These fluffy and moist banana muffins with sour cream are made in one bowl and have so much flavor from overripe bananas, vanilla, and a pinch of cinnamon! The addition of sour cream makes them extra tender, rich, and soft. This easy muffin recipe will be a hit with all of your friends and family and is easy to make in under 30 minutes!
These sour cream banana muffins are a riff on my banana chocolate chunk muffins, just without the chocolate!
When I was developing this recipe, I was aiming for a perfectly moist muffin with lots of banana flavor. I also wanted to make banana muffins with sour cream since it's become one of my favorite ingredients! It has lots of fat, making mini banana muffins, banana bread, and muffins moister and richer. My sour cream pumpkin bread and blueberry muffins with sour cream are perfect examples!
If you only need 6 muffins for breakfast instead of a whole batch, make these small batch banana muffins instead! They're super similar to these sour cream muffins, just made with buttermilk instead.
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What Makes this Recipe Special
- Extra moist muffins- The secret to moist muffins is sour cream! It adds fat, plus the acid cuts the gluten strands in the flour, making muffins tender and fluffy.
- Delicious banana flavor-ย Just like my upside-down banana bread, espresso banana muffins, and peanut butter banana cake, these banana muffins have a delicious strong banana flavor thanks to mushy, overripe bananas. Brown bananas that look too ripe to eat actually are best for baking. If you have a lot of old bananas on the counter, this is the perfect way to use them up!
- One bowl recipe- Everything is mixed by hand, and you don't need to sift the dry ingredients or even combine them before adding to the wet ingredients. Trust me, I've made muffins this way over 20 times!
Key Ingredients
- Overripe bananas- For banana muffins, banana bread, or any baked goods made with bananas, choose soft, brown bananas. Totally brown skins or brown spots are ok. Super ripe, mushy bananas will create sweet, flavorful, moist banana muffins!
- Melted butter- I like using unsalted butter for more flavor, plus it makes it so you can control the amount of salt in the muffins.
- Oil- Helps the muffins bake up and stay super moist. I used vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral-tasting oil.
- Granulated sugar- White sugar sweetens the muffins and helps keep them moist. Don't reduce the amount of sugar or the texture will be a bit dry.
- Brown sugar- Adds more moisture and a hint of molasses flavor. You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Eggs- Make sure to bring eggs to room temperature for better incorporation into batter. Pull them out of the refrigerator an hour or 2 before you start baking.
- Sour cream- Full fat sour cream gives the muffins a creamy, moist texture. Don't forget to bring it to room temperature!
- All purpose flour- I always recommend measuring flour in grams with a kitchen scale because it's easy to over-measure with a measuring cup.
- Baking powder- Leavens the muffins for a light texture and sky-high, bakery style muffin tops. Check the expiration date before using since the muffins won't rise if it's expired.
- Cinnamon- For a variation, you can add a ยผ teaspoon of nutmeg, cardamom, or any of your favorite warming spices to amp up the cozy flavor.
Substitutions and Variations
- Sour cream substitute: If you prefer a slightly tangier flavor and have Greek yogurt on hand, you can substitute it for sour cream in equal amounts. It will still provide moisture and richness. I used it in this chia seed banana bread!
- Add chocolate: Add 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or chocolate chunks to the batter after adding the dry ingredients to make banana chocolate chip muffins!
- Banana nut muffins: Fold 1 cup of chopped nuts into the batter before baking. You can use walnuts, pecans, pistachios, or any nut you like. I recommend toasting them beforehand for more flavor!
- Jumbo muffins: You can use a jumbo muffin tin to make big, delicious muffins! This recipe makes about 6 jumbo muffins that will take a few minutes longer to bake than standard sized muffins.
- Streusel topping: Combine 4 tablespoons melted butter, โ cup flour, and ยผ cup brown sugar in a small bowl with a fork. Place in the fridge while you make the muffins and sprinkle the streusel on top of each muffin before baking. You can also follow the recipe from this banana bread with streusel topping!
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Place 6 paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin, alternating between the muffin cups. Leaving an open muffin cup between each muffin lets the air circulate around them evenly for a better rise.
Note: this recipe makes 13-16 muffins, so you will have to bake them in batches.
Step 1: Mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher if you have one. It's ok if they're a little lumpy.
