These banana muffins are completely AIP compliant using green banana flour and tigernut flour. They make a great on-the-go snack OR have one for breakfast on those days when you just need a muffin!
Before AIP, I was kind of a muffin addict. During university, you would often find me in the morning ordering a muffin and coffee from Tim’s or Starbucks.
Oh how times have changed!
Although my diet is different now, I still crave a muffin for breakfast or snack every now and then. But nowadays, sipping on a matcha or tea latte with an AIP compliant muffin (rather than one filled with refined sugar and bad fats) is more my style.
I created these banana muffins because I wanted a recipe that was simple to throw together. My morning glory muffins are great and I loooove that they include veggies, but they do take a little more effort.
These banana muffins, on the other hand, will make you feel like your baking a regular old muffin! But instead of using wheat flour, you’ll be using a few AIP compliant flours.
Ingredient Highlight
Green Banana Flour
This is really becoming one of my fave flours! I’ve used it in both my oatmeal raisin cookies and fudgy avocado brownies! The flour is high in potassium and other vitamins and minerals found in bananas. Annnnd it’s a source of resistant starch, helping to keep those blood sugar levels in check!
Tigernut Flour
Now if you’ve been following me for awhile you’ll know I’ve used this flour quite a bit. Why do I love this flour? It can be used in so many ways!
Make some tigernut butter with it, or use it in energy balls. Want some fudge? Tigernut adds the perfect texture. Missing peanut sauce? You can use tigernut flour for that too!
It really is super versatile and again, it is a source of resistant starch, so won’t spike your blood sugar!
Yield: 6 muffins
Banana Muffins (AIP/Paleo)
10 minutes
30 minutes
10 minutes
50 minutes
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1/2 cup green banana flour
- 1/2 cup tigernut flour
- 1/3 cup arrowroot starch
- 2 tbsp gelatin
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Wet Ingredients
- 2 medium bananas, mashed
- 1/3 cup coconut oil *
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Grease 6 muffins cups (I use a bit of coconut oil).
- Whisk together all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl mix together all wet ingredients.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Separate the batter into 6 muffin cups.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
Notes
*Use palm shortening to make a coconut free version!
This recipe looks and sounds delicious! Would cassava flour work as a sub for the tigernut flour?
Hi Suki!
hmm I don’t think it will have the same texture, but it’s possible it will still turn out alright. However I haven’t tried it, so no guarantees. Please let me know if you give it a try!
I make these every week. I usually freeze them and then nook for 30 seconds if I can’t wait for them to thaw. I also only put 1 tablespoon gelatin and then add a scoop of collagen powder. I usually add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of mace and a tablespoon of ACV instead of a teaspoon. They are wonderful and they smell so good while they’re cooling. These are great for those on the AIP diet.
These look fantastic! Thx for sharing!
Looks great. I am planning to use agar agar instead of gelatin. Do you think I should add it dry or make a gelatin “egg” with it?
hmm I’ve never used agar agar, so I’m not really sure. I would probably make an “egg” with it though if it were me trying it for the first time.
These are so yummy! It tasted like I was eating banana bread again! Thank you!
YAY! So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Wonderful recipe – could this be made into a loaf? Could collagen be added? Thank you!
I did have a reader tell me they successfully made it into a loaf. I haven’t tried adding collagen but I imagine it would be fine with a few tbsp!
Wow, I have to say I was skeptical at how these would turn out. They were light, moist, and fluffy and tasted delicious. Definitely will be my go-to going forward for a nice AIP weekend treat. Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you so much for sharing 😀
Made these tonight! I was so nervous because it was my first time making an aip sweet , and they did not disappoint!
YAY! So happy to hear!
Saw these listed on an AIP Facebook site. I’ve been making AIP pumpkin muffins but I have missed banana muffins. These were so good. It’s the first time I’ve used banana flour. I’ll definitely be making these again and again. I also added some cinnamon.
Woohoo! So glad you were able to find a banana muffin 🙂
What can replace the banana flour? If anything?
hmm I haven’t tried replacing the banana flour in this recipe, so I can’t say for sure.
Ok, thanks!
Could the arrowroot be replaced, I can’t eat it or cassava. They make me sick
Are you ok with tapioca? It could likely be replaced with tapioca starch!
Tapioca is cassava starch, FYI
oh yes you’re right KZ, good catch! hmm not sure what else you could replace arrowroot with unless you use potato starch or sweet rice flour but then that wouldn’t be AIP compliant..
