If you love soft banana muffins and cookies-and-cream desserts, these banana Oreo muffins are about to become your new favourite bake. They are fluffy, moist, and filled with crushed Oreo cookies in every bite.
The combination might sound unusual at first, right? but once you taste the rich chocolate cookies with soft banana muffin crumbs, it makes perfect sense.
I’ve always been a fan of banana cake treats, whether it a loaf, cake, muffins…it doesn’t matter just bring it in. Another reason people love banana oreo muffins is because they are easy to make with simple ingredients.
You do not need a mixer, fancy baking tools, or complicated techniques. Everything comes together in just a few bowls, making this recipe beginner-friendly and perfect for busy bakers.
These muffins are great for breakfast, lunchboxes, dessert, teatime, or even late-night cravings. They also freeze well, which means you can always keep a batch ready whenever you need a quick sweet treat.
The best part is that this recipe is versatile. If you prefer banana bread method instead of muffins, you can easily turn this banana oreo muffin batter into a loaf cake.
Ingredients You Need (Why They Are Important)
- Bananas – Without bananas, there is not banana oreo muffins. You can call it something else rather LOOL. Overriped banana work best for stronger flavour and they mash easily.
- Flour – I used cake/wheat flour for this recipe. If you intend to use all-purpose flour, use 1 tablespoon of cornflour for every cup you use (helps to make your muffins lighter and softer). Both flours are best for baked goods.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – to help your muffins rise enough use both agents.
- Oil instead of butter – Honestly, you can use butter or use both…It depends on the results that you want. If you want moist muffins for longer time (stick to using oil). If you like your muffins more CLASSIC and FLAVOURFUL (stick to butter). What about using both oil and butter for balanced texture…that GREAT!
- Buttermilk – for richness and softness, also known to reacts well with baking soda to help muffins rise well.
- The Spices – To enhance the flavour, we’re going to add cinnamon, little bit of ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You do not need to add them all. It honestly depends which ones you have available. But ground cinnamon is definitely the GIRLLY!!
- Oreo Cookies – We’re going to add oreo cookies. When muffins bake, they become softer slightly.
how to make Banana Oreo Muffins (step-by-step)
Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Start by preheating your oven to 180°C. This is important because muffins bake best in a properly heated oven.
Line your muffin tray with muffin liners or lightly grease the tray to prevent sticking.
Step 2: Mash the Bananas
Place the bananas in a large mixing bowl and mash them using a fork or potato masher.
You can leave a few small lumps if you prefer more banana texture in your muffins.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk to the mashed bananas.
Whisk everything together until smooth and combined.
Do not overmix at this stage. You simply want all the ingredients evenly incorporated.
Step 4: Combine the Dry Ingredients
In another bowl, mix together:
- Cake flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Ginger
- Nutmeg
Mixing the dry ingredients separately helps distribute the spices and raising agents evenly throughout the batter.
Step 5: Fold Wet and Dry Ingredients Together
Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the batter together until just combined.
This step is extremely important. Overmixing develops gluten in the flour, which can make your banana oreo muffins tough and dense instead of soft and fluffy.
The batter should still look slightly lumpy.
Step 6: Add the Crushed Oreos
Fold in the crushed Oreos gently.
Try not to crush them too finely to create better crunchy experience.
Step 7: Fill the Muffin Liners
Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling them about three-quarters full.
Top each muffin with extra broken Oreo pieces.
Step 8: Bake
Bake the banana oreo muffins for 18 to 22 minutes.
The muffins are ready when:
- The tops are golden
- They spring back lightly when touched
- A skewer inserted in the center comes out clean
Avoid overbaking because it can dry out the muffins
Can I Replace Oreo Cookies?
Yes, absolutely. While Oreo cookies give these banana oreo muffins their classic cookies-and-cream flavor, there are several other options you can use if you do not have Oreos available.
