Almond Flour Banana Muffins

These Almond Flour Banana Muffins are the healthy banana muffins of my dreams! They’re so soft and fluffy they melt in your mouth, are naturally vegan, gluten-free, and paleo, and are made with just a few simple ingredients!

Perfect for a quick breakfast, afternoon snack, or a healthy dessert!

The Health Benefits of Almond Flour Banana Muffins

Aside from these healthy muffins being vegan, gluten-free, paleo banana muffins, they’re also packed with many health benefits including, but not limited to:

• Rich in nutrients: Almond flour is a good source of essential nutrients, including healthy fats, dietary fiber, vitamin E, magnesium, and antioxidants. 
• Low in added sugar: ​These muffins are primarily sweetened with overripe bananas and contain a small amount of added coconut sugar. 
• Cholesterol free: Since these fluffy muffins are made with soy milk and flax eggs instead of regular eggs and dairy, they’re naturally free of cholesterol. 
• Good source of protein: Each muffin contains 5 grams of protein and if you eat 3 at a time like I do, you’ll get 15 grams of protein with ease!

For more muffins using almond flour, check out these Healthy Vegan Blackberry Muffins!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Banana – The riper the bananas, the better. As bananas ripen, they become sweeter, softer, and easier to mash. If you happen to have frozen mashed bananas on hand, those will work, too – just allow them to thaw either overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature until soft and gooey. 
• Coconut sugar – I prefer to use coconut sugar in these muffins because it is slightly more nutritious than cane sugar and refined sugar free. However, light brown sugar or dark brown sugar are great options.
• Soy milk – Since these muffins are made without gluten, they are lacking the structure and elasticity baked goods made with wheat have. In gluten-free baking, alternative binding agents are needed to create a similar structure. Soy milk contains proteins that can help improve the overall texture and binding properties of gluten-free batters and doughs. If you are paleo, replace the soy milk with almond milk.
• Oil – ​I always make these muffins using avocado oil, but any cooking oil of choice will do. If you’d like to use melted coconut oil, make sure the remaining ingredients in the muffin batter are at ROOM TEMPERATURE. If they are cold, the coconut oil will harden in the batter and the baked muffins will be oily. 
• Flour – You’ll need a combination of almond flour and coconut flour. I’ve made these muffins using blanched, super fine almond flour and almond flour made from whole, unpeeled, ground almonds. Both will work, but the lighter, finer flours made from blanched, peeled almonds are best. 
• Ground flaxseed – Acts as the egg replacer in this vegan muffin recipe. If you purchased whole flaxseeds, grind them yourself before adding them to the muffin batter using a food processor, coffee bean or spice grinder, or small, single serve blender cup. 
• Chocolate chips – Optional, but I love adding mini dark chocolate chips to these muffins to make them sweet and dessert-like! If you aren’t a chocolate lover or follow a paleo diet, swap in chopped walnuts or pecans. 

How to Make Almond Flour Banana Muffins

1. Combine the wet ingredients. ​Into a large mixing bowl, add the mashed banana, coconut sugar, soy milk, oil and vanilla extract. Mix well until incorporated. 
2. Add the dry ingredients. Once combined, add in the almond flour, coconut flour, ground flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon. Whisk the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together until a semi-smooth batter forms. 
3. Fold in the chocolate chips. ​If using, add the chocolate chips and fold them gently into the batter using a rubber spatula. 
4. Fill the muffin tin cups. Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling each paper liner about 3/4 of the way up. 

5. Bake. ​Bake the muffins for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 
6. Cool, then enjoy. Allow the almond flour banana muffins to cool completely to room temperature, then enjoy! 

Baking Tips 

Use almond flour, not almond meal

If you’re new to gluten-free baking or using almond flour in general, you may come across several types on the grocery store shelves. For the best light, fluffy banana muffins, it is essential that you use a finely ground almond flour (I highly recommend Costco’s Kirkland Almond Flour! It’s by far the cheapest and the one I use in all of my recipes).

Almond meal is coarser and is better reserved for breading savory proteins or using in more textured baked goods such as cookies or pancakes.

Lighter colored muffin tins are best

You may not think that the color of your muffin pan matters, but it actually does affect the end bake! I tested these muffins using both a light muffin tray and dark muffin tray and the dark muffin tray (as pictured) doesn’t give these muffins as good of a rise as a light colored muffin tray. 

The reason being lighter metals have a better heat conductivity and allow for a better heat distribution, faster reaction of leavening agents, and thinner walls and bottoms. I didn’t capture a photo of it, but I prefer baking these muffins using my Caraway Muffin Tray!

Use the weighted flour measurements

Using the correct dry to liquid ratio in baking is incredibly important! Depending on how you spoon the flour into the measuring cup or your kitchen tools, brand of flour, etc, it can all vary the results.

To prevent this, I provided weighted measurements for both the almond flour and coconut flour. If you own a kitchen baking scale, I highly recommend using those measurements over using a measuring cup.

Recipe FAQs

Can I substitute almond flour for regular flour in banana muffins?

NO. Please never substitute almond flour for regular, all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour in a traditional muffins recipe. This is a “recipe” for disaster.

Aside from the fact that almond flour contains zero gluten and therefore has a completely different affect on structure and elasticity, almond flour is also significantly higher in fat and absorbs liquid very differently.

These two ingredients cannot be substituted for one another without significant testing and alterations.

Do almond flour muffins taste like almonds?

These muffins do have a slightly nutty flavor, but it’s mild! To me, they taste more like moist banana muffins than almonds. If you prefer to increase the flavor of almonds, slather them with your favorite almond butter before eating!

How do I make almond flour muffins moist?

As is, these muffins are very, very moist and tender! They seriously melt in your mouth. If your muffins are dry, they likely were over baked or the measurements were off. 

Do almond flour banana muffins brown quickly?

Yes, almond flour baked goods brown more quickly than muffins made with regular flour because of the higher fat content. If you find that your muffins are becoming TOO dark, you can lightly tent them with aluminum foil 2/3 of the way through the bake. 

Storage and Freezing Instructions

These muffins will keep best in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you live in a hot climate, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Refrigeration does make them slightly more dense, but they’re still delicious! 

To freeze, allow the muffins to cool completely to room temperature, then wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap before transferring them to a large, freezer safe bag such as a Ziplock or Stasher bag. Squeeze out as much excess air as possible and freeze for up to 3 months. 

Thaw frozen muffins at room temperature, then enjoy as usual! 

More Recipes Using Mashed Bananas