These double chocolate banana muffins taste like a treat, but they’re made with coconut oil, whole wheat flour, honey, and naturally sweet mashed bananas. Enjoy all of the rich chocolate flavor and moist texture of chocolate cake, but in a slightly healthier whole wheat muffin.
For an extra special treat, you can even try them with a peanut butter swirl! See below.
Let’s go ahead and call these a healthier version of regular double chocolate muffins. Today’s recipe was originally published in 2016, and it remains on regular rotation. I’m bringing it back from the archives with new photos and clearer instructions… because no one should miss out on these!
This is a great recipe to make for kids’ lunch boxes or after-school snacks. Or maybe even a first-day-of-school special breakfast. They’ll think they’re getting a chocolate cupcake, but you’ll know the truth!
Reader Krithika says: “…Intensely chocolatey and amazingly moist, better than many cupcakes I’ve eaten…”
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Made from basic ingredients
- Super moist with rich chocolate flavor
- Quick and easy, just like regular banana muffins & pumpkin muffins
- A more wholesome version of these double chocolate muffins
- Uses whole wheat flour for a nutritional boost
- A delicious way to use up your spotty bananas
- Dairy free if using dairy-free chocolate chips
Reader Sydney commented: “These are amazing!! They don’t taste ‘healthy’ or even like whole wheat muffins— you’d never know they weren’t just your typical bakery style double chocolate muffins. I would say they weren’t super banana-heavy on the flavor either, which was actually a positive for us…★★★★★”
Ingredients You Need & Why:
- Bananas: Bananas naturally sweeten the muffins. Make sure you’re using super brown speckled bananas—the riper, the better. The chocolate flavor overpowers the banana, so you can expect a chocolate-forward taste with hints of sweet banana in the background.
- Honey: Honey finishes up the sweetening job. Feel free to swap maple syrup or agave in its place.
- Egg: An egg helps to bind the ingredients together.
- Coconut oil: You can always rely on oil to keep your baked goods moist, especially when they’re made with drying ingredients like whole wheat flour and cocoa powder.
- Vanilla extract, salt, baking powder, & baking soda: Flavor and rising essentials.
- Whole wheat flour: I like to use whole wheat flour when I can, particularly when I make healthier versions of my favorite treats, like this whole wheat banana bread.
- Cocoa powder: Cocoa powder takes the place of some of the flour in the recipe.
- Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips add some texture throughout. Plus, more chocolate!
Only 1 cup of flour in this recipe? Yes, that’s right! Cocoa powder acts as a dry ingredient too.
Using Whole Wheat Flour Instead of All-Purpose
Whole wheat flour has a big nutritional advantage over refined white flour—it’s richer in protein, fiber, and minerals. It’s also heavier and heartier than white flour, so it works especially well in muffin recipes, which naturally have a denser texture than cake—take these morning glory muffins, bran muffins, or these applesauce muffins, for example. Whole wheat flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so it can dry out your baked goods. But in this recipe we’re canceling that out with the super moist content of the mashed banana.
How to Mash Bananas
I started doing this a while ago and it’s been a total game changer whenever I make banana muffins, breakfast cookies, or banana bread. Just use your mixer to mash bananas! Peel and break the bananas into chunks, place in your mixer, and beat until mashed. Beat the rest of the wet ingredients right into this bowl, then beat in the dry ingredients. So easy.
If you’d rather not use the mixer (it really isn’t necessary for this recipe), just mash the bananas in a big bowl with a fork. You need 1 and 1/2 cups, which is about 345g, or 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas.
The process is really easy. Whisk the wet ingredients and dry ingredients together in separate bowls, then combine it all. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving some for the tops of the warm muffins.
Don’t forget about my high-temperature trick for sky-scraping muffin tops. Start baking the muffins in an extra-hot oven; the initial burst of high heat raises the muffin tops straight up. Then reduce the oven temperature to cook the centers of the muffins for the remaining bake time. It’s such a simple trick that produces beautiful, bakery-display-case-worthy muffins.
Expect a thick batter:
Peanut Butter Swirl Chocolate Banana Muffins!
