These gluten free banana muffins are moist and tender, with a sweet banana flavor and a light, fluffy texture. They are perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even an easy snack. They taste so good it is hard to believe they are refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free!!
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Why my family loves this gluten-free banana muffin recipe:
My inspiration for these sweet, gluten-free, dairy-free banana muffins with almond flour is my homemade Gluten Free Banana Bread recipe. The main difference between the banana bread and these muffins is that I added healthier ingredients like coconut sugar, almond flour, and flaxseed meal.
The ripe bananas give these gluten free banana muffins with coconut sugar a sweet, fruity flavor. Ripe bananas have an almost caramel flavor that shines through in these muffins. Banana muffins can be enjoyed anytime and are perfect with breakfast, in a lunchbox, or as an afternoon snack.
If you love muffins as much as we do, check out my Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes on the blog to find new favorites!!
Allergen Information:
These homemade banana muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, oat-free, and soy-free. See the Substitutions section for nut-free, gum-free, and refined sugar-free options.
These are da bomb!! I add a little bit of extra banana and some dairy-free chocolate chips, and they are gone quickly! My hubby wants me to make them before we go on trips too so he can munch them on the road
Ann N., Facebook commentThis is a great recipe, thank you so much!!”
This is a great recipe, thank you so much!!”
Ingredients Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend, my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend, and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work. I haven’t tested other flour blends.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon. See Substitutions below for a gum-free option.
- Baking Powder and Soda – Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Almond Flour – I highly suggest using Anthony’s Almond Flour and not almond meal. Almond meal coarser and will make your gluten free muffins with almond flour grainy. See Substitutions below for a nut-free option.
- Flaxseed Meal: Use ground rather than whole seeds. This adds omega 3s and fiber. You can omit it if you prefer.
- Bananas—The riper, the better. If your bananas are not ripe, see below for tips on ripening them quickly.
- Coconut Sugar – I use coconut sugar as it is lower glycemic.
- Eggs – Use size large.
- Coconut Oil – You can use any light oil or butter.
- Non-Dairy Milk—I used almond milk, but other dairy-free kinds will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- Vanilla Extract – I recommend pure vanilla extract.
I tested four gluten free flour blends to see which works well in this gluten free banana muffins recipe. Check out the muffin test results. If you need more tips, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Muffins Troubleshooting Guide.
Substitutions:
- For gum-free baking (aka no xanthan or guar gum), use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend.
- For nut-free baking, omit the almond flour and add 1/4 cup of additional flour blend. Also, use nut-free plant-based milk.
- Substitute brown sugar for coconut sugar if you prefer regular sugar.
How To Ripen Bananas:
This is one of the questions I get a LOT. Stores rarely sell ripe bananas, and bananas seem to stay green on the counter forever!! Here are my favorite ways to ripen bananas.
- Preheat the oven to 225º F. Put the bananas on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Cooking low and slow will allow the bananas to caramelize and increase the natural sweetness.
- Place bananas in a closed brown paper bag. This will take longer to ripen the bananas, but it works great.
Once you ripen bananas, you can use them for these Gluten Free Banana Donuts or this tropical Gluten Free Banana Pineapple Bread!
Optional Mix-Ins:
Toss in some of your favorites to make these gluten free banana muffins! Use what you have on hand so you don’t have to make an extra trip to the grocery store.
- Blueberries
- Walnuts
- Chocolate Chips
If you are new to gluten free baking, you can check out my Gluten Free Pantry to see what gluten free flours and products I use every day in my kitchen. If you love chocolate, you will also love these gluten-free chocolate banana muffins or these gluten-free orange marmalade muffins!
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
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Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425º F. Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to blend them all.
Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a smaller bowl. Whisk to blend.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and add the pecans and raisins.
Using a stand or electric mixer to make muffins is a bad idea. These tools overmix your batter, leading to denser muffins. Mix your wet and dry ingredients by hand in a
Step 4: Add your banana muffin batter to a lined muffin tin about 3/4 full. Bake at 425º F for the first 5 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350º F for 20 minutes until done.
Step 5: Move the muffins to a cooling rack.
How to store and freeze gluten free banana muffins:
Store these gluten free banana muffins in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for up to four days in the refrigerator. I prefer to freeze them in a freezer bag and thaw them when I want to eat one. Thaw for 30 seconds in your microwave oven.
These gluten free banana muffins are perfect with breakfast. I love serving them with this Gluten Free Frittata and this Egg and Potato Skillet Breakfast.
Frequently Asked Questions:
To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the muffins must be baked longer.
Typically, if the center is extra moist or mushy, there is a chance your oven temperature is off. I would double-check the oven temp. In the meantime, I recommend turning down the heat and baking them a little longer. Do the toothpick test to make sure it comes out clean before eating.
Sometimes gluten free muffins can be crumbly. This doesn’t happen often, but I can think of a couple of reasons this may happen. First, if you overbake your muffins, this can certainly happen.
You want to check your muffins after 20 minutes of baking with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, your muffins are ready. If there are crumbs or batter, you will want to bake them longer. Another reason is if you use too much flour. Use a level to scrape the flour off the top of the measuring cup to use an accurate amount.
More Gluten Free Banana Recipes:
- Drool-Worthy Gluten Free Banana Bread Pudding
- Gluten Free Banana Cupcakes
- Irresistible Moist Gluten Free Banana Bars
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Include which flour blend you used. This helps others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Easy Gluten Free Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ cup almond flour * see note
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- 1 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add the bananas and mash with a fork.
- Add in the rest of the liquid ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients along with the raisins and pecans. You want to mix until just barely mixed. This will help keep your muffins light and fluffy.
- Add liners to a muffin tray and fill each 3/4 full with batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes. Test by sticking a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. If the toothpick comes back clean they are ready.
- Remove from the oven.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To keep your muffins light and fluffy, it is important not to overmix your batter.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your muffins grainy.
- To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the muffins. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is done baking. If you see batter or crumbs, the muffins need to bake longer.
- These muffins will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
This post was updated from an older May 2019 post with more recipe details.
The made the muffins for my gluten free diet. They are awesome.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
I am so glad you loved these muffins, Margaret. Thank you!
I haven’t tried these muffins yet but wondering if I could omit the almond flour and just use one gluten free flour instead of the combination of flours.
Also, could I substitute coconut or oat milk for the soy milk? thanks, Barb
Hi Barb, You can omit the almond flour and add additional gluten free flour blend, but this recipe (and most gluten free recipes) will not work as a single flour. You need the blend to help the flours bind and hold together.
Hi Sandi. Maybe I’ve missed it somewhere, but I can’t see the quantity for raisins and pecans in the list of ingredients. Can you point me in the right direction please. I love your recipes. I made cupcakes for a fundraiser at work and no-one knew they were gf ??
Thanks, Annie
Hi Annie, as they are optional I usually let the person choose how much. I would say for us, I add anywhere from 1/4 to 1/3 a cup of each
Fantastic recipe! I normally make GF banana bread with almond and coconut flours, but these are more cakelike and less spongy than my usual recipe.
Thank you so much 🙂
Of all the gf websites I look at, I always come back to your recipes. These muffins are ? delicious! I love the flax meal with the little chewy bite. Flavor is great, so quick and easy. I didn’t have coconut sugar so I used regular and cut it down by 1/4 c. I had enough batter to do 12 reg. Muffins and 10 mini muffins. You need to make these, they are great!!
Wow Karen, you absolutely made my day :-).