An easy recipe for gluten-free banana muffins. These soft and moist gluten-free banana muffins are made with simple ingredients and in only 30 minutes!
Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
If you enjoy my Gluten-Free Banana Bread, you are going to love my gluten-free banana muffin recipe! These gluten-free banana muffins have all the flavor of banana bread and are baked in only twenty minutes.
This is my go-to gluten-free muffin recipe to use up ripe bananas. My family loves the flavor combination of banana chocolate chip muffins the most. These gluten-free banana muffins are also delicious with chopped nuts, blueberries, or without any mix-ins.
This gluten-free banana muffin recipe is also easily made dairy-free, egg-free, or refined sugar-free. I have included all of the ingredient substitutions in the recipe card below.
You can see just how easy it is to make these gluten-free banana muffins in the detailed recipe step photos or in the recipe video.
Ingredients in Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
It only takes a few simple ingredients to make these gluten-free banana muffins. I bet you already have everything you need to make these muffins in your pantry.
- Bananas: Ripe bananas are the star ingredient. Not only do the bananas give these muffins their flavor, but also make these muffins moist. The riper the bananas the sweeter the muffins will taste.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda is what helps these gluten-free muffins rise. Don’t skip the step to add the baking soda to the mashed banans and allow to sit for a few minutes.
- Eggs: The whisked eggs help give the structure of the muffin. The height and texture of the muffins are determined by the balance between the eggs and the gluten-free flour.
- Granulated Sugar: Not only does sugar sweeten the muffins, but it helps the muffins be soft and moist.
- Pure Vanilla Extract, Cinnamon, Salt: All of these ingredients enhance the flavor of the banana muffins.
- Butter: The melted butter is used as the fat in the recipe. It’s the fat in the recipe that helps make the muffins not too dense.
- Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour with Xanthan Gum: Using a gluten-free flour blend made with rice flour, starches, and xanthan gum mimics the taste and texture of traditional all-purpose flour. I bake with Pillsbury gluten-free flour.
- Chocolate Chips: Banana muffins are perfect for adding your favorite muffin mix-in. My family’s favorite is chocolate chips. You can also use chopped nuts, blueberries, or enjoy the muffins plain.
How To Make Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray with gluten-free cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth.
- Add the baking soda and stir to combine with the mashed bananas. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
- Add in the sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and whisked eggs and stir until combined.
- Add in the gluten-free flour and stir until fully combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a greased ice cream scoop or measuring cup, scoop the batter into baking cups lined/cooking sprayed muffin tin.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
- Allow the muffins to cool. Enjoy!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container.
How to Make-Ahead, Store, Freeze, and Reheat Banana Muffins
To Make-Ahead:
This banana muffins batter can be easily made ahead of time. Place the batter in an air-tight storage container or cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you are ready to bake the muffins.
To Freeze:
Once the banana muffins are completely cool, place the muffin tin with the muffins in the freezer for 15 minutes. Flash freezing keeps them from sticking together.
Once the muffins are flash-frozen, place the muffins inside a freezer-safe bag or freezer-safe air-tight container.
If you are using a plastic freezer bag, squeeze out all of the extra air in the bag. I have also found that if you double bag the muffins (place that bag inside another freezer-safe bag) it helps prevent freezer burn.
To Thaw Frozen Muffins: The muffins can be defrosted overnight in the refrigerator. The muffins can be thawed in the oven by wrapping them in foil and warming them for 10 minutes at 350°F. The muffins can also be warmed up in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container. Make sure the muffins are completely cooled or any steam trapped in the plastic storage bag or container will create condensation and make the muffins sticky.
Banana Muffin Mix-Ins
It is easy to add your favorite muffin mix-ins to the gluten-free banana muffin batter. Once you have made the banana muffin batter, stir in ½ to 1 cup of your favorite mix-in. Some of my family’s favorite banana muffin mix-ins are chocolate chips, blueberries, or chopped nuts.
Tips for Making the Best Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
- Use ripe bananas as they are sweeter and make for a moister muffin.
- Do not skip the step of adding the baking soda to the mashed bananas first and allowing it to sit for a few minutes. The chemical reaction between the bananas and baking soda helps the gluten-free muffins rise.
- I always use cupcake liners when making muffins.
- I always use a greased ice cream scoop to make muffins. Using an ice cream scoop to measure out the muffin batter makes for uniformed muffins.
- For bakery-style muffins, fill the muffin cups to the top with the batter and then sprinkle with sugar.
Gluten-Free Flour
These gluten-free muffins were made with Pillsbury gluten-free flour. It is a cup-for-cup all-purpose gluten-free rice flour blend and already has the xanthan gum and starches in it.
Most gluten-free all-purpose flour blends have starches and xanthan gum already in them. The xanthan gum helps replace the elasticity and texture of gluten.
