Gluten-Free Banana Blueberry Muffins That Stay Moist for Days

Blueberry muffins are already a classic, but this version gives them a flavorful little makeover with one simple ingredient: a ripe banana. These gluten-free banana blueberry muffins still have the juicy blueberries and soft, tender crumb you expect from a great blueberry muffin, but the banana adds extra moisture, subtle sweetness, and a cozy bakery-style flavor.

They’re especially handy when you have just one overripe banana sitting on the counter that is not quite enough for banana bread, but perfect for a batch of muffins. And if you happen to have two bananas to use up? This recipe is easy to double, giving you plenty of muffins for breakfast, snacks, lunchboxes, or freezing for later.

Whether you’re new to gluten-free baking or just looking for a fresh variation on blueberry muffins, this recipe is simple, forgiving, and full of real fruit flavor.

What makes these banana blueberry muffins so good?

These banana blueberry muffins are a fun twist on traditional blueberry muffins. Instead of relying only on berries for flavor, this recipe adds a ripe banana to the batter for extra moisture, natural sweetness, and a soft, tender texture.

The banana doesn’t overpower the blueberries. It works in the background, making the muffins taste richer while still letting the juicy blueberries shine. That makes these a great option when you want something a little different from a standard blueberry muffin, but not quite as banana-heavy as banana bread.

Here’s why this recipe works so well:

• It’s a unique blueberry muffin variation. The banana adds flavor and moisture while keeping the muffins light and fruity.
• It’s perfect for using one overripe banana. No need to wait until you have a whole bunch of bananas for banana bread.
• It’s easy to double. Have two overripe bananas? Double the recipe and make a larger batch for freezing or sharing.
• Fresh or frozen blueberries both work. You can make these muffins year-round, even when fresh blueberries aren’t in season.
• They’re gluten-free but still soft and tender. The banana, oil, and sour cream help create a moist crumb that doesn’t feel dry or crumbly.
• They’re great for breakfast or snacks. Make them ahead and keep them on hand for busy mornings, lunchboxes, or afternoon treats.

Equipment for Banana Blueberry Muffins

For any recipe, I like to start by making sure we have everything we need! Here’s the equipment we’ll need, and it won’t surprise me if you already have it somewhere in your kitchen if you do a lot of gluten-free baking.

• Large Mixing Bowl
• Medium Mixing Bowl
• Small Bowl or Plastic Bag
• Digital Food Scale
• Sturdy Mixing Spoon
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• Two 12-Cup Muffin Pans
• Cooking Spray
• Wire Cooling Rack

Ingredients for Banana Blueberry Muffins

• Gluten-Free Flour Blend
• Granulated Sugar
• Psyllium Husk Powder
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Large Eggs
• Vegan Butter
• Honey
• Vegetable Oil
• Banana
• Dairy-Free Sour Cream
• Unsweetened Almond Milk
• Pure Vanilla Extract
• Blueberries

About These Ingredients for Blueberry Muffins

Curious about any of these ingredients? I don’t blame you! Here’s a quick rundown of what each ingredient brings to the muffins. (Feel free to print or save the recipe card below for easy reference if you need to run to the grocery store for anything.)

Gluten-Free Flour Blend

330 grams gluten-free flour blend (about 2 1/2 cups)

I like to make my own gluten-free flour blend using a mix of white rice flour, brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca, and potato flour. It provides the right balance of protein, starch, and dietary fiber to replace the gluten-containing flour a muffin recipe would otherwise call for. Here are the instructions for making this gluten-free flour blend.

As importantly, it contains no xanthan gum, which makes it easier to add a replacement like psyllium husk powder if you prefer. (I’ll talk more about substitutes later, but the important thing to remember is that making your own gluten-free flour blend gives you more control over what you add.)

Granulated Sugar

70 grams granulated sugar (about 1/3 cup)

Granulated sugar adds some of the sweetness that makes these muffins disappear fast! The main thing is not to add much more than 70 grams, because we’ll also be adding honey and a banana.

