These vegan buckwheat banana muffins are gluten free, made with oats, almond flour, and buckwheat flour, made with wholesome ingredients, and are naturally sweetened. By replacing the white flour with wholegrain, adding fibre with fruit, and reducing oils and sugars, I've come to a happy medium where west coast hippie muffins and east coast cakes can mingle and become one.
If you love the flavour of buckwheat, also try my blender buckwheat banana pancakes and unbelievable grain-free buckwheat bread.
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Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Almond flour: for a nut free option, use homemade sunflower seed meal to replace the almond.
- Chocolate: use fresh or frozen blueberries, or another berry you like, to replace the chocolate chips.
- Oats: be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if these are being made for someone with a gluten allergy.
- Arrowroot powder: if you can't get arrowroot, substitute tapioca starch or cornstarch in its place.
- Buckwheat: I use whole grain buckwheat flour but light or sifted buckwheat will work too.
How to Make Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
Step 1: add the oats to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Step 2: blend until flour forms - it doesn't need to be a very fine flour, and some oat pieces are fine.
Step 3: add all of the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl.
Step 4: in another bowl, mash the banana until smooth and mix in the other wet ingredients.
Step 5: add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients.
Step 6: mix until fully combined, then stir in the chocolate.
Step 7: spoon the mixture evenly into lined muffin cups and top with a sprinkle of almond flour and chocolate chips if desired.
Step 8: bake for about 25 minutes and cool before serving.
Top Tips
- Use frozen bananas: thawed and drained frozen bananas can be used to make these muffins, but be sure to drain them well so that the batter isn't too soggy.
- Don't worry about over-mixing: gluten-free muffins are a little easier than wheat-based ones because they're almost impossible to over-mix! No worries about tough muffins here.
- Think about the chocolate: bar chocolate is likely to burn if used as a topping for muffins, but chocolate chips are meant for baking and will be fine. Chopped dark chocolate can be mixed in to the muffins no problem, though.
How to Store
Storage: keep the muffins in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days, or refrigerate for about a week.
Freezing: transfer cooled muffins to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
FAQ
Is buckwheat flour really gluten-free?
Yes! Despite wheat being in the same, buckwheat is actually a seed, and naturally gluten-free. It's not a grain at all and is completely safe for a gluten-free diet.
Why is buckwheat a superfood?
Like most whole grains, seeds, and nuts, buckwheat contains a variety of nutrients like magnesium, and is high in fibre and protein.
Can I make my own buckwheat flour?
If you have a food processor, you can grind whole buckwheat into flour the same way you'd make oat flour. It's also safe to use in home flour mills.
More Gluten-Free Breakfasts
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Recipe
Gluten-Free Buckwheat Banana Muffins
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Blender
- 2 mixing bowls
- Muffin cups
- Muffin cup liners
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup almond flour or ¾ cup almonds
- ⅔ cup buckwheat flour
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ cups mashed banana
- ⅓ cup avocado or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ - 1 cup dark chocolate chips depending on taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a 10-cup muffin tin (if using a 12-cup tin, simply line 10 cups instead).
- Add the rolled oats to a food processor or dry-ingredient safe blender and mixing until they turn into a coarse flour, then set aside.1 cup rolled oats
- If using whole almonds, process them in the same way until they too are flour. If you are using almond flour instead, skip this step.
- Add the ground oats, 1 cup of almond flour, the buckwheat, arrowroot, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl. Stir to combine.1 cup almond flour, ⅔ cup buckwheat flour, 2 tablespoons arrowroot powder, ⅓ cup coconut sugar, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon sea salt
- In a separate bowl combine the banana, oil, lemon juice, milk and vanilla, stirring well. Combine the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined. Lastly, stir in the chocolate.1 ½ cups mashed banana, ⅓ cup avocado or coconut oil, 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, ¼ cup non-dairy milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ¾ - 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Divide batter amongst 10 lined muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with a little bit of almond flour if desired. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the tops spring back when lightly touched.
- Cool the muffins on a wire rack. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to three days or freeze up to three months.
These muffins are delicious. I make make them all the time. They are easy to make and taste amazingly. All the ingredients work together sooo well: the nuttiness of the buckwheat works perfectly with the banana, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon, chocolate and almond 🙂
These are seriously the best tasting gluten and dairy free muffins…I mean they actually taste like muffins! First time I have made them but definitely won’t be the last.
I make these muffins often - always double the recipe and freeze them for easy breakfasts.
