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!
Fantastic recipe! I did add some cinnamon chips and it was a great compliment.
I am so glad you loved this muffin recipe, Jen. Thank you for coming back to let me know. I will have to try cinnamon chips the next time I make the recipe.
I made this for a ladies tea. I used King Arthur gf flour, light olive oil and coconut flour. They are very moist and not overly sweet. They are the perfect muffin!!
Hi Jeannette, thank you so much for trying my recipe. I am so glad these muffins were a big hit.!
I was impressed with this recipe. At first hesitant to use the chia and oats but I love the slight crunch and texture it added. I altered the recipe by halving the sugar and using turbinado sugar. I also subbed half the coconut oil for butter to add flavor. Lastly I love a moist muffin so I added half a cup of apple sauce which also helped with sweetening. To top it off I sprinkled some brown sugar on top which gave them a yummy stickiness. They’re so good I don’t want to share with my sons.
I am so glad you took a chance on chia and oat together!! I haven’t tried turbinado sugar in this recipe, but it sure sounds good. Thank you so much for sharing how you changed up the recipe. I am sure other readers will love these ideas!
Very tasty muffin. Nice flavour and good texture. I put a few raspberries in the batter because my daughter loves them and they turned out great. I will certainly make them again.
I am thrilled you loved these muffins, Anna. I will have to add raspberries the next time I make them.
I made these for a department potluck at work, which included people with gluten, dairy, and nut intolerances, so finding an inclusive recipe was a challenge, but these were a huge hit! I thought they were great, but you never know if people are just being polite. I made more than were needed and left the extras in the office breakroom with a printout of the recipe. At the end of the day I went to see if any where left. They were gone and a coworker I hadn’t met before was reading the recipe and saying they were so good that she was going to make a copy because it didn’t taste like something that gluten/dairy free. She had no idea I had made them, so I can confirm they are genuinely loved! It’s going to be my new potluck go to recipe!
I am so glad you were able to find a recipe that everyone could enjoy. I would be grateful if you give the recipe to folks, encourage them to come visit my site because I have a ton of great recipes for them. Thank you!!
These were outstanding muffins and happen to be gluten free. I say that, because often gluten free baking gets the review of ‘it’s good for a gluten free ….’. My husband also loved these and he is not celiac (I am). Thank you for a great recipe that we can both enjoy!
I used Bob’s Red Mill GF 1:1 Baking Flour. I let the batter rest for about 15 minutes before adding to the muffin cups and made 12 large muffins. I only used 1/2 cup brown sugar, as other reviewers suggested, and they were perfect. I didn’t add anything in and they tasted just like banana bread. IMO they don’t need add-ins, but I would consider some walnuts or chocolate chips if I wanted to mix things up. These will be on regular rotation!
Thank you so much, Sandra. I am thrilled you both loved these muffins! Thank you.
These are the BEST muffins I have made after finding out I am gluten and dairy intolerant. My partner is also allergic to nuts,soy and egg yolk.
I use Bob Mills 1 to 1 flour and their egg replacer as well.
I have also added berries, chocolate chips, dried fruit, and they were fantastic.
In fact, my phone screen now has chocolate on it because I just ate one with chocolate chips AND raspberries and had some on my thumb. hahaha
I am so glad you are able to adapt the ingredients so this recipe is safe for you. I love how easily it is to use Bob’s egg replacer. Thank you!
Delicious, I added shredded coconut and mini chips too. I will definitely make them again but I would use only 1/4 cup brown sugar.
I love your idea of adding shredded coconut. That sounds so good!
These muffins are absolutely perfect! Gluten free, egg free, and dairy free and delicious is a huge win. I put walnuts in and used Bob Red Mills egg replacement otherwise same as recipe. Thank you 🙏🏼
I am so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Nancy. Thank you so much!
I made these 2 hours ago. What a winner. But there’s only half left so will have to make another batch tomorrow. Thank you. Nice texture, healthy ingredients. I will use a little less sugar next time.
I am so glad you loved them…you can always make a double batch and freeze the extras.
I forgot to mention that I used brown sugar and half the amount and it was perfect 👍🏼