I love making these banana muffins made with cake mix when I have overripe bananas. Amazingly, these muffins are made with only three ingredients including cake mix, bananas and eggs. These muffins taste delicious and are a great to-go breakfast or snack. They are kid-friendly and very portable. This recipe makes 18 nice-sized muffins.
If you love bananas and chocolate together, try these banana chocolate muffins with 3 ingredients. They are easy to make and delicious!
I have also made these two-ingredient pumpkin muffins a lot these last few weeks. It's another simple muffin recipe with a big add-in of healthy pumpkin.
Table of contents
Why I love these muffins
Bananas: Ripe bananas add natural sweetness, moisture, and a delightful banana flavor that everyone loves. It's a fantastic way to use up those overripe bananas sitting on your counter.
Budget-Friendly: Utilizing a cake mix and readily available ingredients keeps the cost low, offering a delicious and economical treat without breaking the bank.
Effortless Baking: No need for complicated measuring or sifting! This recipe uses a cake mix as the base, eliminating the fuss and ensuring success even for beginner bakers.
Infinite Variations: Add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or a sprinkle of cinnamon for a personalized touch. You can even use different cake mix flavors for endless flavor combinations.
Ingredients
Yes, these banana muffins are made with only three ingredients!
1 box yellow cake mix - I like using Betty Crocker mixes but your favorite brand works. Just make sure that there is 15.25 oz of mix in the package (amounts seem to be changing.
3 large bananas (or 4-5 small bananas) Bananas should be well or over-ripened
2 large eggs lightly beaten
½ teaspoon cinnamon (totally optional) My family loves cinnamon with any banana bread. Other delicious add-in items include chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and even butterscotch chips.
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
Step 2
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.
Step 3
Add two large eggs to the mashed bananas. I usually crack the eggs into a small well in the bananas, try to beat just the eggs, and then mix them all in.
Step 4
Add a box of cake mix. Just the cake mix. Not the ingredients you are told to add to the box.
My family loves cinnamon. I add about ½ teaspoon. This is an optional ingredient. If you like the cinnamon flavor, add it.
This is a sticky batter, and you won't be able to pour it. I line my muffin tins with paper muffin liners. Then I use a scoop to help portion the batter evenly and neatly.
A Texture FYI
This texture is slightly different from a scratch banana bread recipe. It's not as dense. But, it's just as flavorful and delicious. It has a great place in every person's recipe collection of quick and easy recipes.
Bake for approximately eighteen minutes (test with a pick for doneness). Mmmmmm, they smell so good when they bake.
Helpful Equipment tips
If you are going to frequently make muffins, buy yourself a good nonstick muffin tin especially if you don't regularly use paper muffin liners! 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! I use these scoops. Paper muffin liners are great with these muffins!
Can I make this as 2 ingredient banana muffins?
Don't have any eggs handy? This works out fine without eggs. It just makes fewer muffins. The muffins will be denser than the original version, but they still taste great!
Storage and freezing
These keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days in a covered container. They get a little moist, so I take them out and remove the lid for a few minutes before before serving them.
They freeze well, individually wrapped. I never have any leftovers to freeze!
FAQs
I will sometimes sift some icing sugar on this just before serving. These banana cake mix muffins don't need to be fancy because they are so delicious!
Yes you can. The muffins may need to bake a minute or two longer. Really ripe bananas also add sweetness so if you use unripened bananas your muffins may be a little less sweet.
Other Delicious Muffins
Cake mix banana muffins
Ingredients
- 1 box yellow cake mix
- 3 large bananas Very ripe - or 3-4 small bananas
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional but delicious
Instructions
- Turn oven on to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Mash bananas
- Add and mix in the two eggs
- Add cake mix to the egg and banana mixture. Do not add the 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. The batter should have banana lumps in it so it is not smooth.
- Bake for approx. 18 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick
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
Thanks for your support Gail! I appreciate it!!
Stacy Schneck
PS does anyone know the calories on these?
momcrieff
I calculated the calories a few years ago and believe they are 160 calories each.
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
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...
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 🙂
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!
Anonymous
Try with some nuts in because mom always made banana nut bread.
momcrieff
Great idea! Or, some chocolate chips are a great addition too!
momcrieff
Nuts are good. I love them! My kids also like a handful of chocolate chips.
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
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!
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!
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
I hope the banana muffin recipe turns out! As for the haters, they must be more perfect than I. So, good for them!
momcrieff
It's better if they are since they are more moist. If they are ripe but not overripe, add an egg.
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!! 🙂
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!