These high altitude banana pecan muffins are soft and fluffy, full of nutty pecans (or walnuts), and flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla.
You might also love these recipes for pumpkin banana muffins, banana bread coffee cake, and the best high altitude banana bread.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. You won’t need a mixer or any special equipment. With just a bowl and whisk, and a few minutes to mix up the batter, you’ll have warm, soft banana nut muffins in no time.
Versatile Recipe. Make these banana muffins with either walnuts or pecans, or leave them out and make banana chocolate chip muffins instead. If you want to add a crumb topping, you can use the topping recipes from any of my other muffin recipes. Banana walnut muffins with crumb topping would be fantastic.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Bananas. Be sure to use very ripe, soft bananas with plenty of brown spots. Over-ripe bananas are sweeter and are easy to mash.
- Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture.
- Milk. The moisture keeps the muffins soft and tender.
- Unsalted Butter. Melted butter adds fat, moisture and flavor. You can also substitute vegetable oil.
- Egg. Creates structure.
- Vanilla + Maple Extracts. Flavor. The maple extract is optional, but adds a lovely flavor to these banana pecan muffins.
- All-Purpose Flour. Adds structure and strengthens the muffin batter as it rises.
- Baking Powder. Leavens the muffins so they rise.
- Coarse Kosher Salt. Balances the sweetness.
- Cinnamon + Nutmeg. Flavor.
- Pecans. Finely chopped pecans (or walnuts) add crunch and a nutty flavor that’s so good with bananas.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F, and line a standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Lightly spray the papers with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, sugar, milk, melted butter, egg and extracts.
- Separately, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir briefly just until moistened; do not over-mix.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling them nearly full.
- Immediately after putting the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down from 400 F to 375 F. Bake the muffins on the center oven rack for about 18-20 minutes, until the tops are domed and spring back when lightly touched.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for several minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly.
- Serve warm.
Recipe Variations
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
For banana chocolate chip muffins, replace the walnuts or pecans with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of the muffins before baking.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep the leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
The walnuts or pecans are optional. Leave them out, or replace them with chocolate chips.
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High Altitude Banana Pecan Muffins
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed bananas, about 2 medium/large, very ripe bananas
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp maple extract, optional
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher Salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ cup pecans or walnuts, very finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F, and line a standard muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Lightly spray the papers with non-stick baking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, sugar, milk, melted butter, egg and extracts.
- Separately, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and chopped pecans.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir briefly just until moistened; do not over-mix.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling them nearly full.
- Immediately after putting the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down from 400 F to 375 F. Bake the muffins on the center oven rack for about 18-20 minutes, until the tops are domed and spring back when lightly touched.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for several minutes, then gently transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Notes
https://curlygirlkitchen.com/
Fabulous! I made these at 8,000 feet and just changed from 2 to 1.5 tsp of baking powder, and set oven to 415 F initially then 390 F after putting muffins in. I couldn’t find maple extract easily so just used an extra tsp of vanilla instead. These were moist, easy, fast, nutty, and delicious. Thanks for the recipe, definitely a keeper!
Followed exactly and turned out beautifully and delicious!
Turned out exactly as pictured. Thank you Heather! You recipes are well tested and work every time! You bring joy to us challenged high altitude bakers!
Such a nice comment, thank you! 🙂
After two years of living in Colorado trying to adjust my recipes to high-altitude… I realized I could just Google “high-altitude recipes”! These muffins came out PERFECTLY DELICIOUS. Making for someone who can’t have dairy – I did make a few adjustments. Oat milk, coconut oil (instead of butter), wheat flour (because that’s what I had). Oh, and I doubled the recipe – thank goodness. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this recipe! Thank you so much. Finally a baked good recipe that works in Denver area!
Just used a brand new oven (not labeled in my native English) for my first time baking at high altitude (8400 ft.). Came out perfect!
Hi Heather
I made your banana nut muffins without the optional maple extract and enjoyed them very much. Thank you!
Sandy
Oh so yummy!
Stuck to the recipe and they were wonderful. Leftovers? Not at my house! Thank you for the delicious recipe!
We are at 4500’ and I followed the recipe as written (minus the maple extract as I didn’t have any).
These muffins turned out beautifully and are delicious.
I bake in a convection/microwave and rotated the muffins halfway through baking.
Thank you for this recipe.