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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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
Why I love these gluten free banana oat 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.
Love this recipe! I have made these muffins several times and it always turn out great. I find my family declaring bananas past eating, in hopes I will make a batch.”
mary c., blog comment
👀 Sandi Says: I also include sugar-free and/or egg-free; see the Substitutions section below for directions!
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.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- 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 – I tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Blend, but ensure the blend you use 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 can’t eat oats, use my Gluten-Free Banana Muffins recipe.
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:
- Make them sugar-free using Lakanto Monk Fruit Sweetener. One reader used the golden version of this and said it worked beautifully.
- 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!
- To make this egg-free, substitute the eggs for Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer. One of my readers, Meagan, had good luck using flax eggs in this recipe.
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350º F. Add all of the dry ingredients to a large
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.
📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
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Step 4: Add your batter to a lined muffin tin and bake at 350º F. For large muffins, bake for 25-30 minutes. For 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.
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.
My tips for bakery-quality muffins:
1. Mix the batter with a large spoon until the ingredients are “just barely mixed.”
2. Do not use a stand mixer to make muffin batter. It tends to overmix the batter, leaving you with denser muffins.
3. Always check the expiration date on the baking powder and soda, depending on which the recipe calls for.
4. I recommend baking your muffins with a conventional oven setting. Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. This will ensure your muffins bake evenly. I don’t use the convection setting for baking muffins because it can dry them out.
5. For a dome muffin top: Preheat the oven to 425º F. Bake the muffins at this high temperature for 5 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350º F.
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.
You can use quick oats, but the texture of these muffins will change 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.
These muffins will last up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
These mini muffins are easy to freeze. Just place cooled muffins into a freezer-safe zip-style bag and seal.
Reader Adaptations:
Julie C-S said she used agave instead of sugar and added fresh blueberries. She said it turned out great.
“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, I added finely chopped walnuts and mini chocolate chips. I subbed flax egg and regular sugar for the coconut sugar(only used 1/4 of a cup). The muffins took approximately 17 minutes to bake fully. It is delicious and has a great texture! I will be making it 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 1/2 c. coconut sugar and 1/4 c. maple syrup. Perfect!”
More Gluten Free Recipes With Oatmeal:
- Gluten Free Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
- Homemade Cinnamon Granola
- Gluten Free Giant Oatmeal Pizookie Cookie
- Gluten Free Granola Bars
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Banana Oat Mini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see notes
- 1 cup gluten free oats * see notes
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 2 large bananas or 3 small
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup melted coconut oil
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. For best results, ensure the rack is positioned in the middle of the oven.
- In a large mixing bowl, add 1 cup gluten free flour blend, 1 cup gluten free oats, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon chia seeds, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Use a wire whisk to blend.
- In a medium bowl, add 2 large bananas and use a fork to mash the bananas into a paste.
- Add 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, and 2/3 cup melted coconut oil to the banana mash and mix well.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix. Be very careful not to overmix the batter.
- Spray a muffin pan with coconut oil, or line with parchment paper muffin cup liners.
- Fill each muffin section 3/4 full.
- Bake for 10 minutes (mini muffins) or 18-20 minutes for large muffins.
- Remove the muffins and place them onto a cooling rack.
Notes
- Please make sure you use certified gluten free oats. This is critical if you have Celiac disease or are avoiding gluten for medical reasons.
- Any gluten free flour blend should work well in this recipe.
- I recommend using rolled oats. Quick oats can work, but the muffin texture will be different.
- The chia seeds are optional.
- Use Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer or a flax egg if you are egg-free.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freeze in a large zipper-style freezer bag.
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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, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
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 old February 2018 post with more detailed directions.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
These were really good. My 5 year old granddaughter helped me make them. Very easy to make.
I am so glad you both loved the recipe!!
This recipe was delish! I didn’t have any flax/chia seeds and used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and they turned out light and fluffy. Very flavorful!
I am so glad you loved these muffins. They are muffins we make all of the time. I am so glad they were a hit!
Love this recipe! I have made these muffins several times and it always turn out great. I find my family declaring bananas past eating, in hopes I will make a batch.
I am so glad you and your family loved this muffins recipe. Your family definitely sounds good at convincing you to make more LOL.
These are so tasty! I added chocolate chips too. My husband was looming over them while they cooled and then I noticed he’d snatched one. So, I did too. This is a keeper for sure and a quick easy breakfast item. They are delicious.
I am thrilled you loved the muffins! Thank you so much!
This is actually the first banana bread recipes that has actually turned out to be absolutely scrumptious❣️❣️❣️❣️
Thank you so very much,
Sincerely Lisa Anderson
I am so glad you loved these muffins, Lisa. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know :-).
Made these muffins last night and had one slightly cooled, omg they were fabulous. Had to restrain myself from eating more. My husband even commented how good they were. A win win!! Thanks for a wonderful GF recipe.
I am so glad everyone loved this muffin recipe. I really appreciate your coming back to let everyone know how good they are :-).
What can I use to substitute for the coconut oil? Thanks
You can use another light oil like canola or avocado oil.
My. GUY!! This recipe is SO GOOD! I have an egg allergy so I sub’d the eggs for flax eggs (2T ground flax mixed with 5T hot water; let it sit 5 mins then use). I made these large muffins with my 1 yr old daughter a few hours ago and have nearly eaten them all! Big stamp of approval from my non-dessert/sweet/muffin eating husband! Thanks so much!
I am thrilled you loved these muffins. They are still one of my all-time favorites!
Love these and all the helpful tips on brands tested, etc. I have 8 year old grandson with so many food restrictions and you have made things so much easier! I used egg substitute/flaxseed meal and made the large muffins. I added chocolate chips. Shared the text with my sister who uses gluten free and she called me to thank me for the recipe! I’ll be trying more of your recipes! Thank you!
I am so glad you all enjoyed my recipe. You made my day coming back to let me know :-).
These muffins were so good! I say “were” because they’re already gone after making them last night. Often times gluten free recipes have the tendency to be dry or crumbly, but not these! I added chocolate chips just because I like the chocolate/banana combo. Next time I will try adding blueberries for a different twist. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
You made my day coming back to let me know how much you liked them 🙂 Thank you!