Banana Muffins With Vanilla Caramel Glaze are moist muffins flavored with cinnamon and ripe bananas, topped with a smooth vanilla caramel glaze. I will let you in on a little secret–the caramel acts as the secret ingredient, taking these muffins to the next level of deliciousness! If you are craving a classic, perfect banana muffin, be sure to check out my recipe for the Best Banana Muffins—simple, moist, and always a crowd-pleaser!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Bananas: Ripe bananas work best in this recipe; they make the muffins nice and moist! I just mash them in a bowl. But, if you do not want banana chunks you can use a hand-held mixer or stand mixer to get a smooth consistency.
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the muffins and helps with browning during baking. You could use brown sugar for a slightly richer flavor, or a sugar substitute like honey or maple syrup (but it may change the texture a bit).
- Butter: Unsalted butter lets you control the amount of salt in recipes. If using salted butter, you may want to lessen (or leave out) the salt in the recipe.
- Leavening Agents: Baking soda and baking powder work together to help the muffins rise, making them light and fluffy. Baking soda reacts with the bananas to create lift while baking powder provides an extra boost to ensure the muffins are tender. If you only have one of these, you can adjust the amount—use 3 teaspoons of baking powder to replace both. Or, use 2 ½ teaspoons of baking soda in place of both, but reduce the salt slightly.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon adds warmth and a bit of spice to the muffins. If you don’t have cinnamon, you can leave it out. Or, experiment with other spices like nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice. (I love a good ‘experiment’ when it comes to baking!)
- Vanilla Caramel Glaze: The simple sweet glaze is made with confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar), unsalted butter, vanilla, caramel (the secret ingredient), and whole milk. Caramel is the perfect complement to a banana muffin! I can’t help but love the velvety richness and sweetness it adds to the banana muffin. Just wait until you taste it to find out!
Can I Add Nuts or Other Mix-Ins To Banana Muffins?
Absolutely! Feel free to mix in chocolate chips, chopped nuts (like a cup of walnuts or pecans), or even dried fruit for added flavor and texture. I have even added blueberries to these banana muffins, which I loved!
How To Store Banana Muffins with Vanilla Caramel Glaze
Store leftover banana muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. They will last up to 3 days. I do not like to refrigerate muffins because it can dry them out faster. For longer storage, freeze the muffins.
Freezing Banana Muffins with Vanilla Caramel Glaze
To freeze these banana muffins, I recommend freezing them without the glaze. (It’s easy to add that when ready to enjoy or serve.) To freeze muffins, first, let them cool completely. Next, wrap each muffin tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Store them in a freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Label the bag with the date and freeze the muffins for up to 3 months.
How to Reheat Frozen Muffins
Remove a muffin (or two, or however many you need) from the freezer. Allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator or let it come to room temperature on the counter for a couple of hours. Or, if you are craving one right away (like I do), just pop it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds!
More Muffin Recipes
Banana Muffins with Vanilla Caramel Glaze
Ingredients
- 5 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (151 g) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch kosher salt
Glaze
- ½ cup (62.5 g) confectioners' sugar
- 1 tablespoon caramel sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners. (I made 21 banana muffins.)
- To a large mixing bowl, add bananas, sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix well.
- Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined.
- Scoop the batter evenly into the lined muffin cups. Bake 22-24 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs but no wet batter.
- Let the muffins cool before adding the glaze.
Glaze
- To a medium bowl, add confectioners' sugar, caramel, butter, milk, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. If the glaze is too thick, add more milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
- Drizzle glaze over cooled muffins.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
HI. This recipe looks delicious! Do you let the muffins or the glaze cool down before you add the glaze? I am never lucky with glazes and they always seem to get absorbed in the muffin instead of forming a coat like yours.
I think that yes, the muffins and glaze work best at room temperature. If you want to see a nice thick, smooth glaze, try doing 2-3 coats! 🙂
Just made these. Fantastic!
Delicious recipe turn out great
I didn’t have caramel so I added a touch of maple syrup it worked very well delicious glaze
Hey chef……a doubt…once glaze is poured,won’t it crystallize after hours..
It gets firm quite quickly.
Thank you for sharing your delicious recipe! I can’t wait to make it. The glaze sounds delicious!!!
My family gives this recipe a 5 star rating…I am taking a dozen to work tomorrow for birthday surprise….thanks so much for a great recipe♥️
Amanda, I had bananas that needed to be used. I came to your site looking for a banana bread recipe and found these ‘Best Banana Muffin’. Everything was in my cupboards so I gave them a try, and am so glad I did. They are YUMMY! Fall is in the air today and they started my day off right. Thanks for sharing such a great quick recipe. Now to finish up my stew. Happy Fall!
I made banana muffins & they didn’t turn out as well as I hoped. They are lopsided on top
& they don’t look very appetizing. I thought maybe I could cover them up with frosting. Is this
ok & if so what frosting would you recommend? Thanks so much. Appreciate it.
Joan
Hi Joan – lopsided usually means your oven is not baking evenly.
I have one question on the caramel in the icing. Do you use caramel sauce like you put on ice cream or something else? I am very excited to try the recipe.