Almond Flour Banana Muffins are easy, low carb, paleo and gluten free banana muffins that are naturally sweetened, fluffy and full of banana flavor. Plus they are made with 9 simple ingredients, in a blender!
Love baking with bananas? Check out other reader’s favorite applesauce banana muffins and oat flour banana muffins.
Table of Contents
- Low Carb Banana Muffins
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients for Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- How to Make Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- Tips for Best Results
- Additions and Variations
- How to Store and Make Ahead
- How Do You Reheat the Muffins?
- Can I Substitute the Almond Flour?
- More FAQs
- More Banana Muffins Recipes
- More Almond Flour Muffin Recipes to Try
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins Recipe
Low Carb Banana Muffins
Almond flour banana muffins came around after I purchased a Costco size bag of almond flour, and have been playing around with it for a month making all kinds of almond flour recipes.
5 pounds gone and our family got 2 new staples we can’t get enough of – almond flour banana bread and these moist banana muffins with almond flour! Perfect for healthy breakfast or snack.
This recipe is also a reader favorite! Just read the dozens of positive comments and reviews below.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Sugar-free and oil-free: These healthy muffins are free from any refined sugar (minus the chocolate chips), and are naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup and bananas. Not even a drop of oil. Isn’t it amazing?!
- Low carb, high protein and full of fiber: Nutrition wise they beat most banana snacks. Eat one and you are full. My kids love these and yours will too!
- Fluffy banana muffins: Just because these are gluten-free banana muffins, doesn’t mean that I wanted to sacrifice flavor or texture. They are light, fluffy, and tall. Best of all, they have no odd aftertaste or dense “heavy” feel.
- Dietary friendly: Low carb, keto, grain-free, gluten-free and paleo diets approved. They are also dairy-free.
Ingredients for Almond Flour Banana Muffins
You will need 10 simple ingredients to make these low carb banana muffins.
- Bananas: Use overripe bananas with lots of black spots. Previously frozen bananas are fine. When mashed, it makes about 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas.
- Almond flour: Use super fine blanched almond flour for most fluffy results. Some have had success with almond meal, but the texture may be grainy and it can taste “healthier”. You can quickly make almond flour at home or just buy it at any grocery store.
- Eggs: Use large eggs. You could try the recipe with all egg whites, with a ratio of 1 egg = 1/4 cup whites, but I much prefer to use whole eggs.
- Vanilla extract: It is wonderful to add dessert flavor to the muffins without the need for added sugars. Use vanilla seeds, if following paleo.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Act as leavening agents and provide rise for fluffy muffins.
- Cinnamon and salt: For extra flavor.
- Chocolate chips: I use mini dark chocolate chips, which I find distribute better than larger ones or chocolate chunks. You could also use Lily’s sugar free chocolate chips or cacao nibs for paleo banana muffins.
How to Make Almond Flour Banana Muffins
Here is a quick overview hot to make almond flour banana muffins in just a blender. It is such an easy recipe where you don’t need to dirty a bowl, use a masher, or mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately.
- Prepare the batter: First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Then, in a blender, add bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and process until smooth. Then, add almond flour and process just enough to combine. Pause, scrape the walls, and process again just a bit, to combine.
- Add chocolate chips: Or your choice of add-ins, if using, and stir with a spatula.
- Divide the mixture evenly: Using an ice cream scoop, distribute the batter between 12 muffin pan openings until they’re 3/4 full each. You can line them with muffin liners or use a silicone muffin tin sprayed lightly with cooking spray.
- Bake and cool: Bake almond flour banana muffins for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean. Once baked, remove from the oven, allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes, and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
Several readers have let me know that the banana muffins are ready at between 17-25 minutes for them, so the first time you bake these, I suggest checking from 17 minutes. The climate and your oven may affect the bake time.
Tips for Best Results
- Measure the flour using the “spoon and level method”: Use a spoon to add flour to your measuring cup and then use the back of a knife to level off the cup. Avoid scooping flour directly into your measuring cup, or you’ll add too much.
