Every week, we seem to have a bunch of overripe bananas sitting on our kitchen counter.

While the easy tendency may be to toss these aside, these brown spotted fruits are actually the perfect ingredient for the best almond flour banana muffins.

Is there anything more inviting that the smell of homemade banana bread?

But why almond flour, you might ask?

Well, lately, I’ve been getting many requests for easy gluten free snacks for kids, and I wanted to recreate a family favorite recipe that kids and grown-ups alike could enjoy, even with a gluten sensitivity or allergy.

Also, this year, in my daughter’s class, she has a couple friends with food allergies and/or celiac disease, so her classroom is peanut and gluten-free.

I wanted to come up with a recipe for gluten-free muffins that she could enjoy for a snack at school while also keeping her friends safe.

So I took one of my favorite banana bread recipes and recreated it to make easy gluten free banana muffins by using almond flour instead of traditional all purpose flour.

Baking With Almond Flour to Make the Best Banana Muffins

Baking with almond flour can be a simple way to recreate your favorite baking products and for gluten-free baking. There are a few tips to know when baking with almond flour.

First, what is blanched almond flour?

Almond flour is made from blanched almonds (almonds with the outer peel removed) that have been ground finely into a powder that resembles all-purpose baking flour.

Since almond flour is made from ground almonds, it is a suitable substitute for gluten-free baking, especially for quick breads and cookies.

Almond flour also offers an array of nutrients, including fiber, and important vitamins and minerals, such as magnesium and vitamin E.

Almond flour also packs in more protein than traditional all purpose flour.

Using almond flour in baked goods, such as in this banana bread muffin recipe, can help keep little tummies satisfied longer with the boost of protein and fiber.

It also offers a subtle natural sweetness that complements the flavors in many baking recipes, like in these easy banana muffins.

If you want to substitute almond flour for all purpose flour, you can easily do so with a 1:1 ratio.

Meaning, if a recipe calls for one cup of all purpose flour, you can swap it with one cup of almond flour.

In summary, if you need to make a gluten-free alternative of your favorite baked goods recipe, or if you simply want to boost the nutrients in a kid-friendly snack, then baking with almond flour can be a great option.

While blanched almond flour is readily available at most grocery stores, you can also make homemade blanched almond flour to save money.

Simply blend a cup of raw blanched slivered almonds in a high speed blender to make about one cup of almond flour. Easy, right?

A Note About Fruits and Vegetables for Kids

I also like baking with recipes that include fruits and vegetables, as this can also be a practical and easy way to offer these foods to kids.

Now, if you’re wondering how to get your child to eat fruits and veggies or are thinking you can trick them into eating produce by hiding them in muffins or cookies, that’s not necessarily what I’m getting at here.

It’s important to understand that tricking kids into eating foods, especially fruits and vegetables, is almost certain to backfire.

If a child discovers that a food she might not feel safe or comfortable eating (like a vegetable) is hidden in a food that she does enjoy (like a muffin), this can cause her to develop aversions or dislikes toward her favorite foods.

Even more damaging, when a caregiver sneaks vegetables in food without a child knowing, this can create distrust between a parent and a child, which can harm the feeding relationship.

Building a trusting feeding relationship with your child is more important for her health over the long-term and essential for having a positive relationship with food. At the end of the day, this is more important than eating vegetables.

Yes, vegetables and fruits for kids can help support their nutrient intake, but it’s crucial to not miss the forest for the trees.

If kids are being forced or tricked into eating produce, this doesn’t allow them to build positive experiences with eating.

Feeling safe with food is an important step that allows a child to feel comfortable trying new foods. If they feel confident with eating and at mealtimes, they will be more open to trying new foods when it’s on their terms (not yours).

This doesn’t mean you should keep offering fruits and vegetables. Continued exposure to these foods without any pressure or tricking to eat fruits and vegetables is what’s key here.

My favorite mantra to keep in mind is, “Parents provide, child decides”. Meaning, you can continue to provide a variety of foods to your kids, but they are the ones who should decide whether or not they want to eat them.

If you’ve been unsure as to how to get kids to eat vegetables, keep all this information in mind. Bottom line, it’s not your job to get your child to eat vegetables.

Another thing to keep in mind is that fruits and veggies have a similar nutrient profile. So if your child has an easier time eating fruit than veggies and prefers them over vegetables, they are likely to meet their nutrient needs.

(As always, if you have any individual concerns about your child’s nutrition, please be sure to discuss with your pediatrician or connect with me for support).

All that being said, there are a variety of ways to offer and include fruits and vegetables for kids in meals and snacks in a non-pressured environment, and these easy banana muffins are one fun way to do so.

In general, muffins are usually a more familiar item to kids, or something they may be willing to explore, in terms of eating.

Remember that the fact that there’s fruit in these muffins doesn’t have to be a secret from your child. When possible, involving your kids with cooking and baking can also help build their exposure and confidence with and around food.

Baking can be an opportunity to help expose kids to food, increase their comfortability with food without any pressure to eat, and invite tactile play, which can help decrease the risk of food neophobia, or the reluctance to try new foods.

Kids love to mix, pour, touch, and get their hands dirty, so don’t be afraid to let them get involved with you in the kitchen.

Vegan Banana Bread Muffins or Banana Muffins No Egg

If you and your family are following a vegan lifestyle or if you need to avoid dairy or eggs for allergy reasons, there are some easy modifications that can be made to this recipe.

For eggless banana muffins, you can substitute the 1 egg that the recipe calls for with ¼ cup applesauce, making these delicious banana applesauce muffins. The banana muffins with applesauce are an easy way to keep moist banana muffins without the addition of the egg.

Other ingredients that you can modify include the milk and butter. For dairy-free banana muffins, be sure to use a non-dairy milk, such as almond or soy milk. Lastly, in place of butter, you can substitute with coconut oil to make these banana crumb muffins dairy-free.

So with all this in mind, let’s jump in to the recipe, shall we?

Best Banana Muffin Recipe

The best part about this recipe is how versatile it is to accommodate your family’s needs and preferences.

You can easily make these gluten free banana chocolate chip muffins by adding in your chocolate chips of choice (my kids’ favorite!), as well as a cup of chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans.

If you have overripe bananas on your counter, these are the perfect recipe for them using ingredients you likely already have on hand.

Ingredients:

(Dry Ingredients)

• 2 ½ cups of blanched almond flour (packed and leveled)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

(Wet Ingredients)

• 3 large ripe bananas, mashed

• 1 Tbsp honey (can substitute with maple syrup)

• 3 eggs, beaten

• 3 Tablespoons almond milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Optional add-ins: Chocolate chips, chopped nuts (such as pecans or walnuts)

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, add all of your dry ingredients. Whisk together until combined and set aside.

3. In a separate large bowl or in a stand mixer, add all of your wet ingredients. Using a hand or stand mixer, whisk all the wet ingredients on medium speed until well incorporated.

4. Add in your dry mixture into the wet ingredients and slowly mix together until combined. If desired, mix in your add-in ingredients, such as the chocolate chips or chopped nuts.

5. Spoon your batter into each muffin cup, filling each close to the top. Place your muffin tin in your preheated oven and bake for about 25 minutes (or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean).

6. Once removing from the oven, allow your muffins to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tin before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy warm or keep covered at room temperature until ready to eat.

Kids can enjoy these warm out of the oven with a glass of milk, or they can take these to school for an easy snack.

Best of all, these are simple to make with basic ingredients and will be something your whole family will enjoy (kids and grown-ups included).

From my kitchen to yours, enjoy!