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.)
Table of Contents
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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.
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.