These gluten free banana blueberry muffins are quick and super easy to make in just a few simple steps. They are deliciously moist with a soft center. I can assure you that nobody will notice they are gluten free, vegan, paleo and AIP compliant.
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The idea to create this recipe came to me when I saw that someone in the AIP community was looking for a healthy banana blueberry muffin recipe without gelatin eggs. Blueberry season has started and gelatin egg free baking recipes are my specialty!
The thing is, banana blueberry muffins are absolutely not French. They are not a staple here in France. Thankfully, I have tasted some in the past, before creating this recipe. Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it is very intimidating for me to create recipes that I'm way less familiar with than most of my readers.
Again with culture differences! This is, at the same time very interesting and very challenging!
Well, enough talking. Without any further ado, here is a gluten free, vegan, paleo and AIP compliant version of an American treat created by a French girl. 😉
And if you like these muffins, you will love my Banana carrot muffins, my Apple cinnamon muffins (AIP, paleo, gluten free) and my Coconut flour banana bread muffins.
⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
- These Banana Blueberry Muffins are quick and easy to make.
- This recipe is super simple.
- These muffins are deliciously moist.
- They are gluten-free, grain-free, vegan, paleo and AIP compliant.
📖 Ingredient notes
- Arrowroot. It is a starch. See below for substitutions.
- Blueberries. For this recipe, you will need fresh blueberries.
- Bananas. In this recipe, you can use bananas at any stage of ripeness (from yellow to black). I mostly use ripe bananas with many black spots but I've also made these muffins with bananas that were just beginning to get spotty. Keep in mind that the more ripe the banana, the sweeter it is and the stronger taste it has.
- Tigernut flour (or almond flour for those who are not on AIP nor nut free). If you don't know what tigernut flour is and want to learn all about it, you can read my post What is tigernut flour.
If you are on AIP and still in the elimination phase, you have to use tigernut flour (because almond flour is not AIP compliant). Those who are not on AIP nor allergic to nuts can use almond flour instead of tigernut flour.
For the complete list of ingredients and quantities, please see the recipe below.
💭 Substitutions
- Arrowroot substitutions. If you are not cassava intolerant, you can substitute it with tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour). If you are not on AIP nor Paleo diets: you can use potato starch or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
🔪Step by step instructions
- Peel the bananas, put them in a large bowl and mash them with a fork. Add the maple syrup, oil and lemon juice (or ACV) and mix until well combined. You can also use a blender to make sure you get a very homogenous mix.
- In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, arrow root and baking soda). Stir.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Add the blueberries and stir again gently this time in order not to crush the blueberries.
- Line or lightly oil a muffin pan. Fill each muffin cup with batter, you should get about 6-8 muffins depending on your pan.
👩🏻🍳Top tips
- Tip #1. As you can see in the picture above, I fill my muffin tins all the way to the top. That's my secret to creating tall muffin tops.
- Tip #2. Never open the oven door before the end of the baking time (unless, of course, in case of a danger or problem with your oven). If you open the oven door during the baking time, just to "check how they look", they will fall down or won't rise.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Unfortunately there are no possible substitution for the tigernut flour if you are on AIP and still in the elimination phase. Why? Because all the other AIP compliant flours have very different texture and they all need their own amount of liquid. So it is not possible to replace the tigernut flour with another flour without altering the entire recipe.
Yes! Those banana blueberry muffins freeze extremely well. Which is so convenient!! So nice to have a delicious breakfast, snack or dessert that is ready to be eaten.
Good news if you have a nut allergy and need a nut-free version, you can make these muffins with tigernut flour. Because tigernut is not a nut!
Yes! If you want to make no sugar banana blueberry muffins, replace the maple syrup with same quantity of oil or coconut milk.
Also note that the riper the bananas, the sweeter they are. So if you need to watch your sugar intake, even when the sugar comes from fruits, you should use bananas that are not overripe.
🍪Other treat recipes you might like
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 on the recipe card and leave a nice review below! Tag @gohealthywithbea on Instagram and hashtag #gohealthywithbea! Also, let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
📋 Recipe / Recette
Gluten Free Banana Blueberry Muffins (vegan, paleo, AIP)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 240 grams (1 cup) mashed ripe banana (weight after being peeled which makes about 2 large bananas)
- 180 grams (1 cup + ¼ cup) fresh blueberries
- 150 grams (1 cup + ⅓ cup) tigernut flour (if you are not on AIP you can use almond flour instead of tigernut flour)
- 50 grams (¼ cup + 1 Tbsp) arrowroot or tapioca starch (see notes below for other substitution options)
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup (see notes below about reducing quantity)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil (or coconut oil)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360° F (180° C)
- Peel the bananas, put them in a large bowl and mash them with a fork. Add the maple syrup, oil and lemon juice (or ACV) and mix until well combined. (You can use a blender for this step if you want).
- In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, arrow root and baking soda). Stir.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined. Add the blueberries and stir again gently this time in order not to crush the blueberries.
- Line or lightly oil a muffin pan. Fill each muffin cup with batter, you should get about 6-8 muffins depending on your pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes. To make sure that they are cooked, insert a thin bladed knife into the centre of the banana bread, the knife should come out clean. And voilà!Bon appétit !
Notes
- Although I spend quite a lot of time converting all my recipes to cups (yes, manually, in my kitchen!) I highly recommend using a scale and measuring for weight rather than using cups. The reason for this is, apart from the whole debate on accuracy, the density of certain gluten free flours and starches differ a lot from one brand to another. Also keep in mind that all cups are not the same size all around the world which makes another good reason to use a scale so you won’t get this issue.
- If you are not on AIP nor Paleo diets you can use potato starch or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
- If you want to omit the maple syrup you can replace it with the same amount of oil or coconut milk.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is calculated using a nutrition facts calculator. It is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.
Rayford Shimada
I was very happy to uncover this page. I wanted to thank you for your time due to this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every little bit of it and I have you saved to fav to check out new information in your web site.
Stephanie
Hi! I made these earlier today and was hoping for some advice. The flavour is absolutely amazing, so delicious, but the texture is super soft. Not gummy but almost on the verge if you cut it with a knife. I baked them for 25 minutes and the toothpick came out clean, so I was wondering if that is the texture of tigernut flour (I've never baked with it before), or did I perhaps undercook the muffins? I followed the recipe exactly. Thanks so much for you help! p.s. I love that you include weights in your recipes, so much easier than measuring. 🙂
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Stephanie. Thanks for your feedback! Well, tigernut flour is not gummy. Its texture is crumbly, kind of like almond flour but a little dryer than almond flour. It's hard to say from a distance what could have caused your trouble. Maybe your muffins were sightly undercooked. So maybe you could cook them just a few more minutes (2-5 more minutes). Or for some reason, you had slightly too much liquid in your batter. First thing that comes to mind is did you use fresh blueberries? This recipe is made for fresh blueberries (not frozen). Other thing that comes to mind : when you saw that "not gummy but almost on the verge" texture, had your muffins cooled down completely or were they straight out of the oven? You should wait for them to cool down completely before removing from the tin and cut them. Other than that, I can't see what could be the reason for the "on the verge gummy texture".
Sharon F
I’m new to the AIP diet so on the hunt for new recipes. These banana blueberry muffins are amazing, moist and delicious. And so easy, light and fluffy. Love them. This will be a go-to recipe for sure.
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Sharon. Thank you so much for your amazing comment! I'm thrilled to hear that you love this recipe!! ❤️❤️❤️
Meli
Is it possible to make this as a loaf instead of muffins, or would the blueberries sink to the bottom?
Mary
These banana muffins are SO DELICIOUS! I think these are the best banana muffins I have ever tasted. The amount of sweetener is perfect. I swapped carob chips for blueberries this time but plan on trying blueberries when I have them. Thank you for such a wonderful recipe! I am looking forward to trying your other recipes, too, especially the coconut-free ones.
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Mary. Thank you for sharing that you loved them! That makes me so happy ❤️❤️❤️
Victoria
These were so good! I am
so excited to have a delicious muffin recipe without eggs and lots of sugar! Thanks! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Victoria. Thank you for taking the time to tell me that you like this recipe!❤️ I'm glad that you enjoy it!!
Maria Larsen
These muffins are AMAZING! Thank you for this. 🙂
gohealthywithbea
❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you for taking the time to tell me this!!
Karen
My whole family loves these muffins - I now make them weekly, typically with just almond flour. I am so happy that my children devour them given how healthy they are. Last attempt, I only had 1/2 the almond flour, so used 1/2 tigernut. Muffins turned out great - even better than before, and that's probably the route I'll go moving forward. Thank you so much for this recipe.
