I really did not think we needed another healthy banana muffin recipe. Of course, that was before a ripe bunch of bananas collided with cabin-fever restlessness induced by a persistent weather system best described as “ick.” I needed stimulation yet had lost all motivation to venture far from my oven. The solution? A recipe adventure! Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins were the happy discovery. One bite convinced me: we’ve been in dire straits without them all along.
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OK, maybe not dire.
We do have these classic Healthy Banana Muffins, Banana Bran Muffins, these blender Banana Oatmeal Muffins, plus a colorful collection of banana breads ranging from simple Healthy Banana Bread to Paleo Banana Bread to Zucchini Banana Bread to keep us fueled.
Plus, these fudgy, chocolaty Heathy Chocolate Muffins.
And yet, despite all the current options, these healthy banana chocolate chip muffins are special and deserve a recipe of their very own.
5 Star Review
“THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING! I have made it twice now and people are surprised there is no dairy or refined sugar in them.”
— Charlotte —
About This Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
Yes, yes we do need one more healthy banana muffin recipe! Here are a few ways these particular healthy banana chocolate muffins are worthy of your efforts:
- Mega MOIST, courtesy of applesauce. In addition to the natural moistness of the mashed bananas, these healthy banana chocolate chip muffins have applesauce. It makes the muffins ultra-tender without the need for adding extra fat.
- Naturally VEGAN, thanks to flaxseeds (like this Vegan Pumpkin Bread). When combined with water, nutrient-rich flaxseeds gel and bind the muffins, in the same way eggs do. You can find flaxseed meal at almost any regular grocery store or online here.
- WHOLE WHEAT. Yes to all of the fiber. These muffins will keep you full and happy.
- CHOCOLATE CHIPS. My mix-in of choice. You can swap walnuts, dried fruit, or blueberries or omit the chips entirely if chocolate is not your preferred muffin addition. I won’t understand, but I’ll be happy you are eating the healthy banana muffins of your dreams.
- EASY does it. These moist healthy banana muffins come together in ONE BOWL (like my famous One Bowl Brownies), no mixer required.
How to Make Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
For those looking to pack meals for the office or to send them along to school, these whole wheat banana chocolate chip muffins are highly lunchbox friendly (as are these Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins). I’ve even taken them with me to the gym a few times if I’m running errands right afterward and need a healthy snack to tide me over until my next full meal.
The Ingredients
- Banana. Have a few overripe bananas sitting on your counter? They’re the perfect addition to these healthy banana chocolate chip muffins that adds sweetness, potassium, and fiber.
- Flaxseed Meal. My swap for eggs makes these banana chocolate chip muffins vegan in addition to being healthy and wholesome. (This Vegan Zucchini Bread is another vegan favorite.)
- Applesauce. One of my best muffin hacks (as seen in these Applesauce Muffins) for cutting back the oil content without sacrificing moisture.
- Canola Oil. While the applesauce can reduce fat in muffins, I like to keep a little oil in the recipe. Its fat content helps keep the muffins soft and tender.
- Coconut Sugar. My new obsession in baking (especially for Banana Bars). If you’ve never baked with coconut sugar before, it’s a great natural sugar made from coconut palm sap that’s a great alternative to traditional cane sugar.
- Maple Syrup. Another natural sweetener that adds a subtle maple flavor to these muffins and pairs perfectly with the ripe bananas and chocolate chips.
- Vanilla. Enhances and elevates.
- White Whole Wheat Flour. My favorite stealthy healthy sneak for all sorts of muffins and baked goods (like these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins) to add extra protein, fiber, and iron to the recipe.
- Baking Soda. For some lift and fluff.
- Cinnamon. For a little warm, earthy spice and aroma.
- Chocolate Chips. Dark chocolate chips are my fav for healthy banana muffins like these (and Chocolate Zucchini Muffins). They put a little chocolatey goodness into every bite without overdoing the sugar.
The Directions
- Mix the flaxseed meal with water and let stand for 5 minutes. (If you are using a regular egg, you can skip this step).
- Mash the bananas.
- Add the applesauce, oil, and flax “egg” (or regular egg if not using flax) to the bananas.
