Vegan and Gluten-Free Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

One of the initial recipes on this blog was for some large, bakery-style banana and chocolate chip muffins, it’s a great foolproof recipe, and those muffins are so delicious. It wasn't broken, and it didn't need any fixing.

But, I realized that it’s about time that there was a plant-based recipe on this blog. A while ago, I saw chef Nadiya Hussain saying in one of her shows that every budding chef should have a plant-based recipe in their repertoire, so here’s mine. Here’s my recipe for vegan and gluten-free banana and chocolate chip muffins.

I do not follow a vegan or gluten-free diet, but I am entirely open to trying it. And I firmly believe that in trying to find suitable plant-based or gluten-free substitutes for ingredients in both baking and cooking, a person starts becoming more creative.

While developing this recipe for vegan and gluten-free banana muffins, I wanted the recipe to be accessible. Because vegan or gluten-free recipes often ask us to use ingredients that are just out of reach for ordinary people.

These vegan and gluten-free banana and chocolate chip muffins are my first ever (successful) attempt at plant-based and gluten-free baking. It’s like hitting two birds with one stone (is that the right saying?)

These vegan and gluten-free banana and chocolate chip muffins are incredibly soft, moist, super flavorful, and so chocolatey. The recipe could not be any easier. The batter comes together in less than 5 minutes, and the muffins take under 20 minutes to bake. So, you will basically have delicious plant-based and gluten-free muffins in under 30 minutes. How awesome is that?

What ingredients go into these vegan and gluten-free banana muffins?

If you didn’t know, vegan/plant-based recipes avoid using any ingredient from an animal in any form. That includes all forms of dairy, eggs, and even honey. Vegan food has to come from plants, one hundred percent.

And gluten-free means that the recipe doesn’t contain any gluten. Gluten is present in wheat and its byproducts.

In a regular muffin recipe, you’d have dairy, eggs, flour, and sugar.

But, for this banana and chocolate chip muffin recipe, I’ve substituted the dairy with coconut milk, the eggs with bananas, and the flour with oat flour. The bananas are not only present for flavor but also as a substitute for eggs.

Also, do note that you’ll need to use super overripe bananas. They should have pretty black peels and should smell kind of fermented, and should ideally have juices flowing out. It sounds really gross, I know, but overripe bananas pack a lot of flavor.

Now, let’s talk about our gluten-free flour: oat flour. For my “flour” in this recipe, I simply powdered some rolled oats until they resembled flour. Most oats are manufactured in places where they also manufacture wheat. So, look for tags like ‘gluten-free’ and ‘organic’ on the packaging of your rolled oats.

I’ve also mixed some apple cider vinegar into the coconut milk to make coconut buttermilk of sorts; it’s simply to make the muffins more fluffy and moist. You can also use coconut milk powder to make coconut milk if that’s all you have access to.

Apart from the bananas, rolled oats, apple cider vinegar, and coconut milk, this recipe also has neutral-tasting oil, soft brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, baking powder, and of course, chocolate chips. You could also use chocolate chunks if you want.

What equipment will I need?

This is essentially a one-bowl recipe, so you’ll need a large mixing bowl, a wire whisk, and a silicone spatula.

You’ll also need a muffin tin and some muffin liners to bake the muffins.

Optionally, you could keep a couple of small bowls handy and an ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin tin.

The recipe for vegan and gluten-free banana chocolate chip muffins

Time: 30 minutes

Yields: 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS

• 200 gram (2 cups) powdered rolled oats/oat flour

• 3 grams (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon

• 3 grams (¾ teaspoon) salt

• 6 grams (1 ½ teaspoon) baking powder

• 150 grams (½ cup) overripe bananas

• 100 grams (½ loosely packed cup) soft brown sugar

• 100 grams (½ cup) neutral-tasting oil [sunflower, rice bran, canola, vegetable, avocado…oils]

• 110 (½ cup) coconut milk

• 10 grams (¾ tablespoon) apple cider vinegar

• 4 grams (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract

• 110 grams (¾ cup) chocolate chips

METHOD

• Preheat the oven to 190°C.

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk the oat flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Set it aside.

• To a large mixing bowl, add the bananas, brown sugar, and oil. Whisk until the bananas are mashed and everything looks incorporated.

• Mix the apple cider vinegar into the coconut milk, and add that to the banana mixture. Whisk again until combined.

• Add the vanilla extract, and whisk again.

• Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, and fold with a silicone spatula until the dry ingredients are almost combined.

• Add all of the chocolate chips to the batter, leaving a fistful aside. Fold them into the batter, and ensure there are no dry pockets of flour.

• Line a muffin tin with muffin liners, and use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to scoop the batter into the muffin tin. Fill each cavity ¾ of the way.

• Top each muffin with the remaining chocolate chips.

• Bake the muffins in the preheated oven at 190°C for 17-18 minutes. Insert a toothpick into a muffin; it should come out dry without any batter stuck to it.

• Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 2-3 minutes, and then transfer them to a cooling rack to fully cool.

• Serve the muffins warm if you wish.

Notes

The vegan and gluten-free banana chocolate chip muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. Beyond that, they will have to be refrigerated.

Let me know your thoughts, doubts, or anything you want to ask in the comments. If you try this recipe or any of my recipes, please share your experiences with me on Instagram or Facebook! Or leave a comment!

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