Healthy Gluten Free Banana Muffins with Honey

Name: Healthy Gluten Free Banana Muffins with Honey
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 3 bananas (brown bananas work best) (95 grams); 3 tablespoons honey (raw, unfiltered, pure) (60 grams); 2 eggs (see vegan egg substitutions in notes) (95 grams); 2 tablespoons avocado oil (26 grams); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (3 grams); 2 cups almond flour (blanched super-fine almond flour works best) (210 grams); 1 teaspoon baking soda (6 grams); ¼ teaspoon salt (sea salt or Himalayan salt); ⅓ cup no sugar added chocolate chips (optional but delicious! I use Lily's brand) (55 grams)

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When life gives you brown bananas… make homemade banana bread muffins! These healthy gluten free banana muffins are naturally sweetened using honey and bananas.

Perfect for an on-the-go breakfast, snack, or sweet tooth craving.

They are SO moist, nutritious, quick and delicious. No one will miss the cane sugar or butter... trust me!

I make these so often we have a dedicated container on the counter for them...

three banana muffins with chocolate chips stacked on top of each other, the top one has a bite taken out of it to show the fluffy inside.

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Which kitchen tools are needed?
Can I make these muffins vegan?
How these muffins fit into your specialty diet
Key Ingredient Tips
Ingredient Substituions & Variations
Why these muffins are good for you
FAQs
Expert Tips
More healthy sweets you'll love!
Healthy Gluten Free Banana Muffins with Honey

Which kitchen tools are needed?

Muffin pan (12 cup)
Baking cup liners, disposable or reusable (optional)
Large mixing bowl
Fork (for mashing & mixing)
Spoon or ice cream scoop (to scoop batter into muffin cups)

Can I make these muffins vegan?

If you want to make these healthy gluten free banana muffins vegan, the 2 chicken eggs can be substituted for 2 flax eggs (just ground flax seeds + water!). 1 flax egg = 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 1 tablespoon water + 10 minutes to thicken the mixture. The muffins won't rise as much as they do with the chicken eggs but they taste just as delicious!

How these muffins fit into your specialty diet

This recipe is (or can be easily modified) to be:

Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Refined Sugar Free
Paleo
Vegetarian / Vegan (with flax egg substitution)
Egg Free (with flax egg substitution)

Banana muffin with chocolate chips on cooling rack with a few other muffins in the background.

Key Ingredient Tips

Bananas: the more brown, the sweeter the muffins will be and the more sugar they will contain. Just be sure that your bananas aren't too ripe - once you peel your banana if any of it is liquid, moldy or infested with fruit flies do not use it.
Almond flour: fine almond flour should be used for this recipe, instead of almond meal. Almond meal can be used as a substitute but the texture of the muffins will be a little different since almond meal has a coarser grains that can weigh the ingredients down.
No sugar added chocolate chips (optional): I love Lily's no sugar added chocolate chips - they are sweetened with stevia, contain no sugar and taste no different than your typical chocolate chips!
Eggs: Eggs add moisture, texture and rise to the muffins. If you can afford them, try and buy eggs that are pasture raised, non-GMO or organic, and certified humane. Pasture raised & certified humane eggs are from chickens who have lots of room inside and outside to be happy chickens and eat what chickens eat (bugs, grass, etc). These chickens may still need to be fed some feed which is why it's important to also look for a non-GMO or organic label. "Cage Free" and "Free Range" are marketing scams because the chickens are not free, they live indoors! Nutritionally it's also worth the extra cost and due diligence because pasture raised eggs have much more omega-3 fat, vitamin D, vitamin E and beta-carotene than conventional eggs.
Honey: I always buy "raw" or "unfiltered" honey because it's strained and bottled right from the hive. Conventional honey is typically pasteurized (by using high heat) and finely filtered to extend the shelf life and create a smoother aesthetic that appeals to consumers. However, these methods remove a lot of the beneficial nutrients of honey. Some manufacturers also add sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup to save money so be sure to read the label.
Avocado oil: Moist muffins need fat so instead of butter, I prefer to use avocado oil. It has a neutral flavor, is a monounsaturated fat (good fat) and I don't have to worry about burning the oil since it has a high smoke point of 400°F.

