Yogurt Banana Muffins
Tender, moist banana muffins made with plain yogurt and brown sugar, with tall bakery-style domes from a short high-heat start. Easy to mix in two bowls, no mixer needed.
- Prep
- 22 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Wait
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 12 min
- Makes
- 12 standard muffins
Steps
Before you start
- Use bananas that are heavily speckled or mostly brown for the best sweetness and flavor; they should be soft when pressed.
- Take the eggs and yogurt out of the fridge 30 minutes ahead so the melted butter doesn't solidify into clumps when mixed in.
- Position an oven rack in the center and preheat while you mix; this recipe starts hot at 400°F (200°C) and then drops to 350°F (175°C).
- Note the timing: the batter rests 10 minutes before baking, which helps the domes rise.
- Find a #12 portion scoop (⅓ cup / 80 ml) or a ⅓-cup dry measure for portioning the batter.
Preheat and prep panOven 400°F / 205°C
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or lightly grease each cup and the top surface of the pan.
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Ready when: Oven reaches 400°F (200°C) and the tin is lined.
Tip: Use an oven thermometer if you can; many ovens run hot or cool, which affects the dome.
Whisk dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon for 30 seconds until evenly combined and no streaks of cinnamon remain.
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Ready when: The mixture is a uniform pale tan color.
Mash and mix wet
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until mostly smooth with a few small lumps.
- Add the yogurt, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk for about 1 minute until the sugar mostly dissolves and the mixture looks uniform.
- Slowly drizzle in the warm melted butter while whisking.
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Ready when: The mixture is glossy and smooth with no visible streaks of egg or butter pooling.
Tip: If the butter is too hot it can scramble the eggs, so let it cool first.
Fold batter together
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
- With a rubber spatula, fold gently, scraping the bottom of the bowl, for 12 to 15 strokes, just until no dry flour streaks remain.
- The batter will be thick and lumpy.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain, and the batter is thick enough to mound on the spatula.
Tip: Overmixing makes tough, tunneled muffins; a few small lumps are fine.
Add nuts and rest
- Fold in the chopped walnuts, if using, with 2 or 3 strokes.
- Let the batter rest in the bowl for 10 minutes so the flour hydrates and the leaveners start working.
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Ready when: The batter looks slightly thicker and has a few small bubbles on the surface.
Tip: Skip the walnuts for a nut-free version; nothing else needs to change.
Portion and top
- Using a #12 scoop or a ⅓-cup (80 ml) measure, divide the batter among the 12 cups, filling each with one generous, heaping scoop so the batter mounds just above the rim.
- Each muffin takes about 90 to 95 g of batter (about 98 g with walnuts), and the bowl should be nearly empty at the end.
- Sprinkle each with about ½ tsp coarse sugar, if using.
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Ready when: All 12 cups are filled evenly with batter mounded just above the rim.
Tip: If the last cups look short, scrape a little from the fullest cups so all 12 are even. The batter is thick and won't overflow.
Bake at high heatOven 400°F / 205°C
- Place the tin in the center of the 400°F (200°C) oven and bake for 5 minutes.
- Do not open the door.
- This quick burst of heat forces the batter to spring upward and set the domes.
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Ready when: Tops have visibly puffed above the rim of the tin.
Tip: Opening the door lets the heat escape and flattens the domes.
Lower heat and finishOven 350°F / 175°C
- Without removing the tin, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (175°C).
- Continue baking for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the pan once at about the 10-minute mark if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Muffins are done when the tops are deep golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter.
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Ready when: Golden brown tops that spring back, and a toothpick with a few moist crumbs (no wet batter).
Tip: If the tops brown too fast before the center is set, tent loosely with foil.
Cool and serve
- Cool the muffins in the tin on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then lift them out and set them directly on the rack to cool for at least 15 minutes more.
- They are best served warm or at room temperature.
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Ready when: Muffins are warm, not hot, and lift out of the tin without sticking.
Tip: Leaving them in the tin longer than 5 minutes traps steam and makes the bottoms soggy.
Good to know
Tips
- Measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it, or weigh it; packed flour makes dry, dense muffins.
- Weigh the mashed banana (340 g) if you can; too much banana makes gummy centers and too little makes them dry.
- Freeze very ripe bananas whole in their peels; thaw and drain off the extra liquid before mashing.
- Check for doneness at 14 minutes. Overbaking is the main cause of dry muffins.
Make ahead
The dry ingredients can be whisked together and the bananas mashed up to 1 day ahead (store the mashed bananas covered in the fridge). Mix and bake the batter the same day, since the leaveners begin working once wet and dry ingredients meet.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: store in an airtight container, with a paper towel between layers, for up to 2 days. Fridge: up to 5 days in an airtight container. Freezer: wrap individually and freeze in a zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Reheat from room temperature for 15 seconds in the microwave, or from frozen for 45 to 60 seconds, or warm in a 325°F (160°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
Substitutions
- plain whole-milk yogurt → Greek yogurt, thinned with 1 Tbsp milk per ¾ cup, or sour cream. Greek yogurt is thicker, so thin it as directed to keep the crumb tender. Low-fat yogurt works but gives a slightly less rich crumb.
- light brown sugar → Granulated sugar or coconut sugar, same weight. Muffins will be a little lighter in flavor and slightly less moist with white sugar.
- unsalted butter → Neutral oil such as canola, 5 Tbsp (70 ml). Oil gives an extra-moist crumb that stays soft longer, with a bit less buttery flavor.
- walnuts → Pecans, semisweet chocolate chips, or dried blueberries. Use the same amount, 60 g (½ cup).
