Have you tried to make vegan muffins before and felt they were either too dense or just a bit dry? Well guys, not these bad boys! These Vegana Banana Bread Muffins are super moist and fluffy.
I love to make these vegan muffins for Mr B (aka my boyf) as a healthy snack or for an on the go breakfast. They’re also great motivation to get you to the gym or as a pat on the back treat for when you come out!
Top tips to getting fluffy vegan muffins
The choice of flour. What flour you choose makes a real difference to how fluffy your vegan muffins turn out. Spelt flour is probably the best for muffins, but it’s not gluten free. And today I wanted to make a Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Muffin so I used a combination of ground almonds and buckwheat flour. You can also experiment with a good gluten free flour blend.
It’s best to blend flours when making vegan muffins to add to the fluffy texture. I haven’t tried these with spelt though as of yet but imagine they would be divine!
Aquafaba. For those of you who don’t know what aquafaba is, it’s simply the water from chickpeas, whisked up into a fluffy, almost egg white texture. It makes vegan cakes and muffins super fluffy. I like to use 3 tbsp of aquafaba to replace 1 large egg.
When choosing which chickpeas to use for aquafaba I try to buy the unsalted ones, just in water, over any with a citric acid or preservative. You can find these in most supermarkets in cartons. I use Sainsbury’s organic chickpeas in water here in the UK.
Why these banana bread muffins will start your day right
For those of you who don’t tolerate grains particularly well these Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Muffins are a great way to start your day. They use a combination of almond flour and buckwheat (a pseudo grain). If you prefer them to be totally grain free you can experiment with just almond flour, but I haven’t tried this yet. The mix of flours helps with the consistency.
I added warming spices of cinnamon and some chopped walnuts (or you can use pecans) for the ultimate fluffy yet crunchy surprise in every bite. You could even add some sugar free dark chocolate chips or chunks of chopped dark chocolate too if you like.
What is the healthiest sweetener to use?
These muffins are refined sugar free. I chose to use maple syrup as maple lends itself taste wise to banana bread but you could try coconut sugar (1/4 cup of maple for roughly one cup of coconut sugar) or honey if you’re not vegan (same ratio as maple.)
They’re not overly sweet, so feel free to adjust to your tastebuds. You can also omit the maple altogether if you prefer. The banana adds a gentle sweetness but they will feel a touch more hearty than a treat, if you know what I mean!
EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO MAKE THESE VEGAN BANANA BREAD MUFFINS
These Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Muffins are quick and easy to make. All you need is a mixing bowl, measuring cups, spoon, fork, electric whisk, muffin tin and cases, the oven, a toothpick or skewer for testing and a wire rack for cooling.
I hope you enjoy them guys, Jo x
Fluffy Gluten Free Vegan Banana Bread Muffins
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup almond flour (100g)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp buckwheat flour (100g)
- 1 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda/ baking soda
- 1 tsp ground chia
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 25 g walnuts or pecans, chopped
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 large banana
- 3 - 4 tbsp maple syrup, or to taste
- 50 ml oatmilk or nut milk of chocie (I like Plenish)
- 6 tbsp aquafaba (whisked chickpea water)
TO DECORATE
- 1/2 large banana
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C / 180 fan.
- Line a muffin tin with muffin cases or use a 6 cup silicone mould. If using paper cases, grease with a little coconut oil to prevent sticking.
- Separate the water from a carton of chickpeas. I like to use chickpeas just in water. Whisk the water using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. You’ll need 6 tablespoons (when fluffy) for this recipe. Discard the left over. Save the chickpeas to use in another recipe.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
- Mash 1 banana with a fork.
- Add the banana to the dry ingredients along with the wet. Mix to combine then fold through the aquafaba.
- Spoon the mixture into your muffin cases and top with a slice of banana and bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on top and you can insert and remove a skewer without many crumbs sticking. The muffins will continue to cook once removed from the oven so try not to overcook.
- Leave to cool for 15 minutes still in the tin to firm up. Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack to cool fully.
LOVE THIS BANANA BREAD RECIPE AND WANT TO SEE MORE VEGAN TREATS FROM MODERN FOOD STORIES, CHECK OUT MY:
Easy Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse
