These Ripe Plantain muffins are baked with the goodness of ghee, millet flour and warm spices like nigella seeds and cardamom and are best served with a cup of chai. The recipe is for a small batch of 5 muffins only!
Ripe plantains are a staple in our home and mostly we have it for breakfast with eggs. However, on certain days, we find ourselves with a few overripe plantains that render them unsuitable for the usual Indian plantain recipes. They are too ripe to withstand pan frying or steaming. But these are not a bad choice to add to a muffin batter! I made these muffins by tweaking my Ripe plantain sweet bread recipe.
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Ingredients
Are plantains gluten-free? Yes, plantains are naturally gluten-free. You will find plantains tagged as Kerala bananas, cooking bananas, nenthra pazham or ethapazham. Also, If you know me, I love to add nigella seeds to banana bakes.
- mashed ripe plantain
- Flour: I have used all three types of flour - all-purpose flour (maida), finger millet flour (ragi) and whole wheat flour (atta). You may replace the millet and atta flour with all-purpose flour.
- sugar
- baking powder and baking soda
- cardamom powder
- nigella seeds
- egg
- melted ghee
How to make plantain muffins?
The best thing about this recipe is you don't have to take out any gadgets to make this muffin. All you need is two bowls, one whisk, and a rubber spatula! We use the muffin mixing method to make the batter.
- Whisk the dry ingredients
- Whisk the wet ingredients
- Add the wet to the dry
- Fold gently taking care not to overdo
- Spoon the batter into a greased and floured muffin pan and bake!
I tried the Grease and Flour method to grease the muffin holes. You may use muffin liners or cupcake liners or baking paper.
These muffins are perfect for a mid-day grab-and-eat snack or evening chai snack. Here is an image of half-eaten plantain muffins.
Equipment
You only need a 6-hole muffin pan. You may bake this in a medium loaf pan of 8x4 or a 6-inch round pan.
Variations
You can make this recipe a few different ways adding your favourite flavours.
- For example, I would love to stir in some chocolate chips. Skip the seeds and keep them vanilla and chocolate.
- Skip the nigella seeds and add cinnamon for a fall-inspired flavour!
- Make it egg-free by increasing mashed plantain or add a mashed banana instead!
What nutrients does a ripe plantain have?
Ripe plantains are a good source of several essential nutrients. Here are some key nutrients you can find in ripe plantains:
- Carbohydrates
- Dietary fiber
- Potassium
- Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B5
- Magnesium
Ripe plantains can be a nutritious addition to a balanced diet, providing a range of beneficial nutrients.
FAQ
No worries! Plantains can be used in a variety of delicious ways. Here are a few suggestions for what you can do with your plantains:
-Fried Plantains: Frying plantains is one of the most popular preparation methods. To make them, you slice almost ripe plantains into thin or thick rounds and fry them until they attain a golden brown color. You can relish these versatile treats as a side dish, snack, or even utilize them as a delectable topping for various dishes.
- Plantain Chips: Originating from Kerala, this popular snack involves thinly slicing raw plantains and deep frying them until they turn crispy. These treats serve as an excellent snack or appetizer option.
- Sweet Plantain Desserts: Ripe plantains are perfect for making sweet desserts. You can make plantain fritters, and plantain pudding, or even use them in cakes, pies, or tarts.
These are just a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to get creative and experiment with different recipes to find your favourite way to enjoy plantains.
Plantains need to be ripe to develop their natural sweetness. Green plantains are not sweet and have a starchy taste. As plantains ripen, they undergo changes that convert starches into sugars, resulting in a sweeter flavor. Make sure you are using ripe plantains with yellow skin or even black spots for sweetness.
The taste of plantains can vary depending on their ripeness.
- Green Plantains: Green plantains, which are unripe and cooked taste similar to that of a Yam. The texture of this plantain is similar to that of Yam when cooked.
- Ripe Plantains: Fully ripe plantains, which have yellow skin with black spots, are the sweetest and have the most pronounced flavour.
Related
Looking for other recipes using ripe plantains? Try these:
📖 Recipe Card
Ripe Plantain Muffins | nenthra pazham muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, (maida)
- ¼ cup finger millet flour, (ragi)
- ¼ cup whole wheat flour, (atta)
- ⅓ cup sugar, can go up to ½ cup for a sweeter bread
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cardamom powder
- ½ teaspoon nigella seeds , more to sprinkle on top
- a pinch of salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup melted ghee
- ¾ cup ripe plantain, mashed (best to use a processor or mixie)
Instructions
Prepare the oven and pan
- Preheat the oven to 180°C with the wire rack in the middle. Lightly grease and flour a 6-hole muffin tray (medium size) or use muffin liners.
Prepare the batter
- Add all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and whisk to combine.½ cup all-purpose flour¼ cup finger millet flour¼ cup whole wheat flour⅓ cup sugar½ teaspoon baking powder¼ teaspoon baking soda½ teaspoon cardamom powder½ teaspoon nigella seedsa pinch of salt
- In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg, then add the processed ripe plantain and melted ghee. Whisk until well incorporated.1 large egg¾ cup ripe plantain¼ cup melted ghee
- Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a spatula. DO NOT overmix. Fold in the same direction until combined.
Fill the muffin pan
- Spoon the batter into the muffin holes up to the rim for larger muffins (you will get 5 muffins this way). For 6 muffins, spoon the batter only up to ¾th of the hole. If going with large 5 muffins, fill the empty muffin hole with little water to aid even baking. Sprinkle some nigella seeds over each muffin.
Bake the muffins
- Bake the muffins in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until it passes the toothpick test.
- Remove and let the tray cool on a rack. The muffins will release easily.
Serve and store
- Serve for breakfast or tea time with chai or coffee. Store at room temperature in an airtight box for 2 to 4 days.
Saraswathy says
This was really good.
Faiza says
This is one of the best recipes I have ever tried. So easy, so healthy and nutritious. I am someone who is not very fond of the regular yellow bananas with uniform colour and shape with a brand sticker on it. Baking with other native Indian bananas like rasthali or poovan is simply unthinkable and bang! A banana bread with nenthram pazham is here from Famidha-I love how you've explained everything in detail-from using both baking powder and soda, to use cardamom for flavour and yogurt for making it lighter. Thank you Fami 🙂
Unknown says
I made them this morning and they are extremely delicious. I doubled the recipe to feed a small crowd.Unfortunately, I was out of cardamom, so I added cinnamon and some walnuts , and a pinch of salt.I only had all purpose flour so I used that. The texture and flavor are wonderful, and adaptable!
Nammi says
looks yumm, very curious about the taste especially with the nigella seeds and the different flours