Cooking and Serving: 30 minutes | 16 muffins
Ingredients
Step * Expert Tips | Ingredient substitutions
Description
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 16 muffins
Ingredients
Step * Expert Tips
Ingredient substitutions
Instructions
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Soft texture: These muffins have a tender crumb and a fluffy interior—never.
Bold banana flavor: Made with lots of ripe bananas, they taste sweet and rich,.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Soft texture: These muffins have a tender crumb and a fluffy interior—never.
Bold banana flavor: Made with lots of ripe bananas, they taste sweet and rich,.
Notes
One bowl, 30 minutes: Quick enough for busy mornings or last-minute baking.
Forgiving recipe: Short on bananas? Swap in a bit of applesauce. You can even
use frozen bananas—just defrost and mash before mixing.
Ingredients required in small glass bowls and on blond wood table.
required in small glass bowls and on blond wood table.
INGREDIENTS EXPLAINED
Here’s a little bit about each ingredient in these muffins and why it’s worth
sourcing the right ones:
* Gluten free flour blend – Any all purpose gluten free flour blend that is
based on finely ground rice flour should work here to provide structure. Be
sure to add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum if your blend doesn’t already contain any,
and 1/2 teaspoon more xanthan gum if you’re using Bob’s Red Mill’s 1-to-1 gf
blend or your muffins will be crumbly.
* Cornstarch – Increases the starch of an all purpose flour blend to make the
* Baking powder & baking soda – Help the muffins rise and brown in the oven
* Salt – Enhances flavor and balances sweetness.
* Granulated sugar – For sweetness and a soft and tender crumb.
* Eggs – Helps the muffins rise and holds the structure of the rise as they
* Mashed bananas – Very ripe bananas add flavor, natural sweetness, moisture,
and banana aroma. Less ripe bananas have less sugar and less moisture, and
don’t break down fully in the oven.
* Buttermilk – Adds some moisture, gentle tang, and helps keep the crumb
* Melted butter – Gives richness and a tender bite and a denser texture that
keeps these from tasting like cupcakes.
* Vanilla extract – Rounds out the banana flavor with warmth and depth.
A pile of baked muffins with white muffin liners in a flat bowl lined with light
pile of baked muffins with white muffin liners in a flat bowl lined with light
Be sure to try out my gluten free blueberry muffins
while you are in the muffin mood!
Here’s a quick overview of how to make gluten-free banana muffins in your own
1. Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk together the gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum (if needed), cornstarch,
baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar, rather than beating butter and
sugar together. This keeps the crumb pleasantly dense, which is characteristic
of a muffin, unlike cake.
2. Add the wet ingredients
Create a well in the center, then add the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and
vanilla. Mix until fully combined since there’s no gluten to overdevelop and
make tough muffins and this helps activate the xanthan gum to help hold the
structure during baking.
3. Fold in the mashed bananas
Gently mix in the mashed bananas so you don’t break them down too much. If your
bananas are not quite ripe enough, be sure to mash them completely first or they
won’t dissolve in the oven. The batter will be thick and a bit lumpy—that’s
Large round metal mixing bowl with white flour inside.
round metal mixing bowl with white flour inside.
Same bowl with white and yellow wet ingredients on top.
bowl with white and yellow wet ingredients on top.
Thick light yellow batter in same bowl with mashed yellow bananas on top.
light yellow batter in same bowl with mashed yellow bananas on top.
Same batter but now with bananas mixed in.
batter but now with bananas mixed in.
Divide the batter evenly among your lined muffin cups. Try to fill each well
around 3/4 full so they rise evenly without overflowing. If your muffin wells
are smaller, you may get more or larger muffins.
Bake at 350°F for 20 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins spring back when
pressed lightly in the center. Don’t leave them in the muffin tin for longer
than 5 minutes or the muffins will steam and the outside can be become chewy.
Standard 12 cup muffin tin with white paper liners in wells and each well filled
with light yellow thick muffin batter with banana pieces.
12 cup muffin tin with white paper liners in wells and each well filled with
light yellow thick muffin batter with banana pieces.
Gluten free banana muffins in white paper in metal muffin tin with all but one
muffin on its side in the well.
free banana muffins in white paper in metal muffin tin with all but one muffin
on its side in the well.
FILL EACH MUFFIN CUP EVENLY
Uniformly sized muffins bake more evenly. Fill each muffin liner about 3/4 of
the way full so they rise evenly without spilling over.
Liners help your muffins rise taller and make cleanup easier. Just let the
muffins cool completely before peeling, or the liners may stick.
