Banana Upside Down Muffins

A soft, nutmeg spiced base with sticky caramelized banana topping make the best ever banana upside down muffins!

Why this recipe works

Let me introduce you to sweet banana upside down muffins. A fluffy muffin base perfectly spiced with grated nutmeg followed by caramelized dark brown sugar “topping” and a banana slices. If that doesn’t paint the picture for you, I’m not sure what will. 

I love upside down desserts, the way the sugar caramelizes and just melts in your mouth. We all know about classic pineapple upside down cake, but have you ever thought of making a version with bananas? I’m always looking for ways beyond banana bread to use ripened bananas. Lo and behold, the perfect recipe for just that. I’ve been making these banana upside down muffins since 2009 and they’ve always proven to be a winner for both breakfast and dessert!

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

MUFFINS – The muffin base is lightly flavored with grated nutmeg. Feel free to warm it up even further with a dash of cinnamon or toss in some chopped nuts. You can even swap the muffin base out with banana muffins for more banana flavoring. The dark rum called for in the ingredients adds a lovely touch of nutty vanilla flavor, I highly recommend trying it. You can always substitute with about 1/2 tablespoon or so of rum extract instead.

TOPPING – The topping is a simple mixture of butter and dark brown sugar. I initially found this recipe in Mani Niall’s cookbook called Sweet! in which he uses dark muscovado sugar in place of the dark brown sugar. Muscovado sugar leans heavier on the molasses flavor, you can use either or here!

How to Make Banana Upside Down Muffins

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 F. Lightly spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. To prepare the pans, place 2 teaspoons of the butter and 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar in each muffin cup. Bake until the mixture in each cup is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
3. Peel the bananas and cut them on a diagonal into 48 thin slices.
4. In each muffin cup, place two banana slices on the bottom and two banana slices along the sides.
5. To make the muffins, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, milk, rum, and vanilla.
7. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, and stir just until blended. Do not overbeat.
8. Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them as full as possible (be sure to divide them evenly, they will be about 3/4 way full).
9. Bake until the center of a muffin springs back when pressed gently with your finger, about 18 minutes.
10. Immediately invert the muffins onto a wire rack. Cool briefly and serve. The muffins are best the day they are made.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Serve your banana upside down muffins alongside coffee or tea in the morning. Or, serve them for dessert with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon or chopped nuts.

You might also want to try them drizzled with caramel sauce or warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

More Related Recipes

• Banana Cookies
• Banana Fritters
• Blueberry Upside Down Cake
• Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

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Banana Upside Down Muffins

Soft and fluffy banana upside down muffins with a mouth watering caramelized brown sugar topping and sliced bananas are perfect for breakfast or dessert!

4.94 from 16 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 muffins

33 minutes mins

Calories: 256

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ non-stick cooking spray
• ▢ 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢ 4 ripe bananas

Muffins

• ▢ 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ▢ 1 pinch of salt
• ▢ ½ cup dark brown sugar packed
• ▢ ⅓ cup canola oil
• ▢ 2 large eggs at room temperature
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons whole milk
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons dark rum
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Muffin pan 12 cup

Before You Begin

• The dark rum called for in the ingredients adds a lovely touch of nutty vanilla flavor, I highly recommend trying it. You can always substitute with about 1/2 tablespoon of rum extract instead.

Instructions

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 F. Lightly spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
• To prepare the pans, place 2 teaspoons of the butter and 2 teaspoons of the brown sugar in each muffin cup. Bake until the mixture in each cup is melted and bubbly, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and cool for a few minutes.
• Peel the bananas and cut them on a diagonal into 48 thin slices.
• In each muffin cup, place two banana slices on the bottom and two banana slices along the sides.
• To make the muffins, sift together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, oil, eggs, milk, rum, and vanilla.
• Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture, and stir just until blended. Do not overbeat.
• Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them as full as possible (be sure to divide them evenly, they will be about 3/4 way full).
• Bake until the center of a muffin springs back when pressed gently with your finger, about 18 minutes.
• Immediately invert the muffins onto a wire rack. Cool briefly and serve. The muffins are best the day they are made.

Expert Tips & FAQs

• These muffins are best the day they are made. However, you can store them in an air-tight container kept in the refrigerator for an additional two to three days. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 256cal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 263mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 193IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg

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This recipe originally appeared here on July 12, 2009 and has since been updated with new photos and expert tips. Original recipe credit – Sweet! by Mani Niall.