Oh, you guys I am so in love with everything about these gluten free banana muffins. Not only are they really easy to make, but they are moist, flavorful, and scrumptious. They are perfect for breakfast 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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My inspiration for these sweet banana muffins is my Super Moist Banana Bread. The main difference between the two recipes is that I used coconut sugar which makes the muffins healthier and a little darker in color, and I added flaxseed meal for more fiber. I am always trying to find little ways that I can make our recipes a little healthier.
If you love muffins as much as we do, check out all of my Gluten Free Muffin recipes on the blog to find new favorites!!
Why these muffins are so good:
As soon as these gluten free banana nut muffins hit your tongue, you are will love the cake-like sweetness that leaves you wanting more. Pecans and raisins in every bite, so you get that sweet crunch that makes a perfect muffin. Every crumb of these easy gluten free banana muffins is delicious!!
Ingredients and notes:
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Almond flour - I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your muffins grainy.
- Coconut sugar - You can also use brown sugar if you like. I use coconut sugar as it is lower glycemic.
- Non-dairy milk - I used almond milk but other dairy-free kinds of milk will work but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
Options mix-ins:
Toss in some of your favorite treats for extra special 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
- Anything else that you like!
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!
Recipe step by step directions:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to blend them all together.
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.
Step 4: Add your muffin batter to a lined muffin tin about ¾ full. Bake at 350º F for 25 minutes until done.
How to ripen bananas:
This is one of the questions I get a LOT. Stores rarely sell ripe bananas and they seem to stay green on the counter forever!! Once you ripen bananas, you can also use them for these Gluten Free Banana Donuts!
Whenever possible, use bananas that are really overripe for baking. Using overripe bananas with naturally increase the sweetness in the bananas. This will make it so you don’t need to use as much sugar and the result is still a perfectly sweetened muffin. Here are a couple of tips on how you can ripen bananas yourself.
- Begin preheating the oven to 225º F. Then put the bananas on a baking sheet and cook for 20 minutes. Cooking low and slow will allow the bananas to caramelize and increases the natural sweetness.
- Another option is to place bananas in a closed brown paper bag. This will take longer to adequately ripen the bananas, but it does work great.
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
If you haven’t done a lot of gluten free baking or have had some bad luck along the way, I want to give some helpful tips. I promise that once you get the hang of it, you are going to love all the yummy muffins and baked goods you can make. If you have other questions, please reach out to me by email or in the comments below.
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 mean, 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 when baking with a toothpick after 20 minutes of baking. 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. Make sure to use a level to scrape the flour off the top of the measuring cup to use an accurate amount of flour.
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 needs to bake longer.
If you want your muffins to have a domed style top, bake at 425º F for the first 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350.
These muffins will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
More delicious gluten free banana recipes:
- Drool-Worthy Gluten Free Banana Bread Pudding
- Gluten Free Banana Donuts With Chocolate Coconut Walnuts
- Irresistible Moist Gluten Free Banana Bars
- Banana Dulce Leche Pudding
If you love this gluten free banana nut muffins recipe, take a peek at some of my other amazing muffin recipes.
Recipe
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
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 ¾ 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.
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.
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Margaret
The made the muffins for my gluten free diet. They are awesome.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved these muffins, Margaret. Thank you!
Barb
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
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Annie Hodgson
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
Sandi Gaertner
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