Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
Updated
This is the only gluten-free blueberry banana muffin recipe I ever need! It all comes together in one bowl—no mixer required—and the muffins turn out so soft and moist every time. Plus, I can make them dairy-free and can easily be made with no refined sugar. All you need is a fork, a spoon, and a few ripe bananas!
“Delicious muffins! Family loved them! Thank you for the recipe.”
– Julie
Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
We go through a ton of bananas in my house—my kids love them, but there always seem to be a few that get just a bit too brown for their liking. Instead of letting them go to waste, I turn those overripe bananas into something everyone gets excited about: gluten-free banana blueberry muffins! They’re soft, sweet, and bursting with juicy blueberries in every bite. Honestly, the smell alone when they’re baking is enough to get everyone running to the kitchen. It’s my favorite way to turn those “too-ripe” bananas into a breakfast or snack that disappears in no time.
Gluten-Free Baking Tips
- Spoon and level flour. The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.
- Light and fluffy muffins. Allow the mashed bananas and baking soda to sit for at least 2 minutes before adding it to the rest of your ingredients. This is key to light and fluffy muffins.
- Always bake with ingredients that are at room temperature. Cold ingredients do not mix as well with room-temperature ingredients.
- For uniformed sized muffins, I always use an ice cream scoop. It makes it nice and easy to get the perfect amount in the baking pan. I also like to use cupcake liners to keep the muffins from sticking to the pan.
Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup very ripe bananas, (about 2 to 3 medium bananas)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted but cooled to room temperature (or ⅓ melted coconut oil or Smart Balance butter for dairy-free option)
- ½ cup granulated sugar, (or ½ cup maple syrup for a no refined sugar option)
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1½ cups gluten-free flour, (recommend Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour or Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour)
- ½ tbsp gluten-free flour, for the blueberries (recommend Pillsbury Gluten Free Flour or Cup4Cup Multipurpose Gluten Free Flour)
- 1 tsp grated lemon zest, (optional)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp xanthan gum, (only if your flour blend doesn’t already include it)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, (if using frozen, do not thaw before adding to batter)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a fork until completely smooth.
- Add the baking soda to the bananas. Stir to combine and let sit for 1 to 2 minutes before moving on to the next step.
- Stir the melted butter into the mashed banana mixture until fully combined.
- Stir the sugar, beaten eggs, vanilla extract, and salt into the banana mixture until well combined.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 1½ cups gluten-free flour (save the remaining ½ tablespoon for a later step), grated lemon zest, cinnamon, and xanthan gum (if needed) together.
- Using a silicone spatula, stir the gluten-free flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Do not overmix. Stir only until there are no more visible streaks of white flour.
- From the blueberry bowl, remove about 24 blueberries and set aside for a later step.
- In a separate small bowl, stir the larger portion of blueberries with the remaining ½ tablespoon of gluten-free flour. Stir until all those blueberries are well coated.
- Gently stir the gluten-free flour-coated blueberries into the muffin batter. Again, do not overmix.
- Let this muffin batter rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. This resting time is important so the gluten-free flour has time to properly absorb the liquid ingredients. Let the batter rest for 20 minutes before moving on to the next steps.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Use baking cup liners or non-stick baking spray to prepare the muffin tin.
- Scoop the batter into the baking cup lined/cooking-sprayed muffin tin. Using a greased ice cream scoop helps to get the batter equally distributed, plus helps to achieve the smooth domed muffin tops while baking.
- Using the blueberries set aside earlier, press 2 blueberries into the tops of each muffin.
- Bake for 20 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean without any wet batter on it. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
- Allow the muffins to cool for at least 10 minutes before eating.
Notes
- Don’t skip the 20-minute batter rest. This helps the gluten-free flour fully hydrate for softer, fluffier muffins with less grit.
- Use very ripe bananas for the best sweetness, moisture, and banana flavor.
- Measure the flour by weight for the most accurate gluten-free baking results.
- Do not overmix the batter, or the muffins can turn out dense and tough.
- Toss the blueberries with a little flour before adding them to the batter to help prevent sinking.
- If using frozen blueberries, add them straight from the freezer without thawing first.
- Pillsbury Gluten-Free Flour creates slightly sturdier muffins, while Cup4Cup produces a softer, more tender crumb.
- Let the muffins cool for at least 10 minutes before serving so the texture can fully set.
