These nutritious Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins have whole grains, less added sugar, and the BEST flavor. They’re a great breakfast or snack option…or just as a way to use up overripe bananas!
These banana muffins have been a family favorite for years. They are easy to make since the batter simply mixes together in a bowl and they 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.
The Healthy Banana Muffins have beneficial fats, potassium, protein, 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 for kids, either on their own or topped with more peanut butter, cream cheese, or butter.
Why This Recipe Works
With whole grains for nutrition and ripe bananas for sweetness, plus a hit of dark chocolate for extra yum, these muffins are a perfect combination of delicious and nutritious.
(You may also like my Sugar-Free Banana Muffins, Banana Yogurt Muffins, and my Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins.)
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Ingredients You Need
To make these Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, you’ll need the following ingredients on hand.
- Flour: You can use whole wheat flour or buckwheat. Buckwheat flour is a great gluten-free alternative that’s incredibly nutritious.
- Cinnamon: This adds a pleasant flavor to the muffin batter.
- Ground flaxseed: This is optional, but is an easy way to add in more healthy fats and fiber.
- 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.
Featured Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“These deserve 6 stars! They are the best banana muffins and a healthier choice too. They are very moist.” —Michelle
Step-by-Step Directions
Here’s a preview of how to make these Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of this post for the full information, including the amounts and the timing.
Step 1. Peel the banana and mash until very smooth.
Step 2. Add the dry ingredients to a medium bowl and stir to evenly distribute.
Step 3. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl. Stir together gently. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 4. 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.
How to Store
Store the cooled Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins 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.
- You can leave out the chocolate chips if desired.
- If you have more bananas to use, try my Banana Smoothie with Milk, Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, and Banana Cupcakes.
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
Video
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.
These deserve 6 stars! They are the best banana muffins and a healthier choice too. They are very moist.
We all loved these in my house! I definitely love that flax meal and whole wheat flour. I’ll be making this recipe again with carrots and raisins for even more health
I baked as per the recipe using buckwheat flour except that i replaced chocolate chips with lindt dark chocolate. Because i did so, i thought of tasting before baking and realized that the batter was very bland. So i added little bit more sugar. And am glad i did. But the texture was OMG. They were like cloud. You put in your mouth and they were gone. My kids loved it and me too. I will bake with little more sugar next time. But the recipe is really good. Thnx fr the recipe
These cane out so well! My 3 year old and all the grownups loved them!
I used muffin liners and when cooled they didn’t peal off well. Any idea why? I’ll just grease the muffin tin next time I guess.
The muffins don’t have enough fat to come off of paper liners easily. If you want to use them, spray the liners lightly with nonstick spray. Or just use a greased muffin pan.
Delicious! Will definitely be making again!
I have made these muffins hundreds of times and love them SO much (and so do my kids). Prefer them with butter and no peanut butter. They are just so good and a no fail recipe. Also love them as an adult as they are not too sweet but full of flavour. Definitely add a few more dark chocolate chips in though lol. A staple in our family repertoire for year and many more to come. Have shared this recipe with friends and it’s also become their fav too. Thanks for sharing! Also my kids are 6 & 8 now still love them. We add the 1/4 cup of sugar and sometimes I’ll loosely chuck in an extra banana, so good.
Family favorite! Ive been making a double batch of these muffins every week or so for our wake up snack for over two years! We love these muffins so much! I’ve never made them with the added sugar and they are still perfection but I’m sure with it they would be the perfect dessert. So grateful to have found an easy recipe I could commit to memory and whip up with my toddler .
Absolutely love these muffins! This recipe will be our new go to!
Can I add cocoa powder to the recipe to make it chocolate muffins?
I would reduce the flour by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder. Enjoy
I make these for the family all the time and make a triple batch and freeze for later! I swap the eggs out with chia seed “eggs” and they come out great!
We loved it, even my picky daughter. I wanted to make it gluten free, but didn’t wanted overpower with buckwheat. I used 50-50 buckwheat and plain gluten free flour (I did added some xtangum as my flour didn’t had any)
The muffins turned out perfect, they were soft and fluffy. The best gluten free muffin I had ever made.
Also loved it it didn’t had too much sugar, not overly sweet, but because of the chocolate chips they were lovely sweet (we used white and semi sweet chocolate chips, that what we had on hands) also we put some prinkles on some od them instead of chocolate.
It was fun and easy recipe to make it with a 5 years old.
Thank you for sharing it.
Great recipe! I substituted 1 cup almond flour and 1 cup oat flour instead of the 1 cup wheat flour. They turned out perfect!
Can I use sun butter?
Sure
Made these on the fly this morning, went a little overboard on the chocolate chunks 🤭 and did 1/2 whole wheat 1/2 buckwheat flour. Probably an extra tbsp of flax as well.
Absolutely delicious. And even tho I added a bit more peanut butter, cause I didn’t measure it, it wasn’t over powered. Didn’t have baking soda, so just triple the baking powder. Worked out great.
