Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins (Gluten Free)

These Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins are moist and flavorful! They're gluten free and made with toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and brown sugar.

There's nothing like a batch of freshly baked muffins and a hot cup of coffee. These Roasted Banana Muffins are lightly sweetened, packed with rich banana flavor, and perfect for breakfast.

I love semi-sweet, old fashioned baked goodies like muffins and scones. There's something so satisfying about whipping up a batch of homemade muffins, slathering them with butter, and enjoying with a cup of coffee.

This recipe is made with roasted bananas, toasted walnuts, cinnamon, and dark brown sugar. The roasting process helps to bring out the natural sweetness of the bananas and the dark brown sugar provides them with a rich molasses flavor.

The toasted walnuts add a crunchy texture and the cinnamon helps to balance them out. Baking a batch of these muffins is a great way to use up any overripe bananas you may have on hand.

These muffins are moist and made with a few simple ingredients. They're great to have on hand as a grab-and-go breakfast or to enjoy as part of a leisurely weekend morning.

Jump to:

• How To Roast Bananas
• Ingredients For Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins
• How To Toast Walnuts
• How To Make Gluten Free Banana Muffins
• How To Make Banana Muffins Moist
• How Long Do Banana Walnut Muffins Take To Bake?
• What To Serve With Roasted Banana Muffins
• How Long Do Banana Muffins Last?
• Can These Muffins Be Frozen?
• Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins (Gluten Free)

How To Roast Bananas

The thing that sets these muffins apart from all of the other banana muffin recipes out there is the fact that the bananas are roasted in the oven before they are added to the batter.

The roasting process helps to caramelize the sugar in the bananas, which brings out their natural sweetness and intensifies the flavor of the muffins.

Roasting the bananas helps to soften them and that keeps the muffins moist. The roasted bananas also makes your house smell amazing.

The process of roasting bananas is incredibly easy and only takes about 20 minutes.

1. To roast the bananas, start by heating the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place 3 peeled, ripe or overripe bananas onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3. Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the baking sheet and allow the bananas to cool before mashing and adding to the muffin batter.

Ingredients For Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins

Here's what you'll need to make them.

• 3 Overripe Bananas
• 2 ¼ cups Gluten Free Flour Blend
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Kosher Salt
• 2 Eggs
• ¼ cup Milk (or nondairy milk alternative)
• ¼ cup Olive Oil
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• 1 packed cup Dark Brown Sugar (or light brown sugar)
• 1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon
• 1 cup Chopped Walnuts (unsalted)

How To Toast Walnuts

I love to add toasted walnuts to banana muffins. The toasted walnuts add great flavor and an added crunchy texture to all types of baked goods.

Toasting the walnuts helps to bring out the oils in the nuts, which intensifies their natural flavor.

It only takes a few minutes to toast the walnuts and can be done in a small skillet on the stovetop as the bananas are roasting in the oven.

I recommend opting for chopped, unsalted walnuts when making these muffins. They can usually be found in the baking section of your local grocery store.

1. To toast the walnuts, place 1 cup of chopped, unsalted walnuts in a small cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
2. Turn the heat to medium-low.
3. Toast the walnuts for 5-6 minutes, shaking the skillet often to prevent the walnuts from burning.
4. After 5-6 minutes (or when the walnuts are fragrant), remove the skillet from the heat and set aside to cool.

How To Make Gluten Free Banana Muffins

These banana muffins are easy to prepare and made using a gluten free flour blend in place of AP flour. The process of making them is much the same as regular muffins.

I recommend a quality brand of gluten free flour blend such as Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour. I use it to make baked goods like muffins, pancakes, and quick breads and it consistently yields a great texture.

The process of making these Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins consists of combining the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. The wet and dry ingredients are then mixed together and combined with the toasted walnuts and cinnamon.

This recipe yields 12 muffins and calls for a 12-cup muffin pan lined with liners to prevent them from sticking. The batter is divided evenly between the muffin cups and baked until moist and fluffy.

