Simple almond flour banana muffins are a great snack, and good way to use up over-ripe bananas! Perfect for little hands and adults alike.
This post first appeared on May 24, 2018 and was last updated February 18, 2021.
These almond flour banana muffins have great texture! They also have buttery flavour despite being made with coconut oil. Sweetened with maple syrup, they’re a healthier snack for everyday.
Despite the lightly sweetened nature of these muffins, they’re surprisingly cake-like (probably from the generous amount of chocolate). Just about everyone likes them, even the pickiest eaters!
If you already have almond and oat flour on hand, they’re a breeze to whip up and might just become your new favourite muffin!
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Ingredients
- Over-ripe bananas
- Coconut oil
- Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Almond flour
- Oat flour
- Shredded coconut
- Ground flax
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Method
Preheat the oven and prep a muffin tin with paper liners.
Melt the coconut oil and toast the coconut (optional – see tips, below).
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla, and whisk until very well combined. The eggs must be beaten thoroughly!
In another bowl, whisk together the flours, coconut, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir the flour mixture into the banana mixture, then add the chocolate and stir it in. Don’t worry about over mixing – there’s no gluten to overwork here.
Add equal amounts of the batter to the prepared muffin tin, then top each one with shredded coconut, and bake. Cool the muffins for a few minutes in the tin before turning out and cooling fully on a rack.
Almond Flour vs. Almond Meal
Both are made from ground almonds, however, almond flour is typically made from blanched almonds and is ground more fine. Almond meal, on the other hand, typically still contains the skins and is coarser in texture.
Almond meal is usually cheaper as a result. They can’t always be used interchangeably, but in some cases a 1:1 swap is fine. Almond flour and almond meal can both be used in this recipe, though almond flour will offer a slightly lighter texture.
How To Make Almond Flour
Pulse blanched almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or in a high-speed blender in 1 second increments, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically. Stop when the almonds are finely ground, but before any oils release (you don’t want almond butter). Using blanched almonds makes the lightest possible almond flour.
To make your own oat flour, follow the same instructions – add rolled oats to a food processor or blender and mix until a fine flour forms. If you’re making your own flours for this recipe, we highly recommend using the weight measurements for accuracy.
Tips and Notes
Paper muffin liners are better than greasing the pan alone as the muffins can be a bit delicate when warm.
Want a stronger coconut flavour? Toast the coconut before adding it to the muffins! Add the coconut to a small dry skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown and fragrant, usually just a couple of minutes.
These almond flour banana muffins are gluten-free, so expect the texture to be different from muffins made with regular wheat flour. With almond, oats, and maple syrup, we think the flavour is much more interesting than white flour and sugar.
Having your ingredients are at room temperature before starting will yield better results here (cold ingredients will solidify the coconut oil).
Use very ripe, brown-speckled or fully-brown bananas! The ripeness of the bananas directly affects the sweetness of the muffins.
The muffins will keep for 2 to 3 days at room temperature, depending on how warm it is, however, they’re also very good straight out of the fridge.
Substitutions
Coconut oil solidifies when it cools, which helps these muffins hold together (along with the eggs, bananas, and ground flax). Oils that are liquid at room temperature might not work.
Hazelnut flour can be used in place of almond flour if you can get it – hazelnuts are fantastic with banana and chocolate! We haven’t tested this recipe with other alternative flours.
Runny honey can be substituted for maple syrup, however, the muffins will taste sweeter.
If you like a sweeter muffin, substitute sweetened shredded coconut.
Chocolate chips and chopped chocolate can be used interchangeably. Also, you can use any chocolate or chocolate chips you like.
More Gluten Free Snacks
Mixed Berry Muffins with Toasted Coconut
Gluten Free Pumpkin Biscuits
Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies
Super Seedy Cereal
If you make this recipe, let us know by tagging @baked_theblog + #bakedtheblog on Instagram! We love to feel like we’re in the kitchen with you.
Recipe
Almond Flour Banana Muffins
These simple gluten free almond flour banana muffins are a great snack and a good way to use up over-ripe bananas! Perfect for little hands and adults alike.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (300 g) ripe, mashed banana (~3 small-medium)
- ⅓ cup (80 g) coconut oil, melted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (125 g) oat flour
- ¾ cup 65 g) almond flour
- ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened shredded coconut, plus more for topping
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup (90 g) chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the mashed bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla until very well combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, almond flour, coconut, flax, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the large bowl with the banana mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the chocolate.
- Divide the batter into the muffin tin, filling each muffin cup no more than ¾ full. Sprinkle each with some more shredded coconut. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Cool for at least 10 minutes in the tin before removing and cooling fully on a rack. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for a couple of days, or refrigerate for 4-5 days.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 275Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 5g
This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator.
Megan Zuehl says
Absolutely delicious! And moist.
Anisa says
This is the muffin I make more often than any other. It’s very tasty and moist and not too sweet! I love how quickly this recipe comes together.
Stephanie says
If I do not have ground flaxseed, can this be replaced with something else? Or can this ingredient be left out?
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Stephanie, you can use chia or cornstarch, but if you have neither, you can try leaving it out. It works as a binding agent but the muffins will be fine without it – the texture just won’t be quite as good.
Stephanie says
I do have chia seeds at home. Can I use them as is, or do does it need to be a ground chia powder?
Alexandra Daum says
I think you’ll be fine just with the seeds and not grinding them.