Say goodbye to boring banana muffins and hello to these moist, cinnamon swirl banana muffins topped with streusel. These muffins taste like coffee cake!
Let me simplify: ripe bananas + brown sugar cinnamon swirl + streusel topping = heaven! You’re going to LOVE these cinnamon streusel banana muffins. They have a light and fluffy crumb texture. The flavor is perfectly sweet and will have you going in for seconds.
This recipe calls for my go-to banana muffin recipe that got a few tweaks to make it extra special. I reduced the brown sugar in the muffin recipe since we are adding that cinnamon swirl in the middle and adding a sweet topping. To get that soft and airy texture, I used a mix of both oil and butter that keeps this recipe moist and buttery while not being too heavy.
Jump to section:
Why You’ll Love These Muffins With Streusel Topping
People who love banana bread love banana muffins. And people who love banana muffins are going to wish they found this cinnamon streusel banana muffin recipe sooner! The streusel topping makes these muffins so delicious and adds a little bit of crunch.
Made With Rich Ripe Bananas, Cinnamon and Brown Sugar
The key to making the best banana muffins is to use ripe bananas that are covered in brown spots. The riper the banana, the sweeter its taste! Lots of cinnamon and a brown sugar swirl dotted through the center also make these muffins extra delicious.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Cinnamon Sugar Banana Muffins
- Mix wet ingredients
To make the muffin batter, add the ripe bananas, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter and oil to a mixing bowl. Mix until the bananas are broken down into small pieces.
- Mix dry ingredients
Next, add the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Begin to mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.
- Grease muffin tin
Line a 12 cup muffin tin with parchment paper cups. Use cooking spray to grease the liners before fillings the cups halfway with muffin batter.
- Add cinnamon swirl
Mix the brown sugar cinnamon swirl filling and add a teaspoon to the centers of each of the muffin cups. Use a toothpick or knife to gently swirl the cinnamon sugar through the batter.
- Top with streusel
Top the muffins with the remaining batter and make the streusel. Top each of the muffins with the crumb topping before putting them in the oven.
- Bake muffins
Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with few crumbs. The edges of the muffins should be lightly golden brown.
Inspired by Krusteaz Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Cake Mix
I grew up making crumb cake on the weekends and when I was developing this recipe and took a bite, this cake is exactly what I was reminded of. I loved taking a butter knife to swirl the cinnamon layer through the center of the cake and created a pretty design. Once the crumb cake was ready to eat, I’d search for the slice with the most cinnamon sugar and quickly claim it. Haha! My sweet tooth just couldn’t resist.
If you also loved baking cinnamon crumb cake, then I know you’re going to adore this recipe!
Easier Than Banana Bread
My favorite thing about making banana muffins is that they are out of the oven in less than 30 minutes. Traditional banana bread takes about an hour to bake. Turning your banana bread recipe into muffins also make them easier to eat. You can quickly grab a muffin and go!
Ingredients
Easy Banana Muffins:
- Egg
- Granulated White Sugar
- Neutral Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk of Choice
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
Cinnamon Swirl Filling:
- Softened Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Vanilla Extract
- Milk
Crumb Topping:
- flour
- butter
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
Substitutions
Gluten-free?
To make this recipe gluten-free, simply use 1:1 gluten-free baking flour. You can also use a mix of baking flour and GF oat flour if you’d like.
Want to add a mix-in?
If you want to add a mix-in to these muffins, nuts like walnuts or pecans, raisins or dates, or chocolate chips make great options. If adding a sweet mix-in like chopped medjool dates, I would not pack the brown sugar so the muffins don’t become overly sweet.
Oil or butter?
This recipe calls for a mix of both! Using melted butter and a neutral oil makes these cinnamon banana muffins super moist.
More Muffin Recipes:
- Cinnamon Pear Oatmeal Muffins
- Moist Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Banana Maple Bacon Muffins
- Healthy Lemon Blueberry Muffins
If you make these cinnamon streusel banana muffins, be sure to tag #bakedabundance on Instagram. We’d also love if you would leave a comment below and rate the recipe. We appreciate you!
Frequently asked questions:
These banana muffins last for about 5 days at room temperature. To keep them for about a week, you can put them in the fridge for the last few days to prolong their freshness.