Usually I replace the chocolate chips with frozen organic raspberries and they are so yummy.
I am gluten free and dairy free so I really appreciate this recipe!
Hello! I thought these were yummy. Do you think it would work with adding an egg in to the batter. Im not vegan and wonder if this would make them a bit lighter?
Thanks! Beth
Hi Beth, I totally think an egg would be fine—you could probably skip the arrowroot powder if adding a binder like the egg 🙂
Thanks Sophie!
I just made them this morning and wow!
They’re super yummy! I used espresso chocolate chips and I put extra bananas in it. Super yummy! I already ate two!:)))
Hey do these muffins freeze well? I want to prep some for my postpartum time. I’m excited to try them!
I haven't tried it, but I assume they will freeze well 🙂
Wow, okay. These are way better than I expected. I had a second one, and that NEVER happens for gf/df/ef baked goods. The texture and flavor are both equally awesome. Thanks so much for bringing a little joy to my morning!
These were good. One of my kids ate 3 already! And my other kid didn’t like them at all, too much texture for him. I substituted canola oil, granulated sugar, lemon juice and 2% milk since I didn’t have some of the ingredients called for in the recipe. I also added 1/4 cup milk protein powder. I used 1/8 tsp nutmeg since I didn’t want it to be overpowering. I didn’t have any arrowroot powder, but I’ll try it next time. They took 16 min. to bake at 350F.
These are literally my favorite muffins ever. I have one family member who is gluten intolerant. I tried a few recipes for GF muffins, and was so happy to find this recipe. My entire family LOVES these. Thank you for such a fabulous recipe!
Great recipe! First time I'm on the blog so excited to see what else you've got cooking. These muffins are super fluffy and moist! I also only had one ripe banana so subbed the rest of the 1 1/2 cups with applesauce and it turned out great. Curious to what I can sub for the coconut oil, just for fun...almond butter, perhaps? These seems like a pretty forgiving recipe if you want to experiment, which I totally do! Thanks!
I love these muffins so much, I have it saved in my bookmarks and I use it all the time. I like to use some applesauce to make up for the lack of banana I have on hand sometimes. This is a recipe I will use for years to come. Thank you very much for the post.
Hi there,
Should I use dark (unhulled) or light (hulled) buckwheat flour?
Hi Victoria, either will work! I like the nuttiness of the darker buckwheat here, but otherwise, there won’t be much of a difference. 🙂
Best vegan baked good I have made thus far!! This recipe is a gem 🙌🏿
Thank you so much! I'm delighted to hear you love them <3
These are so delicious!! My boyfriend and I will be making these again!! This is my first time making muffins of this type, do you know how long they last or how to store for maximum freshness ?
so happy you liked them. They should keep for a few days in an airtight container on the counter 🙂
There are amazing !! My boyfriend and I are definitely making these regularly!!! How long would you say they last ? And do I just put them in the fridge or maybe a glass tupper ?
These are amazing! So fluffy and deliciously balanced with the almond/buckwheat/oat flours.
HI Sophie, I love the sound og this recipe but I don't often make muffins and don't own a muffin pan. Do you think this will work in a loaf pan for a banana bread type thing? 🙂
Hello Olga!
I don't see why it wouldn't work. I would totally try it in a loaf pan, maybe baking for around 50-60 minutes before chcecking. Good luck 🙂
Thanks Sophie, I'll report back when I try
Hi Sophie, I have made this recipe so many times since april, it's our favourite, thank you so much! I tried baking it in a loaf pan, it worked ok but the top was separating a little bit and it was hard to slice. I've since got a muffin pan just for this recipe.
Hello. Can I use more almond or buckwheat flour in place of the oat flour?
I haven't tried but I'm sure more almond would work better than more buckwheat. You could probably try another flour. I know someone asked about spelt, and I'm sure something like that or a g/f mix would work too 🙂
Okay thanks I will definitely be trying tomorrow. And I was also wondering if zucchini could be folded into the batter or would that cause too much moisture?
Good question. It will totally add some moisture, hopefully not too much. If you do try it, be sure to squeeze out as much water from the greated zucchini as possible.
Hi, Could I use spelt flour instead of buckwheat flour?
Hi Rose, I haven't tried but I'm sure a white spelt would work well.
I already have ground oat flour. I am wondering how much 1 cup of whole oats grinds down to? Thanks! Looking forward to trying your recipe!