- Whisk in the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Add the baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Stir until barely combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter into a standard-size muffin tin.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly when touched.
- Let cool in the pan briefly before removing the muffins and letting cool completely on a wire rack. ENJOY!
How to Store and Freeze Banana Muffins
- To Store. I’ve made these healthy banana muffins with applesauce a few times now, and I find that while not mandatory, it’s best to store them in the refrigerator to extend their shelf life.
- To Freeze. Wrap each muffin in plastic, then place all of them in a ziptop bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Let thaw at room temperature or rewarm gently in the microwave.
- For additional storage tips, check out my post on How to Store Muffins and Other Quick Breads.
Recommended Tools to Make Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Muffin scoop (also works fabulously for cookie dough)
- My favorite muffin pan; I also like this one with the easy-carry lid.
No matter how many different muffin recipes I try, simple-yet-sublime treats like these healthy banana chocolate chip muffins are ones I never grow weary of baking or eating.
The effort here is minimal, yet the reward is considerable. Plus, any recipe that allows us to eat chocolate for breakfast and feel great about it I consider a delicious victory!
Frequently Asked Questions
I haven’t yet experimented with making these muffins gluten free. If you’d like to try it, I would recommend starting with a 1:1 baking blend like this one.
I’m sorry. I’m not familiar with the conversion process for high-altitude baking so I can’t, unfortunately, provide specific advice for making healthy banana chocolate chip muffins at a high altitude.
Not always. If you follow a vegan diet, I recommend always checking your labels to confirm the chocolate chips you are purchasing are 100 percent vegan.
Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal OR 1 large egg (if you do not need the muffins to be vegan)
- 3 large overripe bananas about 11 ounces (1 1/2 cups mashed)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or melted cooled coconut oil*
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar or light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips mini or regular (I used mini; dairy free if you’d like the muffins to be vegan)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir the flaxseed meal together with 2 1/2 tablespoons water. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken. (This creates a flax egg. If you are using a regular egg, you can skip this step and add the egg with the applesauce in Step 3.)
- Place the rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Mash the bananas in the bottom of a large bowl until mostly smooth. Double-check to ensure you have the 1 1/2 cups called for in the recipe.
- Whisk in the flax egg (or regular egg if not using flax), then the applesauce and oil. Whisk in the coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Sprinkle the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt over the top, then stir gently until combined. Gently stir in the flour until barely combined, then fold in the chocolate chips, reserving a few for sprinkling on top if desired.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups and sprinkle on any reserved chocolate chips.
- Bake for 22 to 26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops spring back lightly when touched.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Gently remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling completely, or enjoy immediately.
Video
Notes
- *INGREDIENT NOTE: If using coconut oil, be sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature and the coconut oil has cooled, or it will resolidify when it mixes with the cold ingredients.
- GLUTEN FREE: I haven’t yet experimented with making these muffins gluten free. If you’d like to try it, I would recommend starting with a 1:1 baking blend like this one.
- TO STORE: Store muffins in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at room temperature for 3 days, according to this guide for How to Store Muffins.
- TO FREEZE: Muffin can be kept frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container or resealable freezer bag.
Nutrition
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It’s a yucky snowy day in Washington, DC, but these warmed my heart and stomach!
I did not have white whole wheat flour in the pantry, but can attest they are still great using regular whole wheat flour. I also used an egg, lacking flax seeds. And normal size semi-sweet chips – because that’s what I had. Love that you can use what is on hand and the recipe still works!
They came together really quickly and baked up beautifully.
Thanks Erin!
Marilyn, I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins! Thanks for sharing your tweaks to the recipe too.
Hello! I love the idea of this recipe but I’m allergic to flaxseed and my son is allergic to eggs… could you recommend a substitute please? Chia?
Hi Amy! Are there any other egg replacers you have had success with? I haven’t experimented with anything else in this recipe, so unfortunately I can’t say for certain.
I regularly use a chia egg instead of flaxmeal with great success, they are pretty much interchangeable, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thanks for the video Erin I find them really helpful and entertaining.
Thank you so much for saying so, Lyf! I truly appreciate it!
I had over-ripe bananas and needed to use them up. These muffins came together so easily and were delicious!!!
