These Banana Muffins with Almond Flour are the perfect afternoon snack. Moist, tender, and packed with banana flavor. Plus, they’re gluten-free!
Over the past few years, I’ve developed a number of baking recipes that feature almond flour. The inspiration for this recipe came from one of my favorite banana bread recipes—I decided to try it with almond flour in muffin form and loved the results. My kids have requested these almost daily since I started recipe testing!
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Why Make This Recipe
- Great Texture: No dry muffins here! These almond flour banana muffins have the perfect squidgy crumb.
- Easy to Make: This recipe does require a mixer, but the ingredients come together quickly. You can make these start to finish in less than 30 minutes!
- Healthier than Regular Muffins: Almond flour replaces all-purpose flour in this muffin recipe, giving the muffin protein and fiber. Bananas add fiber and nutrients too!
🥗 Ingredients
- Almond Flour: Let’s talk about almond meal vs. almond flour. Really, these are terms both used to mean finely ground almonds. The majority of almond flour products are made by finely grinding blanched almonds (skinless almonds). Almond meal can mean finely ground blanched or unblanched almonds, and almond meal may be a coarser grind than almond flour. For that reason, I generally prefer almond flour in baking.
- Yogurt: Any plain (not flavored) yogurt is fine in this recipe. I like the thickness in Greek yogurt, but any style should work. I tested this recipe with a nonfat plain version, but any fat content is ok.
- Bananas: Extra-ripe bananas are your friend! This is the perfect use for bananas that are too soft to eat. I often buy some extra just so I can let them brown and then make this recipe or this Banana Chocolate Chip Mug Cake!
- Orange Zest: Feel free to leave this out, or try a slightly different flavor by using lime zest.
- Chocolate Chips: These are optional, but I personally love the combination of bananas and chocolate chips! You could try chopped walnuts as an alternative.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with cupcake/muffin liners. Add 2 eggs and ⅔ cup brown sugar to a large mixing bowl, and use a mixer to blend for 2 minutes, until volume doubles in size and mixture lightens.
Add ¼ cup plain yogurt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and blend.
Now, using a wooden spoon, stir in ⅔ cup mashed bananas and 1 teaspoon orange zest.
Whisk together 3 ½ cups almond flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking power, and ½ teaspoon salt in a smaller bowl, then stir into large bowl with the liquid ingredients. Stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips (if desired).
Scoop into the lined muffin tin, filling each cupcake liner close to the top.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes up almost clean. Muffins will be lightly browned.
Let cool in muffin tin on rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and continue to cool on rack.
NOTE: If you have leftover muffins, leave them out without sealing in an airtight container. If you seal them up, the tops will be sticky the next day. But don't worry, they will easily last a day or two out on a plate, uncovered, as they are plenty moist. See below for freezing instructions.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Banana Muffins with Almond Flour
Yes, these banana almond muffins freeze well. Wait for them to cool completely before putting in a freezer-safe ziploc bag. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, just remove from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature.
To make these muffins vegan, you would have to replace both the eggs and the yogurt in this almond flour muffin recipe. You could try replacing the eggs with flax eggs, though I haven’t tested that myself. You could replace the yogurt with a non-dairy alternative, like coconut milk yogurt.
Almond flour, since it is made just from raw almonds, is quite healthy for you. Almonds are low in carbs and high in fiber, protein, manganese, magnesium, and Vitamin E. They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, though they are somewhat high in calories. Adding almond flour to a recipe also adds fat, which adds richness to a recipe and can extend the shelf life of your baked goods.
Unfortunately almond flour and coconut flour really behave differently in baking recipes. Coconut flour will absorb much more liquid than almond flour. In fact, some guides suggest that if you are substituting coconut flour for almond flour, you should use ¼ as much almond flour.
That said, these flours have a similar taste, and coconut flour is lower in calories and fat (though also lower in protein). I would try substituting some of the almond flour with coconut flour and reducing some of the remaining almond flour in the recipe. You could also add moisture by adding more yogurt or another egg if your mixture is too dry.
Yes! And since almond flour is expensive both to buy and to make, you should definitely freeze any leftovers for your next batch. According to Bob’s Red Mill, you can even freeze almond flour for 4-5 months after its sell by date, as long as you keep it in an airtight container.
