I love making these banana muffins when I have overripe bananas. These muffins taste delicious, and are a great to-go breakfast or snack. They are kid-friendly and very portable. This recipe makes 12-15 nice sized muffins.
Three ingredient banana muffins
I have made the two ingredient pumpkin muffins a lot these last few weeks. But banana muffins? Well, I'm here to tell you, they are easy to make and are really good! This is the BEST use of those extra bananas!
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This is the perfect recipe when you have those ripe bananas that need to be used really soon. Like today! In less than 30 minutes, you can have banana muffins!
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
3 large bananas (or 4-5 small bananas)
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon cinnamon (totally optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to the temperature stated on cake mix box. Usually 375 Fahrenheit
Add bananas to a large bowl. I used 3 large sized bananas. You could use 4 - 5 small ones. I use a potato masher. Actually, sometimes I use a hand mixer. Just don't overmix, you still want some of the banana texture.
Add two large eggs to the mashed bananas. I usually just crack the eggs into a small well in the bananas, and try to beat just the eggs and then mix them all in.
Add a box of cake mix. Just the cake mix. Not the stuff you are told to add on the box.
My family loves cinnamon. I add about ½ teaspoon. This is a totally optional ingredient. If you like the cinnamon flavor, add it.
This is a sticky dough and you won't be able to pour it. I spry the muffin wells in the muffin tin with baking spray. Then I scoop the mixture into the muffin pan with a scooper.
Just an FYI, the texture of this is a little different from a scratch banana bread recipe. It's not as dense. Not better or worse, just different. It has a great place in every person's recipe collection of quick and easy recipes.
Bake approx. 18 minutes (test with a pick for doneness). Mmmmmm they smell so good when they bake.
Helpful tips
If you are going to frequently make muffins, buy yourself a good nonstick muffin tin! Also, I'm a huge fan of using scoops to transfer the batter into the muffin tins. So much easier and less messy (no drips of batter everywhere! These are the type of scoops I use (click on the picture for more info.). Oh and paper cupcake liners are great with these muffins!
Substitutions and add ons
If you want these muffins to be more of a special treat, add broken up walnuts or chocolate chips. Peanut butter chips are good too!
Can I make this as a two ingredient banana muffin?
Don't have any eggs handy? This works out perfectly fine without eggs. It just makes a couple less muffins.
Easy Three Ingredient Banana Muffins!
The easiest way to use up those extra ripe bananas! Use a box of cake mix and some bananas to make banana muffins. You'll be impressed by how easy and how delicious and moist these are!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 23 minutes
- Yield: 15-18 muffins
- Category: muffins
- Method: bake
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
3 large bananas (or 3-4 small bananas)
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
Turn oven on to temperature recommended for muffins on the cake mix box (often 350 or 375)
Mash bananas
Add and mix in the two eggs
Add cake mix. Do not add ingredients listed on the box!
Add optional cinnamon
Stir until everything is well mixed. This can be done by hand or at a slow speed with a hand mixer
Bake for approx. 18 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick
Notes
The dough will be sticky and muffins will be lighter than traditional banana bread. Different but delicious!
If you like this recipe, this chocolate banana muffin recipe is a family favorite!
Feel free to add things like pecan nuts, walnuts or chocolate chips.
Keywords: banana muffins
Storage and freezing
These keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator in a covered container. They do get a little moist so I take them out and take the lid off prior to serving them.
They should freeze well, but I never have any leftover to freeze!
Other popular two or three-ingredient recipes
Three Ingredient Banana chocolate chip recipe
If you liked the last recipe because it helps you use up bananas, you are going to love this recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins. It just satisfies that chocolate craving we all get. And, there are bananas in these muffins. So it's healthy, right?!
Two ingredient pumpkin muffins.
The first two ingredient recipe I published was this two ingredient pumpkin muffin recipe. I remembered it from years ago. Our Weight Watcher's leader told us about it. Now everyone is making it. This recipe has had thousands of pins on Pinterest - every fall it goes crazy!
Click here to get the recipe.
Three ingredient peach crumble/cobbler.
One more for you! How about an easy peach crumble? Using canned peaches, cake mix and butter. Yup, that's it! It's one of my family's favorites. Easy, quick and delicious! Click here for the peach crumble / cobbler recipe.
