Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins (V+GF): a one bowl recipe for warm, moist and lightly sweet Banana Oat Muffins made with simple ingredients.
Before there were Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins, there were store-bought muffins. And plenty of ‘em. For years, I’ve nursed a strong and unwavering love for… grocery store bakeries. You heard me, grocery store bakeries.
Anyone else agree? (Pause)
Hmm… is that crickets I hear? Either that or my eccentric heater is huffing and snapping again. Well, then! Why would a self-proclaimed baker such as myself just love grocery store bakeries? I’ll tell ya: the thing about grocery store bakeries is that they’re pretty much just other people’s kitchens… but on a much larger scale. Ya know? And being the nosy, ever hungry and baked good lovin’ gal that I am, I can’t help but check out other people’s kitchens.
Grocery store bakeries, unlike regular people’s kitchens, also get to make like a hundred different items everyday. Duuude, how cool is that? So what happens when they have to make that much stuff? Will it be good? Will it be gross? Will it be both?
My mind boggles at the possibilities.
So every time I plan my entire weekend around going to casually stroll by a grocery store, I go straight for my favorite section: the bakery. Oh, the sweets that abound there! Muffins, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate-covered macaroons, cakes shaped like cookies, cupcakes shaped into a cake, a cake shaped into a cupcake (hmm, I’m sensing a theme here).
I feel like a kid in a candy store there… but with less candy and more baked goods shaped like other baked goods.
One of the cases that I always have to check out is the muffin case. (And of course, the doughnut case, the cookies case, and all of the other cases… #SweetToothProblems). Imagine all of the goodness in this case: double chocolate chip muffins, blueberry muffins, pistachio (!!) muffins, strawberry streusel muffins, and… drumroll please: banana muffins.
You would think after I revealed my embarrassing former dislike of Oatmeal Cookies aka the Trick Cookies, I would have just about run as far and as fast as I could from banana muffins. But, to be honest (as if I’ve been lying the whole time up til now), my mom loves banana muffins.
So I’ve assigned myself to the very “difficult” research of eating my way through many, many grocery stores, in an attempt to find the most delicious banana muffins for her. Preferably banana oat muffins, for the health factor, of course.
After years of doing this, and now with both of us being at ages where we’re not quite the spring chickens we used to be, it has come to my attention that… well, we gotta eat better (yep, big astounding epiphany here)! No more grocery store bakeries (except on rare occasions); and way more homemade goodies.
I’ve busied myself with less walks to said bakeries and more baker cardio in my own kitchen. After a bit of this and a bit of that, I am proud to present to you… my Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins, aka Mom’s Favorite Banana Oat Muffins. Or, She’s Too Busy Eating And Can’t Hear You Muffins. Or, Banana Oat Muffins That Are Actually Muffins, Not A Cake Shaped Into A Muffin.
These babies are the kind of breakfast delight that’ll stop you, your mom and all the neighborhood folk from ever having to peruse the grocery store bakery cases ever again. Okay, I exaggerate. But it’ll give you that guilt-free, comforting, and delicious banana muffin decadence you’ve been craving. And just in case you feel more like loaf-shaped banana goodness, try this amazing gluten free banana bread from my sweet friend Sharon at What the Fork!
These Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins are:
- easy to make, in one bowl
- incredibly rich and moist, and lightly sweet
- made with simple ingredients
- gluten free and vegan
- packed full of banana flavor
- perfect on-the-go
- warm, comforting and hearty
- full of whole grains: oat flour and rolled oats
And, of course…
- something you can feel good about making for your mama
- way better than grocery store bakery stuff
If you’re a sucker for breakfast foods like my mom and I, or you just love a good muffin (that actually looks like a muffin), these Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins have got your name all over it. Well, it actually has oats and coconut sugar all over it. But I could arrange the oats to spell out your name…?
Some awesome ways to enjoy these banana oat muffins are:
- warmed up with a drizzle of maple syrup on top
- cut in half with a scoop of almond butter in between
- as a double banana bliss bowl: warmed up with banana soft serve on top
You’re drooling now, am I right?? Make these Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins today and hug me tomorrow. 😉
☀︎ Did you make this recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker and tag @beamingbaker. I would love to see it! ☀︎
- 3 medium, very ripe bananas (a little over 1 cup)
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut sugar*, more for topping
- 2 flax eggs (2 tablespoons ground flax + 6 tablespoons water, whisk together, set for 5 mins)
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free oat flour
- 1 ¼ cups gluten free rolled oats, more for topping
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats (optional)
- 1-2 teaspoons coconut sugar* (optional)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Coat a standard, 12-muffin pan with nonstick spray or oil.
- Peel bananas and add to a large mixing bowl. Using a sturdy whisk or fork, mash bananas until smooth. Add the coconut oil, maple syrup, sugar, flax eggs, milk and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated.
- Add oat flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Whisk together until just incorporated, making sure no flour patches remain. Be careful not to overmix, as doing so will result in tough muffins.
- Pour batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan. Optional: sprinkle the muffin tops with rolled oats and sugar.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes.
- Allow to cool on a cooling rack for about 1 hour. Lift out and enjoy!
- Storage notes: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
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After you’ve patted yourself on the back for making homemade muffins, try out my Mango Chia Seed Smoothie (Vegan and Gluten Free). Sunny bliss in a cup.
Continue your bananarific day (yep, I just said that) with my Banana Bread Bars with Streusel (Vegan). Yum.
Questions of the Day
What’s your favorite part of the grocery store?
If you don’t like the grocery store, what’s your favorite place to peruse?
I can’t wait to hear your responses. ❤️ demeter
It’s funny that you mentioned your love of grocery store bakeries, because my husband and I have a slight attraction to it, too! Even though I make more goodies than we can eat, we also peruse the bakery section every week, just to see if anything catches our eye! And those jumbo muffins always get my attention. But I would definitely pass them up for these gluten free cuties! Banana anything is a favorite of mine, so I can only imagine how delicious these must taste! Pinned! Hope your Thursday is off to a great start!
Right?? It just smells so good… and it’s always lit a certain way. And during the holidays. Don’t even get me started on the holidays! Hehe. Aw, thanks so much Gayle. Oh, it’s soo nice to learn that you enjoy banana. 🙂 Thanks for pinning! Have a wonderful weekend. 🙂
Yes to gluten free banana oat muffins, Demeter! This look gorgeous and so moist! I love any bakery. Smells are amazing and just the presentation of all kinds of goodies makes my heart flutter 🙂 I’m guessing, though, that you could whip up something better than all those grocery store bakeries combined. Love the serving tips, especially spreading almond butter on these babies. How awesome and delicious is that?!
Yay!! A big basket for you, Dawn. 🙂 Hehe. Exactly! It’s all about the presentation they’ve got going on there. You’re so sweet. Yup, serving tastiness! Thanks for stopping by, D. 🙂
Yes! I love going to the grocery store. I swear, sometimes it feels like I spend more time there then at home. lol I love walking through all the aisles, but my two favorites are easily the bakery and the frozen section. How can you not enjoy looking at cookies and ice cream? It’s just hard when you go hungry, because then I just end up buying everything! 😀
Haha! I know the feeling. 😉 Exactly!! I once read that you shouldn’t go to a grocery store hungry. It just equals trouble. Hehe. Thanks for commenting Megan! 🙂
I love looking at grocery store bakeries and huge muffins always catch my eye (especially considering my past college-days addiction to Costco muffins). These look beautiful and so much better than store-bought.
Oh, haha! Totally. I debated about whether or not to mention Costco in this post. Their muffins… just so unbelievably addictive. S’alls I’m sayin’. Thanks so much Megan! Nice to meet you. 🙂
Look at that cross-section… yum yum yum! Banana oat muffins FTW! Please make a loaf version too!
I can totally relate to your story, Demeter. When I go to the mall or grocery, I’d go to bakery shops first before anything else. I enjoy going to baker’s specialty stores, baking supplies sections and anything related to baking than shopping for my clothes or make-up haha (<- and my husband does this one for me btw). Maybe that's the reason why I don't have fashion sense haha!
