Teff Flour Banana Muffins with Blueberries

These teff flour banana muffins with blueberries bring together the comforting flavor of classic banana muffins with the rich, earthy notes of teff flour and the gentle natural sweetness of tigernut flour. Made with green bananas and a minimal amount of sweetener, they are moist, flavorful, and satisfying without being overly sweet. Naturally gluten-free, sugar-free, and lectin-free, they make a nourishing breakfast, snack, or wholesome treat any time of day.

Is teff flour gluten-free?

In case you wonder, teff is a gluten-free flour and it was recently added to the approved list of lectin-free flours by Dr. Steven Gundry. If you want more details about teff flour and other lectin-free and gluten-free flours, check out my article: Quick Guide to Lectin-Free, Gluten-Free Flours.

I wanted to make a muffin recipe that doesn’t use nut flours, as this is a common request I get. So, other than the slivered almonds that can easily be skipped, the flours I used are teff, tigernut (which despite the name is not a nut), and tapioca flour.

This is a green banana and eggs-based muffin recipe, but I tried a vegan version and I’ll share with you the modifications in case you can’t have eggs.

Ingredients and Substitutions

For the egg-based version, I used the ingredients listed below. The batter will be similar to pancake batter, and these muffins rise beautifully in the oven and nearly double in size, which is not always the case with gluten-free baking.

I don’t recommend making major substitutions, as the recipe was developed and tested with these specific ingredients. That said, you can substitute the tapioca flour with arrowroot starch, use avocado oil instead of olive oil, omit the almonds, or experiment with different spices, flavors, and add-ins. Any sweetener that measures similarly to sugar should also work.

As for the sweetness, these muffins are designed for my palate, which means they are only lightly sweetened. If you are accustomed to sweeter baked goods or traditional desserts, you may want to increase the amount of sweetener to suit your taste.

I use green bananas in this recipe because they contain less sugar and more resistant starch than ripe bananas, which may result in a gentler blood sugar response. They also add moisture and structure without making the muffins overly sweet. That said, ripe bananas will work just as well, and the texture of the muffins will not be significantly affected. The main difference is that riper bananas will contribute a sweeter flavor.

Wet Ingredients

• 2 green bananas (260g)
• 2 large pasture-raised eggs
• 1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 3-4 tablespoons allulose or monk fruit sweetener
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 organic lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Dry Ingredients

• 1/2 cup teff flour
• 1/4 cup tigernut flour
• 3 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Add-Ins

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, plus extra for topping (optional)
• 1/4 cup frozen wild blueberries, plus extra for topping

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a standard muffin pan with paper liners.

Add the bananas, eggs, olive oil, sweetener, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the teff flour, tigernut flour, tapioca flour, and baking powder.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until no dry spots remain.

Fold in the slivered almonds and blueberries, reserving a few of each for topping.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost to the top. Sprinkle with the reserved almonds and blueberries.

Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown and spring back lightly when touched.

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Egg-Free Variation (vegan)

For an egg-free and vegan variation of this recipe, here is the ingredients list. The process and add-ins will remain the same as the original recipe you will find in the recipe card.

Wet Ingredients

• about 3 (smaller) green bananas (280 grams, peeled)
• 1/4 cup hemp milk (or other compliant milk)
• 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
• 1 tablespoon nut butter
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons allulose or monk fruit sweetener
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of one organic lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Dry Ingredients

• 1/4 cup teff flour
• 2 tablespoons tigernut flour
• 1 tablespoon tapioca flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

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