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.
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!