These Banana Chocolate Muffins are simple and delicious muffins made with only 6 ingredients, no eggs, no dairy, and no refined sugar. They’re a great way of fixing a sweet craving.
I love making muffins of all sorts to make the house smell like chocolate and bring a smile to the whole family. While I love my simple Easy Vanilla Muffins and Snickerdoodle Muffins, I sometimes want to make rich, full-of-chocolate muffins.
These chocolate muffins are sweetened naturally and have a mild banana taste that is just perfect for a quick snack.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You only need 6 ingredients for the base recipe.
- Mashed Banana – Bananas add natural sweetness and moisture to the muffins and act as a binder, replacing eggs. Pick ripe bananas for maximum sweetness.
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Cocoa powder provides the rich chocolate flavor. For a milder taste, use carob powder, which has a natural sweetness.
- Unrefined Cane Sugar – Cane sugar sweetens the muffins without refined sugars. Alternatives include coconut sugar for a more caramel-like taste or brown sugar.
- Lukewarm Almond Milk – Almond milk adds moisture and helps dissolve the cocoa powder and sugar. Substitute with any plant milk, such as soy, oat, or cashew, depending on your preference.
- Light Olive Oil – Olive oil adds moisture. A light-flavored oil keeps the taste neutral. You can also use melted coconut oil or avocado oil, though they may alter the final flavor.
- Self-Rising Flour – Self-rising flour creates a fluffy texture. If unavailable, mix all-purpose flour with baking powder (see notes in the recipe card for quantities). For a gluten-free option, combine a gluten-free flour blend with almond flour and extra baking powder.
How to Make Banana Chocolate Muffins
This recipe is super easy to whip up. Here are pictures of key steps.
Mash the ripe bananas in a mixing bowl and measure the quantity needed.
Combine the liquid ingredients, cocoa powder, and sugar in a jug and mix them.
Add the self-rising flour and liquid chocolate mix to the bananas.
Mix the batter with a silicone spatula until just combined.
Transfer the batter to a muffin tin and bake them for 30 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C).
Let the muffins cool down for some time before removing the paper.
Carine’s Baking Tips
Here are a few more tips for perfect muffins.
- For a smoother cocoa mixture, sift the cocoa powder before mixing it with the other liquid ingredients to prevent clumping.
- Ensure bananas are very ripe for maximum sweetness and moisture. The riper they are, the better the natural sweetness and flavor.
- Use a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to divide the batter evenly into muffin cups for uniform size and even baking.
- Add a pinch of salt to enhance the chocolate flavor, especially if using very dark cocoa powder.
- Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes before baking to allow the flour to absorb more moisture, yielding softer muffins.
- Experiment with add-ins like chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or a swirl of peanut butter for a more indulgent treat.
- Check muffins a few minutes early if using a dark muffin pan, as they may bake faster due to heat absorption.
- Store muffins properly by cooling completely and placing them in an airtight container, preventing dryness.
- Freeze extra muffins for later by wrapping them individually and storing them in a freezer-safe container. Simply thaw and reheat as needed.
- For a double chocolate effect, dust the tops with extra cocoa powder or add a sprinkle of sea salt before baking for a fancy touch.
Storage Tips
These muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. To extend freshness, store them in the fridge for up to a week. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated in the oven or microwave for a fresh-from-the-oven experience.
More Easy Muffin Recipes
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Banana Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup Mashed Banana - equivalent to 3 large bananas
- ½ cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ½ cup Unrefined Cane Sugar - I use rapadura sugar, brown sugar works too
- ¾ cup Lukewarm Almond Milk - (note 1)
- ⅓ cup Light Olive Oil - (note 2)
- 1 ½ cup Self-Rising Flour - (note 3)
Optional – recommended for Flavor
- ½ cup Chocolate Chips
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Line a 12-hole muffin pan with muffin paper liners. Spray with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or a large jug, whisk cocoa powder, brown sugar, lukewarm milk, and light olive oil until no more lumps of cocoa powder are visible. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the banana with a fork. For the best texture, measure the amount with precision by packing the mashed bananas in measuring cups and sweeping off the excess on top.
- Add self-rising flour, the chocolate milk-mixture made before, and vanilla extract if used.
- Stir with a rubber spatula until well combined and no lumps of flour can be seen.
- Fold in the chocolate chips if used, and stir to combine evenly.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan.
- Bake the muffins on the center rack for 30 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Hey Carine – love your recipes!
I’m having issues baking gluten free; I followed your swap outs and used Bobs 1-1, but they’re super gooey and uncooked inside even when the knife comes out clean. Any ideas what to do? I’m really struggling to get used to gluten free dairy free baking (reluctant celiac!)
Thanks heaps
I agree, gluten-free + egg-free + dairy-free is never easy. The recipe is often gooey but shouldn’t be uncooked tho. If you tolerate oats, you can swap use 1/2 cup oat flour + 1 cup gluten-free flour, usually oat flour absorb moisture more and firm up recipes better
Great muffins Carine!
I added half cup of chocolate chips inside and I also decorated with chocolate chips. Definitely, I’ll make them again. Very good!
These are delicious! I always have ripe bananas on hand that I look to bake with. I made these gluten free and they turned out great. My husband and kids love it. We added peanut butter to the top.
I am so glad they turned out well with gluten-free flour. Thanks for sharing with me.
Hi how come u don’t ad baking powder in banana chocolate muffin where it say ingredients.
We are using self-rising flour, which already contains baking powder when you buy it from the store. The recipe give you the ratio, in the note, of baking pwoder to all-purpose flour you need if you don’t find self-rising flour in store.
I will tried this recipe for my lunch thanks for the recipes