Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

These classic Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins are a household staple. They make a perfectly sweet portable snack for busy days or can be kept in the freezer and thawed whenever needed. The Greek yogurt makes the batter moist and higher in protein, while the chunks of chocolate make every bite incredibly delicious!

Originally posted on May 25, 2023. Updated on October 23, 2024.

 

Why you need to try these Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

The combination of bananas and chocolate is one of the all time classics. Yes, chocolate can easily be matched with anything but this pairing is so nostalgic. Does anyone else think of their childhood when they taste banana chocolate chip muffins? I sure do!

Whipping up a fresh batch of muffins is one of my favourite ways to ensure I always have portable snacks available. I keep them in the fridge or freezer so they last longer and can easily grab for one when I’m hungry.

These muffins make a great afternoon pick-me-up, road trip snack or even that “something sweet” option after dinner.

These Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins are:

• easy to make
• moist and soft
• flavour-packed
• not too sweet
• convenient and transportable for busy days
• freezer-friendly

I have a feeling you’re going to love these and I can’t wait for you to try them!

 

Ingredients for Healthy Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

The majority of the ingredients needed for these muffins are kitchen staples. Here is the list:

• All-purpose flour
  • Make it gluten-free by using equal parts of Bob Red Mills 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
• Light brown sugar
  • This recipe doesn’t call for a lot of sugar because there is some natural sweetness coming from the banana and of course, the chocolate chunks. All you need is 2/3 cup of brown sugar.
• Banana
  • Feel free to use fresh or frozen bananas for this recipe. 
• Greek yogurt
  • I love baking with Greek yogurt. It adds a great source of protein and calcium while also adding some moisture and enhancing the texture of the muffins.
• Vegetable oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla extract and cinnamon
  • These ingredients are used to enhance the flavour of these muffins.
• Baking powder, baking soda, salt
• Chocolate chunks
  • My go-to type of chocolate chunk for baking is semi-sweet.
  • You can also chop up a large bar of chocolate and use this in place of chocolate chunks.

 

Substitutions and alternative ingredients

If you don’t have some of the recommended ingredients or you would prefer to make some substitutions, here are my suggestions:

• Gluten free flour
  • Just swap to equal parts of Bob Red Mills 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
• Other types of brown sugar
  • Any kind of brown sugar will work in this recipe.
• Flavoured Greek yogurt
  • Instead of plain Greek yogurt, you may prefer to use vanilla or banana flavoured Greek yogurt. This will add extra flavour and sweetness to the muffins.
• Butter or coconut oil
  • Instead of vegetable oil you could use equal parts melted butter or coconut oil.
• Chopped chocolate bar
  • If you don’t have chocolate chunks, you can use a large bar of chocolate and chop it into bite-sized pieces before adding it to the batter.
• Semi-sweet, milk, dark or mini chocolate chips
  • Instead of semi-sweet chocolate chunks, you can use semi-sweet, milk or dark chocolate chips. You could also use mini chocolate chips!
• Walnuts or other nuts
  • Adding nuts to a banana muffin is quite common and you can absolutely do so in this recipe! Either add the nuts instead of the chocolate chunks or add them in addition. They provide a crunchy texture and extra protein, fibre and healthy fats. 

 

How to make Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Here’s how to make these delicious little snacks:

1. Preheat the oven to 325℉ and prepare a muffin tray. You can use silicone or paper liners or grease it with oil or butter.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Mix this thoroughly.
3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. 
4. Now for the fun stuff! Stir in the chocolate chunks. You can use store-bought chocolate chunks or chop a bar of chocolate into bite-sized pieces. Fold in the chocolate until just combined. Try not to overmix the batter so the muffins don’t come out of the oven with a tough consistency.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin tins using an ice cream scoop, cookie scoop, measuring cup or large spoon. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
6. Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes before enjoying!

 

My favourite muffin recipe hacks

Here are some of my favourite kitchen hacks for baking and storing these Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins:

• Bananas for baking
  • One of my favourite kitchen hacks is to buy a couple of extra bananas when I’m doing my grocery run so that when they become ripe, they’re perfect for baking. Use them in the moment or peel them, pop them in a freezer bag and store in the freezer until you need them for these muffins.
• Lining the muffin tins
  • I love to use silicone muffin liners to reduce waste. They also make it super easy to remove your muffin cleanly. You can also freeze the muffins in the silicone liners!
• Transferring the batter
  • If you have an ice cream scoop, use this to distribute the muffin batter. You could also use a measuring cup to transfer the batter to the muffin baking pan! It helps make them all even, which promotes a more consistent bake.
  • If you’re making mini muffins, use a cookie scoop for an even pour and bake.
• Prolong the shelf-life of the muffins
  • I like to try to prolong the shelf life of them before freezing by keeping them in the fridge once they have cooled after baking.
• Freezing
  • If I’m making a double batch or just want to store the muffins in the freezer, I keep them in the silicone muffin liners. This helps prevent them from sticking together. Pop them in a freezable bag and toss them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months. When you’re ready to eat one, microwave it for 20 seconds (depending on the strength of your microwave) and enjoy!

 

How to store these muffins

You can store these muffins in a few different ways. 

1. Once they are fully baked and cooled, you can keep them on the counter for 1-2 days.
2. They can also be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days.
3. If freezing, once the muffins have baked and cooled to room temperature, transfer them to an airtight container. This could be a glass or plastic container or even a freezer bag! Store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, either take them out 1-2 hours in advance or microwave them for 30 seconds, or until they reach your preferred temperature and texture. Enjoy!

 

Dietary considerations

As a registered dietitian, I want to make sure my recipes are suitable for most dietary preferences. If you or someone you’re cooking for has dietary restrictions or you just prefer to make some adjustments to this recipe, here are ways to accommodate that!

• Gluten free: use a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour instead of the regular all purpose flour.
• Dairy free: opt for dairy free yogurt and chocolate chunks.
• Oil free: use melted butter instead of oil.
• These muffins are already vegetarian and nut free.

 

Regardless of how you make them, I hope you love these muffins!

 

More muffin recipes!

• Pumpkin Banana Bread Muffins
• Carrot Apple Muffins
• Oatmeal Pear Muffins (blender muffins)
• Blueberry Rosemary Muffins
• Apple Cinnamon Muffins
• Lemon Poppy Seed Coconut Muffins
• Mocha Banana Muffins
• Peanut Butter Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Morning Glory Muffins

 

If you make these Banana Chocolate Chunk Muffins, I would love to see your comment and rating below. It also makes my day seeing your creations of my recipes on Instagram- don’t forget to tag @allnutrition.rd!