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! They also
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.
And if you can’t get enough of this flavor combination, try my peanut butter banana muffins next—with or without chocolate chips! Or if you’re heading into the fall season, these chocolate pumpkin muffins are always a favorite.
Are These Healthy?
I’d say these are a healthy-ish treat. Like banana chocolate chip breakfast cookies, blueberry banana muffins, and chocolate chip baked oatmeal cups, 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.
For even more inspiration, see my 20+ favorite healthy dessert recipes.
PrintDouble 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 (spooned & 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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- 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.
These are great. We will make them again.
This recipe is so delicious!
These are SO good! I used Hershey’s special dark cocoa and they were amazing!
Perfect. Used 1/2 maple syrup, 1/2 honey. Vegetable oil as I was too lazy to melt either the coconut oil or butter. X) added a tsp of espresso powder. Not sure if it affected taste as I haven’t done without. I plan to make 1/2 peanut butter next. I love peanut butter!! Didn’t think of doing that till they were in the oven already. They do taste different than the not so healthy version in my opinion. But still delicious and makes you feel less guilty hehe.
What kind of coconut oil should you use?
Hi Sandi, you can use any kind of coconut oil you typically use for baking. We usually use unrefined. You can also use vegetable oil, olive oil, or melted butter.
Just finished making those muffins and they are so good. I could not wait and had to have one. I followed the recipe and they turned out perfect. I will definitely make those again and again.
I really like the advice of starting them at higher temperature. They are really high and puffy.
Thank you.
Hi Sally! I loved this recipe so much! I will definitely bake this more often. This was the perfect balance of chocolate and banana. These muffins were not too sweet and I enjoyed the whole wheat flour component. I did experience three issues.
1) My muffins came out flat on top. How can I prevent this in the future? 2) My muffins were too salty for me; I used Morton Iodized Salt. What salt do you recommend?
3) The chocolate chips I used sunk to the bottom. Any idea as to why and how to prevent this? I do not bake muffins often; I have only done cookies, brownies, and cakes.
Thank you for creating excellent recipes! I have been following your blog since high school and I just graduated from college. I learned how to bake with your recipes; my favorite is the carrot cake.
Hi Julia! We’re happy to help troubleshoot. 1) Did you follow the change in temperature in the recipe notes? The initial high burst of heat helps the muffins rise, while lowering it after the first five minutes allows them to finish cooking through while maintaining the high top. Also, make sure your baking soda and baking powder are fresh. We find they start to lose their power after about 3 months (even if they’re not yet expired). 2) We use table salt in all our recipes unless otherwise noted. Feel free to cut back on the salt in future batches if you found these a bit too salty. 3) You can lightly toss the chocolate chips in flour before adding to the batter. That will help prevent any excess sinking. Hope these tips are helpful, Julia — thank you for making and trusting our recipes!
I followed the recipe (used maple syrup instead of honey as instructed) and these came out so well! They are moist, dense, and not too sweet. They don’t taste like they are whole wheat at all (I used white wheat, which helps with density). I only got 8 muffins out of the recipe, but maybe that’s got the better because I’m tempted to eat them all!
Nikky, I followed the recipe exactly, and included peanut butter and some PB chips along with 1 cup chocolate chips, and I only got 10 muffins. I used AP flour, because that’s what I have.
Can you use oat flour instead of whole wheat flour?
Hi Kathy, I haven’t tested it. I fear it wouldn’t absorb quite as much liquid but you can certainly try it.
I looked through and didn’t see this topic. I usually freeze my ripe bananas (kept in their peels) until I have time to bake. They tend to have some liquid released when thawed. Question: can I substitute frozen, thawed bananas for fresh?
Hi Mary, you can use previously frozen and then thawed bananas. Drain most of the liquid and then mash them to use in this recipe.
Thank you!
Better than my old recipe! Yummy! And I appreciate that you gave an exact measurement for the amount of bananas.
Can you use regular flour instead of whole wheat?
Shouldn’t be a problem!
These are the best chocolate muffins. Ive been making them consistently for the past year. I usually omit the chocolate chips to be a bit healthier and they are still amazing. I tried them recently WITH chocolate chips and they were somehow even better. Wow. Thanks for this recipe!
Hi!
Try using Lily’s chocolate chips. They are sugar free and super good. And they are available in many flavors too.
Oh my god. The absolute best muffins ever.
This tweak was made out of necessity and may be a permanent change for me. I recently was 3g short on cocoa powder and threw in 3g Delallo espresso powder. Used maple syrup instead of agave (food sensitivity). My team inhaled these muffins and everyone asked me about the recipe, which was a first for me.
Sallys baking team, I urge you to try the espresso powder in these. It is ridiculous and makes them even more decadent. Please! Haha
Espresso powder sounds so delicious in these muffins, Valerie! Thanks for the tip 🙂
A good suggestion is to always put in a bit of espresso powder when baking with chocolate. It enhances the chocolate.
