Gluten Free and Grain Free Peanut Butter Banana Muffins Recipe
I am a freaking genius, if I do say so myself. And let’s face it; if I don’t say it, the likelihood of someone else saying it is almost nil.
The reason I feel compelled to voice my virtuosity is because of these gluten-free, grain free muffins.
For years I have made little savory “muffins” for a quick grab-and-go breakfast. But they are really more like mini-quiches than muffins. Wonderful yes, but genius? Not really.
Actually, I must credit Nick from The Peanut Butter Boy as my inspiration. If you haven’t checked out his blog you must. A whole blog about peanut butter! How cool is that? Nick made some peanut butter and banana pancakes not too long ago and reading his post started a craving I couldn’t seem to satisfy. So these muffins were born! The peanut butter taste is subtle but the texture it adds to these muffins is terrific.
They are easy as can be and they freeze well so you can grab one from the freezer on those hectic mornings, nuke it for about 15 seconds and you are out the door.
Adding the walnuts is optional. My current gluten-eating taste tester is Charlie the House Painter who, aside from being a painter, attended the New York Culinary Institute. He preferred the muffins sans nuts. Me – I am all about the nuts. Charlie was as impressed with these muffins as I am with the really cool high gloss black trim he is painting in my living room.
Gluten Free and Grain Free Peanut Butter Banana Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, separated
- ¾ cups creamy peanut butter
- 2 ripe medium bananas, sliced in ½ inch slices
- ¼ teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey
- 1 ½ cups walnuts, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- Place muffin baking papers in muffin pan.
- In a large mixing bowl beat egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- In another large mixing bowl beat egg yolks with electric mixer until they start to lighten in color (about 2 minutes). Add peanut butter, sliced bananas, salt, vanilla and agave syrup or honey. Mix until well blended and the bananas are incorporated. Some small chunks of bananas are okay.
- Take a large spoonful of the egg whites and mix it into the peanut butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the peanut butter mixture into the egg whites and fold in well. You want to mix until no more white streaks are visible.
- Fold in 1 cup of chopped walnuts, if using.
- Fill muffin baking papers until almost full. If using nuts, sprinkle additional ½ cup over the tops of the muffins. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and set. A toothpick inserted will come out clean.
Nutrition
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Have you tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and let us know your thoughts in the Ratings & Reviews section below.
That looks delicious! Peanut butter must taste amazing in these!
Oh my, you’ve done it this time Carol. I’m glad I could be of so much inspiration! These muffins sound incredible, even better than mine. And they were sweet enough with only 1T sweetener? Were they very “eggy” tasting? I’ll be making these next week, muchas gracias!
– The Peanut Butter Boy
Hi Nick,
They were not really sweet but I liked that. I also used the kind of peanut butter that has some sugar in it – not the natural kind. You can add more sweetner of course. No eggy taste at all!
What a creation Carol! Mmmmm…peanut butter and banana! I’ve never cooked muffins without flour so I’m curious about their texture. (Just means I have to make em and try them myself!)
I love muffin recipes that freeze well… such a convenient breakfast- and these sound delicious. I often use the sweetened peanut butters when baking for the same reason. And I never even knew gluten-free vanilla existed!
You are a genius! (see, the likelihood wasn’t “nil”… ha)
what a gorgeous blog! thanks for finding me so i could find you…
your photos are so great – i need heeeeeelp…
i love to shop at http://www.wholeandnatural.com. they have all kinds of healthy and natural kosher food and snacks. the stuff is fresh and low prices.
seeya, debby
btw i used a coupon bldc08 try it
peanut butter + banana = GENIUS! :)
Carol, you ARE a freaking genious ;) I love, love, love PB and banana together. mmmmmmmmmmm!!!
Mmm, I love peanut butter and banana together too. These look *so* good :)
This looks awesome. But I have this nagging feeling that I’m allergic to bananas, and I’m too chicken to try them again. Do you think that there’s any banana substitute in something like this?
Vittoria –
I think you could add any fruit or none at all. The banana is more of a flavoring addition. It does add some moisture though so if you can eat strawberries they would be good mashed in there (I think) or just a little more agave or honey to add some moisture. I will be curious to hear how your experiments come out if you make them.
