Banana Blackberry Muffins

Why I Love These Banana Berry Muffins

Easy, tender, moist, super fruity—I could go on! This muffin recipe is one of those that's very forgiving. If you if you use non-dairy milk it's a dairy-free recipe, or you can make it with or without gluten-free flour. I also love how quickly the batter comes together (it's almost a one-bowl recipe)! Some more highlights include:

• Easy. No mixer is required to make banana blackberry muffins, so this recipe is perfect for even novice bakers.
• Gluten free. Make the recipe as written with oat and almond flours to keep these muffins gluten-free, or swap all-purpose or whole wheat flour if you are OK with gluten.
• Great way to use recipe bananas. Save those ripening bananas for these muffins, or store them in the freezer so you can make muffins anytime.

What You'll Need

I've included all of the ingredients needed to make these muffins below, along with some notes. Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions.

• Oat flour - Buy a package of oat flour or easily learn how to make oat flour at home. If you can't eat oats, substitute an equal amount of sorghum or brown rice flour by weight.
• Almond flour - Instead of fine ground almond flour, try oat flour, teff flour, or another nut flour.
• Leavening agents - A combination of baking powder and baking soda (check to make sure they're fresh!) help the muffins to rise.
• Salt - I always use fine sea salt and table salt works fine, too.
• Ground cinnamon - Or substitute ground ginger.
• Bananas - Ripe bananas, about 3 or 4, add texture and sweetness.
• Coconut oil - Refined or unrefined coconut oil works interchangeably here. Try avocado oil or unsalted butter, too.
• Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar works, or try coconut sugar.
• Egg - A large egg at room temperature easily blends into the batter.
• Milk - Your choice of whole, 2%, or non-dairy milk.
• Blackberries - Fresh or frozen blackberries, slightly defrosted, add juicy flavor and color to these muffins.

Tips & Substitution Suggestions

• Separate the blackberries: If using frozen blackberries, thaw the berries slightly, enough so that you can gently separate them from each other. You want to be able to fold in the berries individually so that they are evenly distributed throughout the batter—if they are frozen in a big clump this will be impossible!
• And fold them in gently: This goes for frozen and fresh blackberries, but if using frozen blackberries be especially gentle when mixing them in so that they don't bleed into the batter.
• Make it dairy-free: Substitute non-dairy milk for the whole milk.
• Adjust the sweetness: Depending on how ripe your bananas are, you may wish to lower the amount of sugar by ¼ cup.
• Use regular or gluten free flour: Substitute 1 ½ cups of all-purpose flour for the combo of oat and almond flour. Or use 1 ¾ cups homemade gluten free flour blend or your favorite gluten-free flour blend.
• Serving options: Plain, warm, spread with butter, or cream cheese!

Add in Suggestions

• Add nuts - Fold in 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans along with the blackberries for some crunch.
• Another fruit! I love this base recipe and you can adapt it to include raspberries, blueberries, or a combination.
• Chocolate - Try 1 cup of chopped semisweet chocolate or chocolate chips along with the blackberries.

Storage

• Counter – Keep the cooled muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days.
• Fridge – Place the muffins in their airtight container or sealable bag in the fridge for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
• Freezer – Place blackberry muffins in a freezer-safe, sealable bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before serving.