Gluten Free Banana Muffin Recipe

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This gluten free banana oatmeal muffin recipe tastes like a dessert but is healthy enough for breakfast! These light and fluffy muffins are both dairy-free and gluten free. If you love bananas, these banana oat muffins are a must-make!

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Why We Love These Muffins:
How To Ripen Bananas:
Ingredient Notes:
Variations and Substitutions:
Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
Reader Adaptations:
More Gluten Free Recipes With Oatmeal:
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💬 Comments

I don't know what mornings are like in your house, but in our house, the boys love oatmeal for breakfast. They put the same toppings into their oatmeal every morning. Bananas, walnuts, and almond milk or yogurt.

There are so many gluten free banana recipes to try! Here are a few of my kids' favorite gluten free muffin recipes.

Grab some over-ripe bananas and a mixing bowl. It's time to make a delicious gluten free banana muffin recipe!

Why We Love These Muffins:

This gluten free banana oat muffin recipe is very easy to make.
You can make them mini as I did, or make full-sized muffins.
These are gluten and dairy-free. There is also an egg-free version. (See the Variations and Substitutions section for directions.)
You can freeze these muffins, so you always have them on hand.
These are great afternoon pick-me-ups. Pop them into a lunchbox!

If you need more tips, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Muffins Troubleshooting Guide. If you are looking for the right tools for making gluten free muffins, here are my favorite tools for making muffins.

THANK YOU! This is the first GF baked goods recipe that I’ve had success with. They were light and fluffy inside, but did take a full 18 minutes to bake. I used Divided Sunset gluten free all purpose flour and Bob’s Red Mill quick cooking rolled whole grain oats. I also subbed a tablespoon of chopped Craisins for half of a banana."
Lori W., Pinterest comment

How To Ripen Bananas:

If your bananas are not fully ripe, and you want to know how to ripen your bananas, here are a couple of ways to ripen your bananas quickly:

Bake them for 20 minutes on low 200º F. This is the fastest way to ripen them.
Toss them (skin on) on the grill for a few minutes.
If you have time, put them in a paper bag and seal them shut for a day or two.

If you love bananas as much as we do, check out my delicious gluten free muffin recipes.

These gluten free banana muffins with oats make a delicious breakfast or a healthy snack! You will also want to try my Gluten Free Matcha Green Tea Banana Bread recipe.

Top Pick

Quaker Gluten Free Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, 24 oz Resealable Bags (Pack of 4)

There are a few brands of certified gluten free oats, and they are all good. I mostly buy this because you get four bags for a lower price.

Buy Now

We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.

Ingredient Notes:

Gluten Free Oats - It is critical to use gluten free oats. There is a lot of controversy over regular oats. If you need to be gluten-free for medical reasons, ensuring your oats are certified gluten-free is important. Although oats don't naturally contain gluten, cross-contamination is very common.
Gluten Free Flour Blend - Any brand should work, but ensure it has a binder like xanthan gum, guar gum, or psyllium husk. My DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend is a great flour to use in this recipe.
Coconut Sugar - You can use this to use unrefined sugar or brown sugar.
Baking Powder - Use aluminum-free if you can.
Chia Seeds - These are optional, but add more protein to the muffins.
Eggs - Use size large eggs.
Oil - Use coconut oil or another light oil.

If you want to know which gluten free flour blend to use for gluten free muffins, I tested four easy-to-find gluten-free flour blends.

Variations and Substitutions:

These are delicious gluten free banana bread muffins. You can also make a loaf of banana bread with the batter if you prefer gluten free banana bread.
Add nuts like pecans or walnuts.
Chocolate chips are fun to add...there is nothing better than banana and chocolate!
Substitute the eggs for Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer to make this egg-free. One of my readers, Meagan, had good luck using flax eggs in this recipe.

Recipe Step-By-Step Directions:

The oatmeal muffins dry ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend these ingredients.

Step 2: In a medium-sized bowl, add the banana and use a fork to smash it into a mash. (Note: be sure to melt the coconut oil if it is solid.) Add the rest of the wet ingredients and whisk to blend.

Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently.

*When mixing muffin batter, the secret to light and fluffy muffins is to "just" mix the batter. It keeps the batter full of air, making your muffins fluffier. Over-mixing deflates any air in the batter, and you can end up with heavy muffins.

I don't recommend a stand mixer because it can overmix your batter. Overmixed batter will make these gluten free banana oat muffins turn out denser.

A photo of the muffin batter in a muffin tin.

Step 4: Add your batter to a lined muffin tin and bake at 350º F. For large muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes. Smaller mini muffins bake for about 15 minutes.

You may also love this Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal with Bananas or this Gluten Free Strawberry Banana Bread recipe.

Tips and 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 must be baked longer.

Can you use quick oats instead?

You can use quick oats, but it will change the texture of these muffins slightly. Quick oats will absorb less liquid, so you may need to look at your batter to ensure their consistency is similar to my photo below.

How long will these keep fresh?

These muffins will last up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.

How do you freeze the extra muffins?

These mini muffins are easy to freeze. Just place cooled muffins into a freezer-safe zip-style bag and seal.

Reader Adaptations:

A photo of Jessica's muffins. — Jessica B's photo of how her muffins turned out.

Julie C-S said she used agave instead of sugar and added fresh blueberries. She said it turned out great.

A photo of the muffins Diane R. baked. — Diane R's muffins photo

"I would actually go as far as saying this is one of the best banana muffin recipes I have ever tried. They were super sweet, moist, and delicious. They definitely didn’t taste like a healthier alternative even though the ingredients used were “better for you” options like coconut oil and coconut sugar. I used 3 ripe bananas and swapped the chia seeds for flax since I was out. This recipe will definitely become a staple in my rotation!"
Diane R

Meagan made these changes: "Also added finely chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. Subbed flax egg and regular sugar for the coconut sugar(only used ¼ of a cup). Muffins took approx 17 minutes to bake fully. It is delicious and has a great texture! Will be making again."

Erin M made these changes: "These are great! I didn’t have chia seeds, so I used ground flax seeds instead. I don’t always love the flavor of coconut sugar, so I used ½ c. coconut sugar and ¼ c. maple syrup. Perfect!"