One of the biggest goals I have for myself is to wake up each morning looking forward to the day ahead. Sometimes that happy anticipation comes with the pursuit of a big-picture, capital-“G” Goal—working hard at a career I love, whether I’m on my computer, behind the lens, or testing a batch of Gluten Free Muffins for the third time. Sometimes the happiness is a smaller, little “g” goal—eating a fluffy, moist Gluten Free Muffin for breakfast (perfect batch #4 of course!).
I’ve long identified myself as an over-eager over achiever who bounds out of bed ready to give the day if not my best, then at least my honest effort.
Lately, however, that vigor has been harder to find. Do you ever have mornings where you what to hit snooze until it’s time to go to bed again? I’ve had a few recent mornings like that.
I’ve been reflecting more about why I’ve been feeling this way, and honestly much of it has to do with feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
I’m working on reprioritizing and reminding myself that, while the day-to-day moments feel like I’m holding my breath while hopping on one foot, balancing an apple on my head, responding to an email, and poaching an egg, the bigger, capital G-picture (a.k.a. why I am totally overwhelmed) is thrilling.
I have more than one Great Big Exciting Thing happening that I can’t wait to share with you! New is coming soon (SO SOON!) Thanks for sticking with me in the meantime.
However overwhelmed I feel, one element of my day that I refuse to sacrifice is a healthy, filling breakfast. Life puts much outside of our control. With a little planning, we can all start the morning with basic nourishment to sustain us for whatever the rest of the day has in store.
I’ve been working on this gluten free muffins recipe for a while now, and I am beyond pleased with how it turned out. I went through a few different versions and am happy to report that these gluten free muffins with almond flour are the winner. They’re moist, easy to make, and adaptable to any of your favorite muffin mix-ins.
If you’re looking for more gluten-free recipes, checkout Gluten Free Carrot Cake.
I opted for gluten free blueberry muffins, but you can use this same base recipe for gluten free muffins with chocolate chips, dried cranberries or cherries, nuts, or whatever other flavors are most likely to enliven your morning.
The Best Gluten Free Muffins Recipe
Even if you aren’t following a gluten free diet, these Gluten Free Muffins are worth baking. Because they are made with almond flour, they’re naturally higher in protein and healthy fats and low carb compared to other muffin recipes. (If you’re wondering what else you can make with almond flour, this Almond Flour Banana Bread is a great choice.)
These easy gluten free muffins are also naturally sweetened. I used a mashed banana and pure maple syrup to make them tender and sweet. Honey would work nicely too.
One unusual ingredient you’ll find in the recipe is apple cider vinegar. Don’t skip it! The vinegar reacts with the baking soda to help the muffins rise.
Remember the volcano in science class? It’s the same idea.
My biggest gripe with other gluten free muffin recipes I’ve tried is that they are too dense and heavy. The vinegar solves that issue.
How to Store and Freeze These Muffins
- To Store. Store muffins in an airtight container lined with paper towels in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze. For freezing instructions, see my guide for How to Store Muffins.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes
- Coconut Flour Muffins (also gluten free!)
- Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
- And, all these other healthy muffin recipes!
And now a little video! Here’s me, baking up these gluten free blueberry muffins. I hope you love these as much as my video crew did. We didn’t have a single muffin leftover at the end of the shoot day!
Gluten Free Muffins with Blueberries
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup mashed very ripe banana about 1/2 small banana
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Mix-ins: Up to 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit such as blueberries, raspberries, or diced strawberries; if using frozen, no need to thaw OR 1/2 cup of smaller, harder mix-ins, such as chopped dried fruit, nuts, and chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 10 cups in a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Place the coconut oil in a medium, microwave-safe bowl. Heat just until melted, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a large, separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- To the bowl with the coconut oil, add the eggs, banana, maple syrup, vanilla, and vinegar. Whisk until smooth. If the oil resolidifies, warm it in the microwave in short, 5-to-10-second bursts, until it melts again.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. By hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir just until combined and the flour disappears. Fold in any mix-ins.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, dividing it evenly between the 10 muffins (they will be filled almost all the way to the top). Bake for 15 minutes, then loosely tent the top of the pan with foil to keep the tops from browning too quickly. Continue baking for 10 to 15 additional minutes (25 to 30 minutes total) until the edges are light golden, a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, and the centers feel set when lightly touched. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for a 10 full minutes, then gently transfer the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Video
Notes
- *Be sure to use blanched, finely ground almond flour without the skins. This is the brand that I use.
- Don't skip the muffin liners. These are very moist muffins, and even with baking spray, they like to stick. (Silicone muffin pans might work without liners but I haven't tried to verify.)
- If using frozen fruit: rinse briefly to remove any ice crystals, then add right to the batter—no need to thaw completely. Bake as directed, adding a few minutes to the baking time as needed.
- Store muffins in an airtight container lined with paper towels in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. To freeze, see my guide for How to Store Muffins.
Nutrition
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Hi and thanks for the simply great recipe which I’ve just made with blueberries and raspberries! Already eaten three( they are healthy right ….?) as they turned out so beautifully light and moist. So easy to make I’m sure will be a staple recipe for me. Added some coconut sugar to the tops along with a few sliced almonds, will be trying some other fruit and maybe chocolate chips soon I’m sure. Thanks again & greeting from Wales UK x
Nicky, I am so so glad to hear this, thank you!
I need a couple of these with my hot tea this morning.
Well…I would have to put these in the BIG G category because yum!
Love your trick for making fluffy gluten-free muffins. These are delicious!
These muffins look incredible, I’d love one with my cup of coffee now. :)
That sounds delicious to me too Joanna, thank you!
Hi! These look amazing – I am planning to try this recipe. Any chance I could omit the banana? I’ve developed an allergy to bananas. Would that ruin the texture do you think?
Love your recipes & generally optimistic attitude on life.
Thank you!
Sarah
Sarah, first of all, thanks so much for this wonderful, kind comment. Unfortunately, the banana is pretty important here. I’d suggest experimenting with unsweetened applesauce, then adding a few tablespoons of brown sugar to add more sweetness, since the banana is more sweet than the applesauce. I can’t 100% vouch for doing the recipe this way as I haven’t tried it myself, but that would be my best guess.
I really appreciate that these are gluten free *and* dairy free! The coconut oil adds great flavor too.
These are not dairy free, has eggs
Margie! Eggs actually aren’t a dairy product, so anyone who avoids dairy would be OK to eat them.
These are so wholesome and look absolutely delicious!
Every morning should involve these muffins!
These look so perfectly fluffy!
Muffins look yummy but I’ve not made them yet. I’m avoiding sugar. Could I increase banana instead of using maple syrup? Or, could I sweeten with Stevia– what other change to the recipe would be necessary? Thanks much for your help.
Helen, I’d suggest a mix of liquid stevia and unsweetened applesauce, though I don’t regularly bake with stevia (and I haven’t tried the applesauce), so this is just my best guess. If you decide to play around, I’d love to hear how it goes!!
The muffins looks so wonderful. I can’t wait to try this one!
I hope you love them Hazel!
I wish I could grab one right now!
Hi can you replace the 3 eggs with flax eggs ?
I am vegan , thank you
Margie, I’ve never tried, but if you decide to play around, I’d love to hear how it goes! My hunch is that you might not want to do that because 3 is a pretty large number of eggs to be substitution. I do have a good collection of vegan recipes here: https://www.wellplated.com/category/recipes-by-diet/vegan/.
They sound delicious,any other fats besides coconut oil and a subscription to for the almond flour! I can’t use either of these products due to medical reasons. Thanks for offering the recipes.
Elyse, you can use canola oil instead of the coconut oil, but unfortunately, they almond flour can’t be swapped. If you can have coconut flour, this recipe is delicious and also gluten free: https://www.wellplated.com/chocolate-chip-paleo-zucchini-bread/
Could zucchini be added?
Chris, I think that would make these pretty damp. I’d suggest this Paleo zucchini bread instead! https://www.wellplated.com/chocolate-chip-paleo-zucchini-bread/
Made these yesterday – so good! That was one of the nicest batters I’ve ever used. It really went together nicely and made the best muffins ever. I used fresh blueberries but would like to try the dried fruit with maybe a little allspice for fall.
Chris, YAY!! I am so happy to hear it. Thanks for taking time to leave this wonderful review! It means a lot.
