Banana Bread Mini Muffins with Chocolate Chips (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free)
- Our Nourished Kitchen
- Jun 22
- 3 min read
Our family just returned from our first summer trip. Since it was a short trip (only a few days) I put some extra apples and bananas in the fridge before we left in attempt to preserve them for our return (I don't like to waste food if I can avoid it). Upon our return today, I opened the fridge to three very ripe bananas. My daughters have seen bananas like these before; they immediately asked, "Can we make banana bread?!" Since we have been on a mini-muffin kick lately, I knew we needed to use those very ripe bananas to make some delicious, spiced Banana Bread Mini Muffins with Chocolate Chips (dairy-free of course). This recipe makes 24 mini-muffins, but it can absolutely be multiplied for larger needs.
These muffins use a flour blend of half 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour, and half almond flour. This really gives them a crumb and texture very similar to that of traditional banana bread. I also added a small amount pure maple syrup as our sweetener. I always make an effort to use unrefined sweeteners whenever I can.
A Little About Unrefined Sweeteners
Unrefined sweeteners are sugars that do not go through heavy factory processing. They maintain their natural plant nutrients, trace minerals, and have not been chemically bleached.
What Science Says:
They have antioxidants: A study in the journal Food Chemistry looked at the Nutritional Properties of Unrefined Sugars. It found that because these sugars keep their natural plant juices, they contain healthy compounds and antioxidants that you will not find in white table sugar.
They may help with inflammation: Research hosted on PubMed Central (PMC) studied the Effect of Unrefined Sugar on Inflammation. It found that natural elements and minerals in unrefined sugar change how the body responds to it, which can be easier on your body's inflammation levels than processed sugar.
Important to Note: your body still treats them as sugar: A classic study in the British Journal of Nutrition looked closely at the Nutritional Properties of Unrefined Sugar. It proved that even though these sweeteners have extra minerals, your body still digests and burns them the same way it burns regular sugar (so you should still limit these in your diet).
Types of Unrefined Sweeteners:
Coconut Sugar
Date Sugar
Raw Honey
Pure Maple Syrup
Agave Nectar
I have been leaning on coconut sugar, honey, and pure maple syrup in many of my recipes. I use Coconut Sugar as a sweetener in my Soft Baked Strawberry Scones (Gluten & Dairy Free) and in my Fudgy Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Mini Muffins (also Dairy-Free) and it works beautifully. I recently added a little honey in my Double Chocolate Protein Bites (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free) which worked perfectly in this recipe.
How to make these Gluten Free Banana Bread Muffins with Chocolate Chips (Dairy-Free)
Preheat and Prep: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).. Spray the mini muffin cups with oil or line them with mini paper liners. I love using Silpat's Non-Stick muffin pan for baking (not sponsored). The muffins come out so clean and cook evenly.
Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1:1 gluten-free flour, almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and a pinch of sea salt until evenly mixed.
Mash Ingredients: In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until completely smooth. I used 3 medium sized bananas to get 1 cup of mashed banana. If your bananas are larger, you may need just 2 bananas to get 1 cup of mashed banana.
Whisk in the eggs, maple syrup, almond-milk, and vanilla extract until uniform. Stir in the melted and slightly cooled vegan butter.
Pour the wet banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to gently fold everything together just until a smooth, thick batter forms.
The Essential Batter Rest (No Chocolate Chips Yet!): Leave the plain batter to rest undisturbed on the counter for 15 minutes. If your room is warm, pop in the fridge during this time. This allows the gluten-free flours to fully hydrate, eliminating any potential gritty texture. Don't skip this step, it really helps get a great banana bread texture and crumb
Once the 15-minute rest is up, add your 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips straight to the bowl. Use a spatula to gently fold them in with just a few strokes.
Portion, Top & Bake: Gently scoop the batter into your muffin cups (about 7/8 full). I love using my small cookie scoop, it fills the cups perfectly. Before putting them in the oven, take your extra 1 tablespoon of mini chips and scatter 4–5 mini chips right on top of each muffin dome. Bake according to the pan type you are using (Silpat or Metal). See below recipe for times! Enjoy these Gluten Free Banana Bread Muffins for breakfast or a snack!
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