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 healthy banana muffins and oat flour banana muffins.

Almond flour banana muffins with a bite taken out of one on a muffin tin.

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.

Almond flour, bananas, eggs, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cooking spray, chocolate chips, vanilla extract.
  • 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.

Step by step process how to make banana muffins with almond flour.
  • 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.
View from the top on almond flour banana muffins in muffin tin.

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

Can I turn this recipe into a banana bread?

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.

Can I make mini banana muffins?

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.

Can I use a food processor?

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.

Can I substitute almond meal for almond flour?

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

More Almond Flour Muffin Recipes to Try

almond flour banana muffins

Almond Flour Banana Muffins

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 in a blender with 9 simple ingredients!
4.93 from 829 votes
Servings 12 muffins
Calories 223
Diet Gluten Free
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients  

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.
Baking is a science. For best results, it is best to follow the recipe. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 173mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
Course: Breakfast or Snack
Cuisine: North American
Author: Olena Osipov
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 11 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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Comments

  1. I am going to make them soon and wondering if you can put PB2 in them? and if so – how much? I love PB with bananas!

    1. Recipe has not been tested with that – I think that’s a peanut butter powder? Since its a dry powder, I would start with a small amount (1/4 cup?) and see how that does before increasing it, am not sure how much that powder soaks up liquid. Otherwise just spread with a little nut butter after it is done for that PB taste.

  2. 5 stars
    My daughter told me how delicious these were, so i had to try them. I was so pleased with how they turned out, i added a little bit of chocolate chips and blueberries. I will definitely make them again. Thank you so much for this recipe

  3. 5 stars
    I have gestational diabetes, but otherwise never had diet restrictions prior to pregnancy. These muffins fill the void for a sweet without significantly raising my blood sugars! Made first batch with some walnut, some blueberry, and some dark choc chips. The walnut and blueberry feel like they’re missing sugar, but some added honey helps. The choc chips ones were perfect! Thank you for this miracle recipe!!

  4. 5 stars
    Thank you, Olena, for this awesome recipe! I have made these muffins exactly as written (ok, with maybe a few extra chocolate chips!) at least a dozen times since finding your blog last year. They’re a favourite of the whole family (we have a 2- and a 4-year old) and enjoyed by everyone we’ve shared them with. I don’t understand what magic turns 3 bananas, 3 eggs, and 3 cups of almond flour into such delicious muffins, but I am grateful for it!

  5. 5 stars
    Made some this morning for my family!!! We are all loving it!!! Having mine with some coffee and watching the ocean 🌊☕❤️ thank you for this recipe. I particularly like the no added sugar. Best!

  6. 5 stars
    I used thawed frozen bananas. Only had 2c almond flour so added 1c oat flour. I also only had 2 eggs so added one flax egg. They were sweet enough for me with the chocolate, but I think a sprinkle of demerara or raw sugar on top before baking would be nice and give more bang for buck taste wise than adding sweetener to the recipe. I don’t have a silicon pan so I used papers that I sprayed with oil, I think that was a mistake as they stuck to the papers badly. Next time I will try them straight in a greased pan. 20 min cook was perfect for my oven so I would definitely start checking them before the 30 min. My pan is also dark so that may be part of the fast cooking. Delicious and filling, will definitely make again.

    1. Hi, of course everyone has different tastes, but when you use ripe bananas they should be enough sweet without the need for any additional sugars.

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