YAY LIZ! So pleased to hear it, thanks!
Love that they’re made with one bowl and no mixer. Delicious!
Thanks Ashley! I love that about them too!
My boys loved these and had NO idea they were healthy!
My kids really loved these muffins! Amazingly delicious!!
YAY, so happy to hear it!
My kids love it when I make these!
Is there any way I could make this into a loaf?
Rya, I think you could play around with baking it in an 8×4-inch loaf pan. I’ve never tried but think it’s worth experimenting. Line the pan with parchment paper and coat it with nonstick spray. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a thin knife inserted in the center comes out clean. To be safe, check at the 35-minute mark and tent the pan with foil if the bread is browning too quickly at the corners. If you decide to bake it this way, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Hi! So I made this into a loaf and it was wonderful! I did as you said and I used whole wheat flour and honey instead of syrup. I also used a 9×5 loaf pan :)
Thanks for all your help!
Also, I baked it at 350 for 55 minutes :)
Thanks for reporting back, Rya! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Yum. Yum. I just made this recipe and you were right. They are moist and sweet. I am pregnant so I was able to eat 4 muffins without any guilt :) Thank you again for another recipe winner.
Doll, I’m glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for taking the time to leave this review too!
Thank you for the suggestions inside your article. This helped with pantry-driven substitutions. These were delicious and husband approved to make again. They were so sweet and moist.
I’m glad they’re a hit, Lee! Thanks for sharing this review.
These are great! Light, fluffy and delicious. I wouldn’t change a thing and will make them often. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Lynn! I’m so happy that this recipe was a hit!
Just popped a muffin tin of these in the oven. This is the second time I made these Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip muffins. They are moist, sweet and delicious — they taste sinful, but aren’t. I know they are healthy, but hard to believe. It is so unusual that a healthy muffin taste so good. They are wonderful.
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Cindy! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
My 10 year old wanted to make muffins, and we wanted to make something that was tasty and had some nutritional benefits. These hit all the marks!
We did sub out coconut oil for the canola oil, and used muffin liners. And I did 1/8 cup maple syrup and 1/8 cup dark molasses for the liquid sugar. And switched up the flour mixture to 1/2 cup almond flour, and 1 cup whole wheat flour.
Baked for 26 minutes and they were perfect…and so good warm out of the oven, and clean up was so simple, as it was just the one bowl.
I appreciate the tips on how to store them. I let them cool in the pan completely, then refrigerated in a sealed container for storage.
Will definitely make these again!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Kristine! I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
I just made these and followed recipe to the dot. They are absolutely splendid! I think these are the best banana muffins I’ve ever made. Thank you Erin!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, PJ! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
I had all of the ingredients aside from whole wheat flour so I used Bob’s oat flour and they turned out great! I only used two bananas- I was unsure if I need them mashed in the measuring cup or just put in as pieces. Yummy recipe and so much healthier than store bought. Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this kind review, Autumn! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Yummy ?
I’m so happy that you enjoyed these, Emma! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
These are amazing and incredibly easy! I made them twice in the past two weeks they were THAT good!
This MAKES my day, Caitlin! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I was out of bananas and had applesauce on hand, so I thought I’d try these. Glad I did! They turned out moist and delicious. They disappeared just as fast as when I make the Healthy Banana Nut Muffins! Thanks for another healthy muffin recipe! Next, I want to try one with blueberries!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the muffins, Nena! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Found this recipe in a pinch and the muffins turned out sooo good and perfect! They were super easy to make & even my picky husband loved them. Yum, thank you!
WHOO HOO! So pleased to hear it Kelly. Thanks for sharing!
These are fantastic muffins! They have become our go to recipe.
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed them, Julie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
We make these muffins AT LEAST once a week. While we use egg instead of flax, I consider these to be a perfect recipe: easy to follow, easy to mix in one bowl, quick from start to finish, and unbelievably delicious for breakfast, snack, or dessert!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed them, Caroline! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Hi there ! Looking forward to trying this recipe! I don’t have whole wheat flour on hand but have almond flour – wondering if I could substitute ? Thanks in advance !
Hi Emily! Since almond flour and regular flour react very differently in baking, I wouldn’t recommend this swap. However, you could use it in one of my almond flour recipes. I hope this helps!
