Sour cream banana muffins are soft, moist, and full of banana flavor. They’re studded with toasted pecans add topped with buttery crumb topping. You only need some basic ingredients and less than 45 minutes to make this recipe!
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This alternative to banana bread might become your new favorite: sour cream banana muffins with a crunchy streusel! Sour cream adds a richness and makes these muffins incredibly soft.
Everyone loves the delightful banana flavor and the bits of crunchy toasted pecans.These muffins are the perfect balance of sweet, moist, and super tender just like these banana rhubarb muffins and peach streusel muffins.
I adapted this recipe from my homemade banana bread recipe! Sour cream banana bread muffins are a great way to use up any overripe bananas just like my banana bread with ricotta!
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Why You’ll Love These Muffins:
- Moist and tender: Thanks to the mashed banana and sour cream, banana pecan muffins stay soft and moist just like this recipe for almond coffee cake.
- Banana flavor: Every bite is full of rich banana flavor and studded with crunchy pecans. Bananas make these sweet and delicious just like my pumpkin and banana muffins and chocolate chip banana bread.
- Quick and easy: Mix, bake, and enjoy—these muffins come together in no time!
- Versatile: Banana muffins with pecans make a perfect breakfast, snack, or even a light dessert. They’re easy to enjoy and share just like my ricotta lemon muffins.
Ingredients
Here are useful notes about some of the ingredients you’ll need for this sour cream banana muffins recipe.
- 3 Ripe bananas: Regular bananas aren’t as sweet as overripe bananas and they don’t mash up like overripe bananas, so make sure to use overripe bananas. If you have leftover overripe bananas, try my banana strawberry cake recipe and banana nutella bread.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is part of the rich base for these muffins. We’re also using it in the optional streusel topping.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture and flavor. I recommend full-fat for the best texture. Sour cream is one of my favorite baking ingredients. You’ll love it in everything from my chocolate and raspberry cake to these sour cream old fashioned donuts.
- Flour: All-purpose flour works perfectly here.
- Sugar: A combination of granulated and brown sugar gives the muffins the perfect sweetness and a little depth of flavor.
- Pecans: Pecans add extra crunch and flavor just like they do in my pecan cheesecake pie and these chocolate chip and pecan cookies! I recommend toasting your pecans for an extra crispy bite and added flavor. See recipe card below for instructions on toasting.
Please see recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and their measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Full fat plain yogurt makes a good substitute for sour cream.
- For a more decadent spin, add some chocolate chips. Bananas and chocolate are an incredible combo just like in these banana chocolate chunk muffins and banana chocolate chip blondies.
- Swap in walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts in place of pecans.
- Press a couple of whole pecans on top before baking for decoration.
Instructions
Step 1: (Picture 1 above) In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon, flour, salt, and light brown sugar. Stir in the melted butter. Place crumble in the fridge.
Step 2: (Picture 2 above) Mash the bananas with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Set aside.
Step 3: (Pictured above) Beat the butter, granulated sugar and remaining brown sugar for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the eggs one at a time then add in the vanilla and banana-sugar mixture.
Step 4: (Pictured above) Use a spatula to alternatively stir in the sour cream and dry ingredients. Stir in the chopped pecans.
Step 5: (Picture 5 above) Fill 12 muffin liners all the way to the top. Top with the crumble topping.
Step 6: (Picture 6 above) Pour in a muffin pan and bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes til a toothpick comes out clean.
Expert Tips
- Mashing the bananas: Use your mixer, a fork or potato masher to mash the bananas.
- Banana ripeness: The riper your bananas, the better the flavor and texture. If your bananas are still firm, leave them out for a day or two to let them ripen.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Stir until just combined, and your muffins will be light and fluffy. Overmixing can make the muffins tough.
- Muffin liners: If you don’t have paper muffin liners, spray your muffin pan with cooking spray.
Recipe FAQs
There are so many great reasons to bake with bananas! They are natural sweeteners. They also bind ingredients and make baked goods extra moist and delicious.
Store leftover banana muffins with sour cream in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy them at room temperature or warm them for a few seconds in the microwave.
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Sour Cream Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 3½ tablespoons (49 g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (62.5 g) all purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon (½ teaspoon) ground cinnamon
Sour Cream Banana Muffins
- 1 3/4 cups (218.75 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon (3/4 teaspoon) salt
- 3 (3) ripe bananas mashed
- 1/2 cup (110 g) brown sugar light or dark, packed
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 (2) large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (115 g) full fat sour cream room temperature
- ½ cup (49.5 g) pecans toasted, coarsely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line a 12 count muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
- Toasting the pecans is optional, but recommended. Spread pecans on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake 8-10 minutes, stirring once. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cooled, coarsely chop pecans and set aside.
- While the pecans are toasting or cooling, prepare the crumb topping. Combine the melted butter, flour, sugars, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set in the fridge to chill while you prepare the batter.
- Mash the bananas and stir to combine with 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar and remaining brown sugar for about 2 minutes or until well combined. Mix in the eggs, one at a time followed by the vanilla. Mix in the sour cream.
- Mix in the banana mixture. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients only until well combined. Stir int he toasted chopped pecans til just incorporated. Do not overmix.
- Take the crumb topping out of the fridge. Use a fork to break it up if it's hardened together. Break it into some medium and smaller bits. If any parts of the crumble are very small crumbs, press them together with your fingertips into little balls.
- Use an ice cream scoop or a 1/4 cup measuring cup to fill each muffin cup to almost full to the top with batter. Discard any extra batter. Sprinkle the streusel evenly on top.
- Bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a muffin. Set the pan on a rack for 5 minutes then remove muffins from pan and set muffins on a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Sarah Neighbors
Would like to make mini muffins from this recipe. Would I just half the baking time?
Natalie Ward
Hi, Great idea! I haven’t tried this recipe as mini muffins, but generally speaking mini muffins bake much faster than regular ones. I’d suggest starting to check them at around 10-12 minutes at the same oven temperature. Keep a close eye on them since they can overbake quickly because of their smaller size. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you enjoy these muffins 🙂
Gloria
Hi Natalie. I enjoy so many of your recipes. Any time there is sour cream in the batter, I want to try it. I only had 2 ripe bananas so I subbed in 1/4 c. honey greek yogurt for the third one. I didn’t use the pecans but that’s just a thing with nuts in stuff that I have. I left off that yummy topping because these will be grab and go in the car to the gym. I added some golden raisins to the batter instead. Turned out moist and sort of light but dense. Fabulous flavor! Sorry for the changes. If I were taking them somewhere or had guests, I wouldn’t hesitate to use the pecans and topping!
Natalie
Hi Gloria, I loved reading your recipe notes and so nice to hear you enjoy my recipes! Happy you’re a fan of baking with sour cream too! I’m glad you were able to tweak the recipe to fit what you were looking for and what you had on hand. Thanks again for making them and for taking the time to comment. Have a wonderful evening and can’t wait to hear what you bake next! xo Natalie