If you love a chocolate-peanut-butter-banana combo like I do, you can add a peanut butter swirl to the tops of the muffins, and swap some of the chocolate chips for peanut butter chips.
Here’s how:
Melt 1/4 cup (about 62g) of creamy peanut butter (or use runny natural peanut butter) and spoon 1 teaspoon of it onto each muffin before baking. Using a knife or a toothpick, gently swirl it around into the batter. Top with a few peanut butter chips (optional).
These are a really fun treat! Kids and adults go nuts for that peanut butter swirl and no one ever realizes they’re whole wheat.
Are These Healthy?
I’d say these are a healthy-ish treat. Like banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies, they are made with some alternatives to traditional baking ingredients like bananas and coconut oil instead of butter, honey instead of refined sugar, and whole wheat flour instead of white. However, they may be too sugary for someone who needs to watch their sugar intake.
When it comes to labeling recipes as healthy, use the best judgment for YOU. You can calculate the nutritional information for these with the exact products/brands you use with the help of an online recipe nutrition calculator.
Print
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These double chocolate banana muffins taste like a treat, but they’re made with coconut oil, whole wheat flour, honey, and plenty of naturally sweet mashed bananas. See Note for peanut butter swirl version.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 4 medium or 3 large ripe bananas)
- 1/3 cup (113g) honey (or maple syrup or agave)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (56g) coconut oil, melted (or vegetable oil, olive oil, or melted butter)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (130g) whole wheat flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/2 cup (41g) natural unsweetened cocoa powder (or dutch-process)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (save a few for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mash the bananas up using a fork.* Try to mash up any large lumps. Once mashed, whisk in the honey, egg, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until everything is combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving some for the tops of the warm muffins.
- Spoon the batter evenly into each cup or liner, filling each all the way to the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C) and continue baking for another 15–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 20–21 minutes, give or take. (For mini muffins, bake 11–13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the whole time.)
- Press any remaining chocolate chips into the tops of the warm muffins. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling, or enjoy warm.
- Muffins stay fresh covered at room temperature for a few days, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm up in the microwave if desired.
- Bananas: You can also mash the bananas in a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer. Not a fan of bananas? Try these healthier double chocolate chip muffins instead.
- Whole wheat flour: If you don’t have whole wheat flour, you can replace with the same amount of all-purpose flour.
- Can I skip the chocolate chips? Yes, feel free to leave them out or replace with chopped nuts.
- Peanut Butter Swirl Version: After step 4 and before step 5, melt 1/4 cup (about 62g) of creamy peanut butter (or use runny natural peanut butter) and spoon 1 teaspoon of it onto each muffin before baking. Using a knife or a toothpick, gently swirl it around into the batter. Top with a few peanut butter chips, if desired. Proceed with step 5.
- Why the initial high oven temperature? Like I do for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they’re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
- 2012 Version: An earlier version of this recipe published in 2012 was practically the same, only swapping 1/2 of the flour for all-purpose flour, applesauce instead of coconut oil, and 2/3 cup (about 130g) granulated sugar instead of honey. Today’s version yields a heartier, richer, moister muffin.
Keywords: chocolate banana muffins
For anyone else like me that only realizes they have Dutch-process cocoa at the last minute when they’re in the middle of making this, I just wanted to let you know they turn out just fine. They rose just fine in the oven and were delicious. I used honey as the sweetener and coconut oil for baking as the oil.
★★★★★
Absolutely! Same amount.
Hey Sally,
I have made your normal chocolate chip cupcakes and then I tried these. THESE ARE BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL, and that is really saying something! Thanks a lot for all the recipes you share. Reading everything that you write to explain your recipes has really helped me to get better at baking.
★★★★★
These may be the best chocolate muffins I’ve ever eaten! Remarkably delicious!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Sally! I really want to try this muffin, but I only have Dutch-processed cocoa powder at home. Do you think it will work?
Hi Karen, natural cocoa is really best here. However, the acidity from the agave may be enough for the baking soda to get its job done, so using dutched cocoa will *probably* be ok. If you can get your hands on natural, I recommend it!
