Small Batch Banana Muffins

In the mood for banana bread but only have one banana on the counter? Make these one bowl Small Batch Banana Muffins with chocolate chips! 6 delicious muffins that taste exactly like banana bread.

Baking banana bread seems to be the #1 recipe people make when there are overripen bananas on the counter.

It’s also the #1 recipe people make when stuck at home.

However, most banana bread recipes use 2-3 bananas. What do you do when you only have 1 banana left but really want banana bread and not small banana cake or banana mango smoothie?

Easy – bake my Small Batch Banana Muffins with chocolate chips!

These small batch banana chocolate chip muffins are based off of my banana bread recipe, so they taste exactly like banana bread in smaller portions.

This one banana muffins recipe makes 6 muffins, perfect if you’re baking banana muffins for two. And if you only want to eat a few at a time, they also freeze well.

For easy cleanup I made one bowl banana muffins so you have fewer dishes to wash. Less dishes, more eating.

You can also use the same batter to make Mini Banana Bread.

Plus my small batch banana muffin recipe uses 1 whole egg so you’re not dealing with any leftover egg whites.

Ready to start baking?

Ingredients For Small Batch Banana Muffins

To make one banana muffins, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Sugar: In addition to adding sweetness, sugar also helps keeps muffins moist as well as contributes to their golden brown color.
• Butter: Creaming the butter with the sugar helps create little air pockets, helping the muffins rise. It also helps create a tender crumb.
• Egg: Use a standard large egg.
• Banana: For best results, you want the most brown, overripen banana you can find. Because bananas vary greatly in size, it’s important to measure your mashed banana so you know exactly how much you have.
• Vanilla: Helps boost the banana flavor.
• Flour: I use all-purpose flour, which is standard for almost all pantries. Measure your flour by spooning it into your measuring cup. Using the scoop and pack method adds too much flour.
• Baking soda: Helps make the muffins rise.
• Salt: Also helps boost flavor.
• Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are my favorite part about banana muffins! Use semisweet or dark chocolate. Milk chocolate may be too sweet paired with the banana.

In the mood for chocolate? Check out my Small Batch Chocolate Banana Muffins and Double Chocolate Banana Bread.

How To Make Small Batch Banana Muffins

Here are the directions for making one banana muffins from scratch:

1. Cream together your butter and sugar.
2. Beat in your egg, banana, and vanilla.
3. Gradually add your flour, baking soda, and salt. At this point, you’ll want to switch to a rubber spatula and stir your chocolate chips in by hand. Flour is very finicky and if you overbeat your batter, you’ll end up with tough, dry muffins.
4. Fill your muffin pan.
5. Bake at 350F for about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. A few crumbs are ok as long as it’s not wet batter.

I personally fill my muffins by adding one big scoop with my #40 cookie scoop (Amazon affiliate link) into the bottom of each liner then I go back and finish filling each one with the remaining batter.

This helps me distribute the batter more evenly so the last muffin has just as much batter at the first. I hate when you get to the end and realize you don’t have enough batter left.

Don’t want to use chocolate chips? You can substitute chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, or a mixture of both to make banana nut muffins (small batch), similar to my Banana Blondies.

How to Ripen Bananas For Banana Muffins

Buying bananas at the grocery store can be tricky because usually they aren’t ripe enough to make banana muffins the same day.

Most of the time they have some green on them. Other times they are yellow but without brown spots.

You need overripen bananas for small batch banana muffins. This means lots of brown spots without a hint of green.

If you have several days to spare, place your banana in a brown paper bag.

As the banana ripens, it lets off ethylene gas, which is what causes bananas to brown. Because the brown bag encloses this gas, the banana will ripen much faster than leaving it out on the counter.

How To Ripen Bananas Quickly

Let’s say you want to bake banana muffins for two right now but your banana isn’t ready. Is there anything you can do to speed up the process or do you have to wait a few days?

Luckily, you can ripen your banana quickly in the oven! It won’t look pretty, but it’ll do the trick.

Bake your banana in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes. The peel will turn completely black but the inside becomes soft and slightly roasted.

The banana does leak juice a little, so line a cookie sheet with foil for easy clean up.

Cool for a few minutes before peeling and mashing so you don’t burn your fingers.

How To Store Banana Muffins

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

How To Freeze Banana Muffins

To freeze your one bowl banana muffins, first put them on a baking tray or plate and place them in the freezer. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Next, wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap then place in a freezer-safe plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To thaw frozen muffins, place them on a wire rack and let them come to room temperature, about 15-30 minutes. The wire rack helps keep the bottoms dry as they thaw.

Can you double small batch banana muffins?

If you find yourself with 2 bananas for banana muffins, yes you can easily double my recipe. Multiply everything by two.

Your bake time should be roughly the same, but always check with a toothpick then add a few more minutes if necessary.

More Small Batch Muffin Recipes

• Small Batch Blueberry Muffins
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin
• Lemon Muffins
• Irish Soda Bread Muffins
• Maple Walnut Muffin by One Dish Kitchen

Originally published May 19, 2020