Aw, thanks Sheryl! Hehe. Cross-section: I like that! Good idea… I was planning on it, but not too sure how far out it should be (don’t want to drive people crazy with banana oat recipes).
Right?? It’s like a baker thing, or something. Maybe “professional” curiosity? And general hunger? Hehe. Oh, Sheryl, if we went shopping, we would just tear up the whole mall together.
Wait, your husband does your makeup? Tell me more! Woah, that’s kind of awesome. 🙂 I like helpful partners.
Confession time again: I have never ever bought a muffin in a grocery store bakery. Or actually anywhere. I don’t know why, they never looked appealing (maybe it’s just in Europe, I bet US is better in the muffin game ;))
But I absolutely love homemade muffins! And yours -like every of your baked goods- look just so extremely delicious, I really wish they would sell them in stores !
Pinned and saved for a rainy weekend 🙂
Oh, I love confession time! 🙂 🙂 How interesting! Yeah, maybe it’s different over there? Sometimes it feels like a competition between all the grocery stores over here. Like, they have special lighting and all kinds of displays. Plus, they’re always baking and giving out samples, so what sane person could really resist that? Hehe. Maybe it is different in Europe? I so wouldn’t know. Haha.
Thank you so much Evi. 🙂 Sending you a big, virtual dozen. 🙂
Lol, ain’t nothing wrong with grocery story bakeries! I succumb to the convenience every once in a while now, but I use to ALWAYS be a sucker for the jumbo muffins at costco. Like I had a weird addiction. Of course now I just make muffins myself whenever I have a craving, which is on a pretty regular occasion. I absolutely MUST add these to my muffin rotation, because these look FAAAAAB, Demeter!! Banana oat anything makes my skirt fly up, but banana oat muffins?! I have seen the light! And I’ll take 3 dozen. 😉 Totally loving all your serving suggestions! I’m thinking I am going to cut one in half, dollop on some almond butter, drizzle it with a bit of maple AND then top it with banana “faux ice cream”. Yaaaaahs. Drooling so hard! Pinned! Cheers, lady! <3
Lol. There probably is when you walk out with ALL the things! Haha. Gurl, it was not pretty! I’m not the type of gal to just eat one, ya know? Haha. Oh goodness, don’t even get me started on those Costco muffins!! So freaking addictive. But not good for the healths, I say. Add these to the rotation and let me know what ya think! 😉 Thanks so much, honey bun! Have an awesome weekend. And hey, we had a cocoa-free week this time, didn’t we? 😉 Much love!
I think you can read my mind! I’ve had muffins on the brain lately but I’ve been too lazy to check Pinterest for recipes. Good thing you got me covered! But I gotta be honest, these look a gizzilion times better than any grocery store muffin, I mean, is that food? Plus, your ingredients are so much better than whatever processed yuck they put in theirs. Love those tops though, very tempted to pick the top off but I WILL show self control.
Hmm… that would be awesome! Hehe. Laura, I’ve always gotcha covered! 😉 Thank you so much for saying so. Yeah, this is (spoiler alert) gonna be a muffin top cookie soon! have a good one, L! 🙂
Oh yesssss, I am with you! Whenever I go to my favorite grocery store I take time walking down the aisles but I am especially labored walking through the bakery! It’s like the best field trip, ever! But – these muffins of yours – oh man…I’d have to ponder them for days if they were part of the display! Love!
“Especially labored:” Haha. You crack me up, Annie! Yup, it’s definitely the yummiest field trip. 😉 Thanks so much for saying so Annie. Have a good one!
The pics are gorgeous, these look way better than any store-bought muffin for sure! And much healthier as well I bet 🙂
Thanks so much Serena! 🙂 Healthy, without sacrificing taste. Woot woot!
I hate the grocery store unless there’s nobody there, then I love it! I especially love The Fresh Market because it’s always empty and such a lovely shopping experience. Unfortunately it’s too expensive to buy all my stuff there so I have to risk my life going to places like Trader Joe’s and hope that I get out alive.