These are great – thanks for the recipe!! I made a banana bread out of them and it came out delicious. Just kept it longer in the oven (55 minutes.) I wonder if there’s a way of making some kind of other bread from tiger nut flour and green banana flour/ other AIP friendly flour?
That sounds wonderful! Have you tried my raisin cake? It has a bread like quality to it! 🙂
Made these today and they are delish! I made 4 muffins as the recipe stated and 4 muffins with added chocolate chips for my non-AIP spouse. I was able to get 8 muffins out of this recipe. I topped mine with some freshly made tigernut butter and cinnamon. So good! Thank you for the wonderful recipe. First time I have had a nice baked treat in months.
oh this makes me so happy 🙂 So glad you enjoyed them Suzy!
11/14/19
So, I made these muffins exactly as the recipe prescribed, except for the following changes:
1. I didn’t have any gelatin, so I substituted 2T crushed flax seed and put in with it 1/4 C water, and let it sit while I measured out the rest.
2. I only had 1 large banana, so I used that instead of the 2 med ones.
3. I didn’t have any vanilla, so I left that out.
Result: A surprisingly nice muffin. They were full, nicely textured, and baked all the way through. Probably the nicest looking paleo muffin I’ve ever seen. Exactly 30 mins to bake; not over done or under done.
I think the flavor would have been helped if I’d actually used 2 bananas and added the vanilla. The flavor wasn’t bad at all, but it was a very muffiny muffin (not to be confused with some that are more like cupcakes).
And the best part: They are filling and didn’t mess up my blood sugar, as in, no crash later on. I actually ate two (I probably only needed one, but you know how it is when things are fresh out of the oven, lol) and then I went at least six or more hours before I felt hungry again.
The only down side was that while eating them, there was a grittiness when chewing, like there was fine sandpaper grit in them. That bothered me. Is this common with Tigernut flour? Baking with Tigernut flour is new to me. I vaguely recall reviewers complaining about grit in their Tigernut flour (which I read AFTER I bought it). I bought Gemini brand, because it was in the local store, and I wanted to try it. Didn’t have time to search out any recipes for a few months. So often, we read about stuff coming from China or other places having “added ingredients” that aren’t supposed to be in there, so that has me worried if it’s safe or not. I don’t really know where this came from and I’m sick right now, so too lazy to get up and look. What kind do you use? And have you noticed a grittiness to the texture when you eat it?
In the past I’ve been used to almond muffins from mixes by Simple Mills. They taste good, are more like a cupcake, and it’s difficult to get the doneness right; they usually sink when taken out of the oven, and tend to be underdone inside, or scorched in attempt to get them done enough. But they changed their ingredients and they were bothering me so I had to stop. I made my own recipe from scratch, and I was using Bob’s Red Mills almond flour. But sometimes I’d be okay, and other times I’d get really sick. So I became convinced that sometimes the batches must get cross-contaminated. So that’s why I’ve been looking for something different. I’ve gone months without any baked goods at all and it’s very challenging to come up with food that’s stable to grab & go and not be immediately perishable.
If we could just solve the grit, I would be very happy with this recipe.
Hi Susan!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the muffins, although that’s too bad about the grit. I have not experienced the grit before. Tigernut does have a slight grittiness to it by itself, but you shouldn’t be having it in the muffins. So here are my thoughts. Perhaps the ingredients weren’t incorporated enough, possibly because only one banana was used. Also flax seed can be gritty so maybe the combination of flax plus the fact gelatin was omitted and only one banana was used caused more grit? I’m not sure as I haven’t made it with flax or using only one banana but I suspect it would affect the texture. I have used gemini tigernut flour in the past without any problems. I also use yupik as well as govinda.
Hope this helps and you’re able to successfully make them without the gritty texture!
11/22/19
Update: I just made them again. I made same as before, only this time I used two med. bananas (which FYI = 1 cup, in case you want to sub applesauce or pumpkin) and the vanilla, like the recipe called for, and the flavor was much better. They were okay before, but now are really good. And, surprisingly, the grittiness was almost entirely gone, so it must be you need enough moisture to rehydrate the gritty texture. That’s my best guess. I know it wasn’t the flax, because I’ve used that for years. I think I tried the Tigernut flour in something else, too, and it was also gritty. I’m happy because now I have a muffin recipe that I can eat & enjoy! ???? Thanks for figuring out the recipe and sharing it with us, as my diet has become very limited.
