Almond Flour Banana Muffins

Almond flour banana muffins are a delicious way to enjoy a banana breakfast treat, but without the gluten. These have all the flavors of traditional banana muffins, but made with almond flour, and sweetened mostly with super ripe bananas. The recipe makes 6 because it is a small batch of muffins, but it can easily be doubled to make 12.

Almond flour banana muffins

Almond flour banana muffins belong in your kitchen, even if you think you already have too many banana muffin or banana bread recipes, trust me! We always need more ways to use bananas. They're naturally sweet, full of nutrients, and kids love them. Plus, they're a great breakfast or snack. So what if we have chocolate chips for breakfast--it's our life we're living!

Almond flour banana muffins are the thing I make for a weekend treat. I love that almond flour has more protein than traditional flour, and I love switching it up when I serve my kids food. Yes, the kids gave a pause after taking one bite, because they did realize for a split second that these are not my standard chocolate chip banana muffins. The pause didn't last long, and I'm happy to report that they kept eating, with smiles on their faces!

When the plate of muffins was gone, which doesn't take long because the recipe only makes 6 muffins, they immediately asked if we could make my eggless banana bread during afternoon snack time. How can I say no to my banana loving little monkeys?

Almond flour banana muffin ingredients:

• one ripe brown spotted banana
• granulated sugar
• neutral oil: Neutral oil is any oil without flavor, like canola, vegetable, or grapeseed oil. The flavors of olive oil and coconut oil are too strong for these muffins.
• vanilla extract
• one whole egg
• almond flour: First, we have to discuss how almond flour is different than almond meal.  So, almond flour is made from blanched almonds (where the skin has been removed) and then ground to a fine powder. The meal is simply ground almonds, with skins; I recommend almond flour for the lightest, fluffiest muffins.
• baking soda
• baking powder
• salt
• ground cinnamon
• chocolate chips: Bittersweet chips are the best here, but you can use milk chocolate chips, if you prefer.

How to make almond flour banana muffins:

1. Preheat the oven to 350, and line 6 cups in a muffin pan with liners.
2. Mash: In a large bowl, mash the overripe banana with a fork. Mash very well until very few lumps remain.
   
3. Stir in all remaining ingredients, except for the chocolate chips: 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of oil, one whole egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup of almond flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon of salt and cinnamon. 
   
4. Note: This mixture can be stirred together very well, because almond flour does not contain gluten. There is no risk of over-stirring and causing tough muffins.
   
5. Stir in the ⅓ cup of chocolate chips, and divide this mixture into the 6 muffin cups.
6. Bake at 350 for 20-22 minutes.
   
7. Let cool: Remove the muffins from the oven, let them rest for 5 minutes in the pan. Then, use a spatula to move them to a wire rack to cool completely. When these almond flour banana muffins are hot from the oven, they can be a little overly tender and moist on the inside, so let the cool as long as you can before eating. I, too, can hardly resist a muffin hot from the oven, though!

To store these beautifully moist banana muffins, let them cool completely, and then place them in an airtight container on the counter. They keep for 2 days at room temperature. You may also wrap them in plastic and freeze them individually, so you can have fast, on-the-go breakfasts.

Can you make these almond flour banana muffins vegan? Or without eggs?

To make these almond flour banana muffins without eggs, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of applesauce. This makes the muffins vegan, but only as long as you use vegan chocolate chips. To find vegan chocolate chips, seek out dark chocolate chips and read the label to make sure they don't contain milk. We use the Trader Joe's semisweet chocolate chips all the time because they're vegan.

What if you have 2 bananas? Can you make these almond flour banana muffins with 2 bananas?

This recipe, as written, calls for one large banana. You can use two small bananas, OR you can double the recipe and use 2 bananas.

Where can I find almond flour?

Almond flour can be pricy, but I say it's worth it because of the nutritional benefits--so much vitamin E and protein! I buy it online or use the bulk bins at my local health food store to get the best price on it, usually less than $8/pound. You only need one cup for this recipe!

Is this recipe Whole30?

No. Nope, this recipe is not Whole30, because it contains granulated sugar and oil that isn't approved by the diet. I have Whole30 pumpkin muffins--you might like those.

Looking for more almond recipes?

• Almond Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Almond Bars 
• Gluten Free Almond Horns
• Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies