~Amanda~
If you’ve ever made homemade almond milk, you have probably wondered what to do with that leftover almond meal pulp after you strain your milk. Well wonder no more, these Banana Almond Meal Muffins are the answer! (Side note: if you’ve never made homemade almond milk, you are seriously missing out! Not only is it delicious, but it’s also super easy to make, costs less than store bought AND it’s way better for you – say goodbye to unnecessary additives – find OUR RECIPE HERE). The first few times I made almond milk, I felt so wasteful just throwing that leftover pulp away, I mean it’s pieces of the almonds and almonds are not cheap. I tried a few different recipes out and after a couple times tweaking and testing, I am really happy with the way this turned out.
I love using the pulp to make muffins because I usually make my almond milk on Sunday mornings and it’s so nice to have a warm breakfast treat to enjoy afterwards. Plus, I love to have some delicious treats to bring with me to work during the week for a mid-morning snack. The best part about these muffins is that you are able to customize them to your tastes a little bit too; the first few times I made them, I just did plain banana muffins but now I’ve started adding shredded coconut and dark chocolate chips and they are the best! You can definitely put your own spin on it too with walnuts, almond butter, cacao nibs – there are so many options.
Another great thing about these muffins is that the ingredients are simple and healthy. Bananas are a great source of potassium, the addition of flax seed provides omega-3’s, cinnamon has great flavor and it’s loaded with antioxidants, and the only sweetener I use is a little bit of maple syrup, no sugar! Making the muffins is very simple; combine your dry ingredients in one bowl, the wet in a separate bowl and then mix them together. And add in your favorite extras of course :). I like to use an ice cream scoop to put the batter in the muffin tins so you can make sure there’s the same amount in each and it gives them a nice round shape. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and enjoy your tasty (NO WASTE) treat!
- 1¾ cup almond meal
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ cup flax seed meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 medium extra ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup (sub agave or honey)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- Optional: dark chocolate chips, shredded coconut, walnuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 10 muffin tins.
- In a medium bowl, combine the almond meal, coconut flour, flax seed, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine the mashed banana, egg, coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, syrup and almond milk.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined (this will be a thick mixture but add more almond milk if it seems dry and crumbly).
- Fold in any additions (chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, etc).
- Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the greased muffin tins.
- Bake about 20-25 minutes until golden brown on top and cooked through.
- Enjoy warm or store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