- Use very ripe bananas: Use yellow bananas with many brown spots or even brown peel bananas. The more ripe bananas, the more sweet and soft they are. If you use not ripe enough bananas, your muffin batter will be too thick to blend yielding dry, not sweet enough muffins.
- If your bananas are not ripe: Here is a quick tutorial how to ripen bananas fast.
- All ovens very: This is especially true when it comes to baking with almond flour since it is a delicate nut flour! For many people baking time will vary, also how tall and how much muffin will brown depends on your oven as well. So, just keep an eye on them.
- Do not overbake the muffins: Remove muffins from the oven as soon as toothpick inserted comes out dry.
Additions and Variations
- Chopped nuts: Add about a handful of chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Blueberries: Add around 1/4 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries (don’t thaw before baking).
- Raisins: Add between 1/4 – 1/2 cup of raisins. You could also add half raisins and half nuts.
- Citrus zest: Use 1/2 – 1 orange or lemon zest depending on how much flavor you want.
- Sweetener: This almond flour banana muffin batter has the right amount of sweetness. If you do have more of a sweet tooth, add a little bit of your favorite granulated sweetener. For keto banana muffins, use monk fruit or erythritol.
- For vegan banana muffins: Swap the eggs for chia seed egg or flax egg instead. Muffins won’t be quite as “pretty” or fluffy but should be delicious.
How to Store and Make Ahead
Store: Store muffins at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. As they’re quite moist, I’ve found they store better when loosely covered rather than in an airtight container.
Freeze: Freeze in layers with parchment paper between, in a large freezer bag. They will store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make ahead: You can prepare the batter, minus the leavening agents, up to a day in advance. Leave it covered in the refrigerator and mix in the baking powder and soda before baking the muffins.
Storage Tip
You might find my guides how to store muffins and how to freeze muffins helpful to keep your leftover baked muffins fresh longer.
How Do You Reheat the Muffins?
- From fridge: Microwave almond flour banana muffins in 15-second increments until warmed through.
- From freezer: Thaw in the fridge first and then reheat as in the step above. Alternatively, add straight to the microwave and heat in 20-second increments until warmed through.
Can I Substitute the Almond Flour?
This muffin recipe was designed explicitly with almond flour in mind. However, there are several ways you can substitute the flour, though each will affect the final result in one way or another.
The closest substitution for almond flour would be cashew flour or hazelnut flour. For a nut free version, you can use sunflower seed flour.
Others in the comments have also successfully substituted cassava flour, oat flour or used a combination of almond flour and all-purpose gluten free flour.
If using leftover dried almond pulp from almond milk, you’ll need to add a little oil in the recipe due to the lower fat content. 1-2 tablespoons of melted butter, avocado oil or melted coconut oil should work.
Any time you experiment with a different flour in gluten free baking, it may require a little tweaking. If your muffins seem a little dry, use more banana, a little oil, or liquid sweetener. A bit too moist? Increase the flour, etc.
You can’t use regular flour though. Muffins will not turn out with any wheat flour because it has gluten in it. Check out my healthy banana muffin recipe, if you would like to use traditional flour.
More FAQs
No. This recipe will not turn out well as a quick bread but I do have a delicious gluten free almond flour banana bread recipe or try this protein banana bread.
Yes. Just use mini muffin pan and reduce the baking time. I recommend to check on muffins at 10 minutes and every few minutes afterward.
I love to blend my almond flour muffin batter into an almost smoothie consistency for pillowy, soft banana muffins. The food processor won’t yield as smooth results but it works.
Some readers have had success with almond meal but the texture may be grainy, muffins will be less fluffy and can taste “healthier”. I personally haven’t tried but can speak from my experience with previous recipe testing.
