paleo banana muffins
I think it is safe to say these Paleo Banana Muffins will become your new standard muffin recipe. They have become mine!
In fact I have been buying extra bananas just so I have enough on hand to make a batch of these muffins for breakfasts and snacks during the week. Even still, they disappear so quickly! I made some yesterday, and I kid you not, there are two left!! I have started hiding some in the basement freezer so my kids won’t eat all of them before I have a chance to have any. Does that make me a bad mom? (Wait a minute, don’t answer that.)
I am a little touchy about this because lately my always-hungry-and-growing-like-a-weed 6th grader has taken to not only eating all my muffins but also baking cookies after school. She keeps using up all of the baking ingredients and then not telling me until the next time she goes to make something. Since I haven’t been baking with actual flour, white sugar or butter for the last 3 1/2 months, I have no idea when we are out of those ingredients. Then all of a sudden, “It’s a butter crisis, Mom! We need to go to the market. I promised my friends I would bring them cookies tomorrow!” I’m like, well did you write it down on the list when you used up the last of it? No. #teachablemoment
Then a couple weeks ago, on one of these baking sprees, she used up all of my paleo chocolate chips and that’s when I lost my nut! And henceforth I started hiding things from her and the other muffin eaters. Now I am keeping the muffins in the basement freezer and the paleo chips behind the teapot in a stack of fancy serving bowls. Shh.
I’m just glad she doesn’t use recipes that call for arrowroot or almond flour, because then it really would be a crisis because I couldn’t make these banana muffins when I need them!
Okay, mom of a tween rant over. Let’s talk about these Paleo Banana Muffins my friends!
How to Make Paleo Banana Muffins
- First the wet ingredients (including the bananas) go straight into the blender. I love this method because there’s no mashing involved, but the blender actually whips air into the mixture so it helps to lighten the crumb of the muffin! Double win!
- Note if you do not have maple syrup, you can use honey or agave instead. If you’re looking for the best maple flavor, use dark.
- Then you’ll want to mix up your dry ingredients. The combination is mostly almond flour. I like the finely milled Bob’s Red Mill almond flour. (That’s an affiliate link.) If you want to take the time to sift it through a coarse sifter you can, but I don’t when I make these, and even though the batter looks lumpy the muffins finished aren’t affected. I did also test this with the natural flour and even with a blend of almond and hazelnut flour, but I think the fine almond flour gives the muffins the best texture.
- There is also arrowroot starch in them. You can find it in the gluten-free section of good supermarkets or the gluten-free baking section of health food stores. It also sometimes can be found in the bulk section of health food stores, but I like to buy it by the bag- like Bob’s Red Mill. (That’s an affiliate link.)
- I added a little bit of coconut flour. I think it is helpful to add this to muffins because it helps to absorb some of the liquid, and adds natural sweetness. I found this helped keep the chips from sinking to the bottom of the muffins. A little goes a long way with coconut flour- only 3 tablespoons is necessary.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl and try to break up any clumps with your whisk. Then pour in the wet ingredients and stir with a silicone spatula. Mix it until the flour is mixed in completely while avoiding overmixing. (While there is no risk of making the muffins tough from over-mixing since there is no gluten, you do run the risk of making them too dense by beating the air out of the batter.)
- Then add in the chocolate chips. I use the Enjoy Life mini chips (affiliate link) because it spreads the max chocolate taste out among the muffins. They are dairy free, but they are sweetened with cane sugar, so if you are strict paleo, you’ll have to chop up a paleo chocolate bar. I like to set aside some of the chips to dot on top. It doesn’t taste any different, but I love seeing them on top!
- These bake up to have a really lovely golden top. But they are not too dark, nor dry at all. Bake them in the center of the oven, and let them cool in the pan for 5 or 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
How To Store Paleo Banana Muffins
- These are perfectly happy to be kept at room temp for three days. I think a little pop in the microwave to warm them up is very nice, but not necessary. Keep them covered. Just make sure they are completely cool before doing so, or the cover will trap moisture, and they will become wet.
- For longer term storage, place them in a resealable container or resealable plastic bag and freeze up to two months. Defrost at room temperature or defrost in the microwave (about 25 seconds.)
More Paleo Recipes You’ll Love
Paleo Chocolate Raspberry Muffins
These Paleo Pumpkin Muffins look amazing too!
And you can always browse the 120+ paleo recipes in the archives right here.
Thanks so much for reading. If you make these Paleo Banana Muffins, please make sure you come back by, rate and review. It is so helpful!
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paleo banana muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Paleo
Description
These paleo banana muffins with chocolate chips will be your new standard muffin recipe. I have been baking them over and over and they disappear within hours! My whole family loves them. They’re made with maple syrup, almond flour so they’re naturally gluten-free and dairy-free!
Ingredients
2 bananas, peeled and broken in half
3 large eggs
1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
3 tablespoons avocado oil, organic canola oil or sunflower oil
2 teaspoon vanilla extract, alcohol free if desired
1 ½ cup almond flour
½ cup arrowroot flour
3 tablespoons coconut flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, preferably mini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or coat with cooking spray.
- Combine bananas, eggs, maple or honey, oil and vanilla in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Whisk almond flour, arrowroot, coconut flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Add the banana mixture and mix with a silicone spatula until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin wells, dividing evenly. Transfer to the oven and bake until the muffins spring back when touched lightly in the center, 25 to 28 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Store at room temperature up to 3 days in a sealed container, or freeze up to 2 months.
Notes
Feel free to sub in a half cup of chopped paleo chocolate bar for the mini chocolate chips if you are avoiding cane sugar.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 188
- Sugar: 11
- Sodium: 183
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 1
- Carbohydrates: 22
- Fiber: 2
- Protein: 5
These look delicious, I love that they are low carb too.
★★★★★
Thanks Anne! Well grain free and refined sugar free at least. Not exactly low carb with the maple syrup and bananas.
I’m always on the look out for new muffin recipes, what a great way to use up any leftover bananas! My little boy will love these!
★★★★★
My kids love them too. I have to hide them in our basement freezer so they don’t gobble them up!
Beautiful photography!! Love this clean recipe, the muffins look delicious! Pinning to come back to this weekend 🙂
That’s so great! Thanks Sara.
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I just made these and they were yummy! Great recipe! Thank you!
I am glad you liked them!
I have all these ingredients on hand EXCEPT arrowroot flour…Hubby just did store runs earlier today so it will be a bit before we make another trip. I would love to make these tomorrow…can I substitute another flour or jusr use more almond/coconut flour?
Hi Elisabeth. Sorry that I am just seeing this comment! Tapioca flour works well as a sub for arrowroot. Coconut flour isn’t a good sub though because it is so drying. I like the idea of trying more almond flour.
Very good!
I ran short on arrowroot flour, so substituted about a forth of it with tapioca flour. Still turned out great. I also added some chopped pecans.
Yummy!
★★★★
That’s a great sub! I would have suggested that myself. So glad they came out well for you. I appreciate the review.
These have become my weekly muffins. I know the recipe by heart. I love how easy they are! And I love that they are healthy enough to serve for breakfast. I add the chocolate chips to the top instead of folding them in and for some I add pecans or blueberries to the top instead. Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
I am so happy they’re yours too! I love the ideas of mixing in blueberries or pecans. Yummy!