Okay, I’ll be honest too, there’s one grocery store bakery that I’ve loved since I was a child and that’s Publix. I love their breads and cookies and cakes and fruit turnovers and sub sandwiches. Okay, sub sandwiches are really a bakery item but it is made with bakery bread, so there’s that. Now that I live in the NE, I don’t buy anything from the grocery store bakeries because there are insane in the membrane bakeries all over the place. I go into Boston to all the old school Italian bakeries and eat my weight in rainbow cookies and florentine cookies. I’m going to try your muffin recipe because I’m trying to be all healthy eating over here, although I will pour maple syrup all over the top of them like you suggested. Oh wait, did you say drizzle? I think you meant pour…;)
Omigosh, then it’s like your very own private tour of the store. Cool! Hehe. TJ’s: Haha. Especially when you go near dinnertime: yikes! It’s insanely busy.
Publix: Oh cool! I don’t think I’ve ever been to one. Hey, if you say the sando is a bakery item, then I’m with ya, Karrie. 😉
Boston: Girl, the North End is crazy!! You have to climb over people to get a cannoli. But yeah, their stuff is so ridiculously yummy.
Try them! They totally don’t taste super healthy. 🙂 Hey, you gotta do whatcha gotta do. Haha. Try warming one up and maybe adding a scoop of ice cream?? Or, I like to slice one in half, put a couple chocolate chips on top and then warm it. YUM!
Thanks so much for stopping by Karrie! Looking forward to hearing more of your foodie confessions next week. 😉
I loved grocery store-bought muffins, and would indulge in them whenever I did my groceries! But since I’ve been baking up my own muffins, the grocery ones have nothing on them 😉 These GF banana oat muffins look so much better than store-bought, and I bet they taste amazing!
Yep! Are you kidding me? Your very own, homemade baking vs. grocery store bakering: yeah, it’s clear that you’re the winner! 🙂 Thanks so much Marsha! 🙂
My confession is worst than your store bought bakery….I love Costco muffins, cookies and cakes! I mean I make my own and love them as well but those Costco giant muffins are like crack!!! These look really delicious as well, do you think I could use two normal eggs instead?
Oh, hehe. We can all be ashamed together. 😉 And YES!! So much yes to those Costco muffins. Kate, I actually thought about including some fairly embarrassing confessions about those legendary muffins in my post. I think it’s safe to say that a good majority of us have taken the bulk-size suggestions a bit too seriously. Haha.
As for replacing the flax eggs with normal eggs: yep! I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve had a lot of luck in the past doing the opposite (replacing normal eggs with flax eggs). Hope this helps. Let me know how it turns out. Thanks for stopping by Kate! 🙂
These look delicious! I can’t wait to try them. Do you think it would work to replace the oat flour with whole wheat flour? I love my gluten, and I don’t have any oat flour on hand.
PS I, too, plan my weekends around grocery excursions. It’s like a constant treasure hunt to see what’s new. I’d be happy going every day if I had the time!
Hi Christina. Thanks! 🙂 Hmm… as for replacing the oat flour with whole wheat flour: I’m not sure. I’ve never tried it before. Oat flour tends to be a bit drier than whole wheat flour, so you might end up with overly moist muffins. If you have rolled (old-fashioned) oats at home, you can actually just make your own oat flour. All you do is put the oats in a blender and blend until you get a slightly grainy flour. Then scoop out the amount required in the recipe. Other than that, I’m not sure. Sorry! If you end up trying it, let me know how it pans out. (Baker joke for ya).
Grocery store love: Yup! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Hehe. It’s like Sephora for food lovers. lol. Thanks for stopping by Christina. 🙂
Thanks for your advice! I have made oat flour in my food processor before, but I’ve found the resulting baked goods to be a harder sell than their wheaty counterparts. Perhaps I will try 1 cup of oat flour and a scant cup of whole wheat flour.
Keep the baker puns coming 🙂 I look forward to exploring your site!
My pleasure, Christina. 🙂 Oh, I’ve totally been there! You get super dry, gummy baked goods that could compete with a tire!
But don’t worry, this recipe was made specifically around oat flour’s, let’s call it… “difficulties.” Lol. So I made sure to include plenty of liquids to balance it all out. 🙂 Plus, the oat flour has a much milder flavor than whole wheat.