Hi Sally, could oats be added to make it healthier? If so how much?
Thanks
Hi Julie, adding oats to the recipe as written would result in a dry muffin – it would take some testing to get right, let us know if you try anything! You may love these Healthy Whole Wheat Banana Muffins as well!
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. I used pure maple syrup for the agave, and I didn’t have freshly ripened bananas to use up but I had some very overripe ones in his freezer, so I defrosted and used those which worked amazingly! These will be a go-to muffin for us, my son especially loved them. Thanks Sally!
Delicious!
This recipe is AMAZING! My kid’s favorite thing is chocolate, and these are perfect dessert OR breakfast.. how often can you say that?! This time I used a 1/3ea stevia chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, and cocoa nibs for crunch.. SO good, moist and satisfying! Thank you!
I made the banana chocolate chips muffin.. It came out splendid.. But I added in extra bananas, chic chips and chocolate and a bit of chooped almonds
I used organic maple syrup instead of agave, and canola oil instead of coconut. They were absolutely incredible. Probably some of my favorite muffins that I have ever made. They were even better the next day, as the chocolate flavor was stronger and you almost couldn’t even taste the banana. I ate them for a snack every day until they were gone. Thank you for such a great recipe. 🙂
I just made these with white whole wheat flour and they turned out great! I only had 2 bananas, which turned out to be ~1 cup, so I just subbed 1/2 cup yogurt for the rest. Then I put honey instead of agave (which I didn’t have) and then just did 1/4 cup since I already measured out the olive oil with it and didn’t want to get out the 1/3 measure lol. Also I added bittersweet chips instead of semisweet. Lastly, added 3 whole walnuts on top of eat before baking for a bit of a crunch & decoration.
And wow, they turned out great! So fluffy and moist. I like things a little less sweet so they were perfect. Even using 1/3 cup probably wouldn’t have made them too sweet either. The only thing, the muffin itself doesn’t have too intense of a chocolate flavor, so the chips are necessary to amp up the choco flavor.
Loved these! I only had 2 bananas so subbed in some apple sauce. I also used maple syrup as the sweetener as it was all I had in (I reduced the amount a bit too). I also only added 100g of dark choc chips. I made them into 14 little muffins which were the perfect size for little hands (where as I just end up eating at least 3). These are SO good. I told my husband I was baking something healthy and after eatingone he assumed I’d changed my mind and gone for full sugar mode. In my oven they took a while longer to cook but came out so perfect! Your recipes are simply amazing!
Hi Sally,
This recipe is perfect! I baked 36 mini muffins with maple syrup instead of agave, since I am making it for my toddler.
We love it, thank you so much!
Any chance to make these without the egg?
Hi Avneet, We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, let us know if you give it a try!
I subbed 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/2 tsp of baking powder for the egg and it turned out great!
Okay lady these things should be illegal! I made them this morning for my preschooler and I and there are only 4&1/2 left… mainly because I ate all of them! Wait only 4 left now! I was a little on the skeptical side because of how little sweetener was used though I love it (I used pure maple syrup since I’m out of agave) but man these are like little brownies! And you can’t just eat one! At least not for someone with impulse control lol. Love you and your recipes!
Hi Marcy. Thanks for sharing your modifications. I also used 1/4 c maple syrup and 3/4 c choc chip and the sweetness was just fine for me. Your note encouraged me to try it. Thanks 🙂
Hi Sally,
Thank you Sally for sharing your recipes, along with your helpful baking tips! I’ve been using baking soda & baking powder for many years without realizing the difference behind their chemical reactions.
I’ve used both the dutch processed cocoa, as well as the natural unsweetened cocoa, in a couple of batches of the whole wheat chocolate banana muffins. FYI, although the muffins are different; they both got great reviews from my families.
I also made your whole wheat apple muffins, which were terrific too! My next batch will be the pumpkin version muffins! Thanks so much, we love your muffins!
Lisa
Holy sh*t these are so good! Got the recipe from a girlfriend and have passed it along to about 10 other women. I made them gluten free with a 1:1 GF flour blend and used maple syrup instead of agave syrup. We blew threw one batch in three days. Patiently waiting for the bananas on my counter to ripen so I can make this recipe again.
How would I adjust this recipe if I only have two bananas? I really want to make these and forgot to buy bananas when I went shopping this week. The recipe is just what I was looking for!
This muffin is easy to made, and it’s so delicious and relatively healthy! Thank you so much for another great recipe, Sally!
Hi Sally, Ur recipes are great. Its my go to place for any kind of bake. Thanks for sharing details. I have to make a diabetic friendly banana muffins. Please let me know if I can replace agave with stevia. If yes then how much amount should I take.
Thanks.