Chocolate Banana Muffins
Updated Jun 27, 2026
Homemade chocolate banana muffins with Greek yogurt and real banana for natural sweetness. Freezer-friendly and great for school lunches or breakfast.
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This chocolate banana muffins recipe is the one that gets my kids actually excited, more than a plain banana muffin ever does, probably because the chocolate makes it feel like something they’re getting away with for breakfast. I usually double the batch since it disappears within a day or two anyway, and the extras freeze well enough that I pull one out the night before for lunchboxes. That’s pretty much the whole reason these stay in my freezer year-round.
I don’t use any butter or oil in this chocolate banana muffins recipe, not even a tablespoon, and that still kind of surprises me every time I make a batch. Greek yogurt does all the moisture work instead, and once I tried it that way, I never went back to oil. I let the ripe bananas carry the sweetness so the cocoa powder actually gets to taste like chocolate instead of getting lost behind it.
Jump to Section
Chocolate Banana Muffins Ingredients
- Bananas: Use bananas that are heavily spotted or even a little black on the peel, since the riper they are, the more natural sweetness and moisture they bring to the batter. Mash them well with a fork or whisk so there aren’t big chunks left, since those won’t break down once they’re in the oven. If your bananas are on the smaller side, use an extra one so you still end up with the amount of mashed banana the recipe calls for.
- Chocolate: Cocoa powder and chocolate chips both go into this batter. Use natural unsweetened cocoa powder rather than Dutch-process, since Dutch-process is alkalized and won’t react the same way with the baking soda. For the chips, semisweet is the standard here, but dark chocolate chips work fine if you want it a little less sweet. Save a few extra chips to press into the tops of the muffins right before they go in the oven.
- Dry ingredients: Flour, baking powder (aluminum-free), baking soda, and salt. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup rather than scooping straight from the bag, or you’ll end up with more flour than the recipe needs and a denser muffin.
- Wet ingredients: Whole milk Greek yogurt, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla. There’s no butter or oil here, so the yogurt is doing most of the moisture work. Whole milk Greek yogurt gives you the most moisture; 2% or nonfat will still work, just slightly less moist. Light brown sugar is called for, but dark brown sugar works in its place; you’ll just get a deeper color and a stronger molasses taste.
How to Make Chocolate Banana Muffins
These step photos show how this banana chocolate chip muffin recipe comes together from one bowl to the next. For exact amounts and the full method, jump down to the chocolate banana muffin recipe below.
1. Mash the Bananas
Once the bananas are broken down with a fork, add the yogurt, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla right on top in the same bowl. Whisk everything together until it’s smooth, and the brown sugar is fully worked in.
2. Combine the Dry Ingredients
Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt mixture right on top of the wet ingredients in the same bowl you started with.
3. Stir the Batter Together
Use a spatula to bring the wet and dry ingredients together, scraping down the sides as you go so nothing gets left dry at the bottom. Once you don’t see streaks of flour or cocoa anymore, the batter is ready for the chocolate chips.
4. Fold in the Chocolate Chips
Add the chips in a couple of batches and stir just enough to spread them through the batter evenly. The less you mix at this point, the better the muffins hold their texture once baked.
5. Fill the Muffin Tin
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin tin cups, filling each one most of the way up since this batter doesn’t rise a ton higher than where it starts. A few extra chocolate chips pressed onto the tops before baking give every muffin some visible chocolate.
6. Bake the Muffins
The tops will dome slightly and crack a little down the center as they bake; that’s normal here since there’s no butter weighing the batter down. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. Let the muffins sit in the tin for a few minutes before moving them to cool the rest of the way, since they’re delicate while warm.
Full Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe
Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 large ripe bananas about 1 ½ cups
- ½ cup Whole Milk Greek yogurt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the yogurt, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients on top of the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins and sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top. Bake for 28–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the muffin tin.
Notes
3 medium ripe bananas mashed
½ cup 2% Greek yogurt
1 large egg
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup chocolate chips divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF and prepare a muffin tin with muffin liners.
In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients together until well combined: ripe bananas, honey, vanilla, egg, oil, and Greek yogurt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the same bowl: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined, without over-mixing. Fold in half of the chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins, and top the muffins with the remaining chocolate chips.
Bake for 23–27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add nuts: Fold in ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans with the chocolate chips for extra heartiness and crunch.
