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These Gluten-Free Banana Muffins are a great way to use up any ripe bananas you have on hand, and have an unbelievably fluffy texture! They are inspired by my popular Gluten-Free Banana Bread, so this recipe is also oil-free and vegan.

gluten free banana muffins on cooling rack

How to Make the Best Gluten-free Banana Muffins

If you’ve tried gluten-free baking before, you may have noticed that gluten-free flour blends can create baked goods with a slightly “gummy” texture. Most people who eat traditional muffins can tell a difference when eating a gluten-free one. My goal with this recipe is to make them taste like the real thing!

I do that by using a mix of almond butter and a gluten-free flour blend. Nut butters can act as a flour replacement in baking (try my Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins if you don’t believe me), so adding it here works as a source of healthy fat and added fiber.

banana muffin ingredients in bowl to make the batter

Don’t be tempted to swap the almond butter for something like real butter or oil, as you’ll be missing out on the necessary fiber that it adds to the recipe. You can replace it with peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, if you prefer.

banana muffin batter in the pan

You can make these muffins as-is, or sprinkle some extra add-ins over the top. My kids love it when I add a few mini chocolate chips, but for a sugar-free option try adding in some chopped walnuts or pecans.

The texture of these muffins is unbelievable. They are super fluffy, and will leave you feeling satisfied for hours thanks to the extra fiber and healthy fat.

baked gluten-free banana muffins texture shot

Can You Use Frozen Bananas for Baking?

If you only have frozen bananas on hand, you can definitely use those instead of fresh ones. You must thaw them first, and keep in mind that they will release a liquid as they melt– but don’t discard that!

Thawed frozen bananas will look mushy and unappealing, but they will taste taste great in this recipe. (Check out my How to Freeze Bananas tutorial if you need any tips on freezing them properly.) Add the mushy banana, along with any liquid they release, into the mixing bowl and continue as directed.

Which is the Best Gluten-Free Flour?

My favorite gluten-free flour so far is King Arthur’s gluten-free all-purpose flour. (Not to be confused with their cup-for-cup blend, which I don’t like quite as much.) It has the least noticeable “gluten-free flour” taste to me, with no xanthum gum, and it’s also widely available. I bought my most recent bag at Target!

I’ve also tested this recipe wtih Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour blend. The raw batter didn’t taste as good to me in that batch, but the baked muffins were still totally delicious.

Having tested this recipe with two different brands of gluten-free flour, I’m fairly confident that any other dedicated gluten-free flour blend will work well in this recipe. (I have not tested this recipe with a single flour, like oat flour or almond flour yet, but I will report back if I do. I have a feeling that it will work better with the blend, as written.)

gluten free banana muffins on wire rack

These Gluten-Free Banana Muffins are egg-free and oil-free, so they are naturally vegan. Try using sunflower seed butter or tahini if you need to make them nut-free, too. I hope you’ll enjoy them!

gluten free banana muffins on cooling rack

Gluten-Free Banana Muffins (Egg-free!)

5 from 15 votes
These Gluten-Free Banana Muffins are unbeivably light and fluffy, with the perfect amount of sweetness. I love that they are oil-free and vegan, too!
prep10 mins cook25 mins total35 mins
Servings:12

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 3 large ripe bananas)
  • 3/4 cup coconut sugar (or other granulated sugar)
  • 1/2 cup all-natural almond butter (no salt added)
  • 1 cup gluten-free all purpose flour (I use King Arthur's brand)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin cups.
  • In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, sugar, almond butter, flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt and stir well until the batter is relatively smooth. (You can do this in a food processor, if you want an ultra-smooth batter with no chunks of banana, but I usually just stir it together by hand.)
  • Divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups, using roughly a scant 1/4 cup measure. The cups should be only 1/2-3/4 of the way full. Bake at 350ºF until the muffins rise and feel firm to a light touch in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.
  • Let the muffins cool completely, then enjoy. You can store these muffins at room temperature for up to 2 days, but they will dry out over time, so I recommend keeping them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, instead. They also freeze well if you want to make extra!

Video

Notes

This recipe works best with a gluten-free flour blend, not a single gluten-free flour, like oat flour or almond flour. If you need a nut-free recipe, try using sunflower butter or tahini in place of the almond butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: gluten-free
Keyword: gluten-free banana muffins
Nutrition information is for 1 muffin. This information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, so it’s just an estimate and not a guarantee. For more accurate results, use the labels on your ingredients at home.

More Banana Recipes

If you need more ways to use up your ripe bananas, try one of the following recipes. They are a hit in my home, so I hope you’ll enjoy them, too!

If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think! And if you try something different, I’d love to hear how that works out for you, too. We can all benefit from your experience!

Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite muffin flavor? Let me know if you have any requests!

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. Added 1/2 cup semi/dark choc chips to batter, and 4 on the top of each muffin. Was so good! Best served warm.

  2. I’ve tried multiple vegan GF banana muffins recipes and this by far has been the best! Other recipes have been too wet or too dense but these have a real muffin texture! 😋
    (For reference, I used Trader Joe’s GF AP flour and sunflower seed butter)

  3. WE. LOVE. THESE. MUFFINS. They are rich and decadent. Love that they are egg, oil and gluten free. I do only 1/3 cup coconut sugar, and we feel they are plenty sweet (though we do add 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips). So good! I make on repeat!

  4. I’m back again, I still make these muffins regularly. Bobs red mill gf 1 to 1 flour. Sometimes I use 3/4 cup flour and 1/4cup plant protein powder. Delicious. Chocolate chips always are a awesome! Recently doing 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 oats with cinnamon is my favorite!

  5. These muffins are super easy, quick to prepare and delicious! I had 2 large bananas to use up instead of 3 that is suggested and they still taste great! So don’t hesitate if you only have 2 bananas. Yum!

  6. My whole family loved these (including picky 3 and 6 yr olds)! I used Bob’s GF 1:1 flour and added a few mini chocolate chips. I reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup and they were still PLENTY sweet.

  7. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 baking flour. Regular peanut butter, cinnamon & pecans. Into mini muffins which I had to half the baking time for. Turned out delicious and served with a little honey butter 🙂 I will definitely be making this recipe often!!!

  8. These muffins turned out great! We have been obsessing over your almond butter brownies so I figured I might as well try another one of your recipes, and I’m glad I did! Thanks for making such yummy and healthy treats!

  9. Made these this morning and they were delicious! Super fluffy and great texture and flavor!

    I didn’t have coconut sugar so I used dark brown sugar and mixed in about 1/4 cup of milk chocolate chips.