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Home - Breakfast - Muffin Recipes

Published: May 27, 2020 · Modified: Dec 19, 2024 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

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Get ready to try the most amazing banana chocolate chip muffins. They are light, fluffy, delightfully moist, and packed full of flavor! They're better for you, yet still taste almost cake-like. Your new favorite way to use up overripe bananas. 

chocolate chip muffins on cupcake tin

Why you'll love them

Muffins are a favorite around my house. We love having them for breakfast alongside a smoothie like my favorite coffee smoothie, or as a better-for-you anytime snack. Chocolate chip banana muffins are the best because they are packed full of melty chocolate and burst with banana flavor. It is a muffin-lovers dream.

  • It's an incredibly easy and fast muffin batter made with simple ingredients you know
  • They freeze incredibly well to enjoy any time
  • They stay fluffy and moist with every bite and the pockets of chocolate pair amazingly with the banana

Ingredients

We need just a few pantry-staple ingredients to make the best chocolate chip banana muffins. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below. 

  • All-purpose flour - I prefer all-purpose flour over other types of flour, but you can use white whole wheat flour. A gluten--free 1 to 1 baking mix would also work 
  • Bananas - Using over-ripe bananas give us much-needed sweetness, moisture, and flavor. That is what makes muffins made with bananas so amazing
  • Oil - Anything neutral-flavored like vegetable oil works here. I prefer oil over melted butter because it gives the muffins more rise, and helps keep the muffins nice and moist 
  • Sugar - We don't use a ton of sugar in these muffins because the bananas do an amazing job of sweetening the muffins. I use granulated sugar but dark and light brown sugar would also work 
  • Vanilla - Vanilla adds just a bit more flavor and really helps make these muffins irresistible. i recommend pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, if you have it 
  • Buttermilk - To help the baking soda in the muffins get a little more rise, I love using buttermilk. You can add a teaspoon of distilled white vinegar or lemon juice to milk and let it sit for five minutes if you don't have buttermilk around. You can also substitute it with plain yogurt or sour cream
  • Chocolate chips - I recommend a mix of chocolate chips. Semi-sweet and dark chocolate work so well in these muffins. For the best muffins, I would also recommend trying to use chopped chocolate instead of chips.
banana chocolate chip muffins on a serving tray

Quickly ripen bananas

You need overripe bananas to make any banana-based baked goods, muffins included. I will leave bananas hanging around just to be able to make muffins and bread. If you only have fresh bananas that aren't yet ready, but still want to make muffins, you can easily do a "quick ripen" of your bananas to help speed things along. 

  • Bake your bananas. Keep the peels on the bananas and bake them at 300°F /149°C for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the skins are blackened and the bananas are very soft. Allow the bananas to cool completely before you unpeel and mash. 
  • Microwave your bananas. Peel the bananas, slice, and microwave for about 5 - 10 minutes, and then allow to cool completely before mashing. 

How to make

It only takes a few simple steps to make this banana chocolate chip muffin recipe. The hardest part is waiting for them to be cool enough to enjoy! 

  1. Preheat your oven and line your muffin pan with paper liners. 
  2. Add your bananas to a large bowl and mash them well. 
  3. Stir in the vegetable oil, sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and buttermilk to the mashed bananas and mix well. 
  4. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl. 
  5. Chop the chocolate and toss with a little flour in a separate bowl. 
  6. Add the dry ingredients into the mashed banana mixture and stir until there are no streaks of flour. Lumps in the batter is fine. 
  7. Fold the chocolate into the batter, then evenly divide the batter among the muffin cups. 
  8. Bake until the muffins are a light golden brown and bounce back when touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. 
  9. Remove and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack. 

Optional add-ins

There are so many ways you can dress up your banana chocolate chip muffins to make them incredible. Here are a few of my favorite ways to upgrade your muffins. 

  • Add in chopped nuts. I recommend walnuts. 
  • Add in spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, pumpkin spice. 
  • Nutella swirled throughout is amazing. 
  • Sweetened cream cheese gives the muffins a cheesecake twist. 
  • Crushed graham crackers go really well with banana.
  • A few tablespoons of brown butter will elevate the muffins a ton. 
  • Streusel topping - it adds an irresistible buttery crunch. 
muffins sitting on wire rack

Getting bakery style muffins

There is one super simple trick to getting those mile-high bakery-style muffins with the giant muffin tops that comes with just one small caveat. Let your batter rest for a few hours, even overnight in the fridge. This allows the flour time to hydrate and thicken the batter which allows it to rise higher in the oven. For this to work, you need to use double acting (preferably aluminum-free) baking powder.