BEGIN WITH A HIGHER OVEN TEMPERATURE
For a higher dome on your muffins, start with a hotter oven of 400°F for the
first 5 minutes of baking to create more oven spring in the first few minutes of
baking. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until
done (begin checking for doneness at after a total of 18 minutes).
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
If you have additional dietary restrictions, here’s how you can modify this
Replace the butter with virgin coconut oil (melted and cooled). Triple-filtered
coconut oil is best if you don’t want any coconut flavor.
For the buttermilk, mix 1/2 cup plain dairy-free yogurt with 1/2 cup nondairy
milk. This combo gives the right moisture and tang—better than soured milk.
This recipe uses 3 eggs, which makes it tricky to replace them reliably. You can
try one chia egg (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon water, mixed and
left to gel) per egg, Bob’s Red Mill’s egg replacer, or “Just Egg” liquid egg
Swap the cornstarch for arrowroot or potato starch, and avoid a gluten free
flour blend that contains cornstarch.
A muffin sitting in peeled liner with front of muffin removed and moist crumbs
muffin sitting in peeled liner with front of muffin removed and moist crumbs
Let muffins cool completely before storing to avoid sogginess. Keep them in an
airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.
To refresh a slightly dry muffin, run it briefly under cold water and warm it in
a toaster oven at 300°F—it’ll spring back to life.
To freeze, place cooled muffins on a baking sheet until solid, then store in a
zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp or microwave for 25 seconds.
For best texture, reheat in a low oven.
Can I make these muffins using frozen bananas?
Yes! Just be sure they’re fully thawed before adding them to the batter. Frozen
bananas release water as they defrost—use both the fruit and the liquid to
maintain the right moisture balance.
Can I use regular milk with lemon juice in place of buttermilk?
No. “Soured” milk made with vinegar or lemon juice doesn’t behave like real
buttermilk in baking. For best results, use actual buttermilk or a proven
dairy-free substitute like yogurt + milk.
Why did my muffins stick to the pan?
Muffins tend to stick if the pan is scratched or no longer nonstick, or if you
didn’t grease the wells well enough. Greaseproof paper liners help prevent
sticking—just let the muffins cool before peeling.
Why did my muffins sink as they cooled?
This usually means they were underbaked. The muffins may have looked done
outside while still raw in the center—often caused Use an oven thermometer and bake until the centers spring back.
Can I use this recipe to make mini muffins?
Yes! Use a 24-cup mini muffin tin and fill each well to the top. Start checking
for doneness at 14 minutes. They’re ready when the tops spring back when gently
Can I add chocolate chips or nuts?
Definitely. Add up to 1/2 cup chocolate chips, or 2 to 3 ounces of chopped nuts
like walnuts or pecans. You can also stir in 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon with
the dry ingredients for a warm, spiced variation.
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GLUTEN FREE BANANA MUFFINS RECIPE
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
gluten free banana muffins single muffin on small gray plate
free banana muffins single muffin on small gray plate
This gluten free banana muffin recipe is soft, fluffy, and full of sweet banana
flavor. Just one bowl and 30 minutes to tender, bakery-style results.
* 2 ⅓ cups (327 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend
* 1 teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your blend already contains it
* ⅓ cup (48 g) cornstarch
* 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
* ½ teaspoon baking soda
* ½ teaspoon kosher salt
* ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
* 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature
* 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) buttermilk, at room temperature
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 2 cups (400 g) mashed ripe bananas, (from about 4 medium to large bananas)
* Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin and
* In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking powder,
baking soda, salt and sugar, and whisk to combine well.
* Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the butter, eggs,
buttermilk, and vanilla, and mix until just combined.
* Add the mashed bananas, and mix gently to combine.
* The mixture be lumpy because of the bananas, and thick but soft.
* Fill each of the wells of the muffin tin, and shake back and forth to evenly
distribute the batter in each well.
* Place the muffin tin in the center of the preheated oven. Bake until the
muffins spring back when pressed gently in the center, 20 to 22 minutes.
* They’ll brown nicely around the edges, but not much on top. Remove the
muffins from the oven.
* Allow them to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire
rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining muffin batter.
My favorite gluten free flour blends are Better Batter’s original blend gluten
free flour and Nicole’s Best multipurpose blend with 1 teaspoon added xanthan
gum. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour also works if you add 1/2
teaspoon more xanthan gum to your dry ingredients to prevent overly crumbly
Cup4Cup changed its formula and doesn’t seem to work as well as it has in the
past, so I don’t recommend it. To make your own blend using one of my “mock”
recipes, please see the all purpose gluten free flour blends page.
Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber:
2g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 262IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an