Turn those brown bananas into breakfast gold—zero waste, maximum flavor.
The Story
Every household has those bananas. You know the ones—they started the week bright yellow and full of promise, but now they’re brown and spotted, sitting on the counter looking sad. Most people toss them. We bake with them.
Grandma Seely’s Banana Muffin recipe is my go-to solution for overripe bananas. The browner and spottier, the better—that’s when bananas are at their sweetest and most flavorful.
This recipe is also incredibly forgiving. It works with gluten-free flour (tested and approved), you can swap butter for Crisco, add chocolate chips or leave them out, include nuts or skip them.
The Recipe
Ingredients
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1 cup (200g GF) | Sugar |
| 1/2 cup | Crisco (or butter) |
| 4 medium | Ripe bananas (the browner, the better) |
| 2 (100g) | Eggs |
| 1 tsp | Baking soda |
| 2 cups (260g GF) | All-purpose flour |
| 1 to 1 1/2 cups | Milk chocolate chips |
| 1/2 cup (optional) | Chopped nuts |
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream together sugar and Crisco until light and fluffy.
- Add bananas and continue creaming until well combined.
- Add eggs and mix until incorporated.
- Add baking soda and flour gradually. For gluten flour: do not over-beat after adding.
- Fold in chocolate chips and nuts.
- For GF batter: Let batter rest for 30 minutes before baking.
- Bake at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Why This Recipe
Food waste is money waste. Americans throw away an estimated $1,600 worth of food per household every year. Those overripe bananas? They’re not garbage—they’re ingredients.
Batch baking beats buying. A dozen bakery muffins cost $15-20. This recipe makes 12-18 muffins for about $5. They freeze beautifully and reheat perfectly.
Storage
- Room temperature: 2-3 days in an airtight container
- Refrigerate: Up to 1 week
- Freeze: Up to 3 months—microwave 20-30 seconds to reheat
Overripe bananas aren’t trash—they’re treasure. Grandma Seely knew that the best ingredients are often the ones others overlook.