I would say around 3/4 of a cup, but homemade oat flour is a little coarser, so maybe start with a little less and add as needed. Best of luck
Hello,
I am just checking to make sure that this only calls for 1/2 c. banana. Most banana muffin recipe's seems to call for 1 cup or more. I was wondering if it's supposed to say 1and 1/2? Just wanted to make sure.
I've got the dry ingredients all measured out, ready to bake tomorrow, so I am hoping you see this in time to reply.
Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Linda! Good catch, I think some of the text was lost when I recently added a recipe card. It should be 1-1/2 cups of mashed bananas. Hope you enjoy 🙂
Oh, my gosh, thank you so much for replying so quickly!
I really appreciate it.
Found these on a "what can I make with what I have on hand" Sunday morning. They are outstanding! My new favorite thing to do with over-ripe bananas.
Oh yay, that makes me so happy to heat <3 Love that you had everything on hand!
Absolutely love these muffins! Can't wait to share with my family!!! Thank you!
We really loved these muffins! Mine didn’t look like yours but they still tasted amazing. I made some changes: I used 1 cup of sliced raw almonds; for buckwheat I soaked 1/2c of raw buckwheat for an hour, washed and drained it and then blended with banana and other wet ingredients; instead of arrowroot powder I used tapioca flour because that’s what I had; I also used 1/4c of maple syrup instead of sugar and used only 2 Tbsp of home made nut milk. I also only added 1 big choc chip per muffin as it was mainly for kids although everyone loooved them and had them. Also I wanted to say you do not taste the buckwheat at all - probably due to cinnamon and spices (I also added ground ginger and cloves) delicious!!! Thanks for such an amazing recipe!!!
Hi! Do you have the nutrition info for these muffins? I'm tracking my calories and macronutrients for fitness purposes and would like to be able to log these muffins. Super yummy!
Hi Sophie - could the oats be swapped out for more buckwheat flour, do you think? We're trying to cut down on grain intake, hence the eating of more buckwheat!
Hello Rowena, I don't see why not. Buckwheat could make them a little more dense and dry, so you might want to try 50/50 buckwheat and almond. Good luck 🙂
Hi Sophie! I'm looking forward to trying this recipe! There's a coffee shop in town that has the best buckwheat/chocolate chip muffins and I've been searching for a similar recipe!! I'm wondering what would happen without the bananas? And what if I just used dairy milk? Those are the only ingredients I'm lacking. Not an advanced enough baker to know if those things will make a difference. Thanks!
These are fabulous!! I used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar and olive oil. I could see lots of combos. Next time I may try to sub in some cornmeal as I love the taste.
I am gluten free and thought that’s oats were nit allowed?
You can get gluten-free oats. The problem with most oats is that they are made in the same facilities as glutenous grains (and have cross-contamination), but you can buy some they aren't. I think Bobs Red Mills has some 🙂
Hi Sophie,
Gonna give these a try !!!
What could I use instead of the Plant Milk ??
Thanks so much :))
Sam
you can use regular milk if that is what you eat. Enjoy!
These are my favorite gf vegan muffin ever!!! So so good! Thank you so much. Been trying for 2yrs to make a good gf vegan muffin and you have succeeded. Not chewy or gummy just soft and delish! I didnt have arrowroot or almond though so I subbed the almond flour with half coconut flour and half gf flour that had arrowroot and it worked perfect still. Going to buy ingredients and try your recipe next. Thanks again so so much. Oh and my kids liked it too!
These were amazing! I added less sugar and they were still yummy! I also added walnuts and rasberrys and chia and they were Awesome! Thank you for this recipe!
love those ads-ins! So happy you like them
Hi Sophie,
These are so tasty! I cut back on the coconut sugar to 1/4 cup, subbed lots of fresh blueberries instead of chocolate & did a few shakes of cardamom instead of nutmeg. Thank you for this amazing recipe, it is a new favorite for sure!
Oh my gosh, yes! Love the blueberry addition. I've been meaning to thy that for months now. Thats so great they work with less sugar!
I love this recipe! The muffins are hearty and flavorful. Thank you!
Yay, thanks Michelle! <3
Made these this weekend and they were fabulous!! Definitely a keeper recipe! Followed it to a T 🙂
Thanks Andrea! So happy you like them <3
I just made these for the second time., this time with dried berries instead of the chocolate chips. Still delicious. My toddler and husband enjoyed them as well! I think I may use it as a base recipe and experiment with some other flavors and add-ins.