Psyllium Husk Powder

1 teaspoon psyllium husk powder

Psyllium husk powder is a soluble fiber derived from the seeds of the blond psyllium (Plantago ovata) plant. It improves the texture and serves as a binding agent in the muffins. It adds elasticity to the batter and helps replace gluten as the backbone of these muffins’ structure.

Baking Powder

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Baking powder is a chemical leavening agent that creates the carbon dioxide bubbles that make these muffins fluff up nicely. It usually contains a carbonate or bicarbonate, a weak acid, and a small amount of cornstarch to prevent the other components from reacting prematurely.

Salt

1/2 teaspoon salt

Salt adds flavor that balances the sweetness of these muffins. It can also enhance some flavors, making these muffins taste richer and more satisfying.

Large Eggs

2 large eggs

Large eggs provide most of the binding power for baked goods like these muffins. When mixed into the batter and baked, the protein in eggs will uncoil and form a web that traps moisture and carbon dioxide bubbles. The lecithin in egg yolks also helps the water and fats in the batter blend more smoothly. This helps the muffins develop a perfect crumb and texture without drying out.

Vegan Butter

4 tablespoons melted vegan butter

Ever wonder why some recipes call for melted butter? Melting the butter first eliminates any “extra” air, which can help keep the muffins from fluffing up too much and collapsing in the oven. Melted butter also combines more evenly with the dry ingredients, resulting in a slightly stronger buttery flavor that makes the muffins taste richer.

Honey

2 tablespoons honey

Honey can actually be sweeter than the same amount of sugar! A natural sugar called fructose is the reason for the “extra sweet” flavor. Yes, this is the same sugar found in many fruits. (The banana will have a little fructose too. Just not a ton.)

The honey also adds a little moisture.

What I like most about honey is that it can add a subtle fruity or floral note. You may sometimes see honey labeled as “clover honey” or “orange blossom honey”, which means that it was made using nectar from mostly clover or orange blossoms. (Thanks, bees.) This makes the honey a little more interesting without adding any extra flavoring.

Vegetable Oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Vegetable oil adds a little additional fat that contributes to the rich flavor and tender crumb of these muffins. It has a neutral flavor that lets other flavors, like the banana and blueberries, shine.

Banana

1 slightly overripe banana

I’ll be honest: I tend to just whip out my banana bread recipe whenever I have a few overripe bananas sitting on the counter. Whenever the banana peels start to show more brown than yellow, it’s time to bake with them! A banana can add the same fruity sweetness and a bit of extra moisture to muffins as it would in banana bread.

The important thing? Don’t stress the fructose in a banana! An average-sized overripe banana, like the one we’ll use in these muffins, contains 7.37 grams of fructose, which isn’t much when spread across 16 muffins.

Dairy-Free Sour Cream

1/2 cup sour cream

Sour cream adds a rich, creamy flavor with a bit of tang to these muffins.

Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

It’s important to use unsweetened plant-based milk for a recipe like this because the sugar, honey, and banana already add enough sweetness. Almond milk does have a mild nutty flavor, though it won’t overwhelm the other flavors in this recipe. It also adds moisture to the batter. Almond milk isn’t quite as rich as the dairy milk typically used in this recipe, so the muffins may turn out a bit lighter.

Pure Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vanilla extract typically has a sweet, smooth, and creamy flavor, though this can vary depending on where the vanilla beans are sourced from. Some vanilla beans can add floral notes, while others add a more woody or rum-like flavor.

To make sure your vanilla extract is genuine, look at the ingredient list! It should contain only three ingredients: Vanilla beans, water, and alcohol. In general, genuine vanilla extract will be a little more expensive than imitation vanilla extract. However, it’s worth the extra cost for a more complex flavor!