The reason this works is because it gives the flour a chance to absorb the liquid so it is thicker, allowing it to rise higher before spreading out. You need the double acting baking powder because double acting meants it activates twice. First, from exposure to liquid, then heat. You will get some rise when you first mix the batter which further helps to thicken the batter, but you will get the final rise in oven. 

Amanda's expert baking tips

The most important way to ensure you get the best results is to make sure you are correctly measuring your ingredients, particularly the all-purpose flour. You should fluff up the flour and then spoon it into your measuring cup then sweep of the excess. If you want to make sure you get consistent results, you can convert the recipe to metric and use a kitchen scale.

Banana chocolate chip muffins are easy to make for breakfast, snacks, or whenever you want them! Here are some baking tips you may find helpful, especially if you are a new baker. 

Make sure you mix the wet ingredients together - sugar counts as a wet ingredient in this case - and the dry ingredients together. Add the wet and dry together, and mix until just combined. You want to see lumps in the batter. 

Start the muffins at a high temperature for a nice rise, then lower the temperature to prevent over-browning. It is important to follow the instructions exactly. 

Coat the chocolate with flour. This helps prevent the chocolate chips from sinking right to the bottom of the batter when baking. You just need a couple of teaspoons to give them a nice coat. 

Storage tips

You should keep your muffins stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

If you would like your muffins to last longer, I recommend freezing your muffins and thawing out the muffins you want to eat that day. Store your muffins in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

To thaw the muffins, leave them at room temperature for about half an hour. You can warm them by heating them in the microwave for about 5 - 10 seconds. 

muffins lined up on wire rack

Banana chocolate chip muffins F.A.Q. 

Can I make banana bread with this recipe?

Yes, you can use this recipe to make banana bread. Grease and flour a 9 x 5 baking pan. Bake at 35°F/177°C for about 50 - 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Can I reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe?

Yes, you can! If you prefer your muffins with just a hint of sweetness, you can cut down the sugar in half, or experiment with lower amounts (I cannot guarantee that using less than half the sugar will taste good). 

Can I replace the sugar with something else?

You can substitute the granulated sugar with brown sugar. Sugar alternatives may also work (please keep in mind that you usually need less sugar alternative compared to standard granulated sugar). You can also substitute some of the sugar with honey or pure maple syrup, please remember these will alter the flavor of the muffins. I do not recommend replacing all the sugar with honey or maple syrup.

Can I replace the buttermilk with regular milk or milk alternative?

Yes, you can simply use regular milk, almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, or similar types of milk in this recipe. 

Can I use gluten-free flour to make these muffins?

It depends. You should be able to use a store-bought gluten-free baking mix. I cannot guarantee that you will have success with the recipe using a gluten-free baking mix replacement, or other gluten-free flours as I have never tested them this way. 

muffins sitting on wire rack one being grabbed

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Recipe Card

Recipe Card

muffins sitting on wire rack

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Amanda Powell
Light, fluffy, and moist banana chocolate chip muffins
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 18 minutes mins
Total Time 33 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins
Calories 321 kcal
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Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 large ripe bananas
  • ⅓ cup oil
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup buttermilk
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ cups chocolate chips
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
  • Mash your ripe bananas.
  • Add the oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk into the bananas and mix well.
  • In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Mix together the wet and dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
  • Lightly coat the chocolate chips in flour and fold into the muffin batter.
  • Evenly divide the batter among the muffin liners.
  • Place the muffins in the oven. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then turn down the heat to 350°F, then continue to bake for an additional 12 - 14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, or with a few crumbs clinging to it.
  • Allow to cool before you enjoy!

Video

Notes

Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 4gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 253mgFiber: 3gSugar: 31g
Keyword banana, banana muffins, breakfast, chocolate, chocolate chips, snacks
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

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About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim says

    September 22, 2024 at 10:31 am

    How long do these need to bake if I make them in mini muffin pans? I prefer the ease of pop-them-in-your-mouth minis.

    Reply
    • Amanda Powell says

      September 25, 2024 at 2:16 pm

      I am not sure, but I would start checking at 10 minutes

      Reply
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Hey, I'm Amanda!

I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a cookbook author, food science nerd, world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese.

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