These Chocolate Banana Muffins are one of our all-time favorite. They are a delicious chocolate muffin, with a big dose of nutrition, and are a perfect breakfast or snack option for the whole family.
Chocolate Banana Muffins
These moist little muffins are really a wonder of a recipe. With basic pantry staples and ripe bananas, the result is tender, fluffy muffins that taste like chocolate cake. They aren’t overtly banana-flavor, but rather have a subtle undertone. And the banana adds moisture and the rich texture that makes these seriously delicious.
We like these muffins warm out of the oven for breakfast or chilled for a snack or a cold packed lunch. You can serve them on their own or paired with fruit, a smoothie, or some peanut butter or almond butter spread on top.
I usually make these as mini muffins, but they work just as well as standard size muffins. The recipe is flexible, too, so know you can adjust it to work for food allergies as well.
(You may also like my Fluffy Chocolate Muffins and my Chocolate Protein Muffins.)
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Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll need to have the following ingredients on hand and ready to go. The most important one is to have and use very ripe bananas.
- Very ripe bananas: The more brown spots the better, as that will ensure that the banana flavor comes through and that the muffins have a lot of natural sweetness.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in my baking and in this recipe, and here they provide structure and lend a nutritious base to the muffins.
- Unsalted butter: Melted and slightly cooled butter OR almond butter works here to add moisture and tenderness.
- Maple syrup: Use either of these to enhance the sweetness of the banana. You can also use honey, for kids over age 1, if you prefer.
- Pure vanilla extract: A little vanilla rounds out the flavor profile of the muffins nicely.
- All-purpose flour: This type of flour ensures that the muffins are super fluffy and tender.
- Cocoa powder: I add a little unsweetened cocoa powder for chocolate flavor here. You can also use cacao powder if that’s what you have on hand.
- Baking powder and baking soda: The combination of these two ensure that the muffins rise and cook through properly.
- Chocolate chips, optional
TIP: You can add a handful of baby spinach when blending the wet ingredients to add a veggie into the mix if you use a blender.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process of making these healthy mini muffins. Scroll down to get the full recipe with the amounts and timing.
- Add the wet ingredients to a bowl.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir bowl.
- Divide among a muffin tin. Top with chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake through, then let cool on a wire rack.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can store these at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 24 hours or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Heat briefly to serve from warm to make them nice and moist!
To make these gluten-free, use cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend.
To add spinach, you can blend the bananas, baby spinach, and the rest of the wet ingredients in a blender. Then stir in the dry ingredients and proceed with the recipe.
How to Store
Store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container or in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Find more info about How to Freeze Muffins.
Best Tips for Success
- Mini muffin tins sometimes have a tendency to stick, so be sure to grease them well with nonstick spray. I do not recommend using paper liners as they are likely to stick.
- I like this mini muffin tin from Wilton.
- Very ripe bananas with brown spots have the most natural sweetness and will make these muffins taste best.
- Stir in 1/4-⅓ cup mini chocolate chips for added deliciousness!
- Top with nut butter, cream cheese, or a drizzle of honey if you’d like.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe, so comment below to share!
Favorite Chocolate Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup well mashed ripe banana (from about 3 medium bananas)
- 2 eggs (large)
- ¼ cup melted and slightly cooled butter OR almond butter
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (sifted to remove lumps)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and grease a mini muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Mash the banana very smooth and measure out 1 cup.
- Add the banana to a medium bowl with the rest of the wet ingredients. Whisk to combine well.
- Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. (I add the cocoa powder through a small sieve to remove any lumps.)
- Add batter to the prepared muffin pan, using about 2 tablespoons batter in each.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Use a paring knife to remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
- (To make as standard size muffins, bake for 14-16 minutes.)
Notes
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container or in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 3 months.
- Gluten-free: Use cup-for-cup gluten-free flour.
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil for the butter.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Increase the baking soda to 1 teaspoon and add ¼ cup milk.
- Blend the wet ingredients in a blender and add a handful of spinach if desired.
- Some mini muffin tins have a tendency to stick, so be sure to grease them well. (I like this mini muffin tin from Wilton.)
- Very ripe bananas with brown spots have the most natural sweetness and will make these muffins taste best.
- Top with a few mini chocolate chips if desired.
Nutrition
(Recipe updated to ensure tenderness, March 2024. This post was first published March 2018.)
Hi Amy! I love your content as it is helping me cook/bake more for my family ❤️
General question for you…
When your muffin recipes call for whole wheat flour, how can I sub all purpose flour since that’s all I have on hand? Is it one to one? Thank you again for all the inspiration you share with us here!
Hi there! Would I need to adjust the recipe at all if I use all purpose flour instead of while wheat? It’s all I have on hand right now! xx (ps; had to give a rating before actually making the recipe because there’s no way to comment otherwise!)
I made these (used AP flour after all, just increased it slightly) and they were soooo good. They didn’t even last an entire day at our place!
These turned out amazing! My recently picky eater was a huge fan and being nut free we froze some for daycare meals in the future. I didn’t have spinach but used zucchini for some extra veggies. Thanks for the recipe!
Love the flavor and texture of these mini muffins!!! The banana and cocoa blend together very well. I made them with spinach, so these muffins also have a lot of iron packed in. Awesome way to get your kids nutrition in a yummy way!
Great recipe- for some reason for the mini muffins it takes them around 20 minutes to cook. All ovens are different 🤷🏻♀️, all of the other muffins recipes are done at the time on the recipe. Thanks for all the amazing toddler muffin recipes!
Big hit with my selective eater! Great texture (I also blended the oats) and flavor. Freezes great. Thank you!
Wonderful like all your stuff! Added a lil frosting on top for the husband and everyone wins lol
How long will it bake using standard muffin pan? Thanks.
Can I still add spinach if I don’t have a blender?
I don’t think I would since there would be larger pieces which may not be very appealing.
Oh, these are good! I did have to use an egg replacer but find if I do more than 2 it gets weird so I did two “eggs” with Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer and the third with 1/4 cup applesauce. I also had to use natural creamy peanut butter instead of butter or almond butter. Also I only had old fashioned oats instead of rolled. I cooked the mugfins in a standard sized muffin tin, with the egg replacements it’s usually longer and took 24 minutes. Even with all these subs I really love them!
I love it. My 1 year old does too. Used agave instead of honey/maple.
Also used spelt flour instead of the whole wheat but absolutely delicious and healthy. Not too sweet. Love your recipes. X
So yummy! The whole family loves these!
Can I sub flax eggs for eggs or anything else?
Hi-
I haven’t tested that here, but I think it should work fine. Enjoy
Could i use instant oats?
These are delicious! Healthy but taste like a brownie. Toddler, kid, and adult approved! Thank you.