Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins

Name: Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3 bananas (large, mashed); 95 g (⅓ cup) greek yogurt; 85 g (¼ cup) honey; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 70 g (⅓ cup) coconut oil (melted); 1 egg (room temperature); 220 g ( 1⅔ cup) plain flour; 1 tsp bi-carbonate soda; 2 tbs cocoa powder; pinch salt; 85 g (½ cup) chocolate chips

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Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins take just 5 minutes to prepare and are SO moist, fudgy and totally delicious! Perfect for a breakfast-on-the-go or a lunchbox treat.

A stack of fudgy chocolate muffins in silver cases.

Say hello to my favourite healthy banana chocolate muffins! These moist chocolate muffins are perfect for school lunchboxes or an after-school energy boost.

Full of greek yoghurt, coconut oil, and naturally sweetened with honey and banana, these muffins are not only delicious, but a healthy choice too!

For a simple and yummy lunchbox snack, these luscious chocolatey banana muffins are so quick and easy, super versatile and loved by all!

Looking for more lunch box friendly muffins? Why not try my healthy award winning ABCD Muffins, my family favourite Apple Crumble Muffins, my easy cafe-style Blueberry Muffins or Banana Muffins.

A chocolate muffin with the mffin case peeled open, in front of a tray full of baked muffins.

Why You're Going To Love This Recipe

What I love about muffins is that they're just so quick and easy! These muffins take less than half an hour from scratch to coming out of the oven (all delicious and warm!)...

Best way to use up over-ripe bananas - the riper the bananas are, the sweeter the muffins! Those brown spotty bananas transform into these deliciously healthy banana chocolate chip muffins...
Natural sweeteners - with no refined sugar, just greek yoghurt, honey and the sweetness of ripe bananas, these muffins are both sweet and extra moist too!
Lunchbox favourite - perfect for popping in a lunchbox, along with some crackers and cheese and a piece of fruit.
Freezer friendly - healthy chocolate banana muffins with yoghurt can easily be frozen for up to 3 months, and defrost perfectly - so make a double batch and freeze the extras!
Conventional and Thermomix- this muffin recipe can be made conventionally or in a Thermomix. You will find both the conventional and Thermomix methods in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Silver muffin cases encasing chocolate banana muffins in a baking tray.

What You Need

Take a peek in your fruit bowl - if there's some ripe, brown and spotty bananas sitting there, you're in luck!

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!

Bananas - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed.
Greek yoghurt - is a thick yoghurt, traditionally prepared by straining the water known as whey from plain yoghurt to make it thicker, richer and creamier. While regular yogurt tends to have fewer calories and more calcium, Greek yoghurt contains more protein and less sugar, and is beneficial to gut health.
Honey - any variety of honey is fine to use. Honey is also good for health as an antioxidant and for its anti-inflammatory properties, and is much better for blood sugar levels than regular refined sugar.
Vanilla extract - or vanilla paste or essence.
Coconut oil - this can be bought from any major supermarket. If you live in a cool climate, the coconut oil may solidify in the glass jar – simply melt it in the microwave before using.
Egg - I recommend using a large (60g) egg, and have this at room temperature for best results.
Plain flour - also known as all purpose flour.
Bi-carb soda - also known as baking soda. In Australia, we use the name bicarbonate of soda (or bicarb soda for short), whereas in countries such as the US, it's referred to as baking soda.
Cocoa powder - choose a good quality cocoa powder such as Cadbury's or Nestle for the best results.
Salt - just a pinch.
Chocolate chips - I recommend using chocolate baking chips in these muffins, as baking chips hold their shape better when baked than chocolate melts. I use milk chocolate chips in these muffins but dark chocolate chips work beautifully too.

The ingredients set out in individual bowls on a marble bench top.

Equipment Required

You can mix these super easy muffins by hand, so a mixer is completely optional.

Stand mixer, food processor or Thermomix - optional.
Muffin tray and paper muffin cases - I highly recommend using paper muffin cases as they make it easier to remove from the muffin tray and also easier to pack in a lunch box.
Oven - I specify fan-forced oven temperatures in my recipes, so if you have a conventional oven, increase the temperature by between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, and keep an eye on them close to the end of baking time.

Step By Step Instructions

It really takes no time to prep these deliciously healthy chocolate banana muffins!

Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method!

Step 1 - Prepare The Wet Ingredients

Firstly, preheat your oven and line your muffin tray with paper muffin cases.

Mash the bananas in a bowl.

Add the greek yoghurt, honey, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and egg to the mashed banana, and whisk all together.

Greek yoghurt, honey, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and an egg in a glass mixing bowl.

Step 2 - Prepare The Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, sift the plain flour, bi-carb soda, cocoa powder and salt, then make a well in the centre for the wet ingredients.

Sifted flour and cocoa powder in a bowl.

Step 3 - Mix The Muffin Batter

Pour the wet ingredients into the well of the sifted ingredients, and gently fold all together - don't overmix! There may still be some lumps and that's perfectly ok!

Wet mixture added to dry ingredients in a glass bowl.

Gently fold through half of the chocolate chips.

The gentler this is mixed, the lighter the muffins!

Chocolate chips being added to muffin mixture in a glass bowl.

Step 4 - Bake

Fill the muffin cases to ⅔rds full, and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 15 minutes, and allow to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Muffin mixture spooned into cases in a muffin tray, ready to be baked.

FAQ's

Can I make these muffins in a Thermomix?

Sure, the instructions for making healthy chocolate banana muffins in the Thermomix are also included in the recipe card below, and your Thermomix makes it even quicker to get these in the oven!

Is there a difference between using chocolate baking chips and chocolate baking melts?

I recommend using chocolate baking chips in these muffins, as baking chips hold their shape better when baked than chocolate melts. I use milk chocolate chips in these muffins but dark chocolate chips are perfectly fine to use too.

How do I stop my muffins from being too dry and heavy?

The answer to keeping your muffins light and soft is not to overmix! It's ok if the batter appears slightly lumpy. If you mix the batter too much, the end result is a chewier, denser texture instead of the light, fluffy muffin that you want.
Also, don't overcook - keep an eye on them towards end of baking time, muffins are ready when they spring back when lightly touched in the centre.

A muffin tray filled with chocolate banana muffins in silver cases.

Expert Tips

The riper the bananas the better - they may not look the most attractive, but bananas certainly become much sweeter as they ripen.
Use paper cases for your muffins - besides looking pretty, they make it so much easier to remove from the muffin tray, and easier to pop into a lunchbox too.
Storing your muffins - muffins are always best eaten on the day that you make them, but they will last for a couple of days in an airtight container, either in the fridge or at room temperature.
Muffins can also be frozen in a zip-lock bag or an airtight container for up to 3 months - so make a double batch!