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These banana buckwheat muffins are a delicious way to use up ripe bananas you have on hand. They make an easy gluten-free breakfast, or snack on-the-go.

buckwheat muffins cooling in the tin.

Why You’ll Love Them

They are easy to make. All you need is one bowl and a few simple ingredients to make these buckwheat banana muffins. 

They’re nutritious. Buckwheat contains minerals like manganese, iron, and copper. When you pair it with mashed bananas and ground flax seed, you’ll get plenty of filling fiber and vitamins in each bite!

They are allergy friendly. Despite its name, buckwheat is actually a seed, and not a grain. So, it’s naturally gluten-free! You can make this recipe with, or without eggs, if you need a vegan option, and it’s dairy-free, too.

They are fun to customize. Feel free to stir in some chocolate chips for extra sweetness, or a big handful of walnuts for a banana nut muffin. 

They are portable. These muffins pack well for a school lunch or snack. You can keep them stored in the fridge for up to a week, for an easy option that travels well. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

buckwheat muffin ingredients labeled on white surface.

What’s in buckwheat muffins? 

  • Ripe bananas
  • Buckwheat flour
  • Maple syrup
  • Flax egg (or real eggs)
  • Olive oil
  • Bakingpowder
  • Cinnamon & salt

Since buckwheat doesn’t become as gummy as oat flour does, it’s easy to use a flax egg in this recipe to keep it higher in fiber and vegan friendly. But, I’ve also tested this recipe with 2 eggs as a swap, if you prefer a muffin recipe with more protein.

How to Make Banana Buckwheat Muffins

1. Mash the bananas. 

Peel the ripe bananas and mash them with a fork. If you’re in a hurry, you can also use an electric hand mixer to break them down quickly.

If you are using a flax egg for this recipe, add the ground flax seed to a large mixing bowl, along with 3 tablespoons of water. Mix well, so the flax can begin to gel. 

bananas mashed on a plate with a fork.

2. Mix the wet ingredients. 

Transfer the mashed banana to the large mixing bowl, and add in the maple syrup and olive oil. Mix the wet ingredients together, until they look relatively uniform. 

wet ingredients mixed in glass bowl.

3. Add the dry ingredients. 

Next you’ll add in the buckwheat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix again, until the batter looks smooth and fluffy.

dry ingredients mixed into the bowl.

Fold in some chocolate chips, or any other add-ins you like, such as walnuts or pecans.

chocolate chips added to batter and scooped in cup.

4. Bake. 

Use a 1/4 cup to scoop the batter into a muffin tin lined with 12 silicone or paper liners. Once the muffin cups are filled, you can add a few extra chocolate chips on top, if you’d like to. 

Bake in an oven preheated to 350ºF for 22 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins rise slightly and start to crack on top. 

muffin batter added to muffin pan.

Let the muffins cool for at least 30 minutes in the pan for the best texture and flavor. Then they are ready to serve!

Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Or, you can freeze them for up to 3 months. 

finished muffins in pan and split apart on a plate.

Substitutions & Common Questions

Can I use real eggs? Yes, you can replace the flax egg in this recipe with 2 chicken eggs, if you prefer. In my opinion, using real eggs gives the muffins a better texture, with more bounce and fluffiness. You can try it out to see what you think! 

Are these muffins very sweet? With only a 1/4 cup of maple syrup, this muffin recipe is not as sweet as a bakery muffin. But, when you add in the chocolate chips, I think it balances out! My kids love these as an after-school snack. You can add a little more sweetener, to taste, if you’d like to, or replace it with water for a lower-sugar snack.

Do I have to use olive oil? I use this type of oil so the muffins will stay softer when they cool. If you use coconut oil or melted butter, the muffins will become more solid in texture when chilled. But feel free to experiment with it!

Looking for more buckwheat recipes? Try Buckwheat Pancakes or Buckwheat banana bread!

single buckwheat muffin on a plate.
buckwheat muffins cooling in the tin.

Banana Buckwheat Muffins

4.88 from 40 votes
These buckwheat muffins are naturally gluten-free and the perfect way to use up any ripe bananas you have on hand!
prep10 mins cook22 mins total32 mins
Servings:12

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 large ripe bananas (about 1 ½ cups mashed)
  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil , melted
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 cup buckwheat flour (light colored)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Add-Ins

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper or silicone liners. Peel the bananas and mash them on a plate with a fork until they look relatively smooth.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground flax seed and water and whisk well. (Alternatively, you can replace the flax seed + water with 2 eggs.) Then add in the mashed banana, olive oil, and maple syrup. Mix well.
  • Add in the buckwheat flour, cinnamon, and baking powder, and stir again. Fold in any extra add-ins you like, such as chocolate chips or walnuts.
  • Use a ¼ cup to scoop that batter into the lined muffin cups, distributing the batter evenly in the pan. Bake at 350ºF for 22 to 25 minutes, until the muffins rise and the tops have started to crack.
  • Remove the muffin tin from the oven, and let the muffins cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 12 muffins, without any add-ins. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
• This recipe is vegan as-written, but if you prefer a muffin with more protein, you can swap the ground flax seeds and water for 2 eggs, instead. They turn out slightly more fluffy with this swap!
• This is not a very sweet muffin, so I highly recommend adding the chocolate chips if you are looking for a sweet treat. My kids love them this way!
• You can omit the maple syrup and replace it with a 1/4 cup of water, if you want an even less-sweet muffin made with no added sugar.
Note: This recipe was updated in August 2022. You can find the original recipe saved at the bottom of this post!

Nutrition

Calories: 126kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 268mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 23IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buckwheat muffins

Update Note: This recipe was updated in August 2022 to create more of a bakery-style muffin, but if you prefer the older version, you can find it below.

  • 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 cup buckwheat flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
  • 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1/4 cup water, or non-dairy milk
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix the ground flax seed and water together, and wait 5 minutes. Then add in the flour, cinnamon, salt, coconut oil, mashed banana, water, baking soda, and vinegar. Stir well, then fold in the walnuts. Divide the mixture into the lined muffin cups, then bake at 350ºF for 20 to 22 minutes. 

If you try these buckwheat banana muffins, please leave a comment & star rating below letting me know how you like them!

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. These are great! I used 2 large eggs instead of the flax, apple pie spice, and added a little chocolate chips. I’ll be making them again in a couple of days and will add chopped apples. Thank you for sharing!

  2. I made this recipe as written except I used 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree, two eggs and 2 1/2tsp of pumpkin pie spice. I added the walnuts and some chocolate chips. They turned out great! I love the fact that the aren’t overly sweet! Simple but great recipe and next time I’ll try it with bananas!!

  3. Delicious recipe! Great use for those I groats I tried once (they grind well in a coffee grinder). I didn’t have chocolate chips so I added 2 Tbsp coconut sugar and it was just sweet enough for me. Thanks so much!

  4. These were SO good! My kids DEVOURED them! I used fresh-milled buckwheat that I had soaked and dehydrated first and it came out great! Also added some grated carrots, walnuts and raisins.

  5. amazing amazing perfect recipe!!! done in 22 min. I used eggs and 1/2 cup guittard extra dark chocolate chips 63%. 15% percent . I three gigantic very ripe bananas. before making these I followed a recipe using only buckwheat flour for buckwheat pancakes and it was a complete disaster so I’m so relieved that these came out so well. thank you🙏❤️
    So happy how great these are. I did use eggs and added 1/2 cup guittard extra dark 62% chocolate chips . Took them out after 22 minutes

  6. Pretty good but a bit dry. I put butter on them after but would prefer not to. Maybe some apple sauce would help?