1. Place muffin or cupcake liners into each cavity of a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. Place 2 ¼ cups of gluten free flour blend, 1 tsp. baking soda, and ½ tsp. of kosher salt in a mixing bowl. Stir until completely combined.
3. In a second mixing bowl, add the roasted and cooled bananas. Mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher.
4. Add 2 eggs to the mashed bananas and stir until completely combined.
5. Pour ¼ cup each of olive oil and milk (or nondairy milk alternative) into the bowl of wet ingredients and add 1 tsp. of vanilla extract and 1 packed cup of dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar).
6. Stir all of the wet ingredients until completely combined.

How To Make Banana Muffins Moist

Homemade muffins are great, but it's important that they are moist after baked and that they do not become dry and crumbly or overly dense.

Here are a few tips to help ensure optimal texture:

• Make sure that there is enough liquid and oil in the batter. This will help to prevent the muffins from drying out.
• Do not overmix the batter or the muffins can become tough (this is especially true when using AP flour).
• Roasting the bananas helps to bring out their natural sugars and oils, which creates a moist batter.
• Do not overcook the muffins. Bake just until a toothpick placed into the center of the muffin comes out clean. Overcooked muffins can become tough or dry.

Once the wet and dry ingredients are ready, it's time to combine them in one bowl and then add the cinnamon and toasted walnuts.

1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a bit at a time, stirring until completely combined. Repeat until all of the dry and wet ingredients are totally combined.
2. Add 1 ½ tsp. of cinnamon and the toasted walnuts to the batter. Stir until completely combined (the batter will be dense and a little sticky).

How Long Do Banana Walnut Muffins Take To Bake?

Baking times may vary slightly, but generally these muffins bake for 18-20 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean and the tops are golden brown.

1. After the batter is completely mixed, place an equal amount into each cavity of the muffin tin. Using a small measuring cup or ice cream scoop helps to ensure that an equal amount of batter is placed into each cavity.
2. Repeat with the remainder of the batter.
3. Place the muffin tin into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. If the toothpick does not come out clean, simply bake for a few additional minutes if needed.
4. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and allow the muffins to cool slightly before serving.

What To Serve With Roasted Banana Muffins

I love to serve these Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins warm with some butter and a hot cup of coffee. Of course, you can enjoy them with tea if you are a tea drinker.

You can also serve them with jam or any type of spread. Muffins are great served on their own or as part of a breakfast or brunch buffet.

Muffins are perfect with eggs, yogurt, fresh fruit, bacon or sausages, or toast.

They're also good with savory egg dishes like this Ham and Asparagus Frittata, Southwest Sweet Potato Frittata, Sweet Potato Turkey Hash, Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowls, or Denver Omelette Egg Muffins.

Looking for more breakfast recipes? Don't miss these!

• Gluten Free Fluffy Pancakes
• Pumpkin Waffles
• Eggnog French Toast
• Greek Yogurt Oatmeal Cups
• Cardamom French Toast
• French Toast Casserole
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
• Banana Pancakes

How Long Do Banana Muffins Last?

These muffins should last 3-4 days stored in an airtight container on the counter at room temperature.

Be sure to allow the muffins to cool completely before transferring to a container for storage.

Can These Muffins Be Frozen?

Yes!

Muffins are a great thing to freeze and enjoy at a later time.

How To Freeze

1. Prepare the muffins as directed and allow them to cool to room temperature.
2. Place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag, label with the date, and freeze up to 3 months.
3. Be sure to remove any air from the bag before sticking them in the freezer.

How To Thaw

They can be reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds or so or left at room temperature to thaw for a few hours.

Love muffins? Check out these recipes!

• Rhubarb Streusel Muffins
• Apple Streusel Muffins
• Coffee Banana Bread
• Roasted Banana Bread
• Baked Lemon Doughnuts
• Baileys Chocolate Doughnuts
• Savory Cheddar Chive Scones

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