Was on the lookout for a relatively healthier banana bread/muffins since few bananas were about to go too dark; would hate to throw anything during this lockdown period!
Made these yesterday and they were pretty good. No one could guess that I had used wheat flour. No agave nectar; so used some coconut jaggery that was stowed away in the back of the freezer. Also, had only half a cup of choco chips. But i just powered on.
And they turned out delicious!! Moist and slightly sweet; with a strong banana flavour.. these would be made again. Just need to wait for some more bananas to go slightly overboard 😛 Thanks Sally!
★★★★
Hey Sally
Hello from India. I tried this today and it was simply awesome. I used honey and it was perfect. The kids just loved it. This recipie is so simple that I mad emy seven year old help me out..in lockdown times good way to engage kids… Thanks indeed and stay blessed.
Deepa
★★★★★
Delicious! I also used applesauce instead of agave as I think bananas are sweet enough. Used half dark chocolate chips and half peanut butter chips, yum!
Love your recipes
★★★★★
Sally,
I think might be obsessed with these. I just made them again for the fourth week in a row. I tried a bunch of other low calorie/healthy muffins before I found this recipe and these are definitely my favorite by a (chocolatey) landslide. I can see why you are addicted to baking, will have to try some of your other recipes soon!
★★★★★
So yummy! I used white sugar instead of agave and a mix of semi-sweet and dark chocolate chips – the coconut oil makes it amaaaazing!!
★★★★★
The muffins were so moist and tasted great. I used white sugar instead of agave.
★★★★★
Hi Sally, this has become my go-to chocolate muffin…I have seen other Choc muffins but always come back to this recipe as I feel less guilty eating them haha! Sooo good! The past 12 months I’ve made them multiple times , lately I like to scoop the batter into my jumbo muffin pan (using your jumbo muffin baking timings from your other jumbo muffin recipes) and sometimes add nuts (pecans or chopped hazelnut pieces) I don’t usually have agave so I use honey. Really the best! Thank you!!
★★★★★
These are incredible! So moist and flavorful!
★★★★★
Last week, my son asked if he could have chocolate cake for his 5th birthday breakfast. Easy yes- because of this recipe! He was so happy!! Thanks Sally!
★★★★★
Very nice muffins! My favourite chocolate muffins. So moist and chocolatey, amazing! I made them with normal flour, sugar and sunflower oil. They aren’t too sweet but very soft and tasty. I mixed the bananas with the hand mixer and the muffins were great thanks to that banana moisture. Will definitely do this muffins again and again.
I made these last night but didn’t tell anyone they were a “healthy” version. I told my son to let me know how he liked them (a true blind taste test!). Well, he just texted me raving about them! I used vegetable oil as I didn’t have coconut oil and I used a mix of semi sweet and milk chocolate chips. Thanks for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Made these with half chocolate chips and half toasted walnuts. Also added streusel on top made with homeade granola, pecans and brown rice cereal. Heat em in the microwave for 15 seconds before eating, and a very nice breakfast indeed. Thx Sally!
I added in the cinnamon streusel from Sally’s banana chocolate chip muffins with cinnamon streusel (my husband’s fav banana muffins) and he devoured these muffins tonight. It tasted more like chocolate cake than a banana muffin made with whole wheat flour. I used honey instead of agave nectar and milk chocolate chips. Definitely the go-to muffin now. Thanks Sally!
These muffins are THE BEST!! I make a lot of banana bread but these muffins are definitely my favorite. Thank you! Greetings from Belgium. ❤️
Oh my goodness, Sally, these are amazing!! They are perfect cause my parents are trying to eat sugar free. Thank you so much!
God bless!
These are amazing. Seriously. I don’t usually like healthified baked goods, but these are my go-to, along with the regular whole wheat banana bread. Love everything you do!
I tried this recipe today and it was so successful!!! The miffins were really yummy. My kids and I are gonna make it again tomorrow morning
Made these for the office with my ripe bananas. They are loving them and people are grabbing 3 or 4. Thanks for the recipe!!
Hi Sally! I was wondering if I could make these into a loaf as well. With all the same measuments?
Yep! Same measurements, though I’m unsure of the bake time.