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banana nut muffins with walnut pieces visible on top
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Simple Moist Muffin Recipe

This simple moist muffin recipe is perfect when you want soft, fluffy homemade muffins with basic pantry ingredients. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced baker, this recipe delivers consistent results every single time — tender crumb, golden tops, and that irresistible bakery smell filling your kitchen. Ready in under 30 minutes and completely customizable with your favourite mix-ins.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Cooling Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Western
Calories: 198
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry Ingredients
  • 250 g All-purpose flour Spooned and levelled — do not scoop directly from bag
  • 150 g Granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp Salt
Wet Ingredients
  • 240 ml Milk Whole or semi-skimmed; oat or almond milk also works
  • 80 ml Vegetable oil Or any neutral-flavoured oil such as sunflower or canola
  • 2 Large eggs Room temperature for best results
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 12-cup muffin tin
  • Muffin paper liners
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl or jug
  • Whisk
  • Rubber spatula
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Kitchen scale
  • Wire cooling rack
  • Toothpick

Method
 

  1. Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F / Gas Mark 6). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup with oil or butter.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined. Create a small well in the centre of the dry mixture.
  3. Whisk the wet ingredients. In a separate jug or medium bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully combined.
  4. Combine gently. Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the dry ingredients. Fold together using a rubber spatula with just 10–12 strokes. The batter will look lumpy — this is perfectly normal and desirable. Do not overmix or your muffins will turn out dense and tough.
  5. Fill the muffin cups. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full. Overfilling will cause the muffins to spread flat rather than rise into a nice dome.
  6. Bake until golden. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Do not open the oven door before 18 minutes.
  7. Cool and serve. Remove from the oven and let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Do not overmix — Fold the batter gently with just 10–12 strokes. A lumpy batter is correct. Overmixing develops gluten and produces dense, rubbery muffins.
Oil vs butter — This recipe uses oil because it keeps muffins moist and soft for longer. Butter adds flavour but tends to make muffins drier as they cool.
Measure flour correctly — Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag packs in too much flour and dries out the muffins.
Room temperature eggs — Let eggs sit out for 15 minutes before using. Cold eggs can cause the batter to mix unevenly.
Flavour variations — Fold one of the following into the finished batter before filling the cups: 150 g fresh or frozen blueberries; 120 g chocolate chips; 2 mashed ripe bananas (reduce milk to 180 ml); zest of 2 lemons plus 1 tbsp poppy seeds.
Storage — Room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days; refrigerator for up to 5 days; freezer for up to 3 months.