Put everything together the night before and bake in the morning. You will love the wonderful smell and taste of the caramel sauce baked over yeast roll morsels.
Linda B
I made these this morning for my grandkids. Amazing for so many reasons. 1. I needed to use up bananas. 2. Practically any cake mix works. 3. Only two ingredients needed and I almost always have those on hand. 4. I used the middle-sized scoop and got 20 muffins out of the recipe. 4. Great for the little one that has a problems with eggs. 5. THEY TASTE GREAT!!! Thank you for the recipe.
★★★★★
Julie
Loved this. Tried it with butter pecan cake mix and added ground flax seed. Fabulous!
★★★★★
Robert Cook
As a chef I like easy especially when I am working with kids and these recipes will be easy for them to take home to make with mom and dad on a budget.
★★★★
Chelsea Potter
Definitely trying these! I’ll be using sugar free yellow cake mix. 12 muffins comes out to 3 points a piece on WW (I follow the blue plan). Thanks for sharing!!
Debbie Masden
Really surprised when I made these, that they turned out sooooooo good! My husband couldn’t believe it was made with just two ingredients. He loved them! I did add a cup of chocolate chips and may add pecans to them next. (My husbands suggestion) Thanks for a quick and delicious “cupcake”.
momcrieff
Wow! Fixed it. Should be 18 minutes. Thanks for pointing this out : )
Linda
Heehee. 😉
★★★★★
Linda
“Bake for approximately 18 months.” I don’t know, that sounds a bit long. I’m afraid they might get a little dry.
Cindy
Simply delicious !!!! My go to from now on. I used sugar free yellow cake mix
Melanie
I’m going to make this and add blueberries and apple pie spice.
Lucy
This came out so so good. I added pecans to mom. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Anonymous
I make my own sugar free cake mixes and it works great with this recipe!
Margot
Just made these - so good! How do you store them / how long do they stay good? Thanks!
Kristin
Can this be done with gluten free cake mix?
Jessica C McCabe
I forgot to make banana muffins for tomorrow's snack but then i remembered that I had a cake mix in the house. Are these the healthiest muffins I could have made? No, of course not. They ARE quick, easy and tasty...and my boys will be thrilled!
momcrieff
Thanks for your support Gail! I appreciate it!!
Gail
Some of these comments on here are nitpicky and ridiculous. We love this recipe. Working moms need a good easy muffin recipe like this. Perfect breakfast on the go for busy mornings. And sometimes I'm just not that hungry right way in the morning and can easily take some of these with me to eat later when hunger finally strikes me. And you nitpicky buttheads take your negativity somewhere else. It's not enough you have to torture the people in your lives with it. You have to branch out further. Get a life! Maybe then you'll be happy.
momcrieff
I calculated the calories a few years ago and believe they are 160 calories each.
Stacy Schneck
PS does anyone know the calories on these?
Stacy Schneck
Got any more low cal 2 or 3 ingredient recipes, Love the pumpkin muffins, want to try the banana soon. Thanks!
Amanda
I've made these several times for my son and he loves them (especially with chocolate chips added in)! Thanks for the easy recipe.
cindy
I made these yesterday. Yellow cake mix , 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Delicious! The kids loved them. They baked up fine 350 degrees for 20 minutes. making for thanksgiving its so easy ! thank you !
Ginger griffin
Really really really enjoyed these. Thought they tasted great -added a tablespoon of peanut butter and chocolate chips in a white cake mix
Gingersnap
These recipes are kick ass. All of the ones mentioned are super easy, super good.
Charlene
Easy to make and very good! Will make again.
MNR
Wonderful, wonderful receipe. I don't eat eggs,so this is great. Family loved it the banana muffins.
So today I tried the muffins with fresh strawberries and they turned out really well
Just enough sweetness.
Thank you so much
My wife's KB
It's so disturbing for people to leave negative comments about what this recipe is intended for. I've tried the pumpkin muffins and they are quick and easy as intended to be,can't wait to try these. So for all you haters and whiners out there "go away" !
