If you've got a few overripe bananas on the counter and blackberries in the fridge, you can be enjoying these Banana Blackberry Muffins in about 30 minutes! Just 10 minutes prep time and no mixer required, these are super easy and on the healthy side with the addition of oats!
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This Banana Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins recipe makes an even dozen, enough to share with a neighbor or stash a few in the freezer for a busy weekday morning. Serve them as breakfast or brunch with a cup of coffee, or with Shortcut Blackberry Lemonade as a quick afternoon snack!
Unlike most bakery-style muffins, there's no starting at a high oven temp and then lowering it mid-bake. One steady temperature, one dozen gorgeous domed muffins, and done! Now, that's a shortcut!
Blackberry banana muffins are the best of two worlds: the soft, cozy comfort of my Best-Ever One-Bowl Banana Bread crossed with a fresh berry muffin you'd pay way too much for at a coffee shop. They're packed with fiber from the oats, potassium from the bananas, and antioxidants from the juicy blackberries, which is a real nice bonus when you're eating something that tastes like dessert for breakfast!
I started making these when our blackberry patch at the back of the yard started coming in faster than I could use them. Blackberries grow wild right along the edge of our woods, and y'all, there is nothing quite like foraging fruit from your own backyard. I freeze them as they ripen all summer long, which means I can make these muffins any time of year!
If you love using fresh blackberries as much as I do, you are going to want to make my Easy Wild Blackberry Crisp with Pecan Streusel, Blackberry Simple Syrup, and Freezer Blackberry Pepper Jelly all season long!
Shortcuts
- No need to start at a high temp and then lower it. A lot of bakery-style muffin recipes ask you to blast them at 450F first to get that tall, domed top, then lower the heat partway through. I skip that entirely so I can set the timer and forget it. With my tested ingredient amounts and techniques, you’ll still get a beautiful, muffin top. One less thing to think about!
- An even dozen every time. This recipe is perfectly calibrated to make exactly 12 standard muffins, no more, no less. I've tested the amounts just right so you're not left with a sad half-filled muffin cup or batter left over in the bowl. Make sure your cupcake liners are not the short ones.
- No mixer needed. Everything comes together with a bowl, a spoon, and a good old potato masher (or fork). Fewer dishes and faster cleanup!
I tested these banana berry muffins 5 times to get just the right amount of oats, banana and oil or butter so they turn out moist and flavorful every time.
Ingredients
Scroll down to printable recipe for exact ingredient quantities.
- All-purpose flour - Used in both the muffin batter and the streusel topping. It's the foundation that gives these muffins their soft, tender crumb.
- Granulated sugar - Sweetens both the batter and the streusel. If you want, you can use firmly packed brown sugar instead.
- Quick-cooking oats - These go into the batter and the streusel. In the batter, the finer texture of quick oats works best because they blend in and replace a bit of the flour without making the muffin dense. Either quick oats or old-fashioned rolled oats work fine in the streusel topping.
- Baking powder and baking soda - This one-two punch gives the muffins a nice lift. The baking powder is especially helpful with overripe bananas, which are less acidic, helping the muffin tops dome up beautifully.
- Salt - Don't skip it! Salt balances the sweetness and makes the banana and berry flavors pop.
- Vegetable oil or melted butter - Both work, but they behave a little differently (see Pro Tips for the full scoop). Use what you have on hand and love.
- Overripe bananas - The riper, the better. You're looking for 2 to 3 bananas that are heavily speckled or fully brown on the peel. They'll be softer, sweeter, and much easier to mash.
- Eggs - Two large eggs add structure and richness to the batter.
- Vanilla extract - Two teaspoons is not a typo! A generous pour of vanilla rounds out the banana flavor beautifully.
- Fresh blackberries - If your berries are on the large side, cut them in half so you get berry flavor in every bite. Frozen blackberries work too, just fold them in straight from the freezer or give them a quick toss in the flour mixture before adding the wet ingredients.
- Salted butter (for the streusel) - Cut into slices and pressed into the flour and sugar mixture with your fingers for those perfect pea-size crumbles.
How to Make Banana Blackberry Muffins
Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe with detailed instructions.
Oat Streusel Topping
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and place 12 paper muffin liners in a standard muffin pan, or grease the muffin tins well.
- Make the streusel first. Combine ⅓ cup flour and ⅓ cup sugar in a small bowl. Cut the butter into slices and then use your fingertips to press the butter into the flour mixture, working it until it looks like pea-size crumbles. Pop the streusel in the fridge while you make the batter.
Muffin Batter
- Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Mash the bananas. If using butter, melt it first right in your large mixing bowl in the microwave. Mash the bananas into the melted butter using a potato masher or fork. If using oil, mash the bananas first and add the oil after.
- Add the eggs and vanilla. Whisk the eggs into the mashed banana mixture until everything is well combined. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Stir in the flour mixture. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and stir just until everything is combined. A few lumps are perfectly fine, that's a good muffin batter doing its thing.
- Fold in the blackberries. Gently fold in the berries, being careful not to crush them. If they're large, cut them in half first. The wild blackberries I pick in the woods near my house are pretty small.
- Fill the muffin cups. Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups (paper cupcake liners) using a trigger-release ice cream scoop for even portions. The cups should be nearly full!
- Add the streusel. Pull the streusel out of the fridge and sprinkle it generously over each muffin. Pile it on! Use it all.
- Bake for 20 to 23 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Don't overbake. You want them to stay moist inside.
- Cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack.
