These whole grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are made with nutritious ingredients (including whole grains and less sugar) and have the BEST flavor. They’re a great breakfast or snack option to have on hand during busy weeks…or just as a way to use up overripe bananas!
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
These muffins, which simply mix together in a bowl, are made with a mix of pantry staples and get their sweetness primarily from ripe bananas. There’s a bit of added sweetener in the mix to help even things out and just enough dark chocolate to make these feel like a treat.
They have healthy fats, potassium and even some fiber. But mostly…they just taste really good. I love the hint of peanut butter in these and that they’re a really satisfying muffin, either on their own or topped with more peanut butter, cream cheese, or butter.
These are great for either breakfast or a snack, and sometimes we even use them as a main dish to build a lunch around.
Ingredients You Need
To make these muffins, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Flour: You can use whole wheat flour or buckwheat. Buckwheat flour is a great gluten-free alternative that’s incredibly nutritious.
- Cinnamon
- Ground flaxseed: This is optional, but is an easy way to add in more healthy fats and fiber.
- Sugar: I use a modest amount of sugar to round out the flavors in these muffins. You can trade in honey or maple syrup, or simply leave it out.
- Ripe bananas: These are key to the classic banana flavor, so do be sure to use very ripe bananas with a lot of brown spots.
- Baking powder and baking soda: These work together to help the muffins rise and cook through.
- Vanilla extract: A little vanilla enhances the flavor of the banana muffins.
- Milk: I bake with whole milk, but you can really use any type. Nondairy milk works too.
- Peanut butter: You can use creamy unsweetened peanut butter here, or trade in regular melted butter for a nut-free version.
- Eggs: I bake with large eggs and in this recipe, they help create structure and moistness.
- Chocolate chips: We usually top our muffins with a few chocolate chips, though you can also stir them right into the batter.
TIP: I did my best to make the majority of the ingredients ones you may already have in the house so you can get right to baking.
Step-by-Step Directions
Here’s a look at the easy process involved in making this recipe. Scroll down to the end of this recipe to see the full information.
- Peel the banana and mash until very smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to evenly distribute.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl. If your peanut butter was in the fridge and is cold and firm, warm it briefly in the microwave to ensure that it’s easy to stir.
- Stir together gently, but thoroughly with a spatula.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Add to a muffin tin, dividing the batter among greased cups, and bake.
TIP: This recipe is for standard size muffins, but you can make them as mini muffins if you reduce the baking time.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll want to make sure that your bananas are very ripe with brown spots to ensure the best banana flavor and natural sweetness—which also enables us to use less added sugar in these. So they should look very brown!
Simply let them cool and store in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Warm from frozen in the microwave in 15 second increments or thaw at room temp or in the fridge.
I know that it can be hard to bake gluten-free baked goods that the entire family will want to eat, but these definitely fit the bill. They’re moist and sweet, and are so good when served alongside coffee or milk. Buckwheat flour, which is naturally gluten-free and also very nutritious with ample fiber and protein, works really well here. It has a mild flavor too and is widely available in the flour or natural foods section of most grocery stores.
Serving Suggestions
We like these both slightly warm and cold out of the fridge, and they are particularly yummy paired with a smear of nut butter and milk. (Or coffee, if that’s more your speed!) Pair them with a simple side of fruit, milk, and/or a smoothie to serve as a substantial meal or snack.
And they freeze well too, which makes them a nice make-ahead option for busier days ahead.
How to Store
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can freeze fully cooled muffins store in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Warm from frozen in the microwave in 15 second increments or thaw at room temp or in the fridge.
Best Tips for Success
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
- To make these gluten-free, use buckwheat flour.
- To make these dairy-free, use nondairy milk.
- Serve cold or slightly warmed.
- Dice for younger kids if desired.
- You can leave out the chocolate chips if desired.
Related Recipes
I’d love to know your feedback on this recipe if you try it, so please comment below to share!
Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup very ripe mashed banana (about 2 medium)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk (dairy or plain unsweetened nondairy milk)
- 3 tablespoons peanut butter (or regular butter, melted and cooled)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (or buckwheat flour)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed (optional)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips (roughly chopped or use mini chips)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a standard muffin tin. Set aside.
- Mash the banana very smooth with a potato masher or fork.
- Add the flour, sugar, flaxseed (if using), cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium bowl. Stir together.
