Easy Gluten Free Banana Muffins

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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!!

A gluten free banana muffin on a wooden coaster next to the pan of muffins.

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Why This Recipe Is Great:
Ingredients Notes:
Substitutions:
How To Ripen Bananas:
Options Mix-Ins:
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Did you know?
Storage:
Make Them a Part of Breakfast:
Recipe FAQ:
More Gluten Free Banana Recipes:
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💬 Comments

My inspiration for these sweet gluten free dairy free banana muffins 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. I am always trying to find ways to 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 This Recipe Is Great:

Flavor: The ripe bananas give these gluten free banana muffins a sweet, fruity flavor. Ripe bananas have an almost caramel flavor that shines through in these muffins.
Texture: Banana muffins are typically soft and moist, with a tender crumb. Mashed bananas help keep these muffins moist and tender.
Nutritional value: Bananas are a healthy fruit that is a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, and vitamin C. My bananas take it a step further with no refined sugars and added protein.
Versatility: Banana muffins can be enjoyed anytime and are perfect with breakfast, in a lunchbox, or as an afternoon snack.

Ingredients Notes:

Photos of the gluten free banana muffins ingredients.

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 almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your gluten free muffins with almond flour grainy. See Substitutions below for a nut-free option.
Flaxseed Meal - Use ground and not 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 to ripen bananas 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 of milk 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 ¼ 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 increases 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!

A gluten free banana muffin on a small white plate.

Options Mix-Ins:

Toss in some of your favorites to make these the best 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!

Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 425º F. Add your dry ingredients to a large bowl. Whisk to blend them all together.

A photo of all of the wet ingredients in a bowl.

Step 2: Add the wet ingredients to a smaller bowl. Whisk to blend.

Mixing the wet and dry ingredients in a bowl.

Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and add the pecans and raisins.

Did you know?

It is a bad idea to use a stand or electric mixer to make muffins. These tools overmix your batter, leading to denser muffins. Mix your wet and dry ingredients by hand in a mixing bowl. Mix until they are just barely mixed!

A photo of the muffin batter in a muffin pan ready to bake.

Step 4: Add your banana muffin batter to a lined muffin tin about ¾ 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.

Storage:

Store these gluten free banana muffins in an airtight container. They will keep fresh for up to four days in the refrigerator. I personally 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.

A rack full of baked gluten free banana muffins.

Make Them a Part of Breakfast:

These gluten free banana muffins are absolutely perfect with a healthy breakfast. I love serving them with this Gluten Free Frittata and this Egg and Potato Skillet Breakfast.

Recipe FAQ:

How do you know when the muffins are done baking?

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 be baked longer.

What do I do if the muffins have a mushy center?

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.

Why did the gluten free muffins turn out crumbly?

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. Use a level to scrape the flour off the top of the measuring cup to use an accurate amount of flour.

More Gluten Free Banana Recipes:

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This post was updated from an older May 2019 post with more recipe details.

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