You can easily store banana muffins in the tin loosely covered with aluminum foil and keep it on the counter.
Spooning and leveling your flour and not over-mixing helps to make light and fluffy muffins.
A mixture of both butter and oil is the secret to making perfectly moist muffins! Butter adds flavor and oil creates a moist crumb.
Streusel is traditionally made with flour, butter and sugar. This crumb topping uses cinnamon and brown sugar.
Recipe
cinnamon streusel banana muffins
Say goodbye to boring banana muffins and hello to these moist, cinnamon swirl banana muffins topped with streusel. These muffins taste like coffee cake!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 30
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 5 ripe bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- ¼ cup neutral oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
Cinnamon Swirl Filling:
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Streusel Topping:
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
Instructions
- To make the muffin batter, add the ripe bananas, eggs, brown sugar, melted butter, and oil to a mixing bowl. Mix until the bananas are broken down into small pieces.
- Next, add the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Begin to mix the wet and dry ingredients together until just combined.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper cups. Use cooking spray to grease the liners before filling the cups halfway with muffin batter.
- Mix the brown sugar cinnamon swirl filling and add a teaspoon to the centers of each of the muffin cups. Use a toothpick or knife to gently swirl the cinnamon sugar through the batter. Top the muffins with the remaining batter.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon for the streusel topping. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to rub the cold butter into the dry mixture until the butter is in small pieces. Top each of the muffins with the crumb topping before putting them in the oven.
- Bake the muffins at 350°F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs. The edges of the muffins should be lightly golden brown.
Notes
- Note: Baking time may vary depending on your oven, how ripe your bananas are, and how full your muffin cups are. If your muffins don't seem fully baked by the 22-minute mark, bake for a few more minutes and check for doneness by pricking the center of a muffin with a toothpick or a small knife.
Brianna
This recipe is amazing! They turned out perfect, truly is the best mix of banana bread and crumb cake!
Marley
Thank you so much Brianna! I am glad you agree that these muffins are banana bread meets crumb cake. Thanks for such a kind review!
Trista Sharpeta
Am I missing bake temperature and time?
Marley
Hey Trista! Thanks for leaving a comment. The recipe card has been updated with the baking time and temperature.
Alexandra
I haven’t made these yet, but the recipe calls for baking soda without an acid? Is that correct?
Marley
Hi Alexandra, the mashed banana provides enough acidity to react with the baking soda. I've been using this base recipe for banana muffins for yearsss and they always turn out amazing/with a good rise. If you're concerned about the rise, feel free to add a splash of apple cider vinegar to your wet ingredients. I hope you give this recipe a try. Thanks!!
Chelsey
Hi Marley, I have various sizes of bananas, including halves (thanks children!), which I would like to use up. How many cups of mashed bananas does this recipe need?
Marley
Hey Chelsey, you should need 2 to 2 1/2 cups of mashed banana. I will update the recipe card to include this measurement in addition to the number of bananas needed. Thanks for making this recipe! Cheers 🙂
Sandy
"Make the streusel by using a pastry cutter or your fingers to rub the flour and cold butter together until the butter is in small pieces. Top each of the muffins with the crumb topping before putting them in the oven." What about the rest of the ingredients? The brown sugar and cinnamon?
Marley Braunlich
Hey Sandy, thanks for sharing your question. I re-wrote this step to make it more clear on how to make the streusel topping. Thanks for your feedback and I hope you make these muffins! Cheers, Marley
Sam
These muffins are delicious! I had a bunch of spotty bananas that I didn’t want to waste. This recipe was the perfect way to use them up. The whole family loved the muffins!
Marley Braunlich
Yay! So glad you enjoyed this banana streusel muffin recipe Sam 🙂 Thanks for leaving a star rating and review!
Olajumoke
Just made this! Wow! So moist, light and fluffy. The best banana bread I’ve baked ever. the first recipe I didn’t have to reduce the sugar by half and it came out perfect. Thank you!
Marley Braunlich
Yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed these banana muffins! I like to cut back on the sugar a bit if possible, so I'm happy you found these to have the perfect amount of sweetness. 🙂