Gluten Free Banana Muffins

Why this recipe works

Soft texture: These muffins have a tender crumb and a fluffy interior—never dense or gummy.

Bold banana flavor: Made with lots of ripe bananas, they taste sweet and rich, with subtle caramel notes.

One bowl, 30 minutes: Quick enough for busy mornings or last-minute baking.

Forgiving recipe: Short on bananas? Swap in a bit of applesauce. You can even use frozen bananas—just defrost and mash before mixing.

Ingredients explained

Here's a little bit about each ingredient in these muffins and why it's worth sourcing the right ones:

• Gluten free flour blend – Any all purpose gluten free flour blend that is based on finely ground rice flour should work here to provide structure. Be sure to add 1 teaspoon xanthan gum if your blend doesn't already contain any, and 1/2 teaspoon more xanthan gum if you're using Bob's Red Mill's 1-to-1 gf blend or your muffins will be crumbly.
• Cornstarch – Increases the starch of an all purpose flour blend to make the crumb extra tender.
• Baking powder & baking soda – Help the muffins rise and brown in the oven without overbaking.
• Salt – Enhances flavor and balances sweetness.
• Granulated sugar – For sweetness and a soft and tender crumb.
• Eggs – Helps the muffins rise and holds the structure of the rise as they cool.
• Mashed bananas – Very ripe bananas add flavor, natural sweetness, moisture, and banana aroma. Less ripe bananas have less sugar and less moisture, and don't break down fully in the oven.
• Buttermilk – Adds some moisture, gentle tang, and helps keep the crumb tender.
• Melted butter – Gives richness and a tender bite and a denser texture that keeps these from tasting like cupcakes.
• Vanilla extract – Rounds out the banana flavor with warmth and depth.

Expert Tips

Fill each muffin cup evenly

Uniformly sized muffins bake more evenly. Fill each muffin liner about 3/4 of the way full so they rise evenly without spilling over.

Use muffin liners

Liners help your muffins rise taller and make cleanup easier. Just let the muffins cool completely before peeling, or the liners may stick.

Begin with a higher oven temperature

For a higher dome on your muffins, start with a hotter oven of 400°F for the first 5 minutes of baking to create more oven spring in the first few minutes of baking. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until done (begin checking for doneness at after a total of 18 minutes).

Ingredient substitutions

If you have additional dietary restrictions, here’s how you can modify this recipe:

Dairy-free
Replace the butter with virgin coconut oil (melted and cooled). Triple-filtered coconut oil is best if you don’t want any coconut flavor.
For the buttermilk, mix 1/2 cup plain dairy-free yogurt with 1/2 cup nondairy milk. This combo gives the right moisture and tang—better than soured milk.

Egg-free
This recipe uses 3 eggs, which makes it tricky to replace them reliably. You can try one chia egg (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon water, mixed and left to gel) per egg, Bob's Red Mill's egg replacer, or “Just Egg” liquid egg replacer.

Corn-free
Swap the cornstarch for arrowroot or potato starch, and avoid a gluten free flour blend that contains cornstarch.

make ahead/leftovers

Storage instructions

Let muffins cool completely before storing to avoid sogginess. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days.

To refresh a slightly dry muffin, run it briefly under cold water and warm it in a toaster oven at 300°F—it’ll spring back to life.

To freeze, place cooled muffins on a baking sheet until solid, then store in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp or microwave for 25 seconds. For best texture, reheat in a low oven.