These gluten-free chocolate chip banana muffins are tender, moist, and full of real banana flavor-everything you want in a great banana muffin. Studded with chocolate chips, they're moist, delicious, gluten-free, and even dairy-free. Blend the bananas in a blender for an extra-smooth batter, then stir everything together by hand in one bowl. They're easy and fast to make, bake, and freeze well.
Whether you're baking for weekday breakfasts, lunchbox treats, or stocking the freezer, these moist gluten-free chocolate chip banana muffins are a delight-sweet but not too sweet, light yet satisfying. Blending the bananas in a blender makes prep easier than using mashed bananas, and they freeze beautifully for make-ahead convenience
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- An easy breakfast or snack - Great with coffee or on the go.
- Banana and chocolate chips - A classic flavor combo.
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, freezer-friendly.
For more gluten-free muffins, try these tender carrot cake muffins (dairy-free too).
Recipe Ingredients
- Gluten-free flour blend - I use King Arthur Measure for Measure; xanthan included. Other GF blends will probably work, I just have not tested them. For GF blends that have no xanthan gum, add ¼ teaspoon.
- Baking soda - Leavening agent, helps muffins rise and brown.
- Baking powder - Leavening agent, aluminum-free for clean taste; for a lighter, fluffier crumb.
- Ripe bananas - Ripe bananas with brown spots add natural sweetness, moisture.
- Golden brown sugar - Adds rich flavor and keeps the muffins soft and tender.
- Eggs - Bind the batter and provide structure.
- Vanilla extract - Rounds out the flavors, pairs perfectly with banana and chocolate.
- Melted coconut oil - For moist, dairy-free muffins; avocado oil is a good substitute.
- Mini chocolate chips - Add sweetness in every bite and distribute evenly; use dairy-free if needed, and semisweet or dark chocolate.
Please see the recipe card for measurements and sea salt.
Need another muffin recipe? Try these GF zucchini muffins!
Chef's tip on how to ripen yellow bananas: Place bananas in a paper bag with an apple, another ripe banana, or an almost ripe avocado, and loosely fold the top. The ethylene gas speeds ripening more naturally.
Substitutions and Variations
- Skip the chocolate chips for simple gluten-free banana muffins.
- Use flax egg if you're egg sensitive.
- To reduce sugar and net carbs, use golden monk fruit/allulose blend (this is usually how I bake them and they are terrific).
For an easy chocolate chip meringue cookie, try these old fashioned Forgotten Cookies.
Chef's tip on choosing bananas: Use ripe bananas that yield to gentle pressure and have plenty of brown spots. It does make a difference, as I've tested banana ripeness. The riper they are, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be. Just don't go too far-overripe bananas that are completely black and totally squishy can make the batter too wet and affect the texture.
How to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pre-heat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray them with avocado oil. I used these cute tulip cupcake paper liners that give the muffins a bakery look.
- Add bananas, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, oil to a blender.
- Puree briefly until smooth on low to medium speed.
- Whisk dry ingredients until blended.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir banana mixture until smooth with a flexible spatula. Fold in chocolate chips. Rest batter 15 minutes.
5. Portion banana muffin batter into paper baking cups, using a ¼ cup measure or a #16 disher/scooper. Sprinkle extra chips on top if desired.
6. Bake muffins for 25-28 minutes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack and allow to cool.
Chef's tip: rest your gluten-free batter. Resting gluten-free muffin batter for 15-20 minutes before baking gives the flours-especially rice flour, sorghum, or other whole-grain and starch-based blends-time to fully hydrate. This improves texture, reduces grittiness, and helps create a more tender, cohesive crumb.
Serving Suggestions
Gluten-free chocolate chip banana muffins are great for a quick breakfast on the go or a morning or afternoon snack. Pack a couple for travel or a lunchbox. These muffins are nice with coffee or tea, spread with a little almond butter for extra protein. Of course sweet butter or coconut butter is good too!
