Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins

These fluffy banana muffins are so easy to prepare, they are topped with a crunchy oat crumble. They are bakery style moist muffins with banana chunks that are a just like banana bread but better.

Calling all banana bread lovers! If you are someone who always has overripe bananas in your kitchen or just love making banana bread then this is the recipe for you. Fun fact: I first made this recipe on the Ninja Bake Along during quarantine and it was such a hit! There are many substitutions in this recipe that make it easily doable. Also, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make them.

I would say these are the BEST ever banana muffins you will make but don’t take my word for it and try them yourself. There are few points to keep in mind when making a crumble based cake/muffin and we will go through all the details. However I have made these muffins without the crumble and they are delicious on their own as well but I like the crunchy texture. Unlike other banana bread muffins or cakes, in this recipe we do not mash the bananas but chop them into chunks as once they are baked we get chunks of banana instead of a mashed banana muffin which is so yummy!

What are banana crumble muffins?

They are fluffy banana muffins that are made with overripe bananas and topped with a crunchy oat and walnut crumble. They are bakery style muffins which make for a very easy beginner friendly baking recipe.

What are muffins made of?

Most often than not muffins are similar to a quick bread. They have a wet mixture and a dry mixture that is combined to create a fluffy muffin batter. The wet ingredients include eggs melted butter/oil, yogurt, milk and vanilla. The dry ingredients include flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.

What is crumble made of?

Crumble is made of flour, granulated sugar, salt, nuts (sometimes) and butter. Some crumble recipes house oil instead of the butter.

What is the secret to moist muffins?

There are a few tricks to making the perfectly moist muffin, here are my tips for them:

Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature as this will ensure the they incorporate well.
Do not over mix the batter as that will give you a dense muffin
We don’t want to over crowd the baking tin when baking the muffins so that the heat distributes evenly while baking – this might mean you would need to bake the muffins in batches if you don’t have enough trays or a large oven (like me)
I like to fill the muffin cases with 2 scoops of batter – this is alot of batter in comparison to a cupcake or regular muffin but thats what makes these muffins tall and bakery. Style
Bake the muffins at a higher temperature for the first 5 minutes and then finish baking them at a lower temperature this gives you a tall muffin that is not over baked but still fluffy on the inside

What is the secret to high muffins?

Baking the muffins spaced apart allows of better heat flow which helps give you those tall muffins. Baking them at a higher temperature at first and then finishing baking them at a lower temperature gives you a tall muffin that is fluffy on the inside.

Why is my banana muffin hard?

There could be a few reasons for this, they were over baked or the batter was over mixed and hence they became dense while baking. Alternatively the baking powder and baking soda could be expired – make sure to check this before baking.

Is streusel the same as crumble?

Streusel is typically made with a ratio of 1:1:2 of flour:sugar:butter while a crumble is made with a ratio of 1:1:1 or 1:1:1.5 of flour:sugar:butter. This depends on the type of recipe you are making. In this case the crumble is sweeter and more crunchy and crumbly in texture where as a streusel is more chewy and tender once baked.

What is the secret to a crunchy crumble topping?

Mixing the dry ingredients with the butter makes for a very delicious crumble once baked and you cannot go wrong with that. But baking it at the right temperature also ensure that it stays crunchy. You must use granulated sugar to make a crunchy crumble or else it will not hold its crunches much. I love using Demerara sugar in my crumble topping for the best crunch.

Are muffins better with oil or butter?

To be honest this depends on the recipe, while oil keeps the muffins moist and fluffy longer at room temperature they don’t always yield the best flavor. Melted butter will always give you a delicious flavor but they can affect the texture of the muffins the next day. I like using oil in most of my muffin recipes but I do use melted butter and oil in equal parts as well for flavor and texture. Which is a delicious option.

What if I don’t have overripe bananas?

You want to make these banana crumble muffins but don’t have overripe bananas? I got you covered. There are a couple of fool proof methods to get that overripe banana sweetness and texture. Firstly if your bananas are in the firmed, keep them outside at room temperature, if you have a brown paper bag, place them in there and they will get ripe in a day. If you don’t have patience to wait for a whole day then you can place the bananas with the skin on a baking tray and bake them at 180℃ for 30 minutes or until the outside skin is black and when you poke the banana it is soft and releases some juice. I have tried microwaving the banana as well and honestly I wouldn’t recommend it as microwaves suck out the moisture when heating anything so it does dry out these natural juices in my opinion.

What ingredients do you need to make these Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins?

To make the muffins:

We need castor sugar, fresh coconut (grated), desiccated coconut, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oil, egg, milk, vanilla, overripe banana.

To make the crumble:

We need butter, Demerara sugar, all purpose flour, desiccated coconut, oats, almonds (chopped or flakes), cinnamon powder.

What substitutes can you use to make this Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins?

Sugar –

I have made this recipe with brown as well but I prefer the flavor of castor sugar. If you can get your hands on coconut sugar use that instead as it highlights the coconut flavor in the muffins.

Fresh & dry coconut –

These are banana coconut muffins hence you need the coconut element here but if you don’t have fresh coconut use dry coconut instead. If you don’t have any coconut I would suggest using the same amount of almond flour in place of the fresh and dry coconut.

Flour –

I have used all purpose flour to make these muffins, you can use self raising flour, cake flour or to keep it gluten free use a gluten free all purpose flour mixture.

Oil –

I have used coconut oil to keep the coconut flavor loud and clear but olive oil works or any vegetable oil. If you wan tot use melted butter, go for gold.

Milk –

I used coconut milk too make this recipe but you can use any milk you have or prefer in baking.

Egg –

To keep this muffin eggless use 50 gm full fat yogurt or 1 flaxseed egg (1 tbsp flaxseed powder mixed with 2 tbsp water, let it sit until it has become a gel like consistency).

Vegan option –

Replace the milk for a plant based option to keep this recipe vegan.

Crumble –

The oats and almonds give the crumble a yummy texture and crunch but you can use any nuts you prefer. I have used instant oats but rolled oats work well too. The Demerara sugar is non negotiable. You can use a granulated sugar but it must be granulated.

What equipment do you need to make these Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins?

To make the muffins we need a mixing bowl, rubber spatula and ice cream scoop to portion the batter. I have baked these muffins in a cupcake tray lined with baking paper cups. To make the crumble topping we need a smaller mixing bowl and fork.

How to make these Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins?

Preheat the oven to 200℃, line a cupcake tray with muffins lines alternating, to keep one case empty and the other lined. Start by making the crumble: mix all the ingredients in a small bowl until combined and has the texture of damp sand. Set it aside. To make the muffins: whisk the oil and sugar until pale and creamy. Add the egg, vanilla and whisk again. Pour inter milk and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt fresh and dry coconut and stir half way, add the chopped banana and finish stirring, do not over mix. Scoop the batter into the line muffin tray and top with the crumble. Bake at 200℃ for 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 180℃ and bake for 20-22 minutes until the muffins have risen and a tooth pick inserted into the center come out clean. Enjoy.

Serving and storing these Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins?

The muffins are delicious warm out of the oven but they are even better the next day as the oil makes them super moist and tender. The crumble will firm up as it cools down hence after baking if it doesn’t seem crunchy allow it cool slightly. Store the leftovers in an air tight container or in zip lock bags for 1-2 days at room temperature or for 1 week in the fridge. I have stored these in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. When ready to eat place in the microwave and warm for 20 seconds or until soft.

Looking for more banana recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make these Banana Coconut Crumble Muffins, you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.