Gluten Free Banana Muffins
As a baker who has been gluten free since 2006, I have tested and perfected the best gluten free banana muffins that I am so excited to share with you! With gorgeous bakery style domed tops, no one will ever know these are gluten free!
This recipe rocks!!! OMG the best tasty moist GF muffins I have made in a long time! Thank you!
-Daniella
You’ll Love this Delicious and Moist Banana Muffin Recipe
Back in 2006 when I found out I have a gluten intolerance, the gluten free world was limited to ENER-G bread. Anyone else remember how disgusting and hard that was?
I’m thankful there have been so many gluten free food developments over the years.
I specifically remember when Cheerios launched gluten free cheerios, I was hunting the stores for weeks until I finally found them. I bought a box, walked out to the parking lot, immediately opened it and started eating them.
Now there are so many gluten free products, but you definitely still need to weed through them and decide what’s actually good.
If you love muffins as much as I do, be sure to try our blueberry muffins and rich chocolate muffins.
Ingredients for Gluten Free Banana Muffins
These simple ingredients make the best gluten free banana muffins! Keep scrolling to get the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card below.
- mashed bananas: adds banana flavor and moisture
- vegetable oil: adds fat and moisture
- granulated sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
- egg: binds the batter together by providing structure
- vanilla extract: adds flavor
- gluten free all purpose flour: flour is necessary to build structure, I recommend using King Arthur’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- baking soda and baking powder: helps to leaven and lift the batter
- cinnamon: banana muffins benefits from cinnamon!
- salt: just a pinch to balance the sweetness and enhances the other flavors
- optional nuts or semi-sweet chocolate chips: the best pairing with banana muffins!
Have extra bananas in your kitchen? Make banana pancakes! They are only three ingredients!
GF Banana Muffins Substitutions
This recipe is naturally dairy free, so no substitutions need to be made.
If you’re looking to make this recipe egg-free to make it vegan friendly, you could try using an egg substitute such as Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free egg replacer or using a flax egg substitute. I have not personally tested these methods.
The Best Flour for Gluten Free Banana Muffins
I’ve seen a lot and tried a lot of different kinds of gluten free flours since 2006. The one that I personally like the best based on taste and texture is King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.
However, any high quality gluten free all purpose flour will work in this recipe.
How to Make Gluten Free Banana Muffins
- In a mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffins liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Fill the liners super full with batter, about 6-8 heaping tablespoons. Top the muffins with additional nut pieces and sanding sugar.
- Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF.
Total time required
- 10 minutes to prep the batter
- 15 minute rest (this helps produce domed tops!)
- bake for 7 minutes at 425º
- bake for 13-16 minutes at 350º
Moist Banana Muffin Recipe Variations
There are so many things you can add to banana muffins to create different flavor variations.
- Chocolate Chips or Chunks: Add semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks for a delightful and classic combination with bananas.
- Nuts: Chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds add a lovely crunchy, nutty flavor to the muffins.
- Berries: Fresh or frozen berries like blueberries, raspberries, or strawberries can add a burst of color and fruity sweetness.
- Coconut Flakes: Toasted coconut flakes bring a tropical twist and a slightly chewy texture to the muffins.
- Cinnamon or Spice: Sprinkle in some ground cinnamon or other warming spices like nutmeg or cloves to enhance the banana flavor.
- Peanut Butter: Swirl in some peanut butter for a delightful blend of flavors with the bananas.
- Crumb Topping: Create a crumb topping with a mixture of flour, butter, sugar, and cinnamon for a crumbly, sweet finish.
Tips for making this Moist Banana Muffin Recipe
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams.
If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess.
How to Mash Bananas
Any good gluten free banana muffin starts with ripe or (even better) over ripe bananas!
You want to mash the bananas well. Use a potato masher, electric mixer or blender for this step. You need about 1 heaping cup of mashed bananas.
It’s important to actually measure the mashed banana since bananas vary so much in size.