So make sure to check the ingredients of your gluten-free flour as not to add any extra xanthan gum to your flour if it already includes it. If you do, you will get gummy muffins!
My favorite gluten-free flour is Pillsbury gluten-free. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
This gluten-free muffin recipe with not work with almond, oat, or coconut flour.
Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour
It is super important to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients (not a pyrex liquid measuring cup) to measure gluten-free flour. I measure the gluten-free flour with the “spoon & level” method.
I use a large spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Then I use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
Please do not scoop the flour directly out of the bag with your measuring cup. If you do, you could end up with more flour than is called for in the recipe.
Ingredient Substitutions for Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
I have test-baked these gluten-free banana muffins with several different ingredient substitutions.
For Dairy-Free:
- For the milk, you can substitute it with unsweetened almond milk.
- For the butter, you can use dairy-free or vegan butter. I like Smart Balance buttery spread. You can also use melted coconut oil.
- For the chocolate chips, use gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate chips. Several brands that I like are Enjoy Life, Nestle Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Morsels, and Great Value Organic Semisweet Chocolate Chips (free-from).
For Egg-Free:
- You can substitute the eggs with Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer.
For No Refined Sugar:
- You can substitute the granulated sugar for ½ cup of pure maple syrup or coconut sugar. I have not tested this recipe with any other sugar or sugar-free substitutions.
Easy Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
You only need one bowl, a fork, and a large spoon to make these gluten-free banana muffins. In just thirty minutes, you can enjoy moist banana muffins.
This muffin batter can be easily made the night before for a quick and easy breakfast. The banana muffins can also be frozen and defrosted easily in the microwave.
This gluten-free muffin recipe is the perfect way to use up your ripe bananas. These banana muffins are an easy-to-make gluten-free breakfast or snack.
More Gluten-Free Muffins Recipes To Try!
- Easy Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins {Dairy-Free Option}
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Crumb Muffins {Dairy-Free Option}
- Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins {Dairy-Free}
- Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Muffins {Dairy-Free Option}
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Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas, ripe The riper the bananas (black spots), the sweeter the muffins will be. About 1 and ½ cups mashed.
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup butter, melted For dairy-free use Smart Balance or coconut oil.
- ½ cup granulated sugar For no refined sugar use pure maple syrup or coconut sugar.
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, whisked For egg-free use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer.
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour all-purpose flour with xanthan gum I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- ½ cup gluten-free chocolate chips For dairy-free use Nestle Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Morsels or Enjoy Life.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray with gluten-free cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth.
- Add the baking soda and stir to combine with the mashed bananas. Allow the mixture to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
- Add in the sugar, salt, ground cinnamon, pure vanilla extract, and whisked eggs and stir until combined.
- Add in the gluten-free flour and stir until fully combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a greased ice cream scoop or measuring cup, scoop the batter into baking cups lined/cooking sprayed muffin tin.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Please watch your oven because all ovens are different.
- Allow the muffins to cool. Enjoy!
- Store the completely cooled muffins in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- To Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container. Make sure the muffins are completely cooled or any steam trapped in the plastic storage bag or container will create condensation and make the muffins sticky.
- To Freeze: Once the banana muffins are completely cool, place the muffin tin with the muffins in the freezer for 15 minutes. Flash freezing keeps them from sticking together. Once the muffins are flash-frozen place the muffins inside a freezer-safe bag or freezer-safe air-tight container. If you are using a plastic freezer bag, squeeze out all of the extra air in the bag. I have also found that if you double bag the muffins (place that bag inside another freezer-safe bag) it helps prevent freezer burn.
- To Thaw Frozen Muffins: The muffins can be defrosted overnight in the refrigerator. The muffins can be thawed in the oven by wrapping them in foil and warming them for 10 minutes at 350°F. The muffins can also be warmed up in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- For Dairy-Free: Use unsweetened almond milk, Smart Balance buttery spread, and Nestle Allergen Free Semi-Sweet Morsels.
- For Egg-Free: Use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer.
- For No Refined Sugar: Use pure maple syrup or coconut sugar.
- Mama says, "Always check your labels!"
Ashley says
These were simple, hearty banana muffins! They weren’t overly sweet, as I used about 1/4 less than the sugar called for which I like. I added 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum and a bunch of finely chopped walnuts. Cut in half with a little bit of butter, and it makes for a yummy snack. Love your recipes, thank you.
Shonna says
These muffins do not disappoint! My gluten loving kiddos even enjoy these, which makes for a happy mama who can now bake for her kiddos again! Thanks for the great tips ie: let the baking soda sit with the bananas!
Joy says
These were perfect! After 13 years of cooking GF / DF, I have to say that your recipes are our hands-down favorites. Thank you so much for all that you do to bring smiles to our kitchen and our loved ones!
Kathleen Hill says
Fabulous !!!! Maple syrup was a delicious substitute for sugar. This is now my go to banana muffin recipe