Blueberries

1 1/2 cups blueberries

I like blueberries for the sweet-tart flavor they add to muffins. The blueberries can be either fresh or frozen. If they’re frozen, I prefer to set them on the counter to thaw and then use paper towels to sop up any excess water. This helps prevent the blueberries from inadvertently adding too much moisture ot the batter.

Method for Making Gluten-Free Banana Blueberry Muffins

Let’s get started with making these muffins, because I haven’t figured out how to make baked goods with magic yet!

Step One: Bring Ingredients Up to Room Temperature

First, I’ll measure out the refrigerated ingredients and set them on the counter to let them warm to room temperature. Why do this? Ingredients at room temperature tend to mix together better!

The tricky part: Keeping pets out of the ingredients on the counter and making sure no one “helpfully” puts them in the fridge before I get a chance to use them. I have caught my cat trying to drink the almond milk before! (He luckily decided he didn’t like the taste.)

Step Two: Mix Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour blend, sugar, psyllium husk powder, baking powder, and salt.

Step Three: Mix Wet Ingredients

In a medium bowl, add the eggs, butter, honey, vegetable oil, banana, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Mix with a sturdy spoon until well blended.

Step Four: Add Wet Ingredients to Dry Ingredients

Make a well in the center of the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the well. Mix gently with the sturdy spoon.

Step Five: Prepare Blueberries

In a small bowl or plastic bag, add the blueberries and a teaspoon of the flour mix. Gently toss the blueberries until they are coated in flour.

Step Six: Add Blueberries to Muffin Batter

Add the floured blueberries to the muffin batter and gently fold them in with a rubber spatula.

Step Seven: Let Batter Rest

After incorporating the blueberries into the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Set it aside to let the batter rest for 30 minutes. You may see a few small bubbles form on top of the batter. This is normal and means the baking powder is doing its job of creating carbon dioxide bubbles.

Step Eight: Preheat Oven

While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 degrees Celsius).

Step Nine: Prepare Muffin Pans

Spray the sides and bottoms of the muffin pan cups with cooking spray.

Step Ten: Add Batter to Muffin Pan Cups

Once the batter is finished resting, fill the muffin tins ⅔ full with spoonfuls of batter. There won’t be enough batter to completely fill every cup in the second pan.

Step Eleven: Bake Muffins

Bake the muffins at 350°F for 22 minutes until the tops are golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin should come out clean.

Step Twelve: Let Muffins Cool

Remove them from the oven and let them cool in the pan on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then, remove them from the pan.

Storing These Muffins

As a general thing, I expect these muffins to get eaten up pretty fast. They can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days. If you want to freeze them, put each muffin in a small resealable plastic bag, seal the bags tightly, and place them in the freezer. They can be thawed in the refrigerator overnight.

Substitutions for These Banana Blueberry Muffins

Gluten-free flours can be more different than you’d think, so I haven’t found a good replacement for the gluten-free flour mix yet. What’s the difference? It’s usually the protein, dietary fiber, and sometimes the fat content, which can cause flours to behave differently when baked. Comparing the nutritional information of different flours on USDA FoodData Central can be a chore, so here’s a handy chart.

Gluten-free flour	Protein (g)	Dietary fiber (g)	Fat (g)
Chickpea flour (besan)	22.4	10.8	6.7
Almond flour	21.4	10.7	50.0
Coconut flour	16.1	34.2	15.3
Oat flour, partially debranned	14.7	6.5	9.1
Quinoa flour	14.3	7.1	7.1
Amaranth flour	14.3	11.4	5.7
Buckwheat flour, whole-groat	12.6	10.0	3.1
Millet flour	10.8	3.5	4.3
Teff flour	10.6	10.6	2.1
Whole-grain sorghum flour	8.4	6.6	3.3
Potato flour	8.1	5.4	1.0
Brown rice flour	7.2	4.6	2.8
Corn flour, whole-grain, yellow	6.9	7.3	3.9
White rice flour, unenriched	6.0	2.4	1.4
Tapioca starch/flour	0.0	0.0	0.0

You can use dairy butter and milk instead of plant-based butter and almond milk if you don’t mind that it won’t be dairy-free.