These turned out delicious in taste and texture. I omitted baking soda (as didn’t have any, just used powder), and used less sugar for my toddler. Will definitely be making these again!
Can you use a defrosted frozen banana?
Yes, just drain off any excess liquid first.
Excellent recipe I made mini muffins for my 1 yr old grandaughter She approves!
I’m so glad!
Can you use all purpose flour instead?
yes i used all purpose flour and it tasted great!
We make weekly for a hearty breakfast:)
These were delicious and I had all the staple ingredients at home. My suggestion to the author, on step 2, add “in a separate bowl mash the bananas”. I am a well seasoned baker so I know to not mix wet and dry ingredients but step 3 can cause confusion. This recipe is excellent and I will certainly make it again for the family.
Yum! These were quick and easy to throw together with ingredients around the house (plus bananas strategically bought ahead of time) with my 3 year old as my assistant. Fully approved by the whole family. I made a double batch and I’m glad I did, the extras will be great to pull out of the freezer and pop into lunch boxes.
Can I add spinach to these?
These are so delicious! I’m always looking for recipes to use up ripe bananas. My 3 year old LOVES these, as do my husband and I. These go fast in our house!
Used a third banana instead of milk and honey instead of sugar because of food sensitivities. It was moist and spongy. Love the peanut butter instead of butter!
Made these to go along with breakfast for the week. Yum! And love how easy it was to just mix in a bowl with no mixer needed. The peanut butter added really good flavor!
I just made these for my very picky 4 year old. Used oat milk, sunflower butter and dairy free chocolate chips. They turned out great, and are delicious. She loves them, I love them, big win for lunch time today. Thank you! 🙂
Absolute perfection! I didn’t have any eggs on hand so I substituted with chia seeds and water. I made a double batch and after a day and a half I was down to just 4 muffins! My 2 year old and 6 year old ate 4 muffins each one night and 2 each the next morning! I had to make some again today (a triple batch) just to get my freezer stocked up!! Will be using this recipe often!
My muffins turned out kind of wet looking in the inside. Is that normal? Does that mean they’re undercooked?
If they seem raw, then you could bake them a few more minutes. The most likely explanation for that is the baking soda wasn’t working as it should have been.
Can you use yogurt instead of milk for more protein?
I haven’t tried that and while I bet you can, you may also need to add a little milk if the batter is very thick. Let me know how it goes!
Another quick easy muffin to whip up in the morning. I also like to snack on them when kids are in bed at night.
I love these! I added some chopped pecans and used flax eggs instead of regular eggs (so I left out the optional flax meal) and they’re so lovely and moist. They did collapse quite a bit as they cooled, even though I weighed my flour, tested my baking powder, and use an oven thermometer. Do you think it was the egg swap that caused this? Either way, they’re still delicious and love that they’re oil-free!
It’s possible it’s simply from the weight of the flax egg. Glad they’re good anyway!
Seriously my favorite ever muffin recipe! I buy extra bananas every week so they’ll ripen and I can make them! I use almond butter instead of peanut butter since we have an allergic kiddo, and they turn out so delicious every time!
Made this today. Absolutely delicious. Gobbled up by all the family even though they stuck their nose up at first at the thought of them being a little healthy ! 🙂
I am a newbie baker and came to this recipe looking for summer holidays snack ideas for my 7 year old! I will give it a try tomorrow – what is the best way to store them especially in the summer? Thanks!
They’d be okay at room temperature for up to 3 days, if not very hot in the house, then in the fridge. They can also go in the fridge right away once cooled.
Thanks! They have become a family favorite and I have been making a big batch and freezing them.
How long should I bake for in a mini muffin tray?
Typically mini muffins are 10-12 minutes. Enjoy
I meant to leave 5 stars with my review, whoops!
My son loves these! He says they’re “better than the muffins from Aldi,” LOL! Super easy to make, and they stay fresh and soft for several days. Going to make another batch and freeze them for easy breakfasts! Thanks for another awesome muffin recipe!
These are ridiculously good and perfect for kid’s lunch boxes. I had to make a second batch mid-week since the kids also ate them for breakfast and dinner! I found that making 1.5 batches makes the perfect amount for 12 standard muffins and 24 mini muffins. Perfect! Thank you for this recipe.
Could you tell me how much Baking powder and Baking soda is needed when substituti ng Oatflour for the Buckwheat flour…
Many thanks
I haven’t made these that way but it should be the same amount. The texture and baking time might be a little different though.
Yum! I made a partial tray of medium muffins and a full tray of mini muffins. Those disappeared quickly! Husband and children alike highly approved. I really appreciated that this recipe was not only tasty but healthy as well! I included the optional flaxseed and doubled the chocolate chips.
These are so delicious, thank you! My toddler & chef hubby (who can be hard to please at times) devour them, so a definite winner in our home. This has become my go to muffin recipe now! I highly recommend!!
Again, thank you 🙂
Made these today as mini muffins with regular butter and cooked for 14 mins. They are delicious!!!