- Make bakery-style muffins: Bake at 425ºF for the first 5 minutes to get a tall, bakery-style muffin top. Then, continue baking at 350˚F until finished.
- Swirl in peanut butter. Spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of peanut butter on top of the batter once it’s in the muffin cups, then drag a toothpick through to swirl it in before baking.
- Use chopped chocolate instead of chips. Swap the ½ cup of chocolate chips for ½ cup of chopped dark chocolate for bigger pockets of melted chocolate throughout.
- Boost the chocolate flavor. Whisk ½ teaspoon of espresso powder into the dry ingredients. It won’t make these taste like coffee, it just makes the cocoa taste more chocolatey.
Recipe Tips
- Fill the muffin cups with an ice cream scooper. It’s easy to scoop the batter this way, and the muffins end up being uniform in shape and size!
- Don’t fill the muffin cups all the way to the top. Each cup should be about ¾ full, so the muffins can rise without overflowing.
- Don’t leave the muffins in the pan for too long. If you do, the steam inside won’t be able to escape, which can make the bottoms soggy. Take them out after 10 minutes and cool completely on a wire rack.
Troubleshooting
This usually comes down to overmixing once the flour and cocoa go in, or using bananas that weren’t ripe enough to break down fully. Stir only until the streaks of flour disappear, and use bananas with plenty of brown spots.
Check that you didn’t test the spot where a chocolate chip melted, since that can look wet even when the muffin is fully baked. If it really is wet, your bananas may have been extra large or juicy. Give them a couple more minutes and test again near the center.
Comments
These are delicious!! I didn’t have chocolate chips so I traded for small bits of dates that I soaked for 5 minutes beforehand. It tasted amazing!! Thank you! 😊
That sounds delicious! Thanks for always reviewing recipes, Dominique!
These are delicious and super easy to make! They’re the perfect level of sweetness. 🙂
My kiddos and I loved them!
Yay! That’s awesome, thank you!!
Love this recipe! My friends love them too. Had fun making this with my grandkids. They asked for the recipe bec it becomes one of the family’s favorites.
Thanks so much, Miriam for the kind words and sharing with your grandkids!!
Hi! I made your chocolate banana muffins today. Baked them for 43 mins at 190deg c. Kept checking on them from 23 mins onwards but it was only at 40 mins then I could smell the chocolate. That was when I realized it should be almost be done. Moist and not sweet. Love this healthier choice. I used chopped chocolate from my choco bar.
So glad you liked them, Lyn!
Great recipe! I have switched half ragi/millet flour and half all purpose. it turns perfect.
I’ll have to try that combo! Glad to hear it worked well for you. Sounds so good!
I prepped the dry ingredients at night and made these the next day for breakfast. Our 18 year old son LOVES these. They were so yummy! Thanks for the recipe.
I made mine with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour, and I only had non fat yogurt. Will definitely make these again!
So glad you and your son enjoyed the muffins!
can you use butter in place of coconut oil?
Hi Shannon, great question! You can use butter at a 1:1 ratio if you’d like instead of coconut oil. You’ll have to come back and let me know how they turned out! I hope you enjoy them!
OMG. These are so amazing and the texture is so wonderful. I made them as mini loads and they took about 45 minutes. I so love that these are made with healthy ingredients. My bananas may not have been fully ripe and I would put in a tad more honey in the next time. I also want to try them with part oats like the one lady in the comments mention. So happy to find this healthy version of a Chocolate muffin. Thank you.
Thank you so much! That sounds perfect. Let me know what you think if you try it that way, too. You’re so welcome!
Love your recipe ! Perfect flavors and texture for muffins. Kids loved it too !! Thank you for sharing !!!
Thank you so much! So glad you all enjoyed!
Can you do these as jumbo muffins
Yeah, it should still work that way! It may take a little longer to cook though.
These muffins were perfectly moist, fluffy, and delicious! I substituted half of the flour for oats because I love the texture of oats, and they were amazing! Thanks for the recipe!
That’s a great idea! You’re so welcome!!
I made these yesterday and my kitchen still smells so good. As for the muffins, there are delicious😍. Thank you for sharing this recipe (I watched your IGTV while cooking and it was much more fun 😁).
I love when you’re baking something, and it makes the kitchen smell amazing! Thank you!!
Yummy treats, I love them with a cup of Tea. Thank you
That sounds wonderful! You’re so welcome!
These are amazing! I’ve been using dark chocolate chips and I have a new go to breakfast staple. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe 💕
Thank you so much! You’re so welcome!!
Hi Yumna , I tried the chocolate banana muffins and it’s very delicious thanks for the recipe 💕💕
Yay! You’re so welcome!
Love these muffins!! 😍
Super easy to make and great for that chocolate craving (while still being healthy)!
Made these at the weekend at they are yummy. Much bigger than I expected too which can only be a good thing when it comes to snacks 😊
Thank you! A good thing for sure!
One of the best recipes ever!!
Aww, thank you so much!
So good and easy !!
Thank you!
It’s so yummy and easy to make. My kids love it.
I love that! Thank you!
I tried the choco banana muffins and they turned out super yummy, I used choco flakes from my pantry instead of the choco nibs and hence they look different, still yummy !
That still sounds so good! Thank you!!
Love all your recipes and I tried the chocolate chip banana muffin and it turned out amazing and so light in sugar 👌🏻❤️
Thank you so much!
I made these muffins today. They are moist and delicious without too much sugar. Thank you for the recipe!
You’re so welcome!
These muffins are delicious and easy to make. The best part is they are healthy!
Yay! Thank you!!
These are so good !!! My new favorite muffin recipe ! 🙂
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you 🙂
Made these twice already and they are sooo yummy & easy!! One of my favorite muffin recipes!
Yay! So glad to hear it!
These are the best muffins! My sister told me, They’re better than the Costco chocolate muffins! I agree!
Hahaha, that’s the best compliment!
🙂
Hi! I just made these delicious muffins and they’re so good!!!
Karen
Yay! So glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
You’re so welcome! Thank you!!!
These chocolate banana muffins are delicious! I made them first for my sweet tooth boyfriend and he couldn’t get enough! I made them again for my parents and grandparents and they loved them. My grandma isn’t a chocolate person and she thought it was the perfect amount. They are just the right amount of sweetness with the honey as a sweetener. I’m telling everyone about recipe and definitely have it saved. It’s perfect for a snack, breakfast, or even dessert. Sooo sooo yummy!!
Aww, I’m so happy to hear that! The whole family got to enjoy them, which is the best!!
These muffins came out so delicious!! Thank you dear for all you do 😊!!
Aww, so glad to hear it. Thank you!!
Hello Yumna!! Made this muffins today, and I must say that my kitchen smelled delicious while cooking and they are just perfect 👌🏻
A healthy snack for me and my partner. I love cooking and your recipes saved this pandemic. Thank you!!
Aww I’m so happy to hear that! There’s nothing like that smell of chocolate baking in the oven! Thank you 🙂
Love this recipe!! It is not too sweet, loads of chocolate and banana flavor! I dont love making cupcakes so i made it into a cake and it came out perfect! I also doubled the recipe and used basically a 9X13 pan (oval but you get the picture)! Supper nummy with vanilla ice cream! Another winner!!!
Oh I love that you baked it into a cake and the ice cream on top is perfection!!
Could I substitute for coconut flour in this recipe?
No unfortunately since coconut flour is gluten-free it doesn’t react properly in this recipe.
These are so delicious!! I didn’t have Greek yoghurt in the house so I used a mixture of regular whole milk yoghurt and sour cream. Turned out great!
So glad to hear it. Thank you!
We all loved it even my husband who doesn’t like desert easy and quick!!
Yay! Glad to hear it!
Would love to give this to my toddler but my pediatrician has told me to hold off from giving honey. Do I need to add honey? Is there a substitute?
So good!!! Followed the recipe except for using half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. Only did this because my kids find the whole wheat flour texture unappealing.
Thank you for the deliciousness.
I’m so glad to hear that you and the kids enjoyed it! Thanks so much!
Ok so I just tried this recipe and used regular yogurt instead of Greek. I was tasting the batter and it did not taste good. So guess it is mandatory to use Greek yogurt…right? Thanks
Oh yes, I will make that more clear in the recipe. The problem is regular yogurt is much thinner than Greek yogurt and it’s also not as creamy, so it results in more of a bitter taste instead of a moist and creamy taste of the greek yogurt. Hope that helps!