These Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting are an easy and delicious breakfast or sweet treat made with ripe bananas, cinnamon, and nutmeg! And, if you just want a muffin, skip the frosting.
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Why I Love This Recipe
If I am being honest, there are a lot of breakfast recipes that are just "dessert for breakfast", am I right? Think cinnamon rolls, pancakes with whipped cream on top, muffins that are pretty much cupcakes, etc.
So today I am sharing my Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting which are just that: muffins that are basically cupcakes or dessert for breakfast, like my Coffee Cake Chai Muffins and my Blueberry Buckle Muffins! Since these muffins have bananas in them they are a little healthy, right?
If you love banana recipes or have an abundance of ripe bananas, check out my Banana Layer Cake and my Banana Bread with Coconut Milk recipes as well.
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg or freshly grated nutmeg
- large ripe bananas
- chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
*See the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Banana Muffins
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a muffin pan.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Place the ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer) and beat on low until mashed and smooth.
Step 4: Beat in the brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, milk, and melted butter on medium speed until everything has combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or stir until just combined. Stir in nuts if adding.
Step 5: Place the batter in the muffin pan and bake for 5 minutes at 425°F. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 15-18 more minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Step 6: Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
How to Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until everything is combined. Note: The frosting will be thick and creamy so it doesn't pipe into shapes well.
If you want, you can pipe some of the frosting into the middle of the muffin before adding frosting to the top. I used my long piping tip to get some frosting in the middle and the same tip to make a pile of frosting on top. Dust the top with freshly grated cinnamon if desired and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Substitutions
- The oven's high temperature for the first 5 minutes of baking helps the muffins rise and bake evenly. This was a great tip I learned from Sally's Baking Blog!
- Freshly ground nutmeg is delicious in all baked goods. But, if you don't have a nutmeg seed, the muffins will still be delicious with ground nutmeg in a jar.
- Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, or raisins.
- Skip the frosting for a lighter treat.
- Add banana pudding to the middle for an even creamier treat!
- As I mentioned above, this frosting will not pipe into fancy shapes very well so a swirl will work just fine, or just use a butter knife to spread it on top.
- Store frosted muffins in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container or unfrosted muffins at room temperature in a covered container for 3-4 days.
Make sure your bananas are ripe!
Always save ripe bananas!! You can just throw them in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
When you need a ripe banana, remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw on the countertop or zap it in the microwave on defrost for a minute and you are in business. Ripe bananas can also be used as an egg or oil substitute when baking.
The Best Tool to Grate Fresh Nutmeg and Cinnamon
This is my favorite tool and I tell everyone about it all the time. Not only is it kind of cute, but it's also completely practical and perfect to have if you like to bake.
It's a mini-nutmeg grinder that has a compartment on top to hold the nutmeg seed. You can also grate a cinnamon stick using this tool for the perfect aromatic and sweet garnish to these muffins.
If you get a chance to make these Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting, tag me on Instagram or Facebook and show me, or leave a review below! You can also follow me on Pinterest and sign up for my e-mail list to receive more fun and delicious recipes in your inbox.
Banana Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- muffin liners or non-stick spray
- hand mixer, stand mixer, or silicon/rubber spatula
- piping bag/tip (optional)
Ingredients
Banana Muffins
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (I used freshly ground nutmeg, optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large ripe bananas
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon milk
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Cream Cheese Frosting (optional, but highly reccomended)
- 1 cup cream cheese, room temp
- ½ cup confectioners powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional garnish)
Instructions
Banana Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a muffin pan with paper liners or non-stick spray. Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and set aside.
- Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and mix together using a whisk or fork and set aside.
- Place the ripe bananas in a large mixing bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer) and beat on low until mashed and smooth.
- Beat in the brown sugar, egg, vanilla extract, milk, and melted butter on medium speed until everything has combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then beat or stir until just combined. Give the mixture a turn or two with your spatula/spoon and mix in the nuts by hand if you are adding them.
- Place the batter in the muffin pan evenly across 12 sections. The cups should be almost full. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F and then reduce the temperature to 350°F. Don't open the door, just reduce the heat. This step will help the muffins rise in the pan and bake evenly. Continue baking for 15-18 more minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Put the cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat until everything is combined. The frosting will be thick and creamy so it doesn't pipe into shapes well.
- If you want, you can pipe some of the frosting into the middle of the muffin before adding frosting to the top. I used my long piping tip to get some frosting in the middle and the same tip to make a pile of frosting on top. Dust the top with freshly grated cinnamon if desired and enjoy!
Notes
- The oven's high temperature for the first 5 minutes of baking helps the muffins rise and bake evenly. This was a great tip I learned from Sally's Baking Blog!
- Freshly ground nutmeg is delicious in all baked goods. But, if you don't have a nutmeg seed, the muffins will still be delicious with ground nutmeg in a jar.
- Add chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, fresh blueberries, or raisins.
- Skip the frosting for a lighter treat.
- Add banana pudding to the middle for an even creamier treat!
- As I mentioned above, this frosting will not pipe into fancy shapes very well so a swirl will work just fine, or just use a butter knife to spread it on top.
- Store frosted muffins in the fridge for 3-4 days in a covered container or unfrosted muffins at room temperature in a covered container for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Any nutrition calculations are only estimates using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Jenny says
Mine were dry, but I'll likely try again!
Emily says
Hi Jenny, sorry they didn't turn out just like you wanted. If you decide to try again, you can sub sour cream for the milk or turn down the oven temp 25° and see if that helps.
Gabriela says
Your recipes are always so beautiful and easy to make. I like how you simplify it with all the steps and the picture you include for us. Thank you so much.
Emily says
Thanks, Gabriela, you made me smile 🙂. That's exactly what I hope for on my site. Enjoy the muffins!
Jessica Formicola says
I have some bananas on the counter that need used up, so these muffins are exactly what I'm going to make! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Emily says
Perfect timing, enjoy!!
Chef Dennis says
Hmmm yum! These Banana Muffins are mouthwatering! And the Cream Chees frosting is perfect!
Emily says
Thanks, Dennis!
Arica says
These look so good and I love that you added the cream cheese frosting! That makes them even more of a treat!
Emily says
I pretty much look for any excuse to make and eat frosting 🤣!
Addison says
I love these banana muffins! So yummy!
Emily says
😊 Thank you, Addison!!
Raquel says
Delicious Banana muffins and the frosting! Thank you for the recipe!
Emily says
You're welcome, Raquel, I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Michelle says
Love the addition of fresh nutmeg to these banana muffins! They're made even better with the cream cheese frosting!
Emily says
Anytime I can add fresh nutmeg to a baked good I do! It makes such a difference.
Megan says
Absolutely delicious. Perfect recipe!
Emily says
Thanks, Megan!
Amy says
These look amazing!
Emily says
Thanks, Amy!
Jennifer says
You had me at cream cheese frosting! I love this combination of flavors and I can't wait to make these. The hidden frosting down the middle is genius!
Emily says
LOL, thanks, Jennifer! I'm a lover of frosting as well so anytime I can get a little extra, I do!!😂
Michelle says
Made these at the weekend with my little one and they were so tasty! Easy to make and everyone loved them.
Emily says
That's so great to hear!! My son loved these as well, they make a great kid snack.😊
Michelle says
Yes, please. I love that you piped some frosting in the middle. It's basically like dessert for breakfast!
Emily says
Michelle, I totally agree, dessert for breakfast and add some frosting, please!!🤣