Banana Almond Muffins

Made with almond flour and ripe bananas, these Almond Flour Banana Muffins are higher in fiber and protein. Plus, they use old bananas to prevent food waste.

About Almond Flour Banana Muffins

If you are looking for muffins that are delicious, can be enjoyed any time of day, and are higher in fiber and protein than most, you've come to the right place.

I love these Almond Flour Banana Muffins. They're quick, delicious, higher in protein and fiber than most muffins, and help prevent food waste.

I've made them countless times, and I feel so happy whenever they are in the kitchen.

Enjoy them for breakfast. Throw them in your purse on days you know you won't be back home for a few hours (saving money and keeping you from getting overly hungry). Or eat them for a sweet treat.

Ripe bananas give the muffins their sweetness without adding sugar like in a few other no sugar added recipes using bananas like in Almond Butter Banana Cookies or Peanut Butter Banana Cookies.

This is a great time to use the brown bananas on your counter. The older your banana, the sweeter it will be.

Additionally, enhance the sweet flavor of these muffins by adding ground cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg, plus almond and vanilla extracts.

And if you want to embellish these even more, feel free to add chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or fruit.

Ingredients

Almond flour: Use any type of almond flour. I prefer finely ground but coarse-ground almond flour will work just fine.

Almond meal can be used, but it has more texture so it can give the muffins a little more crunch in case that's something you don't want.

Flaxseed meal: You can use flaxseed meal (also known as ground flaxseed) or chia seeds. Make sure that you have flaxseed meal or ground flax seeds. Your body can't break down the whole flaxseed. You don't have to worry about that with chia seeds.

The taste of the muffins is the same with either option, plus flaxseed and chia seeds both provide fiber and beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.

Baking soda: Any type of baking soda will work, just make sure it hasn't expired and it hasn't been sitting in the fridge acting as a scent-neutralizer absorbing all the smells of the fridge. That would possibly alter the flavor of your muffins.

Baking powder: Regular baking powder and double-acting baking powder are equally good choices for this recipe.

Bananas: For the sweetest muffins, use over-ripe bananas. You can also use previously-frozen bananas that have defrosted. However, your muffin batter might be a little thinner. It'll still work fine though.

Coconut oil: This recipe has been tested using coconut oil and butter. There is a slight difference in that the muffins made with coconut oil were not as moist as the ones with butter, but it's only apparent when you do a side-by-side comparison.

Eggs: Large eggs are most commonly used for baking, and it's important to use large eggs in this recipe instead of extra-large or medium. The recipe was tested with extra-large eggs for one batch, but that's not recommended since they had an unpleasantly strong eggy flavor.

Flavoring options

Vanilla extract, almond extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg add a ton of flavor to these Banana Almond Muffins.

I highly recommend all four flavor options, but you can omit the nutmeg and almond extract if needed. However, if you want sweet muffins without adding sugar, the almond extract will sweeten the flavor.

Chocolate chips, raisins, blueberries, chopped pecans, almonds, or walnuts can also be added. If using, stir in between ¼ and ½ cup of add-ins when mixing together the wet and dry ingredients.

Cost of Recipe

• Almond flour 2 cups: $3.18
• Flaxseed meal 2 tablespoons: $0.12
• Baking soda ½ teaspoon: $0.01
• Baking powder ¼ teaspoon: $0.01
• Salt ¼ teaspoon: $0.01
• Cinnamon 1 teaspoon: $0.07
• Nutmeg ⅛ teaspoon: $0.03
• Bananas 2 medium: $0.56
• Coconut oil ¼ cup: $0.72
• Eggs 4 large: $1.72
• Vanilla extract 2 teaspoons: $1.18
• Almond extract ⅛ teaspoon: $0.04

TOTAL COST: $7.65 or $0.64/muffin (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2023)

How to Make Almond Flour Banana Muffins

Banana Almond Muffins Recipe Tips

• Because they have no added sugar, make sure you're using really ripe bananas.
• The muffins easily stick in paper liners. I recommend either greasing the muffin tin well or using silicone muffin liners.
• For a more consistently successful batter and muffin, make sure that you stir together the room-temperature butter or coconut oil with the bananas before adding in the eggs. This helps prevent large chunks of butter or coconut oil in the batter.
• Don't stress over small chunks of oil or butter in the batter. Once baked, you don't see or notice a difference.

Alternative flours can be confusing, but no need to stress with these Banana Almond Muffins. Simply buy any type of almond flour or almond meal you can find.

Variations

Ingredient Options

Flaxseed meal: Chia seeds can be used as a substitute for flaxseeds.

Coconut oil: Butter can be used in place of coconut oil.

Eggs: You can substitute up to two eggs by adding 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal or chia seeds per egg. For example: use 3 eggs and 3 tablespoons of chia seeds.

The recipe has not been tested using flax or chia seeds to replace the eggs entirely.

How to Make Allergy Friendly

These Almond Flour Banana Muffins are already gluten-free and soy-free.

If you make them using coconut oil, they will be dairy-free. Or you can use dairy-free butter if you'd like.

How to Fix a Mistake

Batter is chunky: No worries! Mash the banana and oil (or butter) as much as possible, but know that it won't get completely smooth. You can see in the video that there are chunks of coconut oil and banana in the batter, and they still turn out great.

Make Ahead Ideas

These can easily be made ahead of time. Simply prepare as directed and store in the fridge or freezer.

Storage Suggestions

Store these in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. They keep in the fridge for up to 6 days. You can also freeze them for up to 4 weeks. If frozen, let thaw in the fridge for at least 2 hours before eating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Benefits

Almonds are high in Vitamin E, magnesium, and manganese, so you get a boost of those vitamins and minerals from these muffins.

Each Banana Almond Muffin has 6 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber.

Two muffins gives you 14% iron as well as 12% calcium.

What to Serve with Almond Flour Banana Muffins

If you're eating banana almond flour muffins as a snack or dessert, I think they are good on their own.

For breakfast, I like to eat one with a hard-boiled egg for protein along with a bowl of fruit for extra carbs and fiber.

Or serve these Banana Almond Muffins with scrambled eggs plus salsa or breakfast stuffed peppers for extra veggies.

Final thoughts:

These are great to have on hand because you can really eat them at any time of day. Plus, they are loved by adults and kids alike.

Bonus: you can use up extra ripe bananas to prevent food waste. In fact, the older the banana, the sweeter the banana will be. And that helps your banana muffins with almond flour to be sweet without an extra sugar.

MORE FRUIT-SWEETENED RECIPE YOU'LL LOVE:

• Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookies
• German Chocolate Brownies
• Almond Butter Banana Cookies
• Sugar Cookie Dough Dip
• Peanut Butter Banana Cookies

Meme

This post was originally published on March 20, 2014. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.

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Banana Almond Muffins Nutrition Facts