- Store leftovers in a sealed food-safe container for 4 to 5 days. Let the muffins cool completely before storing.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Make Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins Step by Step
Step 1: Mash the bananas until smooth and stir in baking soda and allow to sit for 1-2 minutes. Allowing the mashed bananas and baking soda to sit for at least 2 minutes before adding it to the rest of your ingredients is key to what makes these gluten-free muffins so light and fluffy. (photo 1)
Step 2: Add all the other ingredients and stir. (photo 2)
Step 3: Scoop the muffin batter into a lined muffin pan. Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes. (photo 3)
Serving Suggestions
My kids love eating these blueberry banana muffins for breakfast or an after school snack. They’re delicious warmed up with a little vegan butter or other dairy-free spread. Whether you’re heading out the door or enjoying a slow morning, these muffins hit the spot every time.
Storage Instructions
Storage Instructions
You can prep this muffin batter ahead of time if you’d like. Just leave out the blueberries until you’re ready to bake. Store the batter in a covered bowl or an airtight container in the fridge.
Keep leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Just be sure they’re fully cooled before storing so they don’t get soggy from trapped steam.
Once the blueberry banana muffins are completely cool, pop the whole tin in the freezer for 15 minutes to flash freeze. Then transfer the muffins to a freezer-safe bag or container. I like to double-bag them to help prevent freezer burn.
More Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes To Try!
- Gluten-Free Biscuits and Gravy
- Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes
- Crustless Spinach Quiche
- Easy Gluten-Free Banana Bread
I made this recipe, it’s wonderful. Instead of 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour I added 1 1/4 cups and 1/4 cup of mixed ground Flax and almond flour and they came out perfect. Thank you, your recipes are always great!
These came out beautifully! I used Trader Joe’s gluten free flour. My first gluten free baking! Thanks soo much!
Hello! I used coconut oil and maple syrup and they turned out very oily! Any suggestions?
Hi Tina, Coconut oil and maple syrup are both very liquid, and in a gluten-free batter there isn’t enough structure to absorb that fat, so the muffins can turn out greasy. Next time, try reducing the coconut oil by a tablespoon or two, or swap it for a solid fat like softened butter. You can also replace part of the maple syrup with a granulated sweetener to cut down on the extra liquid in the batter.
I started today thinking I was going to make your gluten-free Banana Bread; however, decided to make your banana, blueberry muffins and oh my goodness, am I glad I did that! The only variation I did was use pure maple sugar instead of white sugar.
One of my friends is gluten intolerant, so when I cook or bake, I will usually do gluten-free. She’s coming over for breakfast in the morning!
These muffins are so yummy – light and airy – I ate TWO!! I would attach a picture but dont see the option.
Made this a couple of days ago. I used gf flour all the ingredients including frozen blueberries. To my surprise everything turned out great!
I have both gluten and dairy allergies.
What happens to this recipe if you omit the bananas?
Hi Mary, the bananas provide moisture, sweetness, and flavor so the recipe will not turn out correctly if you omit them.
These were amazing! I used coconut sugar and made them as muffin tops. I used BRM 1-to-1 ap flour.
Very yummy! I used King Arthur Measure for Measure (without adding additional gum) and I used coconut oil instead of butter because I was running low on butter. I’ll probably use butter next time, but this recipe is solid and I’ll definitely make these again. I didn’t use the lemon peel or cinnamon, but I’m sure those would be lovely additions as well. I am curious how many this is supposed to make. My batter made 11 small to medium muffins and were done in 12-13 minutes.
Hi Angela, this recipe makes 12 muffins.
When making the apple crisp should I use a bigger pan if I am doubling the recipe?
Yes!
Can you make it with brown rice flour instead or white gf flour
? . Or will it taste bad with brown rice flour?
Hi Karen, You could try it, but I wouldn’t recommend using only brown rice flour—it tends to make baked goods gritty and dry. These muffins turn out best with a gluten-free blend that includes starches for softness. If you’re looking for a homemade flour option, try mixing brown rice flour with potato starch and tapioca starch for better texture.
After I found your recipe I have been so excited to make these. I waited (impatiently, lol) for days for my bananas to ripen and then made this recipe up with so much love. However, after five minutes in the oven when I was cleaning up the mess…. I saw it… the two beaten eggs sitting ominously on the bench!
With no hope of incorporating the eggs into my already baking eggless muffins all I could do was wait and watch them… The muffins looked good… smelled perfect and even seemed to rise… could my unforgivable rookie error be forgivable after all?
Status report: These muffins are pretty darn good – even with the two eggs accidentally omitted. I can’t wait to try them with the eggs as soon as I’ve got some more ripe bananas! Im sure they will be amazing!
Thank you for this excellent recipe!
Glad they turned out okay even with that snafu!
I did a similar thing once! I was cleaning up and found the melted butter still on the stovetop! 😳 And they were still delicious!