Wonderful muffins! My daughter and I made these this morning
to celebrate her 13th birthday. We started out by watching your video (very well done, btw) and then cooked them up in the kitchen together. Great mother/daughter time and delicious results.
Lyn, this makes me sooooo happy, thank you! <3 And happy birthday to your daughter too!
My dad eats gluten-free and loves baked goods…these are perfect to make for him! Also, you have me guessing now on the big exciting news! haha :)
LOL. It’s coming soon :) I hope you and your dad both love these!
These are delicious! I didn’t have any banana so I subbed in 1/4 cup applesauce! They are perfect!!!
Thanks for sharing your swap, Meagan! I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Made these last night, with a few minor alterations and they turned out spectacular. I had a quantity of cooked fruit left over from last season in the freezer that I wanted to use up. As I am allergic to bananas I substituted with the same quantity of my cooked fruit as it was about the same consistency of mashed banana. I then added 3/4 cupful of same cooked fruit as the ‘fruit’ component’ (I thought 1 cup would make them a bit too moist and I was correct). They turned out fantasticly. So you can substitute the banana successfully. and still have great muffins. Thanx for sharing this recipe. I am a coeliac and lactose intolerant – I love finding recipes that turn out so well while allowing for allergies.
I’m glad the muffins were a success! Thanks for sharing your notes too.
I tried these with almond flour and they were great. But today I only had coconut flour and it was a disaster! I’m assuming you can’t sub a different flour?
Hi Katharine! Coconut flour behaves very different than other flours, so you’re correct that it’s not a straight swap with almond flour. I’ve only tested the recipe as written, so any other flours or blends would be an experiment. I’m glad you enjoyed the almond flour version!
Most excellent muffins, regardless of restrictions! These are so light, and the almond flour makes them literally melt away in your mouth! I have made these with whole almond flour as well as blanched, and was short once and used brown rice flour for about 2 T, and they were always perfect. Use duck eggs, and they’re lighter still! My favorite muffin recipe ever!!
Helen, I am so so excited to hear this, thank you!!!
Soooo I made these today with all purpose gluten free flour as that is all I had on hand and they baked much faster (about 20 min total) and are very dry. I’ve packed them up in air tight containers with a slice of apple in each and will hope that in the morning they are bit more moist. Lesson learned! and will try next time with almond flour. They DO look beautiful full of blueberries and raspberries and raised up very nicely!!
Hi Brenda, thanks for sharing the notes on your swaps! GF flour and almond flour behave very differently, which is why they can’t be swapped 1:1. I hope you are still able to enjoy!
These muffins were simply delicious! I used frozen raspberries which worked well. I’m not gluten sensitive, but I do try (somewhat lamely) to watch carbs and was excited to try these. As soon as they were out of the oven and cool enough, I ate one and then, of course, ate another. Oh my, so good! Imagine my surprise when I looked at the calorie count. In the future, because I’ll definitely make these again, my husband and I will each eat one and the rest will go into the freezer……we have absolutely no will power!
I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit, Geni! Thank you for taking the time to try this recipe and for sharing this kind review!
Super easy to make and OMG I cannot wait to taste these! I love that it uses ingredients I have in my kitchen without having to buy more ingredients.
YAY! I’m so happy to hear that this was a hit, Barb! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
These are delicious! Turns out I only had 2 cups of almond flour, so I added 1/2 cup oat flour as well. Fluffy, moist, and nicely puffy and domed too!
Whooo hooo! Thank you Caitlin! I really appreciate the review!
Hi. Lovely Elana.
I am eaying keto. After seeing pictures of myself last weekend. Do you have some recipes that use stevia instead of maple syrup? Generally I find that 2 to 3 tsp is about right in muffins, but it would be nice to be more precise.
Also. Will a gooey frozen banana work on your basic muffin recipe?
Thank you for all you do and your generosity!
Hi Dorothy! I don’t bake with stevia, so I’m afraid I can’t advise you there. You can use frozen bananas if you thaw them first and drain off any extra liquid. I hope you enjoy the muffins if you try them!
Made these today and substituted maple syrup with coconut sugar and used some nuts and currants instead of blueberries. It was delicious. :) Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, Ruth! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review!