YAY! So glad to hear the second round was much better and you now have a muffin recipe you can eat and enjoy!
I just baked these and they are amazing! Fresh out of the oven they have the best crunch on the outside but soft in the inside. These will be my go to AIP muffin now! Next time I think I’ll add some cinnamon as I love it with banana. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Oh yay so happy to hear this Rebecca! They would be amazing with cinnamon, love that idea!
Can I use coconut flour instead of banana flour?
Hi Katie,
I haven’t tried it with coconut flour… I’m thinking it may just work though but I’m not 100% sure. Let me know if you give it a try!
Hi there,
I’m seeing gelatin as an ingredient in a lot of AIP baking. Can you tell me what purpose it has in these recipes? Is it a substitution for a different ingredient? I’m just curious since I don’t have any gelatin. Thanks!
Hi Sherrie,
It helps to bind and works similar to an egg! 🙂
I just baked these and they are so delicious! Thank you for the yummy AIP recipe. A lot of time AIP baked goods are heavy, but these muffins are light and fluffy, with a crunchy top. So good! I subbed cassava flour for the green banana flour (since I didn’t have any on hand) and added 1tsp of cinnamon.
Hi Katie!
SO glad you enjoy the recipe and that’s great to know that Cassava works in this recipe!
My favourite muffin recipe so far… easy to make and super tasty.
Thanks Paula! SO happy you like them 🙂
These really are amazing!! They cooked a bit quicker than 30 min for me. (I did use palm shortening instead of coconut oil) I’m really having to stop myself from eating them all!!!
I hear ya! These ones are popular around here too! Thanks for sharing Elizabeth 🙂
How is it AIP with added sugar in the form of maple syrup?
Hi Paul,
Natural sweeteners, such as maple syrup and honey, are aip compliant as long as they are eaten in moderation!
To my knowledge AIP is defined to be targeting autoimmune diseases and need to be very strict during 1-3 months. Any added sugar is of limits. After 1-3 months you can start to re-introduce food (like honey or syrup) but then it’s not AIP anymore, maybe more paleo?
Would you really recommend using honey and syrup to someone suffering from an autoimmune disease trying to get well?
I follow the guidelines of AIP defined by Dr Sarah Ballantyne, PhD. And yes natural sweeteners, such as maple syrup and honey, are acceptable in moderation. Refined sugar and non-nutritive sweeteners are off limits though. You may be interested in learning more on the guidelines here: https://www.thepaleomom.com/start-here/the-autoimmune-protocol/
Each person is unique and the amount of sugar tolerated is different for each person. Whether I recommend a client use maple syrup or honey would depend on their circumstances and goals. But I do believe having AIP treats in moderation can help with maintaining the protocol, even for the initial 30 days.
Fantastic recipe! So moist and easy to make. Absolutely love the raspberry muffin as well
Oh I’m so happy to hear this! Thank you for commenting <3
These are the best muffins so far. Do you know if you can freeze them?
Aw yay, so happy you enjoyed them! They can definitely be frozen!
After a blueberry muffin fail last week (it legit smelled and tasted like play dough), I was super skeptical to try another. But this muffin was AMAZING—like my husband and several children gobbled them up and asked to make more. Perfectly crisp on the outside and deliciously moist on the inside. I too subbed cassava flour in for the banana flour and it was perfect. Thank you for posting a baked good that just might save me during elimination (in moderation of course)!
Aw SO happy they were a hit! Thank you for commenting, Rachel – this made my day ❤️
These are the absolute best! Closest to banana bread I’ve had this season. The texture is amazing! I’ve tried several recipes and some have ended up in the trash. ! Mine came out darker but good! I might back off cooking time a little. Think we could switch bananas for pumpkin? Or do you have a pumpkin recipe?
Oh woohoo, glad you enjoyed the recipe! I do have several pumpkin recipes. This pumpkin bread and these pumpkin muffins, but they do not use banana flour like these banana muffins. Might be worth experimenting with some pumpkin!
These muffins were fantastic! The texture was just like a muffin. I got 9 muffins and in less than a day my family had devoured them! My husband enjoyed them with afternoon coffee. He wants me to make another batch today:)
Woot woot! That’s SO awesome! Love it when the whole fam enjoys a recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for commenting <3
Thanks for an amazing recipe! Looking forward to trying more!
