My very favorite kind of muffin on the planet is banana walnut. Always has been, (likely) always will be. The only flavor that comes close is Double Chocolate Chip (which I’m officially adding to my gluten-free experimentation list!).
I’ve made Gluten-Free Banana Bread for the blog but have yet to deliver on a solid muffin recipe. That had to change.
This recipe is simple, requiring basic ingredients and just 1 bowl to prepare!
It’s adapted from my 1-Bowl Vegan GF Nutella Banana Bread, which is a total winner if you haven’t tried it yet! Anything with (Vegan) Nutella in it has my heart.
I tested this recipe with aquafaba (chickpea brine), which yielded a super moist muffin. But it was almost too moist. So I went back to my old, trusty flax egg and had much better results.
I hope you all LOVE these muffins! They’re:
Tender
Crumbly
Flavorful
Banana-infused
Nutty
Perfectly sweet
Easy to make
& Kind of perfect
These are officially my favorite banana muffin! The inside is moist and tender while the outside is perfectly crumbly and studded with roasted walnuts. Swoon!
They’re delicious as is or slathered in vegan butter, but they would be even better served alongside a Ginger Latte, Hot Cocoa, or even a Green Smoothie Bowl for a hearty breakfast. If you are looking for a non gluten-free muffin, try my Vegan Banana Nut Muffins for 2 (!) or my Vegan Banana Crumb Muffins!
If you try this recipe, let us know! We love hearing your feedback. Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers!
1-Bowl Vegan Banana Nut Muffins (GF)
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make a flax egg)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make a flax egg)
- 3 medium ripe bananas (~1 1/2 cups as original recipe is written)
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tbsp grape seed or olive oil
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar or organic cane sugar
- 1/4 cup packed organic brown sugar
- 2 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
- 3/4 cup unsweetened plain almond milk (or other dairy-free milk)
- 1 1/4 cup almond meal (I used half almond flour for added fluffiness)
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free flour blend*
- 1 1/4 cup gluten-free oats
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a standard muffin tin with paper baking cups. (I find the unbleached, brown paper liners to work best – they don’t stick to the muffins when peeling.)
- In a large mixing bowl, prepare the flax egg by mixing flaxseed meal and water together. Wait 5 minutes. Then add banana, baking powder, and baking soda and mash until only small chunks remain.
- Add vanilla, oil, coconut sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup, sea salt, and cinnamon (optional) and whisk vigorously to combine. Add almond milk and whisk once more to combine.
- Add almond meal, gluten-free flour blend, and oats and stir until just combined. Then divide batter between muffin tins, filling all the way full – there should be 12 muffins (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
- Top with walnuts (optional). In place of walnuts, you can also substitute more rolled oats and/or a sprinkle of organic cane sugar.
- Bake for 28-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the edges are dark golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then remove from tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack. The wrappers peel away easier and the muffin texture is best when completely cooled.
- Serve with vegan butter, nut butter, or as is. Store leftovers in a covered container for up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with walnuts and without additional toppings (i.e. vegan butter).
*Recipe adapted from my 1-Bowl Vegan GF Nutella Banana Bread!
*For all substitution inquiries, please visit my Recipe FAQ page!
Erin says
These are so forgiving and have been on repeat for my family for a long time! I have tried with chia egg or egg replacer and they turn out great. I have used different milks and gluten free flours on hand and they turn out perfect every time. I tried adding blended spinach today and that was also delicious. I like that these stick together well are aren’t super messy when my kids eat them. We pack them on the go often too. Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Erin. Thanks so much for the support!
Karie says
Is the 1 tablespoon measurement for baking powder a mistype? It was overwhelming in the muffins, it left a tingling sensation in our mouths after eating them. Should it have been 1 tsp? They were good otherwise, just never used that much baking powder in a recipe before
Oh no! We’re sorry the taste wasn’t right, Karie. 1 tablespoon is correct. Confirming you were using baking powder, not baking soda?
M.B. Fan says
These were delicious! They were my breakfast for a whole week. Cold or warm they’re good especially with some almond butter.
Could I add in blueberries to the batter? I was wondering if I could and then add some lemon zest too.
Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins. Thank you for sharing! Blueberries + lemon zest sounds delicious. Blueberries will make them more moist, so the texture may change. We’d suggest using fresh vs. frozen and using a little less almond milk. Let us know how it goes!
