Air Fryer Banana Muffins

One of my favorite snacks to make is air fryer banana muffins. Not only are they healthy and delicious, they’re also quick and easy to bake in an air fryer. Perfect for a healthy snack or a grab and go breakfast.

How to make banana muffins in an air fryer

When you’ve no time to cook, but want an energy-packed breakfast or snack, these air fryer banana muffins are a great option.

They are a healthier alternative to many other baked goods because they’re made with whole wheat flour, instead of refined flour, and they contain bananas which are rich in potassium. They’re quick to bake in an air fryer, and you can whip them up in around 30 minutes.

I love using my air fryer for baking, it is perfect for whipping up a small batch of something like these air fryer brownies, this air fryer banana bread (it’s vegan!), or air fryer chocolate chip cookies.

However, baking muffins (or anything that rises during baking) in an air fryer can sometimes give you interesting shapes because of the effect of the hot air on the rising batter. Check out my guide to baking in an air fryer for more details.

Scroll down for the recipe card for these air fryer banana muffins, or read on for all the details!

Ingredients

Quantities for all ingredients are given in the recipe card below.

Flour: I normally use whole wheat flour, because it adds more nutrition to All-purpose flour

Mixed spice: I just use a store-bought mix of spices, but you could use a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg

Baking soda and baking powder: the combination of both baking soda and baking powder gives these muffins the ultimate lift so you should get a nice round top.

Salt: use fine sea salt or table salt.

3 large bananas: very over ripe bananas with lots of black spots are the best. You want them to be nice and soft and super sweet.

Melted butter: Be sure to use unsalted butter, this recipe has salt already, so using salted butter would result in muffins that are much to salty. If you only have salted butter, then skip the added salt! I normally melt the butter in the microwave. Place the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts until just melted.

Soft brown sugar: you can substitute granulated sugar

Egg: this should be room temperature, so try to remember to get it out of the refrigerator 1-2 hours ahead of your cooking.

Milk: I use regular whole milk, though you could substitute buttermilk.

Optional extra ingredients: you can add up to 1 cup of extra goodies to your muffins. Try chocolate chips, chopped nuts, dates or other dried fruit, or a combination (white chocolate and dried cranberries is a family favorite).

Directions

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl or large jug. They need to be well combined ahead of mixing with the wet ingredients so that you can minimize the mixing times once wet and dry ingredients have been added together.

Step 2: Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. I make this recipe with a stand mixer, and the bananas mash easily in under a minute. I put them in to mix while I prepare the other wet ingredients. Then add the other wet ingredients and mix for 2-3 minutes until well combined and creamy.

Step 3: Next add the dry ingredients and mix on a low speed until just combined. You want to mix the bare minimum to just combine the ingredients. This is the secret to getting light crumbly muffins rather than heavy muffins. Over mixing can over activate the gluten in the flour, causing the muffins to be gummy and chewy.

Step 4: Preheat the air fryer (400°F/ 200°C), before scooping the muffin batter into muffin cases. I have found that using paper muffin cases leads to muffins spreading and baking into wild shapes (a result of baking using hot air). To remedy this I normally use silicone muffin cases, which you can either use on their own, or lined with regular paper cupcake cases.

Step 5: Carefully place muffins into the air fryer basket, remember it will be very hot from preheating.

Step 6: Air fry muffins. Bake the muffins in the air fryer at 400°F/ 200°C for 4 minutes. Then when the cook time is up do not open the air fryer, even for a tiny peek! Reduce the temperature to 320°F/ 160°C and air fry for an additional 13-15 minutes until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.

The initial baking at a higher temperature helps the muffins to rise up quickly to form round domes before they are set by the hot air. If you just bake them at a lower temperature, you will find the tops start to set before they have risen properly, forming strange peaks. Also the muffin batter often comes bursting out because there is not enough space for the center of the muffins to rise properly once the tops have set.

Step 7: Remove the muffins from the air fryer and allow to cool on a cooling rack. If using paper and silicone cupcake cases then remove the muffins from the outer silicone case. If just using silicone cases, allow them to cool in the cases.

Storage

Store any uneaten muffins in an airtight container. They should last for a 2-3 days at room temperature, or 5-6 days in the refrigerator.

Air Fryer Banana Muffins Recipe Card

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