Banana Bread to Muffins (and Back): How Many, What Temperature, How Long

One 9×5 loaf recipe makes about 12 standard muffins. Raise the oven 25–50°F above the loaf temperature and bake about 23–28 minutes at 375°F (or 20–25 at 400°F), instead of the hour a loaf takes at 350°F. Going the other way, 12 muffins' worth of batter fills one 9×5 pan: bake at 350°F for 45–60 minutes.

Banana bread, zucchini bread, pumpkin bread and most other quick breads are muffin batter in a loaf pan, so they move between the two shapes without changing a single ingredient. What changes is the oven temperature and the time. A loaf is thick and needs a moderate oven so the middle sets before the crust gets too dark; muffins are small and do best in a hotter oven that gives them a domed top before they dry out.

From One Loaf Recipe

Bake it as	How many	Oven	Time
One 9×5" loaf (the original)	1	350°F	about 50–65 min
Standard muffins	12	375°F (or 400°F)	23–28 min (20–25 at 400°F)
Mini muffins	about 36	350°F	12–14 min
Jumbo muffins	about 6	425°F for 5 min, then 350°F	22–25 min more
Mini loaves, 4½×2½"	3–4	25°F above the original	18–22 min
Mini loaves, 5×3"	2–3	25°F above the original	22–25 min

Muffin counts and loaf-to-muffin times follow Bake or Break's conversion guide; mini and jumbo muffin times follow Sally's Baking Addiction's master muffin recipe; mini loaf counts and times follow The View from Great Island. Start checking at the first number in every range.

Loaf to Muffins, Step by Step

1. Heat the oven 25–50°F hotter than the loaf recipe says — usually 375°F, or 400°F for a stronger dome.
2. Grease or line a 12-cup standard muffin pan. A standard cup holds about ½ cup, so fill it three-quarters full: about ⅓ cup of batter. A #12 portion scoop is exactly ⅓ cup; see portion scoop sizes.
3. Bake 23–28 minutes at 375°F (20–25 at 400°F) until the tops spring back and a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
4. Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then lift the muffins out so the bottoms don't steam.

If the loaf recipe has a crumb or streusel topping, use about half as much per muffin as you would picture — twelve tops have more surface than one loaf, so the full amount usually covers them all.

Muffins to a Loaf

Pour 12 standard muffins' worth of batter into a greased 9×5-inch pan, no more than three-quarters full. Lower the oven 25–50°F from the muffin recipe, usually to 350°F, and bake 45–60 minutes, checking at 45. If the top browns before the center sets, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it for the last 15 minutes. An 8½×4½-inch pan holds less, so the batter sits deeper and the loaf takes a little longer; leave out a few spoonfuls and bake them as a couple of muffins rather than overfill it. For any other pan, the baking pan size converter works out the scaling from pan volumes.

Mini and Jumbo Muffins From a Standard Recipe

A recipe for 12 standard muffins makes about 36–40 minis or about 6 jumbos. Minis bake at 350°F for 12–14 minutes with no high-heat start; they dry out quickly, so pull them as soon as a toothpick comes out clean. Jumbos start at 425°F for 5 minutes to set the dome, then finish at 350°F for 22–25 minutes so the centers cook through without burning the outside.

Which Recipes Convert Best

• Converts cleanly: banana, zucchini, pumpkin, cranberry-orange, lemon-poppy seed, cornbread, most muffin recipes.
• Watch closely: very wet batters with a lot of fruit or a swirl of cream cheese — they can sink in the middle as a loaf, so give them the full time and check the center.
• Yeasted breads are different: a sandwich loaf or brioche dough is not a quick bread, and rolls follow their own timing.

Cake batter follows the same idea with different times; the cake to cupcake converter covers layer cakes, 9×13s and Bundts. And if you want to make half a batch of muffins, how to cut a recipe in half handles the odd egg.

Frequently Asked Questions