M.B. Fan says
Made the adjustment with frozen blueberries and they were so moist and delicious! Thanks for your tip.
We’re so glad they turned out well! Thank you for sharing!
Douglas Biggers says
I double checked my use of the ingredients and I ended up with quite a bit of leftover batter. Wonder what I did wrong? And I only used two bananas instead of three because that’s all I had.
Hi Douglas, is it possible you were using a smaller muffin tin or didn’t fill the muffin tins all the way to the top?
Laura says
I used chia egg instead of flax and they came out perfectly. I also did 3 batches, strawberry, chocolate and walnut. The best gluten free vegan muffin recipe I have tried (and I do a lot of baking). Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Laura. Your variations sound delicious! Thank you for sharing! xo
Brittney says
So delicious! Added chocolate chunks instead of the walnuts and sprinkled oat crumble (from the strawberry bars!) on top and baked in a jumbo muffin pan for big bakery style muffins! They turned out huge and so good.
Ooo that sounds extra delicious! Thank you for sharing, Brittney! xo
Jacquelyn says
Good flavor, good texture! Very nice!
Thank you for sharing, Jacquelyn! xo
Audrey says
Do you think oat flour would work in place of the almond meal?
Thanks!
Hi Audrey, we think the muffins would be dense and sort of gummy, unfortunately! If you want to try it, we’d suggest using less oat flour because it is more absorbent than almond meal.
Liz says
This recipe was a home run! The flavor and texture were perfect! I substituted 3T of monk fruit for the brown sugar, but otherwise followed the recipe. This will definitely be on my go to list for muffins! Thanks again for consistently having the best recipes!
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Liz! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Mireille says
I made these this morning and they are amazing! I omitted the sugars and just used the specified maple syrup to keep the recipe less sweet and it was perfect. I didn’t have enough walnuts on hand so I used a mixture of sunflower, pepitas, and hemp seeds. Wonderful recipe!!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Mireille. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Anna says
This recipe is perfection, i have made it probly 10 times now gf and vegan, like it says, and they come out amazing every time, you dont need any other gf vegan banana muffin recipe this one is it! they also freeze very well, thanks a million!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Anna! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Nicole says
I have made these muffins many times and they never disappoint. I typically use almond flour instead of almond meal and whole wheat flour in place of gluten free flour. I skip the coconut sugar and sometimes the oil. I mix the walnuts into the batter as I find they tend to burn if I just put them on top. Finally, I find that they only need 25-28 minutes. Great way to use up my ripe bananas.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy the recipe, Nicole. Thank you for sharing! xo
Lavanya says
I didn’t see that you had other gluten free recipes as we are not gluten free, but these muffins turned out great! I just subbed the gluten free flour with whole wheat and they were enjoyed by all ❤️ thanks for your wonderful vegan recipes! They are always a hit!
We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Lavanya! Thank you for letting us know! xoxo
JR says
It’s a keeper! Loved that it’s not too sweet since they’re for my littles. I used almond flour instead of almond meal and oat milk instead of almond milk. Left in for 30 mins (tin muffin sheet). Crusted top, fluffy inside yumminess! 🤩
Amazing! We’re so glad they turned out well. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Barbara says
Yet another delicious recipe from you… loved by my family! Thank you, thank you.
Aw, yay! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review, Barbara! xo
Audrey Lacaille says
Wow!!! Those are so good! I always have trouble finding good vegan and gluten free muffin recipes, but I will defintely be making these again! I didn’t have nuts at home so I added some chocolate chips instead :)
I saved this page so I can easily find the recipe again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Audrey. Thank you for the lovely review! We have lots more vegan + GF muffins here if you’re interested :)
Audrey Lacaille says
Amazing!!! I think I’m going to have to buy bigger clothes after making all of your delicious recipes, haha!
Lili Toussaint says
Just made these and they are delicious!! Super simple recipe and everything in one bowl is a life saver!! I added some chocolate chunks to half for fun and those taste amazing as well!
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Lily! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Darlene Salvador says
I made these today and they are SO GOOD! I use almond flour instead of almond meal, and they turned out great.
Yay! Thanks so much for the great review, Darlene!
Susan says
Exceptional moist GF muffin –
Yay! Thanks so much, Susan!