For storing and freezing, see the recipe card notes.
Recipe FAQs
For egg-free banana muffins try an egg replacer. Texture may be slightly different. For chia eggs, use 1 T chia + 2 T water per egg and let stand to gell for 10-15 minutes. For flax eggs, use 1 T ground flax meal with 3 T warm water per eggs, let it stand 5-15 minutes.
Yes, for no sugar banana muffins, use golden monk fruit/allulose blend instead of brown sugar.
Yes, though mini chips distribute more evenly. Use what you prefer.
More Baking Recipe
Love to bake? Try some of these easy baking recipes that taste so good no one will ever know they are gluten-free. Have extra chocolate chips? Make a batch of the peanut butter oatmeal protein balls, a no-bake recipe.
Did You Make This Recipe?
If you make these gluten-free banana chocolate chip muffins, please add your comment. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy hearing from you. They really help other readers. If you loved it, please give it a 5-star rating!
📖 Recipe
Gluten-free Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons gluten-free flour blend 8 ounces King Arthur Measure for Measure
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3-4 ripe bananas 1 ½ pounds
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup golden brown sugar OR golden brown monk fruit blend
- ½ cup neutral healthy oil (not vegetable oil, note below) or melted coconut oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips plus extra for top if desired
Instructions
Start here
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or skip the paper liners and spray with avocado oil.
Mix dry ingredients
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking power, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl and whisk to blend.
Mix the wet ingredients
- Add the bananas, eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla to a blender, and briefly blend on low to medium speed just until smooth (15 seconds). Do not over-blend.Add the wet mix to the dry ingredients in the bowl and fold together with a flexible spatula until smooth, then blend in the chocolate chips. Rest the batter to rehydrate for 15-20 minutes.
Portion muffins
- Portion the muffin batter between the wells of a 12-cup muffin pan. For equal portions use #16 disher/scooper or a ¼ cup measure. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
Bake muffins
- Bake muffins until they are light golden brown on top and a toothpick or cake tester come out clean or with few moist crumbs when inserted into the center of a muffin, 26-28 minutes. They should feel firm on top with little give. Ovens vary so go by the toothpick test. Cool muffins a few minutes in the pan then remove to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
Storing and Freezing
Muffins store on the kitchen counter in an airtight container or zip bag for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp or warm gently before enjoying. Healthy oil If you have standard vegetable oil in your pantry, toss it. I use this healthy vegetable oil replacement all of the time! You have to order it online but it is worth it.Substitutions
- Skip the chocolate chips for simple gluten-free banana muffins.
- If your GF flour does not contain xanthan gum, add ¼ teaspoon.
- To reduce the carbs and sugar, use golden monk fruit/allulose blend. Carbs per muffin is then 28 grams - 4 grams of fiber = 24 grams net carbs. They taste the same and know one will know the difference, it's how I usually make them.
Egg Sensitivities
- For a flax egg: 1 T flax seeds + 3 T water blend in blender 1 minute. For a chia egg, 1 T chia + ⅓ cup water, let stand 15 minutes. For the two eggs, double these quantities, then add to the blend where you would add the eggs.
Nutrition
Would you like to save this recipe?
Never lose a recipe! We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.
Tara says
Great recipe! I subbed the sugar for 1/4 cup pure maple syrup and a few T honey, and they came out great. Fluffy and tender! Only complaint is they stick to the liners really bad even though I sprayed them.. but it was probably the extra liquid. I’ll definitely make them again!
Sally Cameron says
Thanks for reporting back Tara! Try using the paper liners...or did you mean you used paper liners and sprayed them? I've made them both ways and now prefer using the papers, and those tulip shaped ones are fun. If you want to skip sugar (me too) use, golden monk fruit/allulose blend. Works great and what I use mostly now to reduce sugar. https://amzn.to/3Haz1QA
.
Porsche Guy says
Wow are these good. I shared them with friends who are not GF and they would never guess. Moist, tender, and love the mini chocolate chips!