Labeled gluten free banana muffin ingredients laid on table. — Buy the ingredients in bulk and freeze your frozen brown bananas so you can make these whenever you crave them!

Ingredient Substituions & Variations

Avocado oil substitute: substitute with an oil with a neutral flavor, do NOT use olive oil the taste will not compliment the muffins. You can also use the same amount of melted butter, melted coconut oil or plant based butter.
Egg substitute: the 2 chicken eggs can be substituted for 2 flax eggs (just ground flax seeds + water!). 1 flax egg = 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed + 1 tablespoon water + 10 minutes to thicken the mixture. The muffins won't rise as much as they do with the chicken eggs but they taste just as delicious!
Salt: not using sea salt? you can use this salt conversion chart to decide how much salt to add.
Less sugar: to reduce the natural sugar in this recipe omit or reduce the honey or use less brown bananas (the more brown, the more sugar). I make this recipe sometimes without honey and with ripe bananas and they aren't as sweet but still delicious.
Add ins: instead of chocolate chips you could add blueberries, raspberries, walnuts, pecans, walnuts, a dash of cinnamon... this recipe is super versatile so you can make it your own by mixing in your favorite toppings.
Serving suggestions: cut the muffin in half and brown the inside with a dash of avocado oil on a hot pan. add some peanut butter or jam. nom nom nom.

Why these muffins are good for you

Traditional banana muffins have minimal beneficial nutrients - they are loaded with processed cane sugar, unhealthy saturated fats and processed wheat flour that is stripped of most nutrients. These gluten free banana muffins are naturally sweetened with honey instead of sugar and each ingredient provides beneficial nutrients.

Raw Honey - natural sweetener, contains antioxidants (protecting cells from free radicals), enzymes (helps break apart things in the body so they can be used) and several amino acids including tryptophan which can help promote rest and relaxation.
Bananas - natural sweetener, great source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C.
Almond flour - good source of vitamin E, magnesium, protein and fiber. It also has a lower glycemic index than refined wheat flour which releases sugar more slowly into blood providing you with more sustained energy.
Avocado oil - butter and coconut oil are saturated fat (bad fat) which raise bad cholesterol levels and make us age. Avocado oil is a monounsaturated fat (good fat) which lowers the bad cholesterol levels and provides vitamin E.
Gluten free - not everyone is sensitive to gluten like I am but if you are it's a good idea to try and avoid it when possible. You may be sensitive to gluten if you notice symptoms like bloating, IBS, brain fog, upset stomach after eating gluten and if that's the case you may want to avoid gluten when possible because the gluten can't be metabolized properly.

overhead shot of a few of the cooked banana muffins still in baking tray.

FAQs

How to make muffins without muffin liners?

To make muffins without muffin liners coat the muffin pan with whatever oil or butter you are using in your muffin batter. The muffins may need to cool completely before you can remove the muffins from the pan without the sides sticking.

Can bananas be too ripe to make banana bread?

Yes, bananas can be too ripe to make banana bread. Once you peel your banana if any of it is liquid, moldy or infested with fruit flies do not use it.

How to store banana muffins so they stay fresh?

You can store banana muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

What is the best way to freeze banana muffins?

Once the muffins come to room temperature, freeze them in a single layer without any muffins touching each other. This will ensure they don't get squished in the freezer and keep their shape once you thaw them. Once they are frozen, place them in an air-tight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, at room temperature or heat up in microwave slowly at 30 second intervals.

Expert Tips

Styling tip: After pouring the batter into the muffin pan, place a few chocolate chips on each of the uncooked muffins before placing them in the oven.
Save your brown bananas: Whenever you have brown bananas, peel and freeze them so that you can thaw the frozen bananas next time you want to make these muffins.
Double the recipe and freeze half for later! See freezer tips above in the FAQs.

More healthy sweets you'll love!

I hope you love these healthy gluten free banana muffins with honey! If you make it I’d love if you could leave a rating & connect with me on Instagram @passthesprouts!