When life blesses me with overripe bananas, this first thing I make is these gluten-free banana muffins with chocolate chips. I like adding them to my weekly meal prep since they make an easy addition to lunchboxes for both my kids and my husband. I also serve them as after-school snacks that I know my kids will enjoy.
Sweet and fluffy, they’re picky-eater-approved in my household. They’re dietitian-approved, too, since they have a lot less sugar than other banana bread muffins and similar store-bought options. If you need gluten-free muffins for someone who has celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, you’ll be so pleased with the tender crumb and delicious flavor in these.
Recipe Highlights
- Lower in sugar: I only call for ¼ cup of brown sugar and let the natural sweetness of the bananas shine through. You can also use coconut sugar or maple syrup.
- Versatile: I love the addition of chocolate chips, but you can leave them out, too. Or, substitute add-ins like fresh or dried blueberries, raspberries, chopped walnuts, pecans, or ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon for a different taste. Naturally gluten-free, these muffins can be made dairy-free, egg-free, and therefore 100% vegan, too, if you need or want that.
- Fail-proof gluten-free baking: These muffins were one of the first gluten-free recipes I ever made when I first started exploring gluten free baking. I find that even people who have never baked gluten free baked goods before have great success with this easy recipe.
- Use up old bananas: I always have bananas in my pantry as an easy hand-held fruit that all my kids enjoy. So it never fails that I get a few overripe bananas, and this muffin recipe is one of my favorite ways to use overripe bananas.
- Kid-friendly: My boys, who are 13 months and 3 1/2 years old, both love these muffins. My husband and I gobble them up, too.
Ingredients Notes
After years of making this gluten free banana muffins recipe, I’ve perfected the ingredients and techniques. Here are my notes about a few of the key ingredients:
- Gluten-Free Flour – my favorite gluten-free flour blends for baking are Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 baking flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour. If you don’t need these muffins to be gluten free, you can bake them with regular all-purpose flour
- Brown Sugar – or use coconut sugar
- Bananas – the riper, the sweeter they will be. The bananas act as a natural sweetener, and are also a good source of potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C
- Eggs – see my notes for making egg-free muffins below
- Oil – I use avocado or olive oil, but any neutral-tasting oil will work in this recipe
- Chocolate Chips – optional, but a delicious mix-in. I like Enjoy Life chocolate chips for a dairy-free option. I’ve also made these with fresh berries and chopped nuts for add-ins
Find the full ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
How I Make Gluten-Free Banana Bread Muffins
This recipe comes together very similarly to my gluten-free banana bread but uses a muffin tin in place of a loaf pan. I always use this silicone muffin pan so the baked muffins pop out easily. With minimal prep time and a total time of just 30 minutes, the recipe is simple and a fun way to get my kids involved in the kitchen.
- Combine. Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then, add the mashed bananas to a separate mixing bowl, and whisk in the remaining wet ingredients. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients, and gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Portion. Fill the greased muffin cups 1/2 way full with batter. Top the muffins with chocolate chips, if using. I like to scoop half of the batter into the muffin pan without chocolate chips and then add ¼ cup chocolate chips to the remaining batter.
- Bake. Transfer the muffins to a preheated oven, and bake until they puff up and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Make Banana Bread Instead
If you’d rather have gluten-free banana bread instead of muffins, that’s easy to do with this batter. Just put the batter in a greased loaf pan, then bake at 375°F for 45-55 minutes. Start checking for doneness around 35 minutes or so and keep checking every 5 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Make Them Egg-Free
I don’t have an egg intolerance or allergy but my dietitian teammate Jessica does. So whenever an egg substitute works well, I like to share it.
For egg-free banana muffins, substitute “flax eggs” for the eggs in the recipe. To make a flax egg for this muffin recipe with 2 eggs, mix together:
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (flaxmeal)
- 6 tablespoons of water
Set aside this mixture until it resembles the consistency of egg whites, about 5 minutes. Add the flax eggs to the batter along with ¼ cup of unsweetened non-dairy milk, such as almond milk.