If you don’t have ripe or over ripe bananas on hand, you can quickly ripen bananas in the oven.
How to Quickly Ripen Bananas
Spotty, over ripe bananas make the best banana muffins! If your bananas aren’t ripe, you can fix that!
Place the bananas on a foil lined baking sheet in a 300ºF oven for 30-40 minutes, until the peels become black and shiny. Roasting them in the oven causes them to become sweet and mushy.
How to Create Bakery Style Muffins
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have large, domed tops!
1. THE REST PERIOD
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. FILL EVERY OTHER MUFFIN CUP
This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.
3. FILL THEM TO THE TOP
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.
4. BAKE AT HIGH TEMPERATURE INITIALLY
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, setting the outer surface of the muffin, producing a dome shape.
Storing & Freezing Muffins
MUFFIN STORAGE
If you’ll be eating the muffins within 24 hours of baking, you can leave them uncovered on the counter. The muffins will not dry out while left at room temperature for 1 day.
In fact, muffins are so moist they can become soggy and those crunchy, sugary tops can disappear when stored in an airtight container.
But I have a trick to help that – paper towels.
For longer storage, 2-4 days, line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels. Place the muffins in a single layer in the container then cover the muffins with any additional layer of paper towels. The paper towels will act like a sponge, absorbing the moisture they release while they are stored.
If the paper towels become too moist around day 2 or day 3, replace them with fresh paper towels.
HOW TO FREEZE MUFFINS
Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Then place them in a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, leave them at room temperature until defrosted, about 1 hour. Or unwrap them and microwave at 20 second intervals until defrosted.
GF Banana Muffins FAQs
I recommend using a high quality gluten free all purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour.
To make gluten free banana bread, follow our banana bread recipe and substitute gluten free all purpose flour for the regular all purpose flour.
More Muffins Recipes
Gluten Free Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 4-6 large ripe bananas, about 2 cups mashed, be sure to measure the mashed banana
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups gluten free all purpose flour, I recommend King Arthur’s Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, 360 grams
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Mash 4-6 bananas, then measure out 2 cups using dry measuring cups, not liquid measuring cups. It’s important to measure the banana since the size of each banana can vary so much.
- In a mixing bowl combine the mashed bananas, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir to combine with a spatula.
- In a separate bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. If adding chocolate chips, mix them in now.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing by hand just until combined. The batter will be thick.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF.
- Fill the liners super full with batter, about 6-8 heaping tablespoons. Top the muffins with extra chocolate chips and sanding sugar. Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF, then keep the muffins in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 350ºF and bake for 13-16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF.
If I don’t need them to be GF can I use AP Flour in a 1:1 replacement? I have bananas ready to use for these and all other ingredients on hand but don’t have GF flour.
Thanks!
Yes! Just use regular all purpose flour. Here is our standard banana muffin recipe: https://thefirstyearblog.com/bakery-style-banana-bread-muffins/
A note that King Arthur makes a product they call All Purpose Flour and its different than Measure for Measure. Their All Purpose contains no xanthan gum. You link in your recipe to the King Arthur Measure for Measure, which does contain xanthan gum.
Can I replace veg oil with olive or avocado oil?
These are FANTASTIC! Loved them so much!
This is by far my favorite banana muffin recipe. I decrease the sugar a little, but otherwise I follow it step by step. They are incredibly fluffy and delicious!!!
I followed everything exactly as said & they are still no where near cooked, yes they have risen but you put a fork in centre & it is all batter still
Shoot! What type of muffin pan are you using? Have you checked your oven temperature for accuracy?
This is what happened to mine too!
There is a lot of batter in each muffin cup! Did you bake them longer? Every oven is different!
Can I swap the vegetable oil for butter? I don’t love the taste of oil lol
Hi Fin! I haven’t tried this recipe with butter, but I’m assuming it will be okay!