Just like OREO CREAM CINNAMON ROLLS, you can replace them by adding your fav cookies. Chocolate sandwich cookies from other brands work almost exactly the same way and still give you that crunchy chocolate texture inside the muffins. You can also experiment with flavored Oreos like vanilla, peanut butter, mint, golden Oreos, or birthday cake Oreos to create different muffin variations.
If you want something slightly different, try replacing Oreos with:
- Chocolate chips
- Chopped chocolate bars
- Biscoff biscuits
- Chocolate cookies
- Mini cookies
- White chocolate chunks
- Peanut butter cookies
Keep in mind that Oreos add both texture and sweetness to the muffins. If you replace them with less sweet cookies, your muffins may taste slightly from mine.
Can I Remove Cinnamon and Other Spices?
Yes, you can remove the spices if you prefer a simpler flavor.
The cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg mainly add depth flavour to this recipe, but the recipe will still work without them.
You can leave out all the spices entirely.
However, I find that cinnamon pairs beautifully with bananas because it enhances the natural sweetness of the fruit, just like it enhances carrot in CARROT LOAF
If you do not like strong spice flavors, try:
- Using only cinnamon
- Reducing the spice amounts by half
The spices are completely customizable based on your taste preferences. But BEWARE that the taste will not be the same because spices add flavour as well just like CARROT CAKE LOAF
I Do Not Have Buttermilk — Can I Use Milk?
Yes, you can use regular milk if you do not have buttermilk.
However, buttermilk gives softer and more tender banana oreo muffins because of its acidity.
To make a simple homemade buttermilk substitute:
- Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar to 1/2 cup milk
- Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes
The milk will slightly curdle, creating an easy buttermilk replacement.
You can also use:
- Plain yogurt mixed with a little milk
- Sour cream thinned with milk
- Maas (Amasi)
If using plain milk only, your muffins may still taste delicious, but they could be slightly less soft.
Best Tips for Moist and Soft Banana Oreo Muffins
- Use overripe bananas – The best bananas for banana oreo muffins are heavily spotted or dark brown.
- Do not overmix your batter – Do not try to achieve smooth batter, use spatula to gentle fold in until dry ingredients disappears.
- Overbaking – Try to set a timer and keep an eye on your oven.
How to Make Eggless Banana Oreo Muffins
If you do not eat eggs or simply ran out of them, you can still make delicious banana oreo muffins.
Replace the 2 eggs with one of these options:
- Extra banana – Use 1/2 cup mashed banana for each egg.
- Plain yoghurt – Replace each egg with 1/4 cup plain yogurt
Eggless banana oreo muffins may be slightly softer and less fluffy, but they still taste delicious.
My Bananas Are Not Ripe Enough
If your bananas are still yellow or slightly firm, do not worry. You can quickly ripen using the following methods:
- Oven method – Place unpeeled bananas on a baking tray and bake at 150°C for about 10 to 15 minutes. The skins will turn black and the bananas will become very soft. Allow them to cool before using.
- Microwave method – Pierce the banana peel with a fork and microwave for 30-second intervals until softened.
- Paper bag method – Place bananas in a paper bag with an apple for one or two days.
For how long can I keep or store them
- Room temperature -Store banana oreo muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. To keep your muffins soft, place paper towels inside the container first. Try to avoid refrigerating immediately because refrigeration can dry muffins out faster.
- Refrigerator – You can store your muffins up to 1 week.
- Freezer – Wrap each muffinin plastic wrap or store them in freezer-safe bags. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Try other banana, and oreo inspired recipe:
Banana Oreo Muffins
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C. Line a muffin tray with muffin liners or lightly grease the tray to prevent sticking.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth using a fork or potato masher.
- Add the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla extract, and buttermilk to the mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth and combined.
- In another bowl, mix together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Gently fold together until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the muffins soft and fluffy.
- Fold in the crushed Oreo cookies gently until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Top with extra broken Oreo pieces.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy warm or completely cooled