Robert Brown
I made the pumpkin muffins and added a little icing....my boys and wife love them...like crazy love them. I had to show my wife that the muffins were only 160 calaries...she didn't believe me. Who can let four bananas get ripe before eating them. The boys snag them for snacks!!
Dawn
I used a spice cake mix and added white chocolate chips. They turned out amazing!!!!thank you
Judy
Any idea how to figure out weight watcher points for these. Thank you
momcrieff
I have not used a cake pan but it should turn out fine. Just make sure to adjust the baking time! Use the baking directions on the box as a guide.
Anonymous
I made this with a cinnamon crumb topping and they were amazing! Wondering… Have you ever put this in a cake pan instead of doing it as muffins? Assuming it would work the same way, but not sure?
Kris
I just finished making the banana muffins...and they turned out so good!! I added some walnuts and a little bit of vanilla sugar free coffee creamer, along with some cinnamon...my husband came into the kitchen and wanted one right out of the oven. Thank you so much for your site...love it...
momcrieff
I'm so glad they worked out perfectly! I make scratch banana bread too. But, some days, I just don't feel like all the work and waiting an hour for it to bake. This recipe is perfect for those days!
Sylvia
Thank you so much for this recipe! We had ripe bananas and wanted to make banana bread but I was way too tired to drag out all the ingredients and dishes. One bowl, two ingredients, these came out perfectly 🙂
G
Can you please tell me how long you would bake this in a loaf pan for banana bread ? Thanks
Di
Can you freeze these?
Anonymous
I'm going to try making half the box with bananas and half with pumpkin seeing I have a little of both and maybe add some walnuts.
momcrieff
Nuts are good. I love them! My kids also like a handful of chocolate chips.
momcrieff
Great idea! Or, some chocolate chips are a great addition too!
Anonymous
Try with some nuts in because mom always made banana nut bread.
momcrieff
Thank you so much for your kind comments! As I come up with more ideas, I will post them. So glad you like the ones you have tried!
Anonymous
SOUNDS YUMMY. I HAVE MADE THE CHOCOLATE ONES USING A DEVILS FOOD CAKE MIX AND A CAN OF SOLID PACKED PUMPKIN. THESE ARE UNSPEAKABLY AWESOME. I AM GOING TO TRY THE BANANNA MUFFINS WITHE REALLY RIPE BANANNAS AND A SUGAR-FREE YELLOW CAKE MIX.
THANK YOU! MORE PLEASE!
momcrieff
I'm sorry but I don't know (and I don't know anyone on WW right now to help me figure it out. Basically, it's the box of cake mix, plus the bananas for 12 portions. Hope that helps!
ida
How many ww points in these
momcrieff
I hope the banana muffin recipe turns out! As for the haters, they must be more perfect than I. So, good for them!
Gina
I love the idea . I have 4 ripe bananas, going to make this. And for the haters, just don't make it if they don't meet your standards!!
momcrieff
It's better if they are since they are more moist. If they are ripe but not overripe, add an egg.
Ashley Ricks-Baroncelli
Do the bananas have to be overripe?
momcrieff
This recipe is so easy and can be changed to suit what you have at home. Just like what you did! Glad you loved them!
Anonymous
Loved these! I didn't have yellow cake mix, but I always have chocolate! So, chocolate cake mix, 4 bananas and a few mini chocolate chips.....yum!! 🙂
cassie
This is far from "2 ingredients." The mix alone has close to 18 ingredients that are far from good for you.
Jenelle
Could I make these in a bread load pan instead of muffins? Thanks
Anonymous
Thanks making them for morning after. A great quick grap Friday morning on way to shopping.
Anonymous
Thanks so much! I'm eager to try the banana muffins. I've done the pumpkin ones before and I'm getting ready to make more to take to a Thanksgiving dinner. Our family has egg allergies so these types of recipes are perfect for us. They're especially great since many of the desserts at potlucks contain eggs. We are able to take something tasty along for dessert!
Fawn
Just made a batch of these, but added a heaping teaspoon of apple pie spice and 1 full cup of chopped walnuts. Made 18 muffins. Tasty, but next time I will add a little more of both. Very quick and easy to make, thanks for the recipe!