I am currently working on a similar recipe using zucchini. I’ll post it when I get it down. I am trying it as a loaf bread but muffins would work the same.
My kids love peanut butter and banana and I am soooo making these. I love there is no flour in them.
You and Naomi are on the same wave length I think!! I must make some! MMMmmm!!! low carb goodness!! You are a naturally gluten free genius Carol! You go girl!!
These look simply wonderful. Not a spot of flour in sight…pretty cool. They look quite tasty. I bet Naomi at Straight Into Bed Cakefree and Dried would like these…she can’t do the gf grains right now.
Sheltie Girl @ Gluten A Go Go
Thanks a lot for your visit, Carol. Your blog is awesome too.I enjoy my visit and I love your beautiful photos (honestly)
That banana muffins looks great I like the combo peanut butter and banana
Your recipes look great! I have to go buy some peanut butter ASAP to try these. Do you think almond butter would work as well?
http://knittedspirit.blogspot.com
These look wonderful. And with only 1 tablespoon of honey? Wow — you are a freaking genius!
Nice photo, as always.
Melissa
Carol, we are definitely thinking the same way (can you tell what I’m thinking now? eek!). I use this very same mix for pancakes but with a pinch of bicarb and cream of tartar and sometimes using almond or hazelnut butter instead. I’m trying not to eat too much PB as it is very damp forming in chinese medicine terms, but it is hard to resist no?
Big hugs x x x
By the way, forgot to add…
Substitution for banana could be cooked apple or cooked squash or even cooked carrot puree. The banana does act as a starch in baked goods and taking it away results in a drier, denser result. Squash, carrot and apple both have enough starch to substitute. You’d need to increase the honey though.
x x x
Hi Carol,
Your photography looks so clean. I love it. You also have great recipes. :)
These look amazing! I love the fact that we (the gluten sensitive) don’t even have to worry about using any kind of flour with this recipe. I’m going to try these out this weekend:)
These look delicious. I love the banana and peanut butter pairing
These look delicious. I love the banana and peanut butter pairing
Brilliant! I made these this morning and they were AWESOME. I didn’t have any walnuts, so I omitted those. They were light and fluffy and had great peanut butter/banana flavor.
Great job, Carol!
I didn’t properly sign that. Here’s my “true” blogger name. :)
You make gluten free look so good ! Beautiful site.Thanks for visiting my site, I will be back here for some inspiration.
That’s right you are a genius! These look and sound amazing! I am bookmarking them for sure.
I can’t believe there is no flour in these muffins! Really, I don’t believe it! Gluten free sounds better and better!
I’ve learned TONS about gluten free diets from you already. Thank you.
Is there anything better than peanut butter and bananas? I’ll say you are a genius… no flour or sugar and they still look good. Genius!
I love banana bread and banana muffins, but I’ve never combined them with peanut butter. I’ll have to give these a try. Thanks!
Great job! I going to try to make these. My customers are always asking for more gluten free. Very nice pic too :)
I am a freaking genius if I do say so myself. And let’s face it; if I don’t say it the likelihood of someone else saying it is almost nil. – the latter part is not true, I would say it. I’m saying it now: You are a freaking genius!
You know what a big fan of your food I am.
What a great recipe, the muffin looks so delicious!
What a delicious site! I shall enjoy reading back posts… in the meantime, dagnabit, these look good!
Carol, Thanks for accepting my as a friend on FoodBuzz! ‘They’ (meaning the foodbuzz worker bees)changed my foodbuzz name to Life After Gluten I guess, so I am going to re-request you as a friend. I’m not sure if you can delete the old one. Sorry! I really am not sure what happened!
I’m excited about learning more about these recipes. My buddy Erik at Grass Roots told me about the site and I’m glad he did.
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I’m intolerant of baking powder and baking soda, but this recipe didn’t require either! Yay! I left out the honey and the salt and the muffins were still sweet enough for me with the bananas. I also used natural peanut butter. They are delicious! I can’t thank you enough for giving me a muffin recipe I can use!!!!
Wow! This recipe really works. For people allergic to wheat, sugar and dairy, which is the case for me, it has been nearly impossible to find a muffin recipe that results in an edible product. Carol, I don’t know you personally, but I have to concur that you are a freakin genius! Thank you so much for creating this. My co-workers loved them!
