These easy Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins are filled with banana flavor and finished with a crunchy nut topping. They’re simple to make and are great for breakfast, snacks, and dessert.
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Looking around my kitchen I noticed I had overripe bananas that wouldn’t last much longer. I enjoy the ease of making muffins, so I pulled out my mixing bowls and muffin pan and got to work.
Simple gluten free banana muffins are always a treat in my house, but this time I wanted to add some extra texture to the muffins. I usually have nuts in the freezer, so I chopped up some walnuts to add to the batter.
This easy recipe makes tender gluten free banana walnut muffins that are great any time of day. If you have overripe bananas waiting to be used, you’ll want to bake these muffins.
Why this Recipe Works
- Cinnamon adds a touch of spice without overpowering the banana flavor.
- The combination of white and brown sugar adds sweetness without being overly sweet.
- Using nuts in the batter and on top of the muffins adds texture to the muffins.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Gluten free flour blend - I use a 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour in my baking. If you don’t have a problem with gluten, you can use all-purpose flour.
- Baking soda - The baking soda gives lift to the muffins. Be sure to check the expiration date on the package.
- Salt - Table salt.
- Cinnamon - Ground cinnamon.
- Bananas - Mashed ripe bananas. Use very ripe bananas to give sweetness and moisture to the muffins.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar - I use golden brown sugar, but light or dark brown sugar will work.
- Butter - Unsalted butter - melted and cooled slightly. I use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt in the recipe. For dairy free, use a non-dairy alternative like Earth Balance buttery sticks.
- Milk - Almond milk is my choice for this recipe. If you can tolerate dairy, feel free to substitute 2% or whole milk.
- Egg - One large egg at room temperature.
- Walnuts - Chopped walnuts. You can substitute almonds or pecans if you prefer.
How to Make Gluten Free Banana Walnut Muffins
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients except the nuts.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the wet ingredients including the bananas.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Fold half the nuts into the batter until combined.
- Add the batter to a lined muffin tin, sprinkle the remaining nuts over the batter, and bake.
Step by Step Instructions
(For ingredient amounts see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Grease a standard muffin pan or line with baking cups.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
Fold half the chopped walnuts into the muffin batter until combined.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the tops of the muffins.
Bake for 22-24 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
More Gluten Free Banana Recipes
- Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Banana Bread
- Banana Chocolate Chip Snack Cake
- Peanut Butter Banana Bread
Gluten Free Flour Blend
To get the best results, use a good quality all-purpose gluten free flour when making these banana walnut muffins. I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour which contains xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum works to hold the baked goods together. The gluten in all-purpose flour acts as the binding agent in traditional baking. Gluten free baking requires a substitute for the binding agent and that’s the role of xanthan gum.
Your results may be different depending on the type of gluten free flour you use. I haven’t tried using coconut flour or almond flour in this recipe.
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Use overripe bananas, with brown spots on the peels, for these muffins. Bananas that are under ripe won’t add enough moisture to the muffins.
- Remember to use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level off the top with the back of a table knife. Scooping the flour with the measuring cup can give you more flour than needed.
- Use a large scoop to fill the muffin cups with batter. This will keep the muffins similar in size and ensure even baking time.
- After cooling the muffins for 10 minutes, remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leaving the muffins in the pan to finish cooling will make the bottoms of the muffins soggy.
Cool the muffins completely, then store them in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.
The muffins can be stored in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. I store the muffins in packs of two so I can defrost a couple muffins at a time.
Thaw the muffins overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for a few seconds.
These banana nut muffins are one of my family’s favorites. Filled with banana flavor and crunchy nuts, they’re great for breakfast or afternoon snack.
If you give these gluten free muffins a try, I know you’ll be baking them again and again. Enjoy!
More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes You'll Love
- Banana Blueberry Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Strawberry Muffins
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
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Recipe
Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ cups mashed ripe bananas
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- ¼ cup almond milk, room temperature
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a standard muffin pan or line with baking cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, sugars, butter, milk and egg.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- Fold in half the chopped walnuts until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the tops of the muffins.
- Bake 22-24 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are brown and a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Use overripe bananas, with brown spots on the peels, for these muffins. Bananas that are under ripe won’t add enough moisture to the muffins.
- Remember to use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your flour. Use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and level off the top with the back of a table knife. Scooping the flour with the measuring cup can give you more flour than needed.
- Use a large scoop to fill the muffin cups with batter. This will keep the muffins similar in size and ensure even baking time.
- After cooling the muffins for 10 minutes, remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leaving the muffins in the pan to finish cooling will make the bottoms of the muffins soggy.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
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