These banana blueberry muffins are grain-free (almond flour), gluten-free, dairy-free and sweetened only with maple syrup or agave. They are moist, just sweet enough and a healthy muffin you can feel good about eating!
Be sure to check out more of my gluten-free muffin recipes, including my Gluten-Free Banana Muffins with Crumb Topping, Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Cinnamon Swirl Muffins, Gluten-Free Sweet-Potato Muffins, Zucchini, Carrot, Apple Muffins and my traditional Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins.
Ingredients
Almond flour – Yes, almond flour is gluten-free and comes in different forms. The best kind for baking is super-fine almond flour from blanched almonds. This means the thin, brown skin is removed from the almonds so that the flour is a pale creamy yellow.
Bananas – Just like with banana bread, your bananas should be brown and soft. This assures that the muffins will taste like banana. If your bananas are not ripened enough, here’s the hack. Cut a few slits in the skin and place the banana on a plate. Heat in the microwave for 30-90 seconds. The less ripe, the more time it will need. Peel and let it cool a little.
I prefer fresh blueberries for my muffins, but frozen berries can work too. Immediately before mixing into the batter, place the frozen berries in a colander or strainer and rinse under cold water until the water draining out runs almost clear. Place on an absorbent kitchen towel and gently dry them.
Use either agave or maple syrup as the sweetener. If you have another preference, be sure to use a liquid sweetener.
For a little extra moisture, in addition to the eggs, I add vegan yogurt. My favorite one is Kite Hill Almond Yogurt substitute (plain, unsweetened). It is creamy, dreamy and tastes the closest to dairy yogurt. If you eat dairy, feel free to use your favorite plain unsweetened yogurt (just NOT non-fat).
Three eggs assure that these muffins are fluffy, moist and rich. I was not satisfied with the results when using flax eggs or vegan egg substitutes.
Muffin Toppings
Banana and blueberries go well with so many flavors. Here are a few fun toppings that will make these gluten-free muffins beautiful and delicious.
Icing – You could go with the standard white icing. Mix 1/2 c powdered sugar with 1 Tbsp water, orange juice or lemon juice.
Icing Without powdered sugar is an awesome cane sugar-free option. It is made with coconut cream as the base and just a touch of sweetener.
My Easy Strawberry Sauce takes just a few minutes and would dress up these muffins for a Sunday brunch.
Banana Blueberry Muffins (Grain Free)
These banana blueberry muffins are grain-free (almond flour) gluten-free, dairy free and sweetened only with agave. Topped with low sugar white icing.
Ingredients
- 2 very ripe bananas
- 1/4 c maple syrup/agave
- 3 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp plain unsweetened yogurt (Kite Hill vegan is my fav)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cup super fine blanched almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Icing without Powdered Sugar
- 1/4 c coconut cream (canned, do not shake, stir or refrigerate)
- 1 tsp agave
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- If using frozen blueberries: Place the blueberries in a strainer and rinse under cold water until the water draining out runs almost clear. Place on a towel and dry them thoroughly. Place in the fridge on a dry towel until ready to use.
- Mix the almond flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl
- Puree the banana with the agave/maple syrup in the blender or using an immersion blender so that there are no chunks. Add the eggs, yogurt and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Stir in the blueberries.
- Fill the liners to 3/4 full.
- Bake 22-25 minutes or until the top is set and bounces back from a gentle tap.
- Cool in the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes then cool on a wire rack.
- See above for muffin toppings including my Icing Without Powdered Sugar.
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