If you do end up going with the oat flour/whole wheat combo, I’d be super curious to see how it turns out.
Doughn’t forget to let me know. 😉 I’m looking forward to having you here!
Sooooo here’s my confession…I hate bananas (like, fiery passion kind of hatred) BUT I actually love banana bread, and I think that love will include these banana muffins! I’m not sure what it is, but add a few ingredients to the banana and I’m good. Guess it’s more of a love-hate relationship!
So interesting! Yeah, it seems like people end up on two side of the fence: they either hate it or love it. Funny how that is. Yes!! Thank goodness you still love banana bread–it’s so warm, comforting and yummy. 🙂
That smell is addictive, I used to always get stuff from grocery store bakeries! These muffins look beautiful and delicious!
Agreed! Thanks Mira. 🙂
I don’t bake with oat flour and rolled oats enough! Now that I’ve seen your muffins I want to change that! In the meantime, you can send us a dozen, please 😉 !! They look beautiful and yummy and anything I would like in my breakfast, close to a cappuccino. I like the small, family run grocery stores you still find in Italy, not as much the huge ones you find in Canada. And we love Farmer’s Markets everywhere!!
Oh, it’s kinda cool, once you get the hang of it. Oat flour can be a bit tricky, but I love all of its many benefits. 🙂 Sending you a big, virtual dozen! 😉 These would be wonderful with a cappuccino. Thanks Nicoletta!
OK, totally used to hit up my local grocery store bakery all the time. Couldn’t help it – they gave me the best tasting cranberry orange muffin I’ve ever had! So girl, you’re not alone!! That aside, I totally am in love with how beautiful these muffins look. They are a must make in the near future!
Right? Okay, so we’ve got a good group of grocery store bakery fanatics going here. We should start a team or something. Hehe. Thank you so much Jessica! Let me know how you like them if you try. Hugs!
I’m embarrassed to admit I have a love for grocery store bakeries, too! Everything is gorgeous, moist and delicious, but in the end I’d still prefer to make my own treats 😉 Your muffins are beautiful and easily rival any treat I could go grab at the store!
Hehe. Then we can be embarrassed together. Yay!! lol. But yeah, at the end of the day, homemade just seems more special. Maybe bc you had to work for it? 🙂 Thanks Megan! xo
I am in love with the recipe. These muffins look so beautiful and delicious. Wish I could grab one!
Thanks so much Kushi. 🙂 Sending a big, virtual muffin over to ya. 😉
I just baked these and they came out delicious. I used chia in place of flax as I have a flax intolerance. I added some walnuts and chocolate chips to half of the batter. I also only added 1/4 cup of the maple syrup in total as I do not like overly sweet treats. The texture is quite nice and they came out moist! I baked them for 22 mins and they were perfectly done.
I’m so happy to hear that, Aga. 🙂 Your substitutes and adjustments sound awesome! Love that you were able to get the perfect sweetness for your palate. Thank you for taking the time to let me know how these turned out. Happy Baking! 🙂
I added two heaping tablespoons of sunflower butter to this recipe. It’s really good in it.
That’s such a tasty idea, Les! I’ll have to try that some time. Thanks for letting me know!
They turned out very delicious.. thank you!
Love
Joana
That’s so wonderful to hear, Joana! 🙂 Big hugs, Demeter. <3
I just transitioned to vegan and had some overripe bananas and oat flour that I needed to use up, and this recipe was perfect! The muffins turned out so thick and moist, they are soooo good! Thank you for sharing this great recipe 🙂
Wow, good luck with the transition! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank YOU for taking the time to let me know! Btw, if you ever need help finding a vegan dessert, let me know. 🙂
Several docs have suggested my wife eliminate gluten to help with her Hashimoto’s thyroiditis so I am making treats for her and decided to try these. I added chopped walnuts and swapped the sugar for stevia. Very yummy! We both enjoyed these!
Aw, you’re so sweet to do so. 🙂 Chopped walnuts sound like such an incredible addition! So lovely to hear that you both enjoyed these. Can’t wait to hear what you both try next, Lauren! 😉