Maple syrup or agave nectar can replace honey at a 1:1 ratio.

Honey can replace sugar, but you’d have to cut the amount by 1/3 to 1/2 and adjust the liquids accordingly. (1 1/3 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar can replace the honey.)

Need to replace the eggs? This will require an additional step. Before mixing the wet ingredients, see if you have any flaxseed meal. If you do, mix one tablespoon of flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of water for each egg you want to replace. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes to form a gel before adding it to the recipe.

Having trouble finding psyllium husk powder? No shame if that’s true. Sometimes the grocery store where I get most of my ingredients is out of it. Xanthan gum, guar gum, and chia seeds can replace the psyllium husk powder at a 1:1 ratio. Here’s our handy guide to replacing psyllium husk powder.

FAQ About This Banana Blueberry Muffins Recipe

I think making these muffins is relatively straightforward, but we do occasionally get questions! I did my best to answer the most commonly asked ones here. If you think of one I haven’t thought of yet, feel free to ask in the comments section, and we’ll do our best to answer!

Do these muffins have a heavy banana taste?

It’s more like a subtle flavor. Even though banana is in the name, they are not overpowered by banana flavor. Since there’s only 1 banana for about 16 muffins, it mostly adds moisture and a bit of nutrition. But with a hint of flavor!

Do I need to use paper liners with these muffins?

Using liners is a personal preference (and often, a decorative one). I tend to keep a baseline of using liners for cupcakes, not for muffins. The reason why has to do with the texture. A cupcake is a lighter baked good. So a liner is needed to prevent a mountain of crumbs from falling from the cake. A muffin has a more substantial texture, so liners aren’t strictly needed.

How ripe should the banana be for these muffins?

Use a ripe banana with plenty of brown spots. There should be no green left on the peel. It should be soft enough to mash easily, but not so overripe that it is watery or fermented-smelling.

Why do banana-blueberry muffins sometimes turn gummy?

They can turn gummy if there is too much banana, too much liquid, or not enough bake time. In gluten-free muffins, resting the batter gives the starches time to absorb liquid and the baking powder time to form small air bubbles for a perfect texture before baking.

When baking these muffins, make sure a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If it doesn’t, they likely need a few more minutes in the oven.

The cooling time is also important because it gives the centers of the muffins time to set. The good part is that they don’t need to cool as long as a bigger loaf of bread does, so they require slightly less patience while you’re smelling those delicious muffins!

Can I add an extra banana to make the flavor stronger?

Not without adjusting the recipe. An extra banana adds more moisture and weight, which can make gluten-free muffins dense or gummy in the center. Here’s a little secret: Riper bananas actually have a stronger flavor, so letting the banana ripen for an extra day or two can add more banana flavor without throwing the muffins off!

Why are the blueberries tossed in flour before adding them?

Coating the blueberries helps keep them from sinking and absorbs some of the berries’ surface moisture. This is especially helpful in a moist banana muffin batter where the fruit needs a little help staying evenly distributed. The recipe uses a teaspoon of flour blend for this step.

Yes, it can help to pat them dry with paper towels. This gives the flour less moisture to contend with, since some flours actually have a limited ability to absorb moisture.

Should I mash the banana completely smooth or leave chunks?

Mash it mostly smooth. Small bits are fine, but large banana chunks can create wet pockets in the muffins and an uneven texture. A smoother mash helps the banana blend into the batter as a moisture and binder.

More Muffin Recipes

I’ll be honest, I’m a big fan of muffins! I’ll also do a lot of holiday baking, and I might be talked into making some for the occasional bake sale. Here are some more muffin recipes that I like a lot!

• Easy Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
• Gluten-Free Blackberry Muffins
• Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Gluten-Free Spiced Pumpkin Muffins
• Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins

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