Step 2: Next, whisk in the melted butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Then add the eggs and vanilla extract.
Step 3: Stir in the sour cream until the mixture is mostly smooth. A few lumps from the bananas is still ok!
Step 4: Fold the dry ingredients in with a rubber spatula until the dry streaks of flour just disappear into the batter.
Step 5: Distribute the muffin batter into the 6 muffin cups. I use an ice cream scoop so each muffin is the same size. Sprinkle some coarse sugar on top.
STEP 6: Bake at 425ยฐF (220ยฐC) for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC). Bake until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
Take out of the oven and let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Baking Tips
- Pick overripe bananas. Brown bananas that are a little bit mushy to eat are perfect. If your bananas are too yellow or a little green, you can quickly ripen them in the oven. Arrange them on a lined baking sheet and bake at 300ยฐF (150ยฐC) for 15-20 minutes until the skins are black. Cool slightly and scoop out the fruit to use!
- Don't overmix. Mix the ingredients just until they are combined. It's fine if the batter has lumps. If you overmix the batter, your muffins will be dense and chewy instead of fluffy.
- Fill the muffin cups to the top. For extra tall and domed muffins, fill your muffin liners all the way to the top!
- Bake at a high heat, then bring it down. My top tip for achieving bakery-style muffin tops is baking at an initial high temperature. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the heat for the rest of the bake time. The first blast of heat gives the muffins a jumpstart rising!
Storage Instructions
Make sure the leftover sour cream banana muffins are completely cool before storing them in a single layer in an airtight container or Ziplock bag. They stay fresh for up to 4 days at room temperature. I don't recommend refrigerating them because they'll dry out.
Muffins can get soggy after a day or two. To prevent this, line the container with a paper towel before placing the muffins inside and add another layer of paper towel on top. It absorbs excess moisture!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make these muffins with frozen bananas. Just let the bananas thaw completely and drain any excess liquid before mashing them and adding to the batter. This will help ensure your muffins turn out moist and flavorful.
Absolutely! This recipe makes about 24 muffins. Bake them in a lined mini muffin tin at 350ยฐF (180ยฐC) for approximately 15 minutes.
Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for a few hours. You can also reheat in the microwave for 10-20 seconds or in the oven at 350ยฐF for 5 minutes.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
๐ Recipe
Easy Banana Muffins with Sour Cream
Equipment
- 1 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners
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Ingredients
- 236 grams overripe bananas 2-3 whole bananas
- 57 grams unsalted butter melted
- 57 grams oil
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 50 grams brown sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 120 grams sour cream room temperature
- 300 grams all purpose flour
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Place 6 paper liners in your muffin pan, lining every other well. Set aside.
- Peel the bananas and mash them in a large mixing bowl using a fork until mostly smooth with a few lumps.236 grams overripe bananas
- Whisk the melted butter, oil, granulated sugar, and brown sugar into the mashed bananas. Then vigorously whisk in the eggs and vanilla until well combined.57 grams unsalted butter, 57 grams oil, 200 grams granulated sugar, 50 grams brown sugar, 2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the sour cream and whisk until fully combined.120 grams sour cream
- Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into the wet ingredients until the dry streaks of flour disappear into the muffin batter.300 grams all purpose flour, 3 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Scoop muffin batter into the muffin cups evenly. Sprinkle coarse sugar on each muffin if desired.
- Bake at 425ยฐF (220ยฐC) for 5 minutes. Then, reduce the heat to 350ยฐF (180ยฐC) and continue baking for an additional 12-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely for 30 minutes. Once removed from the pan, add 6 more paper liners, fill with batter, and bake. Repeat until the batter is gone. Enjoy!
Kathy Thompson
6?!?! It made 13!
Megan Weimer
Hi Kathy, as stated in the recipe card, this recipe makes about 16 muffins. I do have a small batch banana muffin recipe on this website that makes about half the amount.
I added some clarification that you will have to bake the muffins in batches of 6 until the batter is all gone. Baking 6 at a time with a space between each helps them rise more!
Bunny
Is there an error in the amount of flour to use? I have baked for many years and never have read any amount of flour to be 2 4/7 cups of flour. Is this an error?
Megan Weimer
Hi! You can use 2 2/3 cups of flour!