Anonymous
Just made a batch and put them in the oven. Looking forward to a mouthful of happiness roughly in about 20 minutes. By the way, I always have one right out of the oven..Never have the patience to let it completely cool 🙂
Anonymous
First I'd like to mention that most muffins are not healthy, but that being said they are better than lots of other options. We made these yesterday with the butter pecan cake mix, and everyone loved them! Super easy in a pinch.
momcrieff
Thank you for your kind support. I couldn't have said it better! I certainly don't claim these are health food. But, they are a nice, easy treat. And yes, in my house, they occasionally are considered breakfast : ).
ZD Toepfer
@ Veronique L. - I don't see anywhere in Momcrieff's post saying these are healthy. Cupcakes / Muffins I do not believe were ever meant to be "healthy". They are meant to bring a smile upon ones face while devouring them.
Linda P.
These sound great! I will definetly try it 🙂
kevoshmevo
Veronique needs to make a batch of happy muffins : /
With 3 kids this is quick and easy - I think both the banana and pumpkin recipes tasted great !
Monika
this was great! made these with a devils food cake mix instead of yellow cake. Going to make these for my sons class! thanks for the recipe!
Veronique L.
I'm sorry but that's not a muffin. That's a banana cupcake without icing. Way too much sugar. A muffin is healhty that is not. This is CAKE mix. And by the way the recipe is way more than 2 ingredients. A cake box mix is full of crap ingredients.
momcrieff
I did a rough calculation a few months ago and came up to 160 calories. (box of cake mix plus can of pumpkin divided by 12)
Erin
Love this muffin recipe! So easy to make and very yummy. 🙂 Used white cake mix with 4 bananas. I added a little bit of cinnamon and chocolate chips. I had to cook them a little longer, 20 to 24 minutes.
CeeEllEff
I just made these using a box of carrot cake mix and 4 way overripe bananas. Wow...so easy and delicious. They were pretty sweet, but nothing a nice pat of salty butter couldn't adjust! Thanks for the idea!
Fyi...MFP says my version is 195 cal, 1.5g fat, 24g sugar, 2.3g protein, 1g fiber.
Anonymous
I used chocolate cake mix. Delicious!
momcrieff
Yes, 12 muffins. I just recalculated with the mix I used this morning. It's 160 calories per serving and they are saying 10 servings per box. So, 1600 total plus the bananas - 330 - 3 large - for a total of 1990 calories. Then divide by 12 for a calorie count of 160 each. Different mixes have different calories so I'm not sure which one I used when I originally wrote out the recipe. Does this make sense? If you don't mind just a few more calories, these are awesome with a handful of chocolate chips! Hope you enjoy them.
Anonymous
This looks really yummy! I'm definitely going to have to try, but I have a quick question. Does this make 12 muffins? I'm only coming up with 50 calories each and I saw in the comments that they are 150 each? The cake mix is 160 and 4 medium bananas show 440 calories.
Nicole
I only had 3 bananas so I added 3 tablespoons Greek yogurt. They were still healthy and tasted devine!
Ann
Yummy! Looks delish! Can't wait to give them a try!
momcrieff
Glad it worked out for you! Next time if you are short a banana, just throw in an egg. It'll give you that little extra liquid that you need.
Gigi
Tried these today...I didn't have yellow cake mix but I had lemon box cake mix....added some poppy seeds and used 3 really ripe bananas. Came out pretty good. Batter was thick but I only had 3 bananas. I will make these again definitely, maybe experiment with other box cakes mixes, and add a 4th banana. Thanks for sharing 🙂
momcrieff
Yes, a little add in makes these even more delicious! I've also been adding my bag of frozen blueberries. Might also be an option : ).
hdh
I have made these and added mini choc chips and nuts. Delicious!!!!
momcrieff
Hi Lillian
They would have about 150 calories.
Lillian
Hi, I'm wondering if you happen to know how many calories per muffin? More or less. Thanks. They look delicious! 🙂
Anonymous
Delicious! Just made these and couldn't resist one warm muffin right out of the oven.
sallie
This is a really easy I love it
momcrieff
They are so good! I'm so glad I saw them. Thanks again for letting me feature them on my blog.
Heather of Kitchen Concoctions
Susan, looks like they turned out great! The cinnamon is a great addition! Glad you enjoyed!