- Add the banana, eggs, milk, peanut butter, and vanilla and stir well.
- Add the chocolate chips.
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, using about ¼ cup batter for each. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly and the edges are golden brown.
- Let cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then run a paring knife around the edges to help remove the muffins. Cool on a wire rack.
Equipment
Notes
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
- Gluten-free: Use buckwheat flour.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk.
- Find my Vegan Banana Muffins or my Sugar-Free Banana Muffins here egg-free banana muffins.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- You can freeze fully cooled muffins store in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Warm from frozen in the microwave in 15 second increments or thaw at room temp or in the fridge.
- Serve cold or slightly warmed.
- Dice for younger kids if desired.
- You can leave out the chocolate chips if desired.
Nutrition
This post was first published February 2018.
Has anyone tried these with almond flour??
I haven’t but they may work since they have other binders including banana and flaxseed. I would expect the texture and density to be different though. Let me know if you try it!
Ok, thank you!
We really enjoy this recipe! My son has a very mild egg allergy and most times we replace the eggs with flax eggs. I recently purchased Bob’s egg powder replacer and it worked like a charm with these. I would suggest trying it for most parents looking for a egg replacer that works more like a traditional egg (for baked goods, of course).
Thanks so much for sharing that info!
How would you bake this recipe as a loaf? Would that work?
I haven’t done it so I can’t say for sure. I think you could do it in an 8×8 inch pan for maybe 30-36 minutes or a regular loaf pan and the baking pan might be closer to an hour. You’d need to use a cake tester or a toothpick in the center to test for doneness for either. It should come out clean.
Can I use Almond butter instead of pPB??
Yes that should be fine!
Hi Amy,
I’ve made almost every muffin recipe you have (all delicious), but this one was my sons favorite. He loves all your muffin recipes but I’ve never seen him devour a muffin so quick than when I gave him this one. I copied the recipe exactly and it came out SO good. I’m one happy mama. Thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that Tammy!
The first time I made the recipe, my family gave feedback to try it without the cinnamon. I made it a second time, without the cinnamon, and the kids loved it.
Glad to hear that!
Is flaxseed necessary?
You can leave it out
This looks delicious.
Can I make it without the egg white? My daughter is allergic to egg white and I am looking up recipes for new foods for her!
I haven’t tried these without the egg white so I can’t say for sure, but you’d want to make up the volume lost by omitting the egg white with either milk or additional yolk.
Hi Amy,
These muffins are so delicious, full of flavor, very moist and rich in banana and chocolate.
Assembly instructions are very straightforward so much so that my 2.5 year old thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of measuring, dumping, stirring and even ladling the mixture (very closely supervised and assisted etc) .
It just doesn’t get any better than that.
I did substitute 1:1 ratio of regular flour as I don’t have buckwheat on hand and added a few extra chocolate chips, mostly that was my helper’s idea. These baked up nicely in a mini muffin pan for 10-12 minutes.
We’ll be trying more of your recipes soon!
I’m so glad to hear this!
Hi Amy, thanks so much for sharing this. I only had 1 banana so I halved the recipe and baked them in mini muffin tins in a convection oven at 350 degrees. for 13 min They made 24 nice moist little snacks for my 2yr old. I have a sweet tooth so would probably add a touch more sugar or honey if I was making them just for me.
I’m glad that they turned out well for your toddler!
Can I replace the flax seed meal with chia seeds?
If you wanted to try that, I’d do just 1 tablespoon!
Hello… I just made these tonight and they smell delicious! Can’t wait for my 13 month old son to try one tomorrow! Can these be kept in the freezer like your blueberry banana muffins (which my son loves by the way)?
They can absolutely be frozen. Store in a zip top freezer bag with as much air removed as possible and defrost in 10 second increments in the microwave or leave at room temperature to thaw. I hope he enjoys them!
I made these this weekend for my family! I love how easy they are to make and my 9 month old enjoyed them too 🙂 I couldn’t find buckwheat but substituted for whole wheat flour and it turned out great.
I’m so happy to hear this, and I’m glad the whole wheat flour worked well!
Can soy milk be substituted?
Yes, that should work fine. Just use plain if you can.
I was wondering if i didn’t have buckwheat flour, I know it’s not as healthy, but could I substitute for regular flour? Thanks!