These banana coffee cake muffins combine the best of cinnamon coffee cake and moist banana bread. Made with sour cream for exceptional tenderness, they have a cinnamon swirl inside and a spiced cinnamon-cardamom streusel on top. No mixer required — just a few bowls and simple steps.
Once you bake these at home, you’ll rarely buy bakery muffins again. They’re easy to make, packed with warm spice—cinnamon and a hint of cardamom—and are incredibly moist from overripe bananas and sour cream. The cinnamon swirl and crumb topping give authentic coffee-cake flavor that’s perfect with morning coffee or brunch.
If you enjoy this recipe, consider trying other banana-based bakes such as banana mini muffins, banana coffee cake with sour cream, or oatmeal banana chocolate chip muffins for variety.
For chocolate lovers, triple chocolate muffins or blueberry chocolate muffins are great alternatives.
Why you’ll love this recipe!
- Coffee cake meets banana bread: Warm cinnamon swirl and a crumbly topping combined with rich banana flavor from ripe bananas.
- Simple technique: No mixer required — a few bowls and straightforward steps make this an easy bake.
- Versatile for gatherings: Great for brunch, breakfast, coffee mornings, or an afternoon snack.
Grab your ingredients
This recipe uses a familiar muffin base with a cinnamon filling and a spiced streusel. Whenever possible weigh ingredients for the most consistent results.
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots for better sweetness and flavor.
- Eggs: Two large eggs, room temperature.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon is essential; ground cardamom adds warmth and complexity but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Sour cream: Keeps muffins tender and reacts with baking soda to help the rise.
- Sugars: A mix of light brown sugar and granulated sugar is used across batter, filling, and streusel.
How to make these muffins
Below is an overview of the process — full, detailed instructions and quantities are included in the recipe section further down.
- Step 1: Prepare muffin liners in pans. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon).
- Step 2: Whisk the cooled melted butter with both sugars, then add eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla until nearly smooth.
- Step 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula until just combined. Optionally rest the batter 30–60 minutes to improve rise.
- Step 4: Prepare a cinnamon sugar filling and a clumpy streusel topping. Chill the streusel briefly so it holds together.
- Step 5: Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Fill each prepared liner with about 1½ tablespoons of batter, add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, then top with more batter.
- Step 6: Sprinkle streusel on top, bake 5 minutes at 425°F, then reduce heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 14–16 minutes until set. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before transferring to a rack.
Getting bakery-style muffins
- Rest the batter: Letting the batter rest 30–60 minutes helps leaveners start working and yields taller tops.
- Chill the streusel: Making the streusel and chilling it briefly helps it clump and stay on top while baking.
- Bake with space: Filling every other muffin cavity gives each muffin room to rise and makes larger muffin domes.
Storage & freezing
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
For longer storage, freeze baked and cooled muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or a few hours at room temperature.
Ready for more breakfast recipes?
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Creamy Banana Spinach Smoothie -
Brown Butter Cinnamon Banana Bread with Pecans (One Bowl)
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Easy Buttermilk French Toast with Brioche Bread
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Brown Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Brown Butter Frosting
Made this recipe?
Leave a rating and review below and tag the author on Instagram @alpineella if you share your bake. Thank you — Ella.
Recipe
Banana Coffee Cake Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Equipment
- 2 muffin pans
- Bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale (recommended)
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
Banana Muffins
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ¾ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups (350 g) mashed bananas (about 3–4 large)
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Spiced Crumble Topping
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl and allow it to cool slightly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Pour both sugars into the cooled melted butter and whisk to combine. Add the eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla; whisk until almost smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Optional: let the batter rest 30–60 minutes to help the leaveners activate and yield taller muffins.
- While the batter rests, whisk the cinnamon sugar filling in a small bowl and mix the streusel ingredients in another bowl with the remaining melted butter until thick and clumpy. Chill the streusel briefly.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and position the rack in the middle. Line 12 muffin cups, leaving every other cavity empty if you want taller tops.
- Using a small scoop or spoon, add about 1½ tablespoons of batter to each liner, sprinkle ~½ teaspoon of cinnamon sugar filling, then add another 1½ tablespoons of batter to fill to the top.
- Top each muffin with chilled streusel, breaking it up as needed, and sprinkle a little extra cinnamon sugar if desired.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C) without opening the door and bake a further 14–16 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Recipes were developed and tested using metric grams. A kitchen scale gives the most reliable results.
- Cardamom: If you don’t have cardamom, substitute a pinch of ground ginger or omit it. Cardamom adds a warm note but isn’t essential.
- Salt: If you don’t have kosher salt, halve the amount called for. (1 teaspoon kosher ≈ ½ teaspoon fine salt.)
- Baking six at a time: Filling every other muffin cavity helps produce taller, bakery-style tops.
- Storage: Store at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 2 months once cooled.
Nutritional information (estimate per muffin)
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Fat: 14 g (Saturated fat: 8 g)
- Sodium: 390 mg
- Sugar: 30 g