Any time we have an overripe banana on our counter, these gluten free banana muffins are on the menu. They are quick and easy to make and they turn out perfect every time (trust me, I have made them at least 50 times). Plus they only require one ripe banana.
These muffins make a great breakfast treat or a perfect lunchbox snack. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we do! If you prefer chocolate to nuts, you will also love my banana chocolate chip muffin recipe.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- It's easy to make and doesn't require a mixer.
- It only needs one banana.
- It's a small batch, makes just 6 muffins.
- It's gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - For almost all of my recipes, I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend. I have found it to be the most versatile gluten free flour. You can use your own favorite flour blend but keep in mind this recipe was developed with BRM, so your final product may be slightly different.
- Baking Powder - Leavening agents help the air bubbles grow to create a light fluffy muffin.
- Spices - Cinnamon and nutmeg create that classic banana bread flavor, while salt helps balance the sweetness.
- Oil - For recipes that call for oil, I always use extra light virgin olive oil. If you prefer another oil, just make sure it has a neutral flavor.
- Sugar - This recipe calls for white sugar, but not too much because bananas are already naturally sweet.
- Egg - In this recipe, the rise comes from the air beaten into the egg. I haven't tried it with any egg substitutes, so if you do please let me know how it works out in the comments.
- Vanilla - Just a hint of vanilla to sweeten the flavor.
- Milk - I use oat milk or coconut milk in this recipe, depending on what I have on hand. Any dairy free milk should work fine and if you're not dairy free, use regular milk in the same measure.
- Walnuts - I used walnuts, but pecans would also be delicious. If you're nut free, you can leave them out entirely (I do this frequently) there are no changes need to the recipe when eliminating nuts.
- Banana - the most important ingredient of all!
Substitutions & Variations
- Not Dairy Free - use dairy milk in the same measure.
- Make it Vegan - I haven't tried to make these muffins vegan, but I would try it with soy milk for the non-dairy milk and a flax egg in place of the egg.
How do you make gluten free banana bread muffins?
All of my muffins use the muffin method for mixing and baking. No mixer is needed.
STEP 1: Place your ripe banana on a plate and mash it with a fork until it is very wet in appearance with only small lumps remaining.
STEP 2: Add the gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until well mixed.
STEP 3: Crack your egg in a second bowl. Whisk it until it's frothy like soap bubbles. Then add the milk, oil, and vanilla to the beaten egg and whisk until smooth.
STEP 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Fold together about 10 strokes with a spatula.
STEP 5: Add the mashed banana and chopped walnuts to the muffin batter. Fold together about 5 more strokes until evenly mixed.
STEP 6: Portion the muffin batter in 6 lined muffin cups. Fill the muffin tin to the top and bake.
How long to bake gluten free banana muffins?
When using the muffin method, you want a higher temperature in your over. I bake these at 375 degrees F, no fan. The high temperature helps the tops cook before the inside is done. When the inside continues to cook, it pushes the tops up creating a nice dome. In my oven, this takes about 27-28 minutes.
Baking Tip
To check for done: gently poke the top center of one muffin gently with your finger. If it springs right back it is baked through. If it leaves an indentation, bake another 2-3 minutes and recheck.
Storage
If you will consume the muffins within a day or two, you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container. If your home is especially warm, store in the refrigerator as the bananas will continue to ripen and get a fermented flavor otherwise.
If you store these muffins in the refrigerator, they should last for 3-4 days.
Recipe FAQs
The best bananas are going to be covered with dark spots all the way to almost entirely black on the peel. The darker the peel, the sweeter the banana will be as well as adding more banana flavor.
If your banana smells fermented or is leaking from the peel, it’s too ripe and needs to be discarded.
Resist the urge to add extra banana here. This muffin recipe is perfectly formulated to turn out great every time. Extra banana may end up with a muffin that is denser and gummy in the center from too much moisture.
Yes. Once they have cooled completely, individually wrap each muffin and place in a freezer bag or container. Store up to 2 months in the freezer.
Bring to room temperature or microwave to reheat before serving.
If you love muffins, check out these other great recipes!
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ Cup Non-Dairy Milk Dairy free or regular
- 1 Ripe banana, mashed
- ¾ Cup Walnuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 6 cup muffin pan with paper cups.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to a large bowl. Whisk together.1 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon Nutmeg, ½ Cup Sugar
- In a small bowl, crack the egg and whisk it until it’s frothy. Add the oil, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.1 Egg, 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon Vanilla, ¼ Cup Non-Dairy Milk
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Fold together about 10 strokes until most of the flour is incorporated
- Add the banana and ½ cup of the walnuts. Fold about 5 more times.1 Ripe banana, mashed, ¾ Cup Walnuts
- Fill muffin cups nearly to the top. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ c walnuts on top of the batter.
- Bake in preheated oven for 28 minutes.
- Serve immediately or cool and store in airtight container.
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
Hannah says
Great recipe! My new favorite muffin recipe. Loved the flavor, texture and the portions were perfect!
Also loved that I could use my normal GF Bobs Red Mill baking flour for this and it turned out perfect.
I'm so glad to hear they turned out perfect for you! This is one of our favorite muffins to make. 🙂