I am so making these!!!!!!! what a great recipe! thanks !:D
These look amazing !!
I just have to try these, in this day and age people are looking for tasty easy to make goodies, these fit the bill!
.
Best Regards,
David
I just came across your blog today while looking for a gluten free banana muffin recipe for my son (8yrs) who has celiac’s. These muffins were a hit! I wasn’t quite sure how they would turn out seeing as there is no flour but they really turn out to be a similiar texture to that of a muffin with flour. I was quite surprised! I’m so excited to find your blog and can’t wait to try more recipes! :)
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I’m gluten-intolerant and also like to keep my sugar intake to a low. When I found your blog (through another good blog), I thought it was really cool! But then I found this recipe and was sooo excited to try it out! I baked these last night and they turned our perfectly!!!! So good, and really healthy for you too! Thank you so much for this recipe. This will definitely be a standby. Oh, I also added chocolate chips and that really complimented it nicely. :)
Hi Claire,
Welcome! I am so glad you enjoyed these and chocolate chips sound like a great addition, will have to try this myself. Thanks!
xo,
carol
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Hi, just found out that sis has gluten ataxia which is strangely terrifying because of how sick she’s been but such a relief to know that it something that can be now be controlled. It has brilliant reading your recipes as we are all going to be gf and I think with recipes such as this we will eat far tastier food than we were before anyway. This one is my favourite as I am a croissant & a coffee on the train to work for the last 15 years girl these are so much better. Thank you.
You’re welcome and good luck to you and your sis!
my muffins came out great but then they deflated did i do something wrong? they taste good anyway
Did they deflate while still in the pan?
Easy peazy and yummy recipe. Great PB and banana flavor-2 of my favs! My muffins were moist and light & my first attempt at GF baking! Trying to reduce/eliminate gluten for better health. So pleased to find this simple recipe using ingredients I had in the kitchen. Keep going Carol! :>)
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed them!
These turned out quite delicious. I had a few fall in at the center, but many stood up tall and proud. Yum yum! Even my sweet tooth of a partner really liked them, and I used a natural peanut butter without sugar and some raw local honey.
Thanks for letting me know! Glad you enjoyed them.
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WOWZER!! I’ve tried various batches of grain/sugar free muffins, and they’ve all been a flop. Literally! They sag and droop once out the oven and it’s not pretty… :/ But I will try these with new found enthusiasm for baking muffins like the good (or rather bad, bloated, fat, spotty) old days! You rock!
Aww, thanks Jax!
Ah-mazing. Seriously. I was in desperate need of an allergy friendly muffin/cupcake to make for my daughter’s birthday party (one child has a gluten allergy and the other a wheat allergy) so these were PERFECT for this first time allergy-conscious baker. Our whole family loved them!
I didn’t add the nuts, and I did drop a few dark choc chips on top of them before baking. Definitely yummy. Will make again!
Thanks Molly, so happy it worked out for you and I love the addition of chocolate chips!
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This is great!!! My older sister has celiac’s and she is also diabetic plus she is pregnant so she really has to watch what she eats. She has been complaining because it’s holiday time and she can’t have any of the goodies! I’m so happy I find your site you are AMAZING!!!
Thank you Ashley. You are a very nice sister! Enjoy.
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Can I swap the PB for pumpkin puree filling? And maybe bananas for an apple?
Nicole,
Ive never tried it, but I think it would work. If it works when you try it let me know! Without the peanut butter however it might have an egg taste to it, so I would add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg (pumpkin pie spices) to help with the flavor. Enjoy!
xo,
Carol
I just started to make wheat free muffins and as you can tell by my question I am not a baker. Anyways do you have to mix the eggs with an electric mixer? I did it by hand due to not having one. Also when you say to fold the egg whites into the peanut butter are you saying to use all of the eggs whites or just a spoonful. I dont know how they will turn out they are in the oven now:(
Diane,
Yes you can whip the egg whites by hand but make you to beat them until they are stiff. Then take a large spoonful of the egg whites and mix it into the peanut butter mixture with a rubber spatula. Add the peanut butter mixture into the egg whites and fold in well. You want to mix until no more white streaks are visible.
xo,
Carol