Naturally sweetened, and one bowl easy, Breakfast Banana Nut Muffins are a healthy grab n’ go quick breakfast or afternoon snack! vegan + gluten free | Disclosure: this post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill! Thank you for supporting brands that keep Vanilla And Bean cookin!

There’s good reason why banana bread is such a classic. It’s super moist, sweet, texture rich and ranks right up there with comfort food. It took some time to get these gluten free banana nut muffins just right. It started last summer when I had to go gluten free and vegan for a trial period. I’ve been testing these, teasing out the details to get them just right, off and on ever since. 

These vegan nut muffins are finally ready and I’m super excited to share them with you! 

Why Breakfast Banana Nut Muffins? 

• Banana nut muffins are grab n’ go ready! 
• Naturally sweetened with maple syrup.
• Made with whole grain oat flour, a bit of almond flour for a nutty flavor and structure and a touch of tapioca flour to help make these muffins light and fluffy. 
• Easy to pack in a lunch box or stuff in your purse or backpack as you’re flying out the door! 
• Because they’re made with whole grain, banana nut muffins keep us fuller longer. 

Best of all, this gluten free banana nut muffin recipe is easy to whip up when meal prepping even if short on time. 

These gluten free and vegan banana nut muffins are made in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill. I’m super excited to share their pantry staples with you, highlighting a brand I trust for high quality ingredients to fuel my family’s lifestyle. Bob’s Red Mill pantry staples are accessible and offers a wide array of whole grain and gluten free options should you need.

Since I’ve been in and out of a gluten free trial, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats have been a life saver. Oats are naturally gluten free, but to ensure that these oats maintain their gluten free integrity, Bob’s Red Mill handles them with care in their dedicated gluten free facility and batch tests to ensure gluten free status.

How to Make Maple Syrup Sweetened Banana Nut Muffins:

To keep these nut muffins vegan and to bring out the most banana flavor, I use three mashed bananas and ground flax seeds to aid in binding. These gluten free banana nut muffins follow an easy to prepare, one bowl, quick bread method! 

• First, toast the walnuts in a preheating oven. 
• Meanwhile, mix the wet ingredients: mashed bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil, nut milk, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar.
• Next, add the dry ingredients: oat flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, flax meal, salt, baking soda and powder. Whisk.
• Chop and fold in the walnuts. 
• Last, line a muffin pan with tulip muffin cup liners. Scoop the batter and bake! 

See how simple they are to make? 

A Few Banana Nut Muffins Recipe Notes:

• I recommend tulip style muffin cups to line a standard muffin pan for this recipe. Taller cups provide structure and enable the muffins to rise just a bit higher and produce more evenly baked muffins. I purchase or use this DIY tulip cup tutorial to make muffin cups. 
• The combination of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats made into oat flour, Almond Flour, Tapioca Flour and Whole Ground Flaxseed Meal make these muffins tender, fluffy, moist, texture rich and absolutely delicious. These are truly a healthy grab-n-go breakfast or snack muffin. 
• This recipe calls for gluten free oat flour. I DIY my own using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats. It’s super easy and economical – see my how to make oat flour post for more information. 
• Freezer Friendly? Yes Please! Freeze any quantity of muffins on a sheet pan (a few hours). When frozen, transfer the muffins to a covered container for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature.

More Healthy Grab n’ Go Breakfasts to Love:

• Maple Pecan Granola – on Vanilla And Bean
• Blueberry Oat Flax Muffins – on Vanilla And Bean
• Fully Loaded Breakfast Bars – by Foolproof Living
• Healthy Chocolate Granola Bars – by Salted Plains
• Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Bars – on Vanilla And Bean

5 from 5 votes

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Breakfast Banana Nut Muffins

Naturally sweetened and one bowl easy, Breakfast Banana Nut Muffins are a healthy grab n' go breakfast or afternoon snack! vegan + gluten free *For more tips see blog post above! 

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins, Naturally Sweetened Banana Muffins, Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 Muffins

Author Traci York | Vanilla And Bean

Ingredients

• 3/4 C (75g) Walnuts
• 1 1/4 C (360g) Mashed Bananas about three medium very brown bananas
• 1/4 C (50g) Coconut Oil melted, warm to the touch
• 2/3 C (185g) Maple Syrup
• 1/3 C (65g) Nut Milk I use 1/2 diluted homemade cashew milk
• 2 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1 1/2 C (165g) Oat Flour I use homemade, gluten free if needed
• 1/4 C (30g) Almond Flour I use Bob's Red Mill
• 1/4 C (30g) Tapioca Flour
• 2 Tbs Flax Seed Meal
• 1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 3/4 tsp Baking Soda
• 3/4 tsp Fine Sea Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the Oven / Toast the Walnuts: Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Toast the walnuts on a small sheet pan while the oven is preheating, about 15-17 minutes. Keep an eye on them starting at 14 minutes as they go from not toasty to over toasty fast! 

2. Mix the Wet Ingredients: While the oven is preheating and walnuts are toasting, in a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas, pour in the coconut oil, syrup, nut milk, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth. 

3. Add the Dry Ingredients: To the wet ingredients add the oat flour, almond flour, tapioca flour, flax meal, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk all the ingredients until there are no flour bits left and the mixture is smooth. Set aside and rest the batter while the walnuts cool.

4. Remove the walnuts from the oven. Transfer the walnuts out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Spread the walnuts out to cool slightly. Rough chop. Set about 2 Tbs aside to be sprinkled on top of the muffins prior to baking. Then, fold the walnuts into the batter just before scooping. 

5. Scoop / Pan the Muffin Batter: Line a standard muffin pan with 12 tulip style muffin cups (DIY your own). Scoop about 1/3 C (85g) of batter into each cup. An overfilled large cookie scoop works well too! Sprinkle a bit of chopped walnuts and a few grains of whole rolled oats on the top of each muffin if desired. 

6. Bake the Muffins: On the center rack in the oven, bake for about 25-27 minutes or until the muffins are golden, a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins spring back under gentile pressure. Remove from the oven, and pan, transferring the muffins to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before unwrapping and enjoying. 

7. Store the Muffins: After completely cooled, store muffins covered at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze in a freezer container for up to two weeks. Thaw at room temperature. To rewarm the muffins, warm in a 350F oven for about 10 minutes. 

Recipe Notes

This recipe calls for gluten free oat flour. I DIY my own using Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats. It's super easy and economical - see my how to make oat flour post for more information. 

I recommend tulip style muffin cups for this recipe. Taller cups provide structure and enable the muffins to rise just a bit higher and seem to produce more evenly baked muffins; my preference. I purchase or use this DIY tulip cup tutorial to make muffin cups. 

In baking, weighing ingredients is important for optimal outcome. I find that especially true in gluten free baking. If you feel you'll be baking with gf flours regularly, I recommend investing in a good digital kitchen scale. I use one like this and have had it for about five years. Its been reliable.   

I enthusiastically recommend an oven thermometer! I’ve baked in commercial bakery and home ovens, old, lightly used and brand new ovens – they all have their own personalities with temperature variations and fluctuations. Knowing the temperature of your oven is important for the best outcome, and evenly baked goods; super important in baking.