Jumbo Banana Muffins (Bakery Style Vegan Recipe)

Jumbo Banana Muffins with a nut topping are the vegan breakfast of your dreams! This bakery style recipe makes 6 fluffy and moist muffins.

Is it just me, or are you missing out on gorgeous jumbo muffins?!

Growing up, I was so jealous of my friends when they would get giant muffins from the bakery. I couldn’t eat them due to allergies, and now as a vegan, I still haven’t had one… until now!

These giant banana nut muffins are eggless, fluffy as a cloud inside, and have a crispy nut topping. If you love banana bread or vegan chocolate chip muffins, then you're sure to love this easy recipe, too.

Keep reading to learn all my best tips for making six large muffins at home!

I have to shout out Nora Cooks for inspiring this jumbo muffin recipe. Her vegan banana muffins were a staple of my college life!

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make the best jumbo banana muffins:

• Ripe Bananas - Use overripe bananas with lots of brown spots; this will help make the muffin sweet.
• Plant Milk - Any milk will work for this recipe, I prefer using soy milk because of its high protein content, and it isn’t too sweet.
• Oil - Use a neutral oil like canola or vegetable oil.
• Granulated Sugar - The amount of sugar can be adjusted based on how sweet you like your muffins! I find that you don’t need as much added sugar with a well-ripened banana. You could use anywhere from ½ cup of sugar for a low-sugar muffin all the way up to 1 cup for a sweeter muffin.
• Apple Cider Vinegar & Baking Powder - When these ingredients mix, they react to make an extra fluffy muffin!
• Vanilla - Adds to the overall flavor to give it the flair of a bakery style treat.
• All Purpose Flour was used in this recipe - A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend should also work.
• Salt
• Walnuts - You want these to be chopped but not to a point where they are fine. Otherwise, they would get lost inside the fluffy muffin. You can swap walnuts for a different type of nut, like pecan, or omit them entirely if you are nut free. You could alternatively use chocolate chips or even dried fruit.

For the Topping

• Walnuts - A finer chopped walnut with a few small chunks is preferred to allow for an even distribution of the topping.
• Sugar - This adds to the sweetness of the muffin and helps achieve the crunchy exterior.

Equipment

For this recipe, you will, of course, need a giant muffin tin! I got mine from Chicago Metallic. This tin makes 6 muffins, effectively doubling the size of the muffin you would get from a standard 12-piece tin.

I highly recommend a professional quality non-stick jumbo muffin tin. I didn't need any liners, and the muffins popped out perfectly.

Directions with Pictures

Here's how to make the batter for the jumbo banana muffins:

1. In a large bowl, mash your bananas with a fork or potato masher. Make sure the mash measures out to 1 ¼ cup. This is important to ensure the proportions of the ingredients are accurate. I always need 3 bananas, but that will depend on the size of your bananas and how ripe they are!
2. Add the rest of your wet ingredients to the mashed bananas: plant milk, oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar. Mix until combined.
3. Then add in the sugar, baking powder, and salt to the banana mixture. Stir until combined.
4. Finally, add in the flour, making sure not to over-mix. Some lumps will still remain, and that is okay!
5. Coarsely chop the walnuts and add them to the batter.
6. Stir until just combined.

For the topping:

1. Chop the additional walnuts into a finer texture with some small chunks remaining. Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the nuts.
2. Lightly grease your muffin tin with oil or melted butter, making sure to oil the top part around the rim so that any part of the muffin that spills over doesn’t stick. You can also use jumbo muffin liners, still making sure to grease them.
3. Now it’s time to put all of your hard work together! Scoop the batter into the greased muffin tins with ½ cup scooper. You may need to add a little extra to each muffin once you have filled each well. The batter should almost completely fill the wells. 
4. Sprinkle the topping over each muffin, generously coating the entire surface area.
5. Finally, you can put your muffins in the oven! Bake the muffins for 22-26 minutes. Timing will vary based on your oven. You’ll know they’re ready when they are golden brown on top, and you can smell the perfectly roasted walnut topping. Let cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then remove the muffins and place them on a wire rack.

FAQ

Storage

If you have any leftover banana muffins, here's how to store them:

• Countertop - Place muffins in an airtight container with a towel at the bottom to help retain moisture.
• Freezer - While these muffins are best fresh, you can freeze muffins by wrapping them in plastic wrap and storing them in the freezer.