Low Carb Banana Muffins--No Sugar No Gluten (2024)

No bananas were harmed while making these muffins, I promise. As low carb bakers, we have to get a bit creative when it comes to recipes that have ingredients that are not low carb–like the humble banana. Here we have a wonderful banana muffin no sugar that we know you are going to love!!

I love banana muffins or banana bread. Something about it just reminds me of my childhood, my mom, and all things warm and fuzzy, so off we go to make a muffin worthy of a banana lover who can’t eat bananas.

Keto Friendly Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins

So these wonderful muffins are big and fluffy, popping with chunks of sugar-free chocolate and ripe banana flavour.

No refined sugars were used in this recipe. No gluten was used either, making these muffins suitable for many gluten-free and low carb diets.

can you make this muffin recipe into a banana loaf?

Yes! This recipe also makes a great loaf and holds together very well (not crumbly) and slices like a dream. So if you have your heart set on a loaf, this recipe will scratch that itch. You will want to increase the cooking time to 40-50 minutes and be sure to tent your loaf with tin foil halfway through baking to avoid over-browning.

How do you make banana muffins without bananas?

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Yup, no bananas. I tested a few different options when it came to flavouring these banana muffins no sugar. You can buy banana flavouring at pretty much any grocery store. It works in a pinch. You can also purchase concentrated flavour oils, like banana (and so many others), and they work way better.

But after testing them all, I have to say that the bakery emulsions give the best flavour without going overboard.

What are Bakery Emulsions?

Bakery Emulsions are LorAnn’s version of a flavour extract. They are formulated to be the same strength as an “extract” (1 teaspoon emulsion = 1 teaspoon extract). Instead of the flavor being diluted in alcohol, it is suspended in a water base.

Why is a water-based suspension better?Water is a more neutral carrier than alcohol–it imparts no additional off-flavors and does not evaporate as quickly when exposed to heat. This allows the flavor to shine through.

I am not at all sponsored by LorAnn’s, but I have to tell you that if you are serious about low carb baking, these LorAnn’s bakery emulsions are a game-changer. You can add so much flavor punch with a teaspoon in virtually anything from puddings to beer (ok, don’t add them to beer, but seriously you could if you wanted to).

Since they are water-based, they are not for use to flavour chocolate. For that, you will want a flavour oil.

But what if I don’t Want Artificial Flavours?

If you don’t like the idea of artificial flavours, I get you. LorAnn’s has a whole list of natural flavours, including banana. It works great in these muffins too.

My only caveat about the flavour oils is to go easy with them. You only need a few drops per recipe as the natural flavour oils are super concentrated.

A bit of information about The Chocolate Chunks

Do you need to use chocolate chunks? Nope! Can you just use sugar-free chocolate chips? You sure can.

If you want to go the extra step and make chunks, it’s super easy. Melt Lilly’s sugar-free chocolate chips with a teaspoon of coconut oil over a double boiler and pour it into a small, square dish. Once the chocolate is firm, chop it into chunks.

You can skip that part if you wish, but honestly, I love the big bits of hidden chocolate you find in these muffins. It’s like finding a chocolate treasure!

Which Sweeteners Work Best In This Recipe?

Use whatever granular or powdered sweetener you like best for these low carb banana no sugar muffins.

I used So Nourished Monk Fruit & Erythritol blend sweetener. But any monk fruit, erythritol, allulose, or a blend of sweeteners will work just fine.

Liquid sweeteners will throw off the dry to wet ratio so I do not recommend them in this recipe for that reason.

A Few Extra baking Tips And Notes:

1. Sift all your dry ingredients to remove lumps and add air into the dry ingredients.
2. Make sure you blend the eggs very well before adding the other liquid ingredients.
3. Once your liquids are well blended, add the sifted, dry ingredients and your chocolate chunks (reserve a few chunks or chips to speckle the tops of your muffins).
4. Gently fold the ingredients together. Do not over blend.
5. Unlike regular muffin batter, you will want to fill your muffin papers a bit over the top of the paper.
6. Use the reserved chocolate chunks to add chocolate specks to the top of the muffins.

Option: Sprinkle some granulated sweetener over the top of the muffins before they go into the oven to add a bit of sugary-like crunch.

Storage & serving suggestions

These low carb banana muffins no sugar freeze GREAT! So if you make a batch and don’t want a dozen or so muffins kicking around, you can toss a few in the freezer for another day.

They also make a great on-the-go breakfast with a hot cup of coffee.

Store them on the counter for up to three days for best freshness and texture.

Low Carb Banana Muffins With Chocolate Chunks

Yield: 14-16

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

A moist bakery style low carb banana muffin with big chunks of sugar-free chocolate.

Ingredients

Banana Muffins

• 3/4 cup erythritol (powdered)
• 3/4 cup melted unsalted butter
• 6 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 3 cups finely ground almond flour
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp Xanthan gum powder
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp Banana Bakery Emulsion

Chocolate Chunks

• 1 cup Lilly's Milk Chocolate (Or Dark) Sugar-Free Chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

Sugar-free Chocolate Chunks

1. In a double boiler, melt sugar-free chocolate chunks with coconut oil and stir until completely melted.
2. Pour melted chocolate into a small bowl, or mold and allow to cool completely.
3. When the chocolate is completely cooked and hardened, use a sharp knife, and chop into chunks. Set aside.

Banana Muffins

1. With the rack in the middle position, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Sift together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum, and salt into a medium-size bowl. Set aside.
3. Blend eggs and yolks in a bowl with a hand mixer, or whisk until the eggs are very light yellow and frothy. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the melted unsalted butter and erythritol until the mixture is creamy and blended. With the mixer at low speed, drizzle in the almond milk, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, banana bakery emulsion, and egg mixture.
5. Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chunks (reserve a few chunks for the top of the muffins) into the wet ingredients and fold gently until completely blended.
6. Fill the paper muffin cups all the way to the top and speckle the muffins with the reserved chocolate chunks.
7. Bake for 25minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from muffin tins and place them on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

Notes

• Xanthan gum is used to replace gluten in this recipe. The Xanthan gum gives structure and stability to the muffin. Without it, the muffins will be crumbly and will fall apart.
• Apple cider vinegar is used to help give the leavening agents an extra lift. The flours we use in low carb baking are very heavy, and that baking powder needs a little bit of help. You do not taste the apple cider vinegar in this recipe once the muffins are baked.
• You cannot sub out the coconut flour for almond flour, or almond flour for coconut flour in this recipe. Both flours react differently to moisture.
• You can make this recipe into a loaf if you wish. Be sure to add a piece of parchment paper to the bottom of a well-greased loaf pan. You can fill the pan all the way up to 3/4 full. Bake for 40-50 minutes. The loaf is done when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. To avoid over-browning of your loaf, wrap the outside of the pan in an extra layer of tin-foil, and halfway through baking add a loose tent of tin foil over the top of the loaf.
• Prep time is 40 minutes to take into account the hardening of the melted chocolate chunks. If you use chocolate chips, this prep time is not required.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 

  Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour

• 

  Anthony's Xanthan Gum

• 

  Powdered Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol Confectioners (1 lb / 16 oz)

• 

  Sukrin Icing

• 

  LorAnn Banana Bakery Emulsion

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 16Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 296Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 129mgSodium: 192mgCarbohydrates: 14gNet Carbohydrates: 6gFiber: 8gSugar: 2gProtein: 10g

Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs (and sugar alcohols) are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fibre.

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