Paleo Banana Muffins

These paleo banana muffins are such a treat, you’d never guess how healthy they actually are. In addition to being paleo diet friendly, these muffins are gluten free, dairy free, grain free and contain no added sugar.

This recipe calls for date paste instead of sugar, which makes these muffins particularly nutrient dense since dates are an excellent source of various vitamins, antioxidants and fibre.

Paleo baking often calls for either almond flour or coconut flour and I opted to use coconut flour in this recipe. I love using coconut flour in treats like muffins and cakes because the slight sweetness of the coconut flour really compliments the caramel flavour of the date paste.

Coconut flour is a great option if you’re trying to reduce your carbohydrates since it’s lower in carbs than wheat flour or other grain based flours. It’s also higher in fibre so it’s a great choice if you’re looking to up your fibre intake.

I find the texture of these muffins to be satisfyingly cakey and light, given they don’t contain any wheat flour. They’re sweet but not overly sweet so they’re perfect for breakfast or a healthy snack. They’re just sweet enough to entice a picky kid too!

These muffins are the perfect portable healthy breakfast or snack to pack for school or work. Definitely make an extra batch to freeze so you can pull one out when you’re short on time and want something healthy and delicious on the run.

I love the combination of bananas and walnuts so of course I threw some walnuts into these banana muffins. But if you need to keep these nut free (or just aren’t a fan of walnuts) you could substitute pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds or just skip them altogether.

If you’re a chocolate lover feel free to add 1/2 cup of chopped up dark chocolate (either instead of or in addition to the walnuts) and I’m sure the results will be delicious.

Paleo Banana Muffins Recipe

Ingredients:

2 ripe bananas
6 eggs
1/2 cup date paste (see my date paste recipe for instructions)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

Add the bananas, date paste, olive oil, vanilla, eggs, cinnamon and nutmeg to a large mixing bowl and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth (or a regular blender which will work just as well. Alternatively you can skip the blending altogether and just mash the bananas by hand, whisk the eggs, and stir in the rest of the ingredients. I personally prefer the ease of an immersion blender!)

Add the coconut flour and baking soda and stir until incorporated. Add the walnuts (optional) and stir once more. Spoon the batter into a muffin tray with paper muffin liners and bake for 33 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Makes 12 paleo banana muffins.