These gluten free banana muffins are soft, fluffy and delicious! This easy, one bowl recipe takes less than 30 minutes. They have the flavor of chocolate chip banana bread but the convenience of a muffin. These healthy muffins are great for breakfast, snacks or dessert!

Gluten free banana muffins.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • These gluten free banana muffins are easy and quick.
  • Everything is made in one mixing bowl.
  • No dough chilling required.
  • They are soft and fluffy.
  • The flavors are very similar to banana bread.
  • Add in some melted chocolate for that beautiful marble effect. Or, leave it out for traditional looking muffins.
  • This recipe is gluten free and nut free. In addition, it can be easily made dairy free.
  • Check out these Almond Flour Banana Muffins for another great recipe!

Ingredients & Substitutions

These are the main ingredients and substitutions for gluten free banana muffins. Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredients list and instructions.

Use ripe bananas for the most natural sweetness. Choose bananas that are brown spotted. Unripe bananas will not mash well. About 2 large bananas yield the 1 ½ cups.

Softened butter or coconut oil add a great flavor. Do not use cold butter or hardened coconut oil. They will be very difficult to mix into the batter.

Pure maple syrup adds a great natural sweetness. Substitute honey or date syrup if needed.

The eggs help hold these muffins together. For egg free and Vegan, check out these Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins.

A little vanilla extract adds a great homemade flavor to these muffins.

Gluten free 1 to 1 flour provides a great base to this recipe. If not gluten free, all purpose flour may be used instead. Do not use almond flour, coconut flour, oat flour or cassava flour. If you only have almond flour, check out these Almond Flour Banana Muffins.

Granulated sugar adds some sweetness. Feel free to substitute coconut sugar in its place for a refined sugar free option.

Baking powder helps leaven the muffins. I do not recommend substituting baking soda.

Feel free to use any chocolate chips. Mini, regular or even chocolate chunks work well. For a less sweet option, consider leaving out chocolate chips altogether.

For the swirled chocolate effect, add in a little bit of melted chocolate. Do not over mix the melted chocolate. Just gently stir in. This ingredient is entirely optional.

Brown bananas with other ingredients.

Taste & Texture

These gluten free banana muffins taste like banana bread. The banana and chocolate chips are the two most dominant flavors. It is just sweet enough without being overwhelmingly sweet.

The texture is soft and fluffy. These muffins are moist and not dry.

How to Make

Step 1

First, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously spray a muffin pan with nonstick spray.

Step 2

In a mixing bowl, add mashed bananas, softened butter, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla extract. Then, stir to combine.

Wet batter in bowl.

Step 3

Then, add in flour, sugar and baking powder. Stir to combine.

Thick muffin batter in bowl.

Step 4

Gently fold in chocolate chips and melted chocolate (if using). The melted chocolate gives these muffins the marbled look.

Marbled muffin batter in bowl.

Step 5

Scoop muffin batter into muffin pan. Then, bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Baked marbled muffins.

Step 6

Finally, remove from oven. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in pan before carefully removing.

Expert Tips & Tricks

For best results, use ripe bananas. They are more naturally sweet and easily mashed. Look for bananas with brown spots.

Use room temperature butter or coconut oil. Do not use cold butter.

To create the marbled look, gently stir in 2 tablespoons melted chocolate. Do not mix too much! Gently stir in to create that marbled effect.

Do not over bake. Bake only until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Due to the banana, I highly recommend storing these muffins in the fridge. They can last up to 48 hours at room temperature if needed.

Gluten free muffins with banana.

Flavor Variations & Add Ins

Consider adding these ingredients to the muffin batter.

Chocolate chunks

Dash of cinnamon

Walnuts

Halved pecans

White chocolate chips

Dried cranberries

Diced strawberries

Dash of nutmeg

Fresh blueberries

How to Serve & Store

Serve gluten free banana muffins once cool enough to handle.

They are great for breakfast, snacks or even dessert.

Serve alongside a tall glass of milk, coffee or hot chocolate. They pair well with eggs, bacon, fresh fruit and yogurt.

Store muffins in the fridge for up to 4 days.

They can be stored at room temperature for 48 hours.

Freeze for up to 2 months if needed.

Muffin pan with mini chocolate chips.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make them dairy free?

Sure! Use coconut oil instead of butter.

Can I freeze these muffins?

Yes, freeze for up to 2 months.

Does another type of flour work?

Unfortunately the only other type of flour that works is all purpose flour, which is not gluten free.

Can I add in walnuts?

Sure!

You May Also Like

If you make this gluten free banana muffins recipe, I would really appreciate a review! You can find me on InstagramFacebook, and Pinterest. I would love for you to follow along!  For more ideas, check out these Gluten Free Recipes.

Gluten free banana muffins.

Get the Recipe: Gluten Free Banana Muffins

These gluten free banana muffins are soft, fluffy and just sweet enough. They taste like chocolate chip banana bread in muffin form. This easy, one bowl recipe is great for a healthy breakfast or snack!
5 from 16 votes

Ingredients

Instructions 

  • First, preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Generously spray muffin pan with nonstick spray.
  • In a mixing bowl, add mashed bananas, softened butter, maple syrup, eggs and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
  • Then, add in flour, sugar and baking powder. Stir to combine.
  • Gently fold in chocolate chips and melted chocolate (if using). The melted chocolate gives these muffins the marbled look.
  • Scoop muffin batter into muffin pan. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Finally, remove from oven. Allow muffins to cool for 10 to 15 minutes in pan before carefully removing.

Notes

  • Use ripe bananas for best natural sweetness.  About 2 large bananas will yield the 1½ cups needed.
  • Use room temperature butter.  Cold butter will not mix in well to the batter.
  • To create the marbled effect, add in melted chocolate to the batter and mix only a few times.  Do not over mix the melted chocolate.  That would create chocolate muffins.
  • Bake only until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 48 hours.
  • Since they contain bananas, I suggest storing these muffins in the fridge.
  • Freeze for up to 2 months if desired.
Calories: 334kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 57mg, Sodium: 172mg, Potassium: 176mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 18g, Vitamin A: 353IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 1mg

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