You can also keep it in the fridge if you prefer, and in fact, if you are planning to store almond flour for over a few weeks, you should keep it in the refrigerator or freezer. Almond flour (and other nut flours) can turn rancid more quickly than traditional flour. That said, if you go through almond flour relatively quickly (within a month or so, and before the expiration date), you can keep almond flour in a cool, dry place.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Don’t be afraid to really fill the muffin tin cups. I know most cupcake and muffin recipes will tell you to fill just ⅔ of the way up, but almond flour muffins don’t rise very high so you can add more batter to each cup.
I love to use an ice cream scoop for filling muffin cups. Almost a full scoop is the perfect size to fill these cups!
Note that these almond flour banana chocolate chip muffins have both soft banana and melted chocolate in them. When you test them with a toothpick after baking, the toothpick may still have banana or melted chocolate on it even when the muffin is done. Test in a couple of spots if you are worried that they aren’t fully cooked.
These gluten-free banana muffins would be absolutely perfect as part of a breakfast or brunch spread, especially if some of your guests avoid gluten. Check out my Breakfast archive for ideas to pair with these muffins.
Perhaps my Spinach Frittata with Mushrooms and Feta or my Cheesy Crustless Quiche Lorraine? You might also want to try another version of my almond flour muffins, these Almond Flour Blackberry Muffins.
Curious about making your own almond flour? You can do that easily with the help of a food processor. Just take a quantity of blanched almonds (you can often find these as blanched, slivered almonds in the grocery store) and blitz in a food processor until they are finely ground.
Just make sure you stop as soon as you see the texture you want—if you grind for too long, your almond flour will turn into almond butter.
Other Almond Flour Baking Recipes
I love baking with almond flour, and have compiled a round-up of my favorite Almond Flour Dessert Recipes if you're interested in finding more. Here are a few more favorites:
I also love to combine almond flour and regular flour in my baked goods—regular flour adds structure, and almond flour adds nutrients and that fantastic texture. Here are a few recipes that combine the two:
And of course you can find a full assortment of baked goods in my Dessert archive.
If you try this almond flour banana muffin recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
Banana Muffins with Almond Flour
These Banana Muffins with Almond Flour are the perfect afternoon snack. Moist, tender, and packed with banana flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar (138 grams)
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (61 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup mashed bananas (about 2 large bananas) (166 grams)
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 ½ cups almond flour (294 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a muffin tin with cupcake/muffin liners.
- Add eggs and sugar to a large mixing bowl, and use a mixer to blend for 90 seconds, until volume doubles in size and mixture lightens.
- Add yogurt and vanilla extract, and blend.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in bananas and orange zest.
- Whisk together almond flour, baking soda, baking power, and salt in a smaller bowl, then stir into large bowl with the liquid ingredients.
- Stir in chocolate chips (if using).
- Scoop batter into the lined muffin tin, filling each cupcake liner close to the top.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin comes up almost clean. Muffins will be lightly browned.
- Let cool in muffin tin on rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and continue to cool on rack.
Notes
NOTE: If you have leftover muffins, leave them out on a plate at room temperature rather than sealing in an airtight container. If you seal them up, the tops will be sticky the next day. Don't worry, they are plenty moist so will not be stale the next day. If you want to keep them for longer, freeze them in a ziploc freezer bag, then defrost at room temperture when ready to eat.
Don’t be afraid to really fill the muffin tin cups. I know most cupcake and muffin recipes will tell you to fill just ⅔ of the way up, but almond flour muffins don’t rise very high so you can add more batter to each cup. I love to use an ice cream scoop for filling muffin cups. Almost a full scoop is the perfect size to fill these cups!
Almond Flour Tips: If you are planning to store almond flour for over a few weeks, you should keep it in the refrigerator or freezer. Almond flour (and other nut flours) can turn rancid more quickly than traditional flour. You can make your own almond flour with the help of a food processor. Just take a quantity of blanched almonds (you can often find these as blanched, slivered almonds in the grocery store) and blitz in a food processor until they are finely ground.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 290Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 231mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 5gSugar: 17gProtein: 9g
Nutrition information is provided as a general reference for users courtesy of the online nutrition calculator Nutritionix.
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Sara says
These look great! I have some frozen bananas that I’ve been saving for recipes. I think I’ve found my next breakfast recipe to try!
Chef Molly says
Yes! I love freezing bananas for uses like this. Enjoy!