Gluten Free, Sugar Free Banana Nut Muffins (with chocolate chips)

You’re trying to avoid gluten, but you really miss some of those sweet treats you used to enjoy. You’ve tried a few recipes, but none of them hit the spot. Then you stumble across this recipe for a gluten free banana nut muffin. . .with chocolate chips! And you’re hooked.

Is it Hard to Bake Gluten Free Sweets?

The short answer is “Yes.” It’s not as easy as whipping together a gluten-filled recipe. Going gluten free places you on a learning curve, for sure! That’s why I’ve waited so long to post anything gluten-free on this blog.

I’ll be honest: I haven’t had much luck with gluten-free baking. I’ve tried oat bran, almond flour, and a variety of other things. But most of my products haven’t been great in the end.

Are These Muffins Sugar Free, Too?

Besides gluten, I’m on a quest to avoid sugar, as well. (I know. . .a baker who’s trying to avoid sugar. Funny, right?)

I’ve got a couple of healthy options on this site already, but few are both gluten-free and sugar free.

So, today I decided to try again. I took one of my other recipes and tweaked it a bit to turn it into a tasty muffin that someone who’s gluten free and sugar free could enjoy.

I finally managed to pull off a gluten free muffin that’s super tasty and fluffy, too!

Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffin Ingredients

Wondering what you’ll need to make these muffins? Some of these ingredients might be new to you, but you should give them a try! You’ll find a full printable recipe at the bottom of this post, but here’s a quick glance at what you’ll need:

• 2 over ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1/3 cup Monk Fruit sweetener
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup Stevia chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

How to Make These Gluten Free, Sugar Free Banana Nut Muffins

Wondering how to make these muffins? They come together so easily! I used my stand mixer with the paddle attachment but I could have easily mixed them up in a medium mixing bowl using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.

Here’s how you make these muffins:

First, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Next: In a medium bowl combine bananas, Monk Fruit, sour cream and vanilla.

Mix well.

After that, add egg and mix well.

In a separate bowl combine almond flour and baking powder. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients. Fold in chocolate chips and pecans

Prepare a muffin tin by spraying with baking spray. (This recipe will make 9 muffins.) Fill cups to 3/4 point.

Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until muffins spring back to the touch.

Remove from oven and place muffin tin on a wire cooling rack for several minutes until muffins can be handled. (These are very moist muffins, thanks to the bananas. If you leave them in the muffin tin they can continue to bake for a few minutes after they’re out of the oven.)

Turn them out and continue to cool.

What to Expect

When these little muffins first came out of the oven they reminded me of tiny cornbread muffins. (Ha!) They hadn’t risen as much as I had expected, so I honestly didn’t hold out much hope.

Then I broke a muffin open….and y’all…

I was completely delighted to see that it’s fluffy on the inside! (Based on the tiny size, I thought they would be grainy or gooey. They are anything but!)

I ate two while they were still warm. . .and I didn’t even feel guilty!

I feel SO good about the fact that I have a healthy option. (I love my sweet treats and giving them up is too hard!) I ran the recipe through the “Create a Recipe” option on WW and they came out to four points per muffin. Not bad!

Another picture of the fluffy interior so you won’t be put off by the tiny flat exterior. (Hey, it’s true what they say: you can’t judge a book–or a muffin–by its cover!)

Variations on this Recipe

I’ve often made banana nut muffins with oat bran (basically quick oats that I grind in my Ninja). That’s another gluten-free option.

Skip the chocolate chips and add an extra banana and toasted walnuts for a trust banana nut muffin sensation.

Dice up dates or Craisins to add to your batter. (I haven’t checked to see if those things are gluten free, so that will be up to you.)

If you’re not a fan of Monk Fruit you can use any other sweetener you like. If you’re not sugar free you can always use brown sugar. I often use unsweetened applesauce but that wouldn’t work in this recipe because there’s already so much moisture from the bananas.

A Few Other Healthy Options from Out of the Box Baking:

I have some other healthy options for those of you who are trying to avoid sugar. These aren’t all gluten free but most are!

• Healthy Banana Pancakes (without flour): These delicious flavor-packed banana pancakes are loaded with protein and antioxidants and they’re easy to make. Best of all, they’re gluten-free!
• Healthy Cinnamon Apple Muffins: These are packed with oats, real apple, cinnamon, and even a banana. (Hey, basically a fruit salad with some oats thrown in!)
• Cloud Bread Pavlova (sugar free): This is a light, crispy pavlova-like concoction with a little bit of sweet, a little bit of tart, and just the right amount of fluff to make me feel like I’m getting dessert. 
• My friend Debby over at Southern Home Express has a ton of gluten free options! Hop on over and check out her site!

Thanks for stopping by! I am open to any of your ideas regarding gluten free desserts! I’m also happy to try out some of your recipes and to feature them on this blog.

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About the Author

Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.