This is my favourite chocolate chip banana muffin ever. It’s so easy and quick. I didn’t have white whole flour so I just used simple whole wheat flour and turned out great. It’s super fluffy, you can taste the banana and it’s delicious. I left in in the oven for 30 mins cause my oven is a bit weaker.
So pleased to hear that Heni, thank you so much for sharing this kind review!!
I’ve raved about this recipe in the past– back again. A favorite It is definitely my favorite p sweet tooth recipe without much guilt. I tripled it recently and froze most of the muffins so we could remove a few from the freezer at a time. Worked splendidly. I put 3-4 muffins in a small ziploc bag then put as many of the small ziplocks that fit into a freezer safe plastic container. The muffins, after thawing, taste fresh baked. That cannot be said of all recipes. These are yummy. My family loves them too!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed them, Cindy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Omg Erin these are DE.LISH.IOUS!!!!!!! Super Moist. I added coconut flakes and a bit of honey to replace some of the maple syrup because maple syrup is expensive in canada! Thanks! Will be saving recipe for when I have kids. Should be soon ;)
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Eta! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
SO good. I used 2 cups mashed banana and used regular whole wheat flour (not white) only because that is all I had, and they turned out perfect. I will have to make a double batch next time as they went fast. This is my new go-to recipe for banana muffins. Thank you!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, HN! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I have made these so many times and they are delicious! I used less sugar and they are still sweet and satisfying!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed them, Autumn! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Great recipe! I even used a brown sugar alternative (swerve brown sugar replacement) and sugar free chocolate chips and these tasted just as delicious as a full sugar recipe, if not better!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Jaide! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
Making these again. This is one of the best muffin recipes ever.
I usually double the recipe following it exactly, except for for two modifications. I use two large eggs when I double it and and, confess to adding extra (dark) chocolate chips.
Our son made the recipe wants and added cocoa once to the recipe to make the muffins chocolate and they were delicious.
This recipe freezes perfectly.
Cindy
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed the muffins, Cindy! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
THIS RECIPE IS AMAZING! I have made it twice now and people are surprised there is no dairy or refined sugar in them.
Hi Charlotye! So glad you enjoyed the muffins! Thank you for this kind review!
Suuuuper moist; so moist I might leave out the coconut oil the next time. They were a little too sweet for me and I may also try cutting back the sugar a bit. Other than that they are really good!
Hi Nina! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you for this kind review!
I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it so many times – they are the most moist and delicious banana muffins I have ever made and my absolute favourite, hands down (and I’ve tried a lot of recipes of the years). Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Raquel! So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for this kind review!
Just made these muffins. The flavor was delicious. I baked them for 35 minutes and they too mushy inside. I used a regular size muffin tin – maybe the smaller size would allow them to bake completely. I also live in high altitude. Any suggestions?
Hi Jan! I don’t live in hight altitude so I am not familiar with what adjustments need to be done when baking. My best guess would be to continue to bake for a little longer. Hope this helps!
I tried using flax eggs and I was very happy with them. Quite moist and delicious!
Hi Jeffrey! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I don’t have unsweetened applesauce, what can i use as a substitute?
Hi Annette! You can use sweetened applesauce instead. I’m not sure about any other substitutions due to only testing the recipe as is. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
The best muffins…. I’ve made them more times than I can count and they are always a huge hit with both kids and adults!
I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed them, Andie! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I have not made it yet. However I don’t have whole wheat flour. Can I use white flour?
Hi Dawn! Yes, you should be able to use all-purpose flour instead of the white whole wheat flour. Hope you enjoy it!
Wow! These are fantastic. I’m so happy I found your recipe. It’s exactly what I was hoping for — healthy, easy and delicious. I feel great giving them to my grandson as well as my neighbor, who’s recovering from illness. I didn’t have flax meal, so I used a regular egg; otherwise I made exactly as written. The only mistake I made was not doubling the recipe. Thank you!
Hi Dana! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I made these gluten free and they were delicious! I shared with my coworkers and they all loved them! I’ll definitely make them again. A new favorite.
So happy to hear you enjoyed them Patricia! thank you!