How to Store and Freeze
These best gluten free muffins are a frequent addition in my weekend meal prep sessions.
- To store: Let the baked muffins cool completely. Then, transfer them to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days, or store them in the fridge for up to 10 days.
- To freeze: Arrange the cooled muffins in a single layer on a baking sheet or dish. Place the sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes until the muffins are solid (this prevents them from getting squished in the freezer). Then, place frozen muffins in airtight freezer bags (I like these reusable zip-top bags) and freeze them for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let the frozen muffins thaw overnight on the counter or pop one in the microwave for a minute until warmed through.
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Gluten-Free Banana Muffins Recipe
When life blesses you with overripe bananas, make these simple and scrumptious banana muffins. They’re freezer-friendly, great for meal prep, and make an easy addition to lunchboxes. Can be made dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan with a simple swap, if needed.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups gluten-free flour* (or use all-purpose flour if gluten-free is not needed)
- ¼ cup organic brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (1 heaping cup)
- 2 large eggs (see egg-free sub below)
- ¼ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips, plus extra for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and spray each liner with cooking spray to prevent sticking, or use a silicone muffin pan.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- In a second bowl, mash the bananas. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla to the banana mixture; stir well.
- Stir the banana-egg mixture into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill each muffin well half to ¾ full with batter. Top each muffin with a few extra chocolate chips.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15-20 minutes. Time will vary depending on the kind of pan used.
- Remove from oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Notes
*My favorite gluten-free flours for baking are Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 baking flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour
For vegan and/or egg-free: Substitute flax eggs for the 2 eggs. Mix together 2 tablespoons flaxmeal + 6 tablespoons water; set aside to thicken for 5 minutes before adding to the batter. Also, add 1/4 cup almond milk to the batter and use dairy-free chocolate chips.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 185
- Fat: 8 g
- (Sat Fat: 2 g)
- Sodium: 213 mg
- Carbohydrate: 28 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 9 g)
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 24 mg
Dietary
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common reasons for muffins to turn out flat or dense are overmixing the batter and not measuring correctly. Use fresh baking soda and measure the ingredients as accurately as possible. Then, mix just until the batter is smooth.
I haven’t tested this particular recipe with alternative flours, but I recommend trying our grain-free banana chocolate chip muffins which calls for almond flour and coconut flour.
The photos in this post were taken by Megan McKeehan.
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YUM!! These were the best!!
This recipe comes together easily and quickly. I also love how options are always given to make the recipe work with what we have on hand. I have been watching my sugar intake. 1/2 c of brown sugar with very ripe bananas was a bit to sweet for me, but the first time I make anything I like to stay true to the recipe. My family are enjoying them and so am I. I have popped a few in the freezer for next week.
Hi Angelica, thank you for leaving a rating and review and glad to hear your family enjoyed these 🙂
I made these last night and oh my God, not to be too dramatic but these were…the best banana chocolate chip muffins I’ve ever made? I’m new to the gluten-free lifestyle so I was pretty terrified of how these would turn out and thank God I baked them anyways. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out PERFECT.
This is so great! Thanks for taking a chance on these life-changing muffins!
These are so delicious and so easy to make – and I don’t bake very much. I throw in a tsp of cinnamon and 1/2 tsp of nutmeg which I feel like takes them to the next level. My family is completely obsessed.
I love these muffins and make them pretty regularly – so much so, that I often make a double batch so I can freeze half and have them whenever I want. I also, like some others commented, have been able to reduce the sugar by half and they still come out pretty sweet.
Weirdly, my husband and I also like them even BETTER with blueberries, instead of chocolate chips. It feels a little more breakfast-y for us that way, and we get a little more fruit in.
Thanks for letting us know you had good results reducing the sugar. We’ll add these to the list to retest and update. Like you, my husband and kids prefer these muffins with blueberries when eaten for breakfast.