These Chocolate Banana Muffins are healthy enough for a grab-and-go breakfast and delicious enough for an end-of-the-day sweet treat.
I’ve expressed many times on here that I don’t have much of a sweet tooth. There is one huge exception, though–chocolate!
I’m a sucker for anything chocolate. Almost to the point that I can’t keep bags of chocolate chips in the house because I’ll slowly snack through my stash. But for these Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, I will happily muster up the will power to wait – they are THAT good.
Let me tell you how much I LOVE these muffins! They’re tender, moist, chocolatey, and just sweet enough to be decadent without the crazy sugar crash of a typical breakfast pastry.
As an added bonus, my Chocolate Banana Muffins have a healthy amount of potassium, fiber, and protein in them, so I can get my chocolate fix while also getting some nutrients that my body needs. Balance, right?
How to Get the best chocolate flavor
Chocolate is the center of this recipe, so I want to make sure that you get chocolate chips in every single bite. No sunken chocolate chips at the bottom here!
For that reason, I recommend that you layer the batter and chocolate chips. You could just fold the chips into the batter, but you’re not guaranteed to get that creamy chocolate bite each and every time.
the best ingredients for chocolate banana muffins
The most important aspect of this recipe is to make sure you have VERY RIPE bananas. Like, almost to the point where you think they’ve gone bad.
When the skins have gone almost completely brown/black, they are at the best point to peel and bake. That’s when they’ve reached their maximum sweetness and the banana flavor has peaked.
Next up is the chocolate chips. I typically dislike artificial sweeteners, but I’ve recently started to enjoy naturally sweetened ones, like Lily’s naturally sweetened chips. They are incredible and don’t have any strange chemical aftertaste. Most importantly, they don’t upset my stomach, which can sometimes happen with sugar-free candies and chocolates.
CHECK THE LABELS ON YOUR LEAVENING AGENTS
The fluffy texture of these Chocolate Banana Muffins depends on using fresh baking powder and baking soda.
If you have cartons of either of these products that have been sitting in your pantry for a while, you might want to buy fresh ones.
If they are outdated, the muffins will be much more dense and gummy. Still delicious, but the texture might be a bit off.
More recipes like chocolate banana muffins
If you’re looking for more healthy sweet treats that satisfy your cravings any time of the day, check out these other great recipes:
- Banana Walnut Crumble Muffins
- Skinny Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bars
It also makes my day when you share your pics on Instagram and tag me (@litecravings). Don’t forget to use #litecravingsrecipes to make sure I see it. If I don’t get a chance to scroll through my tags quickly enough, I won’t see your post. I always make a point to look through the hashtags, though, so I’ll see it there!
I’d love to hear from you if you make this recipe! Leaving a starred review and comment below helps my blog grow. I’m always grateful when you can take the time to do that!
Chocolate Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 medium overripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup plain, unsweetened almond milk
- 2 tbsp light butter, melted (I use Earth Balance whipped)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup sugar-free dark chocolate chips (I use Lily's)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line muffin tin cups with liners and coat with cooking spray.
- Whisk together banana, light butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and milk.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Gently fold flour mixture into banana mixture, being sure not to overmix.
- Fill muffin cups half way with batter. Sprinkle about half of the chocolate chips evenly among the cups, then continue to evenly disperse remaining batter among the cups.
- Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips evenly across the top of the muffins. Lightly push them into the batter.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center come out clean.
This looks SO good! Do you have any recommendations for gluten free alternatives to all purpose flour?
I’ve made them using the Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 GF all purpose flour. The came out great!
Yum! Just made these and had one with a small scoop of ice cream for dessert! Definitely will make these again!
Mmm, sounds like a match made in heaven!
Made these yesterday and they are absolutely delicious. Just wondering in your experience what is the best way too store them? They are very moist and I was worried about them molding. I live and Florida and girl the humidity here “is enough to make the devil sigh!” 😉 so I was wondering if you’ve ever store them in the fridge to keep them fresh?
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Robin! To be honest, they don’t last very long in my house, but humidity in SoCal isn’t the same as Florida. If you’re concerned about mold you can refrigerate them for up to a week OR if you want to be extra safe, you can freeze them (I’d wrap them individually and put them in an air-tight baggie or container) and take them out individually to thaw as needed.
I made these last night and they were absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you, Christina!