Pro Tips
- The great debate of oil vs. butter. I love the flavor butter gives these muffins, but I have to be honest with you: vegetable oil makes them noticeably more moist! If you do end up baking with butter, you can pop leftover muffins in the microwave for about 10 seconds and they will soften back up!
- Use a trigger-release ice cream scoop. This little tool makes it easy to get evenly sized muffins across all 12 cups so they bake at the same rate, and it's so much less messy than spooning batter by hand. A ½ cup ice cream or cookie scoop works perfectly.
- Don't skip chilling the streusel. Popping the streusel in the refrigerator while you make the batter keeps the butter cold so it stays crumbly instead of melting into the batter. Chilled streusel = those gorgeous, crunchy clusters on top.
- Hold back a few berries for the top. Press two or three blackberries right on top of each muffin before you add the streusel. This guarantees at least one beautiful berry peeking out after baking!
Substitutions & Variations
- Berry swaps (hello, Banana and Berry Muffins!): These work beautifully with any berry you love or have on hand. Raspberries or blueberries are my top picks. A mix of all three is not a bad idea either!
- Brown sugar swap: Trade the granulated sugar in the batter for ¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar for a richer, deeper flavor.
- Warm spice: Stir ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon into the batter. It adds a cozy warmth that's especially wonderful in the fall.
- Oats tip: Quick-cooking oats work best in the batter because their finer texture blends into the crumb. Old-fashioned rolled oats can be used in a pinch, but the texture will be slightly heartier. Either one works great in the streusel topping.
- Gluten-free Banana Oatmeal Blackberry Muffins: It's as simple as swapping out the all-purpose flour for Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour or King Arthur Measure for Measure GF flour.
- Using frozen blackberries: Got a bag of blackberries in the freezer? Fold them in straight from frozen, no thawing needed. I freeze my wild backyard blackberries as they ripen each summer just for recipes like this one.
What to Serve with Banana Blackberry Oat Muffins
These banana blackberry oatmeal muffins can be served on their own, but they go well as a gorgeous brunch spread! I like serving them a Sheet Pan Omelette or a Bacon Sausage Strata Breakfast Casserole! They also make a lovely afternoon snack with hot tea, or wrap a couple individually and tuck them in a basket to bring to a neighbor. That's the Southern way, after all!
Storage
- Counter storage: Store cooled blackberry banana muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To reheat: Microwave an individual muffin for 10 to 15 seconds to restore that fresh-baked moisture. It makes them taste like they just came out of the oven. You can also air fry them at 325F for 1 minute if you want the streusel to crisp up again.
- To freeze: Place completely cooled blackberry muffins in a zip-top freezer bag or airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave from frozen for about 30 to 45 seconds.
When you want to show some Southern hospitality or just make someone feel better, tuck a few of these banana and blackberry muffins in a basket for homemade food gift and deliver them to a friend.
FAQ's
They absolutely do! The natural sweetness of ripe bananas balances beautifully with the tart flavor of blackberries, and together they taste delicious. It's one of those combinations that just works!
The real secret is using overripe bananas and not overmixing the batter. Both keep the crumb tender and moist rather than tough. Using vegetable oil instead of butter also helps, since oil stays liquid at room temperature and keeps muffins softer longer than butter does.
The most likely culprit is overmixing the batter, which develops the gluten and prevents a good rise, or batter that sat too long before baking. Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear, fill the cups nearly full, and get them in the oven quickly for the best results.
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Banana Blackberry Muffins
SAVE THIS RECIPE
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
Streusel:
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 2 tablespoons quick cooking oats (or old fashioned rolled oats)
Muffins:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ¼ cup quick cooking oats (not old fashioned oats)
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
- 2 to 3 overripe medium bananas (about 1 ¼ cups mashed)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 6 ounce container fresh or frozen blackberries (about 1 cup)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Place 12 paper muffin cups in muffin pan(s). You can also bake them right in a greased muffin pan.
Streusel Topping:
- Combine the flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut the butter into slices. Then, using your fingers, press the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles pea size crumbles. Place the streusel topping in the fridge until ready to use.
Muffins:
- Combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium size bowl.
- If using butter, melt the butter in your microwave-safe mixing bowl or you can melt it in a pan, first. (If using oil, add it to the mashed banana.)
- Mash the banana in the mixing bowl with the butter, if using butter, with a potato masher or a fork. Add the eggs and whisk into the mashed banana until blended. Add oil now if using oil.
- Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture to to the banana mixture. Stir well. It’s ok if there are a few lumps showing.
- Fold in the blackberries. If the berries are extra large, cut them in half.Pro Tip: I like to hold out a few berries to place right on top before adding the streusel topping to be sure at least one berry shows after baking.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups or pans. I like to use a trigger release ice cream scoop. The muffin cups will be almost full.
- Sprinkle the streusel mixture on top. Pile it on! Use it all. Bake for 20 to 23 minutes or just until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out almost clean with just a few crumbs on it.
- Let the muffins cool 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.... if you can wait that long!
- Yield: 12 muffins
Notes
- The riper your bananas, the sweeter and more moist your muffins will be. Look for heavily speckled or mostly brown peels.
- Don't overmix the batter! Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear. A few lumps are perfectly fine.
- Make the streusel first and refrigerate it while you prep the batter. Cold streusel stays crumbly and bakes up with that perfect bakery crunch.
- Hold back a few blackberries to press on top of the batter before adding the streusel so a berry shows through after baking.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Microwave 10-15 seconds to restore that fresh-baked softness.
Nutrition
Nutrition analysis on GritsAndGouda.com recipes are mostly calculated on an online nutrition calculator. I am not a dietitian and nutritional information is an estimate and can vary based on products used.
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