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.
Stela says
Hello, what could be a substitute for the egg white? Thank you!
Tracy says
Hi, Stela, you can use a commercial egg substitute (just use 1 egg’s worth as the package instructs). Some readers have also had success with flax seed. If you scroll about four comments up to Ashley’s comment, she left a really detailed comment about making that substitution. Hope that helps!
Stela says
Thank you but there is no such commercial egg substitute here in Bulgaria, and also, I do not have anything to grind the flax seed with. So do you have any other suggestions, please? Thank you!
Tracy says
Hi, Stela, I haven’t done these, but maybe try number 6 or 7 on this list? https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/surprising-egg-substitutes/
If you do try, please let us know how it works out!
Lori says
Is there a way to make this egg free?
Tracy says
Hi, Lori, see Ashley’s comment right above this one. She had a lot of success using flax seed to replace the egg, and left really detailed instructions for what she did. Hope that helps!
Ashley says
Hi Tracy! I have a couple of questions… will this still work if the banana isn’t nearing “overripe” stage just yet, like it is still mostly yellow? Secondly, is there a good substitute for the egg white? I’ve seen some places mention that you could use unsweetened applesauce or ground flaxseed mixed with water…. and ideas about that? I don’t usually keep any eggs on hand…
Tracy says
Hi, Ashley, you can absolutely use a normal banana. Just make sure to mash it really well. I know people have had success with applesauce and flaxseed, but I haven’t tried it, so I don’t know how it affects the texture of the muffins. If you want to give it a try, just use the recommended substitution amount for one full egg and see how you like the results. It might take a little experimenting to find the eggless version you like best. If you try, please let me know how they turn out!
Ashley says
Hi Tracy!
I *did* try the recipe (with my “normal” banana, and no chocolate chips), and followed your instructions exactly except instead of 1 large egg white, I used a mixture of 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed/ground flax meal mixed with 3 tablespoons of water.
So, in a separate bowl, I combined 1 tablespoon ground flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water and stirred it really well (as if I were beating an egg, but with a spoon) until it was ‘viscous’, and similar in texture to an egg white. The flax mixture starts out watery but the more you stir, it will start to thicken.
Then I just combined it with the other ingredients per your instructions! The muffins came out wonderfully!! I told my husband what I had done and he said you’d never be able to tell it wasn’t made with an egg. He even said, “we should try other baked goods using that method”… and later that day he put a cookie mix in the grocery cart … (it worked on that cookie mix, too!).
Thank you for this easy recipe! It transformed that one lonely, ordinary banana I had into a much more interesting and taste breakfast for two! I love that it was a small batch recipe, too!
(Speaking of a meal for two, we also tried your ‘Salsa Chicken for Two’ recipe and it was ALSO delicious…!)
Tracy says
Oh yay. So glad it worked! Thanks so much for the detailed comment. Now I can point people to it when they’re asking about making these eggless. And so glad you enjoyed the salsa chicken!!
Megan says
Thanks for the great recipe!! I ended up placing the batter in a mini loaf pan (about 5″ x 3″) for 26 minutes and it came out perfectly! Ate part of it while it was still warm and it was so delicious and moist. Will always use this recipe from now on when I have a single ripe banana or just craving a small portion of banana bread 🙂 Thank you so much!
Helen says
Hello from Australia! We have some diffetent things in Australia and i think u got things right. I used plain flour instead of all purpose flour and bicarb soda instead of baking soda. I also used brown sugar instead of white and a whole egg because i dont like waste. They look and smell yummy but I’m a bit worried about the sodas. Fingers crossed! Thank you so much for the recipe.
Tracy says
Hope you enjoyed them, Helen!!
Ju says
Hi Tracy thanks for a great recipe!! Perfect for the mini muffins I wanted to make.
I ended up substituting a few ingredients with what I had in the pantry ☺️
White flour > wholemeal flour
Vegetable oil > coconut oil
White sugar > coconut sugar
Also just put the whole egg in as I was too lazy to seperate plus the choc chips.
Results were amazing! Thanks again
I look forward to checking out more of your recipes!
Tracy says
So glad to hear you enjoyed them. And thanks for sharing your substitutions! I always get asked about substitutions for these muffins and can’t always answer because I often haven’t tried them. So this is super helpful!
Mykaela says
I made this recipe and added some blueberries I had leftover in my fridge as well. Instead of mixing in the chocolate chips, I put some on top. They turned out AMAZING! Definitely will make again!
Tracy says
Thanks, Mykaela! So glad you enjoyed them, and blueberries sound so good in these!!
Lauri says
Wanted to bake something for my granddaughters so doubled the recipe and baked in a bread pan. So incredibly moist and delicious. Hope there’s some left for them.
Tracy says
LOL So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Hope your granddaughters did too. 😉
Cristina says
Thanks for the recipe, just what I was looking for!! I needed a quick recipe & only had 1 banana on hand. I whipped up after-school snack; the muffins are baking right now!
Tracy says
Hope you enjoy them, Cristina!
Melissa says
I’ve made this recipe three times now! Once just with one banana and the last two times I doubled it (and used the whole egg) and every time they come out great! So easy too! Making some now to bring to Valentines’ Brunch tomorrow! Thanks so much for the recipe!! 🙂
Tracy says
Thank you, Melissa! Hope everyone enjoys them at brunch tomorrow, and happy Valentine’s Day!
Mateo Pedersen says
I just wanted to say, these muffins are completely perfect in every way and I’ve made them several times now! But today I wanted just plain banana chocolate chips muffins. So I left out the cocoa powder and subbed an extra 1/4 cup of flour. It was a success! In case anyone is interested! This recipe so perfect for using up that one extra banana laying around!
Tracy says
Thanks, Mateo! So glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Elena Hollingshead says
The banana muffin recipe was really good! And it was a perfect amount since I only had one banana left. Thank you for sharing!
Tracy says
So glad you enjoyed them, Elena!
Donna C says
Perfect amount of muffins for two people. Really quick and easy recipe.
Tracy says
Thanks, Donna! Glad you enjoyed them!
Terry A. says
I have a go-to recipe for banana bread, but I needed a recipe for only 1 banana. This was absolutely perfect! I’m sure I will use it over and over again. Thank you!
Tracy says
Thanks, Terry! So glad you enjoyed it!
Becky says
Hi Tracy, just wanted 2 let u know i made this recipe today using a loaf pan instead of muffin tins n it turned out 2b a huge success. Im about as amateur as u cld get when it comes 2 bakin so wanted 2 say thanks n how much i appreciate this scaled down.small size recipes since i hv a small family of 1. Pls hv more of these small sized recipes in the future. Xoxo becky b
Tracy says
Thanks, Becky! So glad the recipe worked out for you, and I’ll definitely keep the small-batch recipes coming. 🙂
Rosanna says
Omg! You r the best! I’m a widow and don’t need to make large batches of anything. I had one poor ripe banana and hate to waste anything. I found your recipe using one banana. The only thing I did extra was to add a splash of vanilla and black walnuts and used a whole egg. I buttered my tart pan and baked. Delicious and just right for a bite! Keep posting for small batches of anything!!! Thank you so much!
Tracy says
Thanks so much, Rosanna!!