Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are tender, moist and taste just like banana bread! There’s nothing dry or crumbly about these gluten free muffins and you’ll love the addition of the mini chocolate chips!
Earlier this month I went down to Arizona to visit with my parents and sister. It was so fun to visit with everyone and enjoy 70 degree temperatures in January. While I was there I fell in love with enjoying one of these Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins every morning. They’re tender, full of banana flavor and have plenty of mini chocolate chips for the chocolate lovers.
I’ve started dabbling in a little gluten free baking recently because of numerous issues I’ve had with gluten over the last few years. The decision to try and eliminate gluten from my diet isn’t to be trendy of follow a certain diet, but for specific health reasons. I have tons of naturally gluten free main dishes, salads, soups and desserts on the blog, but baking is where I have fallen short.
Muffins seemed like a safe place to start with gluten free baking and I’m so pleased with how these Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins turned out!
What Do I Need to Make the Gluten Free Muffins?
- 1:1 gluten free flour blend (see my notes below on brands)
- Almond flour
- Xanthan gum if your flour blend doesn’t already have it added in
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Very ripe bananas, lots of speckles and brown spots
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil, melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Mini chocolate chips
What Brand of Gluten Free Flour Should I Use?
There are a lot of options when it comes to what brand of gluten free flour to buy. For this muffin recipe I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, no they are not sponsoring this or paying me to use their product. I’ve read that results can vary with a recipe depending on the brand of flour that’s used. I can only guarantee good results if you use this brand as I haven’t tested it with others.
There’s always the option of making your own gluten free flour blend, but that can take some experimentation and means you’ll need to buy multiple flours and starches. Using a 1-to-1 blend takes the guess work out and makes baking easy.
Making these banana muffins is simple and you can do it all in one bowl. Start by mashing the bananas in a large bowl. I like mine well mashed without any big banana chunks. Next, whisk in the baking soda and cinnamon. I like to do it in this order so that they get distributed evenly into the batter. Whisk in the eggs, maple syrup, oil and vanilla. Sprinkle the flours over the top and stir together with a rubber spatula until the batter is combined. Then of course, stir in those chocolate chips!
This recipe makes 12 standard size muffins. You can use paper liners in your muffin pan or spray each cup with cooking spray. The muffins will make your whole house smell like banana bread and that’s exactly what these muffins taste like too. When the muffins come out of the oven I like to let them rest in the muffin pan for several minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool.
Can I Freeze the Muffins?
Yes. The best method for freezing these muffins is to let them cool completely. You don’t want them to be the slightest bit warm or frost will form on them in the freezer. Once cooled put them in a single layer in an airtight container or freezer bag. The muffins can be store in the freezer for up to 3 months, but I highly doubt they’ll last that long.
How to Thaw the Muffins
If you aren’t in a hurry, remove the muffins you plan to eat from the freezer and let them sit on the counter for 30 minutes. If you can’t wait that long wrap one in a damp paper towel and put it in the microwave for 30 second increments until it’s warmed through. The damp paper towel will help to keep them moist during the microwaving.
These banana chocolate chip muffins are perfect for breakfast, a special weekend brunch, an afternoon snack or even dessert. They’re perfectly moist and rival any non-gluten free banana muffins!
More Gluten Free Muffins
Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Almond Butter, Banana, Oatmeal Muffins
Cheesy Zucchini Quinoa Egg Muffins
Gluten Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 bananas
- 1/4 cup olive oil, melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cups gluten free 1-to-1 flour, I used Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (only use if your flour blend doesn't have it included)
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. and spray a standard muffin pan with cooking spray or insert paper liners.
- In a large bowl mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Add in the maple syrup, oil, eggs and vanilla and whisk together. Sprinkle in the baking soda and whisk it in.
- Add in the flour, almond flour, salt and cinnamon. Stir everything together with a rubber spatula until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips then evenly distribute the muffin batter into the muffin pan.
- Baked for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for several minutes in the pan before removing them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- I have only tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour and can't guarantee results using other gluten free flours.
- These muffins can be stored in an airtight container for several days on the counter or refrigerator or frozen for several months. (See freezing tips in the blog post above)
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 207mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 2gSugar: 11gProtein: 3g
Super Good!! Tried these with my own flour blend (brown rice flour, potato starch and tapioca with added physllium husk), since I can’t do xanthan gum. Only modification I did was add 1/2 tsp baking powder – as I’ve had bad baking luck with GF baking not rising through the years and that seams to do the trick; and I added pecans for a crunch as well. Cant even taste the almond flour. This ones a keeper!