Made entirely with oat flour, these banana muffins use simple ingredients for a gluten free twist that is packed with banana flavor. You'll love their moist and fluffy crumb.
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It has become something of a personal challenge to me to figure out how to bake everything with oat flour.
An excellent option for gluten-free baking that can be found in almost any grocery store, this flour is made up of just one ingredient- whole grain oats.
I started out with adapting my favorite cookie recipes to use oat flour, and now I'm on to gluten-free muffins.
Because while I love these Whole Wheat Blueberry Oat Muffins and Honey Spice Zucchini Muffins, sometimes it is nice to have variety and options without wheat flour.
Today's moist banana muffins are adapted from my oat flour apple muffins, the first one's I managed to create with oat flour.
I started by replacing the unsweetened applesauce with mashed bananas and then made about 100 test batches (okay, maybe not quite that many...), adjusting the ratios of the other basic ingredients until I got them just right.
Then I took them to my parents' for breakfast on a long weekend and the whole family was none the wiser that these healthy muffins were anything but ordinary.
Success!
So the next time you have some spotty bananas around that you need to use up, this recipe would be a great way to do it. Or some oatmeal banana pancakes instead- same flavors but even less work.
The Ingredients
- Oat Flour- Ensure that you are using certified gluten free oats/oat flour if you need the recipe to be gluten-free.
- I recommend sifting the oat flour first if it is lumpy so that you don't have to overmix the muffins.
- For best results, use store-bought oat flour.
- To Measure Oat Flour: If you have a kitchen scale, that is best for most accurate measurements of oat flour. But if you are measuring by hand, I have found that I can consistently achieve 120 g per cup of oat flour by scooping the oat flour into a measuring cup, lightly packing it down and then levelling off the top. See this oat flour snickerdoodles post for more details. *Select "metric" on the recipe card below the ingredients list to see the measurements displayed in grams.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder- Because oat flour isn't structurally the same as regular flour, it needs a little extra help to achieve the same soft texture.
- Fine Sea Salt
- Pure Maple Syrup- Honey or agave will also work but I don't recommend using a granulated sweetener for this recipe. For more info, check out this post on Maple Syrup Substitutes.
- Avocado Oil- Melted coconut oil, canola or olive oil can be used instead. If using melted coconut oil, it is imperative that all of the ingredients be at room temperature so that it doesn't harden in the batter.
- Overripe Bananas- For best banana flavor and sweetness, use bananas with brown spots.
- Vanilla Extract
- Eggs
The Method
1. Mix dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, baking soda, powder and salt.
2. Mix wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the maple syrup, oil, mashed bananas, eggs and vanilla extract.
3. Combine. Pour the banana mixture into the dry and stir until just combined.
4. Divide into muffin tins. Line a regular muffin tin with 6-8 paper liners or silicone muffin cups (my preference!). Fill the muffin liners nearly to the top with the muffin batter.
5 . Bake. Bake at 375 F for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean and the muffin bounces back slightly when you press on the center.
6. Cool and enjoy. Allow these moist gluten-free banana muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely (or enjoy them while they are warm!).
Leftovers and Storage
To Store: Cool oat flour banana muffins completely and then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: Cooled muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Make it Your Own
Mini Muffins: Line a mini muffin tin for enough for 24-30 muffins and fill liners nearly full. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
Top with Oats or Turbinado Sugar: Give your muffins a topping by sprinkling on some oats or coarse turbinado sugar before baking.
Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins: Fold in 1 cup chocolate chips after combining the batter.
Or Other Favorite Mix-Ins: You can also stir in up to 1 of a cup of add ins such as:
- Walnuts
- Pecans
- Peanut Butter Chips (if you love PB and Banana together, this would be a great addition!)
Serving Ideas
These fluffy banana muffins make for a delicious snack or easy breakfast for busy mornings (especially alongside some Egg White Bites Recipe and maybe an Avocado Spinach Smoothie).
For best results, I strongly recommend using store-bought oat flour as the consistency of homemade oat flour can be variable.
More Oat Flour Recipes...
Oat Flour Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 and ¼ cup oat flour certified Gluten Free, if needed
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup mashed bananas about 1 large
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F. Line a muffin tins with enough for 6-8 muffins.
- In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a medium bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, mashed banana, eggs and vanilla.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until just combined.
- Fill the prepared muffin tin liners nearly full. Bake for 18-22 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center comes out mostly clean or the centers bounce back when lightly pressed.
- Allow to cool in tins for 5 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to allow to cool completely.
Alanna
This is my new favorite banana muffin recipe! They turned out fluffy and so banana-y. Thank you for a great recipe.
Janessa
I'm glad you liked this recipe, Alanna! Thank you for your kind review.