It’s so hard finding gluten free recipes that my whole family can enjoy, but I made these for my family yesterday morning and everyone loved them! My family had eaten all of them by the time I went for seconds, which never happens when I bake gluten free! I’m going to make them again today or tomorrow, and was wondering if I made a double batch if I could freeze some of the batter? These are definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!
This recipe rocks!!! OMG the best tasty moist GF muffins I have made in a long time! Thank you!
D
These look so good. I just made some GF banana muffins from a box and after one bite – they are going in the trash. Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this recipe and I followed everything as written and they came out amazing! We recently found out my son has a wheat allergy so I tried this recipe. I would not be able to tell this was GF, it taste like a regualr muffin! It was moist, bouncy and not dry whatsoever! We only have a few muffins left from this morning’s batch. I will definitely be trying the blueberry muffins next! 😋
I was reading the nutrition information and I need the amount of added sugar, if you have any idea what that would be? I am following weight watchers and need this information in order to put it into the app. Thank you.
I tried coconut oil and they turned out really good!
Can I use almond flour in the place of thr GF AP flour?
Hi Vivian! I haven’t tested this recipe with almond flour. Unfortunately almond flour isn’t a one for one substitute for gluten free AP flour.
Fantastic recipe!! I subbed 1/4 c. Agave for the sugar. And subbed Ener-G Egg Replacer for the egg. Great Value flour. Everything else the same. Followed baking instructions to a T. Turned out perfectly! Thank you!!! :)
I have made these many times. I do have to bake them a little longer in an electric oven. Love them ❤️
Great recipe!
I subbed white sugar with coconut sugar and used olive oil vs veg oil. My flour was Bob’s 1:1 baking flour.
Easy and quick to make and delicious!!
These are amazing! Our favorite muffin recipe by far. I double the recipe whenever I have enough bananas that are a little too ripe because they get eaten so quickly. Thanks for a great recipe that even our non gluten free fam and friends love.
Delicious banana muffins! Perfect as snacks or breakfast! Super domes were on point! I followed the recipe and I got a great result.
I love this recipe and make it every weekend. I swap out unsweetened applesauce for the oil. Instead of using sugar i will put in 1-2 tablespoons honey and then the rest no sugar added peanut butter. To make it gluten free I use (for a double batch) 2 cups Millet flour, 1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats, and the other 1/2 cup bobs red mill gluten free all purpose flour.
They are excellent!
Hi Beth,
I am making the Gluten Free Banana muffin recipe and noticed you left out the Baking powder on these. Is there a reason the other regular flour recipe (that also welcomes swapping out GF flour) has 1 tsp each Baking Soda and Baking Powder? It’s more for the knowledge because I try many of your recipes and all are wonderful!
OH NO!! That is definitely an error, fixing it right now! The baking powder is critical!
After the June 29th update did this recipe get dramatically altered in yield? I started making these muffins in January and have made many batches but the last 2 times I’ve made them I’ve made WAYYY too many. I use to make the recipe and it would give me that perfect 12 amount that’s on the yield, however now it’s making double the amount. Im pregnant so I chalked it up to pregnancy brain but I’m starting to think this recipe is gaslighting me.
Hi Maddie!! I did increase the yield in this recipe because I’m super into making bakery style muffins, meaning you fill each muffin well with 1/2 cup of batter! If you fill each cup super full and follow my directions for making bakery style muffins, you’ll get 12 muffins with huge domed tops!
I puréed the bananas (faster), used 2 cups GF flour and 1 cup GF Almond Flour, and added about 1/2 cup GF Oats. Delicious! Interesting concept of high heat to lower for muffins.
I made these today. Made a pecan, oatmeal, cinnamon, brown sugar and melted butter topping. Put these already fantastic muffins over the top. I’ve been looking for a good gf recipe and this is a keeper. You gotta make these. Amazing
Can I use frozen, thawed bananas if I still measure out the correct amount on the recipe?
Yes! I use frozen thawed bananas!