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Oh yay! I love hearing this, Sheilina! Happy experimenting 🙂
Wow, these muffins are to die for!!! Thanks for the great recipe, Sophie xoxo
thank you, Lucy!!!! 🙂
HI! This recipe looks AMAZINGG, just came across your blog and everything looks so good! Is there a different type of flour I could use to replace the almond flour (because of allergies)??
Sorry sorry Tina! I just say this! I always sub ground sunflower seeds when recipes call for almond flour. I have a feeling it could work here but it might not be pretty.
Hi Sophie,
I was looking for something to treat a friend on a gluten-free diet when I found your blog and the recipe. She loved it! Also it turned out to be a hit with my husband who hardly ever glances at anything sweet that does not have a heavy chocolate+butter+eggs filling in it. And it has certainly become one of my favourites. It has this amazing mellow texture and fullness of taste. What I want to say, your recipe works like magic. 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
PS I use 1tsp kudzu instead of arrowroot because I can't find it.
Oh this makes me so happy! Thank you so much, Voykana <3
Recipe sounds good! I would love to try it tomorrow, but I wonder how many bananas have you used in the recipe?
Tnx
Hey Elma! I think three large or 4 small should yield 1 1/2 cups. I hope you enjoy <3
SCRUMPTIOUS!!! Thank you for the wonderful recipe and the beautiful photographs. I'll be making these again and again. Five stars!
Ah, truly the best comment ever! So happy you love the recipe, Juliana <3 xox
Hi Sophie,
I tried the buckwheat flour for the bread recipe and you are right it's really dense and heavy. It looks like a flat chocolate brownie. Lol! I wish it was right now! I will use groats as you recommended for bread. I will now gives this muffin recipe a go. Looks so delicious!! Do you need baking powder if you just have baking soda? Thanks xx
Oh, no! So sorry to hear of the baking disaster. That happens to the best of us, trust me. I like to add a little bit of both raising agents in the recipe since banana's tend to make things heavy and dense, so this gives it some nice volume.
Hi, what is the purpose of arrow root powder? I'm not sure I can get my hands on it and am wondering how I might be able to substitute it.
Hello Isis! The arrow root powder helps to bind the gluten free mix. You could easily use a Tbsp. of corn starch with similar results. In all honesty, you could probably get away with not using it at all, and maybe add a touch more flour, but I have not tested it. Best of luck, Sophie <3
Is that one tbsp cornstarch to the 2 tbsp of arrowroot?
Hi Sophie,
When you suggest to ‘replace the flours called for with spelt flour’, does that include the oats which you process into flour? Or just the almond and buckwheat? Thanks
Hey, I would keep the oat and just swap the almond and buckwheat 🙂
I had been in search of a wheat free muffin for ages. This is hands down the best yet! In terms of texture, flavour, healthyness etc. Will make this many more times!
Thank you so much, Dina! I'm thrilled to hear that these are just what you wanted <3
First of all, LOVE your reference to Elaine - those tops are always the best! 🙂 But seriously, these muffins look sooo dreamy! I have yet to try buckwheat but have been wanting to for awhile. These look like a great place to start!
I'm so happy to hear you're an Elaine too! Elaines unite 😉 ! As far as gluten free flour goes, buckwheat is in my top three, for sure. It's especially lovely when it's mixed with another flour to help add some lightness. I hope you give these a try. They are totally one of our homes favourites.
These muffins look so wonderful and filling, perfect for a guilt-free snack or small meal. I bet these would be great slathered with mashed avocado on top!
Thanks, Alex! They do make a great little snack or breakfast. I'll have to try the mashed avo idea! I never even thought of that 🙂
These muffins look so beautiful. I can’t wait to try them but,I have a question. Can I replace the almond flour with whole wheat flour or oat flour.
Thanks in advance 😊😊
These are so, so good! I love how they fill me up and how much sweetness all those bananas give! Thank you for sharing!!
I'm so happy you like the recipe, Jess! xox
Hi Sophie, this recioe looks fab. Could I use oat flour or buckwheat flour instead if almond. What other sugar/sweetener coukd I use? (Maple syrup, honey, muscovado sugar etc?) Priya x
Hello Priya!!
More oat flour would be a great sub. Muscovado sugar or any other less refined sugar would also be wonderful. As for maple syrup, just make sure you reduce the milk by a couple Tbsp. I hope you enjoy <3
These look amazing
Just discovered your blog
Have lots of recipes to catch up on!
Oh, how lovely to hear, Mandy! I'm so pleased you like the site, welcome!! xox