<3 <3 <3
These muffins are SO delicious! They are moist with the perfect amount of sweetness. They are not crumbly although depending on the size of the bananas I find they can sometimes come out a bit dry-nothing that some melted coconut butter, frozen berries and maple syrup can’t fix! These have been my breakfast and snacks which really helpRd me as a busy mom of 4 who had to go AIP pretty much overnight. Friends and family also like these regardless of their chosen diets. So yummy, thank you!!!
Ah amazing! I love that these have helped you on your AIP journey 🙂 Thank you so much for commenting, means a lot! <3
These banana bread muffins are perfection!! I switched out the green banana flour for cassava like another person recommended in a comment since I didn’t have any. This has to be the first time I’ve had a baked good that actually tasted like I remember before I went gluten-free! Thank you for this recipe!
Oh that’s awesome! So glad to hear you enjoyed them!!! <3
I am new to AIP and really really wanted a bake treat. I thought I was going to freak out and just end up whole face in a baked good I actually had ingredients to make….took a deep breath and said “You can do this.” I recently ordered green banana flour from shopaip but hadn’t heard of tigernut flour. I searched banana muffins with green banana flour and yours came up…caveat..no tigernut flour. However, I did purchase a grain free instant farina from Pure Traditions made from tigernut flour and I said…what the hay! I’ll give it a whirl. I had everything else I needed. They quickly came together and out of the oven they looked great! And they tasted great! I thought they had a texture akin to bran muffins back in the non aip world. I won’t share how many I ate haha. I was in desperation at the time give me a break! Wanted to share that a substitute was possible since I enjoy reading how people make substitutions and the efficacy of them. I eventually got tigernut and made these exactly as said and the consensus is that we all liked the more “bran” muffiny muffin better! And yes, I make my whole family eat AIP since I’m the one doing all of the cooking! 🙂
oooh I like the sounds of the “bran” muffiny muffins 🙂 So glad you and the fam enjoyed the recipe!
My very busy Husband with Lupus is living theses. We are very grateful for this recipe. Thanks so so much.
It always makes me so happy when I hear about husbands enjoying my recipes! Thank you for commenting Katey 🙂
Delicious!! Even my normal sweet eating husband loved these! I love how your recipes are so easy to make, I used my blender for this one literally took 5 minutes. I’m freezing half for travel. 😁
Oh interesting, love that you used the blender! Yes, I’m all about the easy to make recipes 🙂 So glad you and hubby enjoyed the muffins!
Hi Rebecca,
Thank you for this recipe!
Question regarding subbing coconut sugar for the maple syrup?
I’m just about to try making the recipe but don’t tolerate either maple syrup or honey well, hence the subs.. coconut sugar for the maple syrup ( should I add extra liquid in any form?) and plantain flour for the green banana flour, because that’s what I have.
Wish me luck!
Thanks again
Andrea
HI Andrea, Hope they turned out for you! I haven’t tried making them with coconut sugar but if I were I’d do 1/4 cup coconut sugar, maybe an another 1/4 cup mashed banana or maybe coconut cream to make up for the loss liquid but you know it may just be fine without!
Hello! I’ve successfully reintroduced eggs and was wondering how many eggs would be equivalent to the gelatin in this recipe? Thanks!
I would use two!
These were totally yummy. After my last muffin attempt, (not one of your recipes!), where I ended up with charred blackened craters, these were delightful. I didn’t have green banana flour on hand, so substituted plantain flour. I also added raisins and cinnamon. My advice is to check them frequently, they may cook more quickly depending on your oven. They keep their shape wonderfully, they have a great “crumb” and smell and taste like real muffins! Thank you so much! 🙂
Great advice! Thank you for commenting! SO glad you enjoyed them 🙂
Hi! I have no tiger nuts flour in my country, can I substitute it with almond flour? Thanks in advance for your help 💕
Yes it should work fine!
Hi
I am new to AIP and I thought Baking soda isn’t AIP compliant but somehow baking soda and cream of tartar combined are elimination-phase legal but I don’t see cream of tartar in your recipe. So just curious if there is any misunderstanding from my end. Thank you.
Hi Rachel!
Baking powder is not AIP compliant but baking soda, combined with cream of tartar OR on its own, is fine to use. In this recipe cream of tartar is not needed as acv is called for – the acidity in the apple cider vinegar will activate the baking soda. Hope this answers your question!