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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Gently fold through half of the chocolate chips.
The gentler this is mixed, the lighter the muffins!
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.
FAQ's
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!
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.
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.
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!
More Muffin Recipes
Muffins are the perfect treat for any occasion... or no occasion at all!
Here's a few of my most popular sweet muffin recipes:
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Healthy Chocolate Banana Muffins
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
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (fan-forced). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
- Mash the bananas in a bowl.
- Add the greek yoghurt, honey, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and egg and whisk until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift the plain flour, bi-carb soda, cocoa powder and salt. Stir to combine.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet mixture.
- Very gently fold the mixture with a spatula until just combined (don't over-mix the ingredients).
- Fold through ¼ cup of the chocolate chips.
- Divide the mixture equally between the muffin cases (filling to ⅔ of the way).
- Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Thermomix Method
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees celsius (fan forced). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
- Place the banana into the TM bowl. Mix for 5 seconds on Speed 6. Scrape down the sides and repeat.
- Add the greek yoghurt, honey, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and egg and mix for 25 seconds on Speed 4, or until well combined.
- Add the plain flour, bi-carb soda, cocoa powder and salt. Mix for 5 seconds on Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and repeat for a further 2-3 seconds or until just combined (don't over-mix the ingredients).
- Fold through ¼ cup of the chocolate chips with the spatula.
- Divide the mixture equally between the muffin cases (filling to ⅔ of the way). Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- 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.
- The answer to keeping your muffins light and soft is not to overmix! It's ok if it appears slightly lumpy. If you mix the batter too much to make it really smooth, 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.
- The riper the bananas the better as they 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 in 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!
Amy
These are amazing! Great chocolate flavour without being overly sweet. My two boys LOVE them.