These are so good!! I added extra 120 gr grated and squieezed zucchini and they turned out delicious! Definitely will make more! Thank you for this delicious recipe ❤️
These are delicious! I only had one banana but they turned out perfectly. So light and fluffy for wholemeal muffins too. Kids love them so it’s a win!
These were delicious! My toddler and I devoured them. I was worried because my dough was super runny but they came out moist and perfect. I made mini muffins and cooked them for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. YUM!!! Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve tried a few with my toddler and this one is the best! My three year old loves to help in the kitchen and this recipe was perfect plus he loved eating the chocolate chips and could not wait for the muffins to cool down before trying them. lol thanks again! Will def. use this recipe again and try with walnuts. 🙂
Turned out great. I added chopped walnuts and baked in a mini muffin tray. Used my air fryer so adjusted temp to 375 for about 8 mins.
These were super simple & came out delicious!! Toddler & husband approved. My family doesn’t normally eat whole wheat flour/fax seed, couldn’t tell the difference. A breakfast I feel good about.
Great!
I’ve not tried this yet but looking forward to it!… Can you add unsweetened cocoa powder to this to make them double chocolate?
That sounds yummy! I’d use 1/4 cup cocoa powder and reduce the flour by that same amount. Let me know if you try it!
Just made these today! Delicious! My 3 kids love them and so do I. We made them mini muffins. Turned out perfectly. Will be saving this recipe! Thank you!!
Do you remember how long to bake for the mini muffin tin? Thanks in advance.
It’s likely in the 12-14 minute range for mini muffins
I really wanted to like this recipe since it has peanut butter and bananas – two of my toddlers favorite things. And since it has such little sugar, it seemed like a great option. I followed the recipe to a T (in my opinion at least – I also bake on the side so I’ve done my fair share of following/developing recipes). After 20 minutes of baking, they started to get rather dark, but after doing a toothpick test they seemed to be perfectly fine inside.
We like our muffins warm so I tried to get one ready for my toddler after letting them cool 15 mins, but it stuck to the muffin liner so much..even though it was fully cooked inside. I thought maybe the muffins were just too warm, but even a few hours later I had the same problem.
Maybe silicone liners would be a solution to the problem, but I still don’t see why they stuck so much to the paper liners…if I were to try this recipe again I’d try the silicone liners and just hope for the best, I’m not sure what else to do differently. They taste great otherwise but, I felt like I got 8 muffins instead of 12 just because of the amount of waste I had stuck to the paper liners…kind of a bummer :/
Hi- I don’t usually use liners for muffins, I use nonstick spray since muffins often do stick to paper liners (they don’t usually have the same amount of fat as something like a cupcake). I can’t say for sure why this happened, but I am sorry that it did though.
My 2.5 year old and I loved making these together! Such a wonderful breakfast and snack option.
These are SO good! My kids loved them!
These taste great, but mine fell a bit flat after removing them from the oven. They seem full cooked though… Any tips?
these muffins are perfect 🙂
My toddler loved these! I was ready to pack them up for daycare then remembered the peanut butter. Can these be made without or with sunbutter?
You can use regular butter or Sunbutter next time!
Hi! I plan on making this, but does it matter if you use whole milk or 2% milk?
They should both work the same!
What a great recipe!!! These muffins came out perfect. I made them for my toddler but did a little taste testing last night and actually threw some in my lunch for a snack at work. 5 STARS!
Do you think you can substitute the sugar with maple syrup and/or coconut sugar? Would it not be sweet enough without the sugar all together? Thanks!
Coconut sugar would work the same so if you’re choosing between the two, that’s the one I know will work without any other adjustments! (they will not be sweet enough without any sweetener, or I should say that they could be fine if your bananas are super, super ripe, but the small amount of added sweetener ensures they are great)
I made these today with my two year old and we both loved them. We used white whole wheat flour and they were perfect.
Made it with whole wheat flour and used a flax/chia blend. Came out perfect!
the moms in these comments are so cute 🙂 <3 can i substitute all purpose flour for buckwheat? if so, same measurements?
Hey, great recipe! My son and I love it. I’m using the buckwheat flour version and my muffins don’t seem to rise. Is it because of the buckwheat or am I doing something big wrong?
Liberty
Maybe check that your baking powder is fresh? That would be the simplest explanation.
Skipped the flaxseed and made dairy free… beautiful sweet but very nutritious muffin for my princess of food fuss Ms 16 mths and our 11 yr boy. Thank you Amy – we would be lost without the dairy free options you provide!
I am so glad!
Hi Amy! Will this work with coconut milk ? Or is lactose free milk better ? I try to avoid dairy milk due to allergies but if I have to use it, I use lactose free. Also , if we skip the flax seed will it make a difference ?
Wonderful recipe ! Thanx for sharing !
I think coconut milk should be fine. Use additional oats to replace the flaxseed and it should be good!
I’m very excited to try this recipe for my 15-month old. Can I add diced strawberries to the muffins?
Yes I would think that would work fine!
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!