I havent made them yet. Looks delish. Just wondering if I can make them in the mini muffin tins and how long should I bake them for. Thank you
Thank you for your kind comment, Patty! I haven’t tried this recipe in a mini muffin tin, but it should work fine. Since they will cook much faster, I suggest stating to check them for doneness at about half the time listed in the recipe. I hope you enjoy them!
Incredibly dry. Needs more fat. Very bland.
Hi Miche, I’m sorry these muffins weren’t to your tastes. I (and other readers) loved the flavor and texture of the muffins, so I really wish you would’ve enjoyed them too!
I am making this right now. I substituted applesauce for the banana because I’m allergic. Many people are allergic to bananas. I’m hoping that substitute will work. Also because so many people are hoarding all kinds of food items in America I wasn’t able to find that flour you listed (fine no skins) anywhere. So I had to use an regular almond flour but it has the skins on it. I will let you know how it turns out.
Thank you for sharing your adaptations, Olivia! I hope you love the muffins!
The gluten free blueberry muffin recipe is delicously the best! And super easy to make!
Because of the season, I replaced blueberries with dark chocolate chips. I’ve made 2 batches. Thank you for a healthy easy recipe!
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this recipe, Beverley! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Great recipe!
I made these this morning. I omitted the maple syrup & used 2 ripe bananas.
Delish
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed these muffins, KC! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
The batter came out extremely dry…had to add more liquid for it to even scoop. I have 10 more minutes of cooking to go, but they’ve completely flattened in the oven
Hi Katee, I’m sorry you had trouble with these muffins. Did you make any substitutions? I (and other readers) loved the flavor and texture of the muffins, so I really hope you were able to enjoy them!
loved this recipe so much!! if you don’t like the coconut taste, you can use avocado oil. That’s more neutral. Also, I added a dollop of vegan cream cheese in each one, and paired with blueberries, it tastes amazing! it has flavors of a blueberry cheesecake when you do that. it is so moist and delicious!
if you aren’t dairy free, im sure butter will work well. as well as regular cream cheese.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Hailey! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Our family loves this recipe for almond flour muffins. We’ve been making it for a few months now and every time they turn out delicious. I change up the fruit sometimes or add chocolate chips but follow rest of the recipe. Thank you for sharing this!!
So happy that you all enjoy the recipe Jyothi! Thanks for sharing!
These were so good! I love the lack of butter. Makes them so much healthier.
I substituted unsweetened applesauce for the banana, extra-virgin olive oil for the coconut oil, and honey for the maple syrup. Next time I think I’ll substitute white whole wheat flour for my people with nut allergies :)
They came out moist and delicious! My new go-to. Thanks, Erin!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Yehudis! Thank you for sharing this kind review! Since almond flour and regular flour react very differently in baking, I would recommend trying one of my other muffin recipes designed for regular flour instead.
I am not a baker in any means , these Blueberry muffins are really awesome! thanks to Erin they will be always my family’s favorite:)
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Isha! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I’ve never used almond flour and people tell me it can make things dry. should i use applesauce or just follow your recipe to a T? lol
Any advice would be great as i’m not a baker and making a gluten free basket for a friend whose husband is in critical condition.
thanks!
Hi Staci! I recommend making the recipe as directed since that is how I’ve tested it (and it’s worked well for many other readers!). I hope you enjoy the muffins!
Wow, I just made these & they are delicious. I used fresh raspberries instead of blueberries and added walnuts. So so good!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Connie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi, I just made these muffins substituting honey for maple syrup. They came out with an amazing texture, but weren’t so sweet and had a sour taste like bananas.
I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy this muffins. Myself (and others) have enjoyed this recipe so I wish you would have to but I know we all have different taste.
Hi Erin- Wanted to know if I can substitute the 3 eggs with anything else because I have Celiac and cardiovascular disease
Hi Jeff! I’m sorry, I have only tested the recipe as is and I am not able to give suggestions on what to use as substitutions for the eggs. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
didn’t taste what we expected but overall pretty good.
Glad to hear! Thank you Sarah!
Soooo yummy!!! Can’t tell they’re gluten free!
Hi Emily! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made these muffins for a gluten-sensitive houseguest. It was my first experience baking anything gluten-free. They were delicious and enjoyed by everyone.
Hi Heather! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!