Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
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These vegan Double Chocolate Banana Muffins are moist, soft, and bursting with intense chocolate flavor. They’re sweetened only with banana and maple syrup!
These double chocolate banana muffins are full of surprises. When you make them to share, you’ll get a lot of:
“Wait, these are vegan?” and “What?! These are gluten-free?“
The answers are yes and yes!
Oh, and did I mention that all the sweetness in this recipe comes from maple syrup and ripe bananas? Use stevia-sweetened chocolate chips and these muffins are completely free of refined sugar.
Let me tell you, coming up with this recipe took a lot of trial and error, but the results are definitely worth it. The muffins are moist, fluffy, and soft, with a rich chocolate flavor thanks to cocoa powder and chocolate chips. You can add chopped walnuts instead of the chocolate chips, or do half-and-half if you just want to add a bit of crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the original recipe, but I usually stick with the chocolate chips. You can never go wrong with chocolate, right?
As for the banana flavor, that’s a little more subtle—the banana is more for binding in this recipe, so if you’re looking for more of a banana-bread-like flavor, I recommend my One-Bowl Vegan Banana Bread instead.
Are Chocolate Muffins Healthy?
These chocolate muffins are healthy! They’re made with wholesome oat flour, coconut oil instead of butter or vegetable oil, and they’re sweetened with maple syrup and mashed banana.
Notes on Ingredients
Please note that this is important information on the ingredients and instructions and the FULL recipe with amounts and details can be found DOWN BELOW (scroll to it) in the recipe card.
- Gluten-free oat flour
- Xanthan gum
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Cocoa powder – Either Dutch process or natural cocoa powder can be used for this recipe.
- Flax egg – Here’s how to make a flax egg.
- Maple syrup
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract or vanilla bean
- Ripe bananas
- Unsweetened almond milk
- Chocolate chips
What Is Xanthan Gum?
Xanthan gum is a common ingredient used in gluten-free baking; it’s a plant-based food additive that imitates gluten. It emulsifies, binds, and adds volume to these gluten-free chocolate muffins. You should be able to find it in the baking aisle at most grocery stores, or it can be ordered online. Don’t skip it—it’s essential to the success of this recipe!
What Is the Best Gluten-Free Flour for Baking?
I don’t think there’s any one flour that’s better than the others—they all have their place in a gluten-free pantry! For this recipe, I chose oat flour because of its light texture and subtle oat flavor.
How to Make Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
Here’s what you need to do to make these rich, gluten-free vegan chocolate muffins!
Prepare. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners or by coating it lightly with coconut oil, then dusting with sifted cocoa powder, shaking off the excess.
Mix dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt, and cocoa powder.
Mix wet ingredients. Whisk the flax eggs, maple syrup, and coconut oil in a medium bowl for about a minute, or until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, and almond milk and stir for another minute.
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, scraping down the sides as needed. Do not over-mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Fill the muffin tin. Divide the muffin batter into the muffin tin holders; I usually make 10 larger muffins, but you can also do 12 smaller muffins. Add a few more chocolate chips on the tops if you’d like.
Bake. Place the muffin tin in the oven and bake for 20 to 23 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, then slide a butter knife around the edges of the muffins and carefully remove them. Let them finish cooling on a wire rack.
Tips for Success
Here’s how to make perfect Double Chocolate Banana Muffins!
- Not a fan of banana? As mentioned above, these don’t have a very pronounced banana flavour, but if you’re baking these for someone who’s just not a fan of banana at all, you can use bananas that are less ripe. They’ll still act as a binder and add moisture to the recipe, but they don’t have as strong of a flavour as ripe bananas.
- Choosing chocolate chips. The calorie count and sugar content will depend on the type of chocolate chips you use. Dark chocolate is lowest in calories, and using stevia-sweetened chocolate like Lily’s Dark Chocolate Baking Chips will make these refined-sugar-free.
- Testing for doneness. The muffins should spring back when you gently press them in the center if they’re done.
What Is the Secret to Moist Muffins?
Every muffin recipe is different, but for these Double Chocolate Banana Muffins, it’s the coconut oil and banana that makes them super moist. Coconut oil is always my favorite for vegan baking because it yields such a tender, moist crumb.
How to Store
Store these muffins in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 4 days.
Can I Freeze These?
Yes, you can freeze Double Chocolate Banana Muffins for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let them thaw at room temperature before serving, or warm them up in the microwave.
Enjoy friends! If you make this vegan Double Chocolate Banana Muffins recipe, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free & Healthier!)
Ingredients
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free & Healthier!)
- 4.5 ounces gluten free oat flour 127g/1 cup
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 flax egg
- 1/4 cup maple syrup 84g
- 1/4 cup coconut oil 50g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract liquid or gel or 1/2 of a vanilla bean, scraped
- 3/4 cup mashed bananas very ripe bananas
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips plus a few extra for on top*
Instructions
Double Chocolate Banana Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free & Healthier!)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin or line with cupcake liners. If preparing the actual tin, using parchment paper, rub the insides of a muffin tin holders lightly with coconut oil, then sift cocoa powder over to coat insides and shake off the excess in and on top of the tin. So essentially, flouring and buttering like you would a cake pan. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour mix, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt and cocoa powder to combine.
- In a medium bowl, add the flax eggs, maple syrup and the coconut oil. Whisk together for about 1 minute until incorporated. Add the vanilla extract/bean, the mashed bananas and the almond milk. Mix together for about 1 minute until bananas are completely incorporated. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix again, scraping the sides and ensuring everything is combined. Do not over mix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips. The batter should be very thick.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin tin holders. I like to do 10 larger muffins, but you could also do 12 normal sized muffins. Add a few extra chocolate chips on top if you’d like, it makes them prettier!
- Bake the muffins for 20 to 23 minutes. I’ve done both times and prefer 23 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then using a butter knife or a toothpick, slide around the edges of the muffins and remove. Place on a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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