These almond flour banana muffins are so soft and moist, they melt in your mouth! The flavor of the banana combined with the almond flour is something you have got to try.
We always have bananas in the house, which is not surprising with a 2 and 4 y/o in the house. Our kids will either do a banana extermination and eat 10 each in a row or refuse to have them for days. You never know with these two.
So, we sometimes end up with bananas slowly aging in our fruit bowl. Which is not that bad once you know about the secret of freezing old bananas to later make ice cream. But, since we are in the dead of the winter, I thought I could find a different way to use these old and sad na-nas, as our daughter Lili would say.
These almond flavored muffins are currently my favorite way to save blackened bananas. It's an easy & healthy recipe that gives you cake-like sweet muffins with a perfect soft and light texture. The banana flavor is also not overpowering, thanks to the almond extract that helps balance the natural sweetness from the fruit. And when I have the extra time, I'll top them with a vegan dark chocolate frosting, so good!
Are these almond flour banana muffins healthy?
You will only need wholesome ingredients to prepare these yummy banana muffins. They are even healthy enough to enjoy for breakfast!
- Low in sugar: The natural sugar from the bananas is plenty enough to make these muffins taste so delicious (well, with a little hint of maple syrup too)
- High in fiber: Thanks to the combination of almond flour, whole wheat flour and ground flax seeds.
- Low in fat: There is no added oil in this recipe! The mashed banana helps bring extra moisture necessary to make them moist and fluffy.
If you are looking for more healthy breakfast muffin ideas, then be sure to check out these beet & chocolate muffins and these whole wheat strawberry muffins!
What you will need to make this recipe
- Almond flour (not almond meal!): I recommend using the store-bought type that uses blanched almonds when making this muffin recipe. I like the almond flour from Bob's Red Mill. I tried making this recipe using almond meal (grinding your own raw almonds at home to a flour texture), but the result wasn't as good.
- Whole wheat flour: Almond flour can be heavier and carries more moisture than regular flour, so using a half-half ratio of almond flour and whole wheat flour helps get a lighter in texture muffin. I use the white whole wheat flour from King Arthur Flour.
- Ground flax seeds: This helps bind the ingredients together in this egg-free muffin recipe. I grind my own flax seeds using a high speed blender, but you can also buy already ground flaxseeds. Once ground, keep in the fridge.
- Baking soda + Baking Powder
- Bananas: Overripe bananas (sweeter with more moisture) are best for this recipe.
- Vegan milk: Any kind is good, but choose plain and unsweetened, if possible.
- Maple syrup: The bananas do most of the job at making these muffins sweet, but a little splash of maple syrup makes them even more perfect. You can substitute with other liquid sweeteners, like agave nectar.
- Almond extract: It is worth going out of your way to get this ingredient. I mean, not that out of your way since you can find it in any grocery stores (in the spices section). But, if you don't have it already, add it to your grocery list. You will thank me later.
How to make these almond flour banana muffins
- Combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking soda, baking powder, ground flax seeds and salt).
- Combine the wet ingredients (mashed bananas, vegan milk, maple syrup and almond extract).
- Then combine the wet and dry, stir and bake!
Watch how to make them
Tips when making these almond flour banana muffins
- When combining the wet and dry ingredients, be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can results in harder compact muffins. You do not want this!
To help prevent overmixing the batter, I like to stir using a large spoon until there are no dry lumps. You can use an electric mixer too, but only for a short time. - These muffins contains no added fat, which means that they can stick to the paper liners (depending on the type you use). If this happens, let them cool down first and they won't stick as much, or spray the paper liners with a little oil before filling the cup with the batter.
I have been using these muffin paper liners and have not had any trouble with sticky muffins, even with super low in fat recipes. The paper liner simply falls off the muffins!
Storing tips
After the muffins have cooled down, transfer them in an air-tight container and keep them at room temperature for up to 3 days, or up to a week in the fridge.
They also can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them in the fridge overnight (or use the microwave for a sudden muffin-craving emergency).
Other recipes to use your extra bananas
- Chocolate and banana milkshake
- Vanilla Chai latte smoothie
- Blackberry and zucchini smoothie
- Pear and cinnamon granola bars
- Frozen almond banana bites
- Vegan banana mug cake
- Spelt banana bread
- Almond flour banana cookies
*Thanks to my sister Sonia who helped develop and test this recipe.*
I hope you like these vegan banana muffins as much as we do! If you try them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how they were. Your feedback is so helpful!
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📖 Recipe
Almond Flour Banana Muffins (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour - not almond meal
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds (flax meal)
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 larges)
- 1 cup plain vegan milk - unsweetened
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp almond extract - see notes
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients (almond flour, whole wheat flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt)
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients (mashed bananas, vegan milk, maple syrup and almond extract).
- Transfer the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and combine using a spoon. Stir until there are no dry clumps anymore, but do not overmix the batter.
- Divide the batter in between the 12 muffin cups and cook in the oven for 18-20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean after poking through a muffin).
- Once cooked, let the muffins cool down in the muffin pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- If you don't have almond extract, then substitute for the same amount of vanilla extract or ground cinnamon.
- For storage: first cool down the muffins, then transfer in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or up to a week in the fridge. Can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
- These muffins contains no added fat, which means that they can stick to the paper liners (depending on the type of paper liners you use). If this happens, let them cool down first and they won't stick as much, or spray the paper liners with oil. I have been using these muffin paper liners and have not had any trouble with this, even with super low in fat recipes.
- Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.
Jaci says
I rarely write reviews but I had to for these. I just took these out of the oven and tried a little piece because my house smells like vanilla cupcakes…they are the most delicious vegan gf muffins I have made yet! I followed the recipe but did GF flour from Trader Joe’s (scooped from bag) instead of the whole wheat, added 1 serving size of vegan vanilla protein powder (NuZest brand), did 2 tsp of vanilla, and 3 bananas since I added extra dry ingredient. I made these for my 3 year old who is obsessed with muffins and I can’t wait for him to try them in the morning. Absolutely my go to for now on!
Jessica says
Hi Jaci! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