like your suggestion of using the whole egg for a double batch, which is what I usually make. I can get 12 muffins from a double batch with the extra flour. Thanks!
Tracy says
So happy to hear, Vicki! Love your tip for adding a little extra flour to get the texture you want!
Alyssa says
These were AMAZING! Happily I wound up with 6 muffins and even those didn’t last long! I had just one old, sad banana and this recipe made my day!
Thank you so much!!
Tracy says
Thank you, Alyssa!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins and got a bonus couple out of the recipe. 😉
Stacy says
I’m so glad I found your website, and this recipe! As a singleton I always seem to have bags of leftovers in my freezer, stray muffins and ends of bread that I can never finish. Not to mention at least a half dozen frozen bananas at all times.
This recipe was delicious and made 4 perfectly sized muffins! I added pecans for a little textural variety and topped them with honey butter. So good. The cinnamon and nutmeg bring out the flavor of the banana without overpowering it.
I made this recipe again today for a potluck. I doubled it and added mini chocolate chips this time and it made a perfect 24 mini muffins.
Thank you!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Stacy. And OMG, I never thought about using honey butter on banana muffins. I think you just changed my life! 😉