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Karen! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a nice comment! ❤️❤️❤️ I'm glad that you and your children love this recipe! Well, each time I hear that children love one of my recipes, I feel like I've won the lottery!!! 😂 So thanks again for making me feel that way!!
Alicia
Just tried this recipe and if there were six stars I would give it all six. I've been doing AIP for several years and this is the BEST RECIPE so far in baking goods I have made. Thank you!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Alicia. I just wish you could see the huge smile on my face right now reading your comment! I'm thrilled that you love this recipe. Thank you so much for your wonderful review!!❤️❤️❤️
Becky
I made these last night! As I saw suggested in a comment below, I substituted a cup of pumpkin puree for the banana. I also used thawed frozen blueberries--drained and rinsed, but I think between the pumpkin puree and the blueberries my dough turned out a little moister than yours! If anyone else tries those substitutions I'd recommend either adding a little less of the pumpkin puree, a little more flour, or increasing the baking time by a minute or two.
The muffins were still Excellent and satisfied my blueberry muffin craving! They were just a little denser than the pictures.
Christina
These were the best muffins I've had since starting AIP a while ago. I thought I would never find one that was fluffy, not dense. Bonus, there is no coconut in this recipe. I am not avoiding it, just getting tired of it being in EVERYTHING that I try baking. The only thing I did to Americanize it was add some vanilla and a dash of salt. These were things I often see in muffin recipes I made in my past. I'm not sure how much it would have changed your original (delicious) recipe anyway. I got 10 muffins out of the batch, but I just noticed in the pictures that you filled your tins all the way to the top. Mine were about 3/4 full. Cook time was still good, perhaps needed a couple minutes longer.
Off to bake another batch, this time experimenting with adding chopped dates instead of blueberries *cringe*. Getting low on fresh fruit in the house and not willing to go to the store yet. Lets hope I can keep them from getting overly sweet! Can't wait to try some of your savory muffins.
Lisa
Ohhhhh my!!!! 🥳❤️ I’m devouring these muffins & so happy they are a success!!!! Literally the first AIP muffin I’ve made that is a success. Glad your French baking skills are translating to American taste buds well!!!!
For me it made 10 muffins for me (our tins must be smaller) & baked them an extra 4 minutes to be done in the center. Thank you!!!!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Lisa. I can't thank you enough for your support! ❤️❤️❤️ And if my French baking skills are translating well to American taste buds it's probably because I've been completely in love with the US since my first trip there when I was 13. But let me tell you, that it's a first that I hear that something is smaller in the US than in France.😂 Roads, cars, distances, houses, beds, everything, even washing machines are bigger on your side of the pond. Each time I come back here from a trip to the US, it feels like I'm in a doll house.
Dana Mears
I'm so excited to make these! I hope to do them today or tomorrow. Would frozen blueberries be okay to use or would that add too much moisture?
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Dana. To be completely honest with you, I haven't tried to make these with frozen bluebrries yet because I'm afraid that it will ruin the recipe by adding too much moisture.
Ma
Frozen worked perfectly! Changed the color to beautiful purple as well 🤗
Christan Adams
Can you make these without the banana? I want blueberry muffins. Could you use applesauce instead of bananas? Your recipes are amazing!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Christan. Happy to hear from you again. Thank you for the compliment!!🥰 Yes you can totally use the same quantity of applesauce or even pumpkin purée instead of bananas. Take care!
Stephanie
The pictures of your creation are beautiful! I can't wait to try.
gohealthywithbea
Thank you so much for appreciating my pictures. I’m working so hard at upgrading them, I’m happy to hear a compliment like that! ❤️ Hope you will enjoy them.
Eleanor Johnston
These turned out great! Thanks so much for the recipe, Béa!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Eleanor. Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me this. This kind of comment never stops to warm my heart!! ❤️
Michelle
Hi, could I use cassava flour instead of tigernut? I don’t tolerate tigernut flour ????
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Michelle. Unfortunately you can’t use cassava flour instead of tigernut flour in this recipe as those two flours work very differently. Tigernut flour has a crumbly texture whereas cassava flour has a gummy texture. The only 1:1 substitution for tigernut flour is almond flour but almond flour is not AIP compliant if you are on AIP.
Julie
oh yeah, also no gelatin for me! Many thanks for these recipes, can't wait to try it, I'll come back and edit (or add one) when I do!