Chocolate banana muffins are a fun way to use up one lonely brown spotted banana! This small recipe makes 6 chocolate banana muffins.
I made these chocolate banana muffins for my toddler, and I had every intention of posting them in the Baby Food section on this site. But, I made the mistake of eating one. I ate it hot, right out of the oven. Oh, Mama.
The warm, tender chocolatey muffin with two types of chocolate were just too good.
This recipe is based on my vegan banana muffins recipe. I received a question last week about a substitute for the flaxseed. I forgot to tell you that the flaxseed mixed with water is an egg substitute, which keeps the muffins vegan. If you want to substitute it, use a real egg! It's not vegan then, of course, but it worked for her.
So, I made these chocolate banana muffins with an egg. I cut back on the sugar a touch--just ¼ cup for 6 muffins isn't bad, right? I added chocolate chips and Rodelle's Dutch-processed cocoa powder. They're perfection.
Over the past 2 weeks, I've made the recipe 4 times and my testers have, too. We all agree they're the lightest, fluffiest, most tender and moist little banana muffins around.
You could open a coffee shop with just these chocolate banana muffins on the menu, and I think you would succeed.
I think the key is Dutch-process cocoa. It has a dark, rich flavor that makes the muffins almost black instead of brown. More color = more flavor, especially when it comes to chocolate.
Next time you have a lonely brown banana on your counter, I hope you think of these muffins! It only requires one banana and one egg to get sublime banana muffins in your face in less than 30 minutes.
Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe Ingredients
- Banana. One super ripe banana, mashed. The browner the banana, the better. This recipe makes 6 muffins, so it only calls for 1 medium banana, but you can easily double the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar.
- Oil. Any neutral oil without flavor works here: avocado oil, grapeseed oil, canola oil or vegetable oil. I wouldn’t use coconut oil or olive oil, because they have a strong flavor that might overpower the chocolate.
- Egg. One large egg.
- Vanilla Extract. Vanilla extract enhances the flavor of chocolate, do not skip it.
- All-Purpose Flour.
- Cocoa Powder. This recipe was developed with super dark Dutch-processed cocoa powder, but you can use regular, too.
- Baking Soda.
- Chocolate Chips. I like semisweet or dark chocolate chips for these muffins, because they are plenty sweet with bananas and granulated sugar already.
Banana Chocolate Muffin Recipe Variations
- Scale-Up: You can double this recipe to make 1 dozen muffins, if needed.
- Vegan: I have successfully used a flax egg here to keep this recipe vegan. Use 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal (freshly ground flax seed) mixed with 2.5 tablespoons of warm water.
How to make Banana Chocolate Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350, and line a muffin pan with 6 cups.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana very well with a fork until it's smooth. Mash it very well until it's almost liquid, not lumpy at all.
- Next, to the bowl with the banana, whisk in the sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk very well until combined.
- In the same bowl, sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt evenly on top. Using a spatula, stir until well-combined.
- Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, saving a few for the top of the muffins.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups evenly, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the muffins are done. They're done when they spring back when pressed gently on the top.
Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe Tips
First, mash the banana very well with a fork before stirring in all of the liquid ingredients. When it comes time to add the dry ingredients, use a whisk to break up any lumps. The cocoa powder will be sufficiently sifted with the whisking action.
I love that this recipe can be made entirely in one bowl. It's almost a requirement for me when I'm small batch baking. If we're only making 6 muffins, how many dishes should we dirty? (Answer: as few as possible!)
You can definitely double this recipe and make 1 dozen muffins.
How to store Chocolate Banana Muffins
These chocolate banana muffins keep well-wrapped in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, either place them in the fridge overnight or heat in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Can this recipe for Chocolate Banana Muffins be frozen?
Yes, let the muffins cool completely, wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, and place in a freezer bag. Freeze the muffins flat initially, and then once they’re frozen solid, you can move them and stack them to take up less space.
Although, I don't think you'll have any problem with leftovers since it only makes 6 muffins. The muffins are usually gone by the end of the day in my house!
If you're out of cocoa powder, you can still make my chocolate chip banana muffins.
Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe FAQs
Why is my banana muffin hard?
If your muffins are hard, you over-baked them, sorry. Also, if you use coconut oil and chill the muffins, the coconut oil solidifies at cool temperatures and makes muffins hard and not fluffy.
What is the secret to fluffy muffins?
Personally, my secret to fluffy muffins is to use oil instead of butter. Oil blends into the batter better, and bakes up to make moist, fluffy muffins. Also, be sure to follow the recipe instructions for best results. Do not let the muffins cool in the pan, because they will over-bake and become tough.
Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe
Chocolate banana muffins are a fun way to use up one lonely brown spotted banana! This small recipe makes 6 chocolate banana muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 large very ripe banana
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon Rodelle vanilla extract
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Rodelle Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350, and line a muffin pan with 6 cups.
- In a large bowl, mash the banana very well with a fork until it's smooth. Mash it very well until it's almost liquid, not lumpy.
- Next, whisk in the sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk very well until combined.
- In the same bowl, sprinkle the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt on top. Using a spatula, stir until well-combined.
- Finally, stir in the chocolate chips, saving a few for the top of the muffins.
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups evenly, and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
- Bake for 18 minutes, or until the muffins are done. They're done when they spring back when pressed gently on the top.
- Move the muffins to a cooling rack, and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Scale-Up: You can double this recipe to make 1 dozen muffins, if needed.
Vegan: I have successfully used a flax egg here to keep this recipe vegan. Use 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal (freshly ground flax seed) mixed with 2.5 tablespoons of warm water.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 233Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 311mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 4gSugar: 15gProtein: 5g
Mateo Pedersen says
I have made this recipe at least 10 times and it comes out perfect every time! I make these and put them in a large zip lock bag for our busy family to be able to grab on the way out the door for breakfast. My teenage daughter and husband love them. I made some for my brother-in-law who LOVES banana bread and he actually ate them for his dinner one night because he “could not wait until breakfast”. Thanks for sharing this quick, inexpensive and delicious recipe.
Dream Calendars says
Any suggestions for these muffins? For instance, can I add 1/4 cup of peanut butter?
Christina Lane says
I haven't tried it, but it sounds delicious!
Nick says
Are these regular sized muffins? They look like a larger muffin tin than what I have and I want to make sure I am correct with the size prior to attempting the recipe. They look amazing, thanks!
Christina Lane says
Yes, regular muffins.
Jodi says
I made the batter today and as I was adding the 1 teaspoon of baking soda called for in the recipe, I had a feeling the amount was not correct, that it was too much. After I added it, I tasted the batter, and sure enough it was too much. It turned the batter bitter and metallic tasting. I know it was the baking soda that did this, because one time I accidentally added baking soda to a recipe that called for baking powder, and it was the same: bitter and metallic and basically inedible. I would really like to make these, so could you please review the recipe to see if it really should be 1 teaspoon of baking soda. If you double the recipe that would be 2 teaspoons among 12 muffins.
Christina Lane says
Hi Jodi!
I make this recipe nearly once a week...let me make it again today to double-check again, but I'm wondering if you're using expired baking soda? And you're scraping the teaspoon to make it a level teaspoon, correct?
Shealaina says
Hey Jodi,
I was thinking the exact same thing as I was getting the ingredients together. My first batch was made exactly as the recipe stated and it was not edible. I just tried it again and only used 1/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda and they turned out so much better. No metallic taste. The egg also acts a leavener so no worry about them going flat with the decreased baking soda.
B DVB says
These muffins are soo good! I doubled the recipe and muffins camw out perfectly!! Thank you
Elaine Bradberry says
Hi Christina! I am going on a road trip with a vegan friend this weekend and would love to make these. Do you think I could sub the egg for a vegan flax "egg?"
Christina Lane says
Definitely! Enjoy your trip :)
Elaine Bradberry says
Thank you! They turned out great :)
Beth E. says
I know this isn't a new recipe, but I made them tonight with Pamela's all-purpose gluten-free flour, and they turned out great!
Chava-Shoshannah says
I doubled the recipe and made mini-muffins of this recipe for my daughter's birthday. I used whole wheat flour, too.
Long story short: Some kids were invited to stay for dinner (ww pasta + eggs). One of the older kids asked me if the pasta was whole wheat. After I confirmed her suspicions, she refused to eat anything. I called her out on not liking whole wheat and other "healthy food" because she couldn't get enough of these muffins!
Christina Lane says
haha, what a great story! I am totally the same Mom as you--give them healthy food, if they don't like it, prove to them that they do. My daughter was having issues with zucchini (which is so weird because I feel like it's so mild! She likes broccoli and cauliflower, how can zucchini be bad?). So, I kept serving it to her, she kept refusing...no big deal. Then I made her zucchini muffins. After she ate 2 and declared them delicious, I told her they were zucchini muffins. I smiled and walked away. MOM WIN lol!
Siobhan says
I came across your website and took interest in the "cooking for two" recipes. Not an easy thing to find in France where recipes are often for families or large tables. I gave it a go with these muffins and they turned out perfect. Not too sweet but moist with a nice chocolate-banana taste. Thanks for sharing, I'll be back!
Siena Cleugh says
These are delicious, so moist. Best banana muffins ever❤️