More Banana Muffins Recipes
- Healthy banana chocolate chip muffins
- Pumpkin banana muffins
- Healthy blueberry banana muffins
- Healthy zucchini banana muffins
- Healthy banana oatmeal muffins
- Protein banana muffins
- Banana carrot muffins
More Almond Flour Muffin Recipes to Try
- Almond flour zucchini muffins
- Almond flour blueberry muffins
- Almond flour yogurt muffins
- Almond flour strawberry muffins
- Almond flour pumpkin muffins
Almond Flour Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas with brown spots
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray silicone muffin tin with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a powerful blender or food processor, add bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda + powder, salt and process until smooth.
- Add almond flour and process just enough to combine. Pause, scrape the walls and process just a bit again to combine. Add chocolate chips and stir with a spatula.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide batter between 12 openings of previously prepared muffin tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted come out clean.
- Remove from the oven, let cool 20 minutes and enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Store: Store muffins at room temperature for 2-3 days or in refrigerator for 5-7 days. As they’re quite moist, I’ve found they store better when loosely covered rather than in an airtight container.
- Freeze: Freeze in layers with parchment paper between, in a large freezer bag. They will store in the freezer for up to three months.
- Over ripen bananas are a must! If your batter is too thick, means bananas were not ripe enough and muffins won’t turn out. Also you can’t use any other fruit.
- Eggs: You could try the recipe with all egg whites (1 egg = ¼ cup whites) but I much prefer the whole eggs.
- Almond flour: Some have had success with almond meal, but the texture may be grainy, and it can taste “healthier”.
- Sweetener: If you do have more of a sweet tooth, add a little of your favorite granulated sweetener. For keto/paleo banana muffins, use monk fruit or erythritol, etc.
- Baking time: Several readers have let me know that the banana muffins are ready at between 17-25 minutes for them, so the first time you bake these, I suggest checking from 17 minutes. The climate and your oven may affect the bake time.
Can I cut this recipe in half? We don’t have a large enough food processor for this volume.
Sure!
Can we add some milk if batter is too thick?
Thick batter is normal with almond flour recipes. I would bake as recipe is written as baking is a science.
I’ve made these twice. First batch was with organic fermented cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips. Second batch was with rehydrated dried cranberries. Also, I used a product called No Salt (which is potassium) instead of salt. Both batches were delicious! They keep in the refrigerator really well, freeze and defrost perfectly and are SO moist! I gave some to my friends at work and they all wanted the recipe. They are so easy to make and a no-fail recipe! My next batch will include wild blueberries.
Those sounds like some amazing additions! So glad you (and your friends at work!) are enjoying them!
I am going to make these for my neighbor for Christmas. Will muffin /cupcake papers work? Thank you!
What a great neighbor! Yes, you might want to spray the muffin papers with cooking spray so they remove easily.
Really yummy. We used this recipe for the baby as some grab and go food and he loves it.
Perfect, so glad you all love it!
excellent
So glad you enjoyed!
Hi, I am allergic to eggs, can i make without eggs?
Yes, swap the eggs for chia eggs or flax eggs instead. The recipe won’t be quite as “pretty” or risen, but it should be delicious.
I just made these and they turned out perfectly! No added sweetener necessary. I used 1/4 cup organic fermented cocao nibs instead of chocolate chips and they worked just as well. I’m looking forward to playing with this recipe some more as well as sharing it with my friends. Thanks for sharing!
So glad to hear this Jacqueline! Thanks for passing the recipe around!
Absolutely delicious and no need for any sweetener beyond the banana. I made mini loaves the size of a muffin and it took 17 minutes
So happy to hear it turned out great!
I had very ripe bananas and had to use them today. I only had 2 so I used one of my mom’s old tricks. I added about 1/2 C 5% greek yogurt and 1.9 ounces of unsweetened applesauce. Only had 2.75 cups of almond flour so I added 1/4 Cup4Cup gluten free flour. I can only guess how wonderful they are as written. But I do know that these are killer! I made mini muffins and they came out perfect. Less banana flavor than I prefer, but given the substitutions I had to make, I can live with it until next time. Thanks you, Olena, these were super!
Thanks for sharing your substitutions, glad they came out great!