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Sweetened with maple syrup, these healthy banana muffins are sweet, moist, and full of flavor. The rich chocolate chips add an extra punch of sweetness that pairs perfectly with the banana.
Banana muffins are such a quintessential breakfast treat! My kids request banana muffins so often that I started looking for ways to make them a little healthier, and that is exactly what this recipe does! The maple syrup acts as a natural sweetener and tastes so much better than granulated sugar.
The maple syrup not only provides natural sweetness, but also provides moisture to these muffins. The syrup helps lock in moisture, giving you a moist, chewy muffin that is loaded up with gooey melted chocolate chips. It’s pretty safe to say that you can expect these muffins to be a regular request at your house!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- The syrup is much healthier than granulated or brown sugar.
- You can easily store these muffins for long periods of time.
- Chocolate banana is such a classic flavor combination!
Recipe Ingredients
- Butter or Oil—Either one will work. If using oil, we recommend coconut oil.
- Maple Syrup—Acts as the sweetener for your muffins.
- Eggs
- Bananas—Ripe bananas are more flavorful and easier to mash.
- Milk—Helps provide moisture to the recipe.
- Vanilla—Amplifies the sweetness of the bananas.
- Baking Soda—To help your muffins rise.
- Salt
- Cinnamon—Adds a subtle warmth that pairs nicely with the sweetness of the bananas.
- Flour—Whole wheat, not all-purpose.
- Oats—We recommend using old fashioned.
- Chocolate Chips—Optional.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Healthy Banana Muffins
Step #1. Preheat your oven and grease a muffin tin. Whisk together the oil or butter and maple syrup.
Step #2. Whisk in the eggs followed by the mashed banana, milk, and vanilla.
Step #3. Gently whisk in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and oats. Once combined, fold in the chocolate chips.
Step #4. Pour your batter into the muffin tin and top each one with a sprinkle of chocolate chips and extra oats. Bake your muffins until you can cleanly remove a toothpick from the center of a few muffins
Recipe FAQs
If you already have quick oats on hand then feel free to use those instead of going out to buy old fashioned oats. Old fashioned oats are thicker than quick oats, so they add more texture to whatever they are added to; however, using old fashioned oats will not have a dramatic effect on the recipe. You may notice a slight change in the texture of your muffins but their flavor wil remain the same.
Make sure you coat the entire muffin tin in nonstick cooking spray. You can also rub it down with coconut oil or butter. It is also important to give your muffins time to cool before you try to remove them. As the pan cools, the muffins will be easier to remove. I like to run a knife around each muffin to help loosen them a little bit as they cool.
How to Store Your Leftover Muffins.
You can store these muffins on the counter or in the fridge for up to 3 days. It is important to note that your muffins will dry out a little faster if they are stored in the fridge. You can enjoy these muffins at room temp or straight from the fridge. You can also reheat them for about 20 seconds in the microwave. I usually just reheat one muffin at a time.
Alternatively, you can store your muffins in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow your muffins to cool completely and then place them in a large Ziplock bag. When you are ready to enjoy a muffin, simply let it thaw in the fridge or microwave it for about 30 seconds, or until warm. I love making a double or triple batch and throwing them in the freezer for the whole family to snack on.
Expert Tips
- Make sure you use the ripest bananas you have. Yellow and green bananas will give you less flavor.
- If you don’t have any old fashioned oats then you can use quick oats.
- Make sure you whisk in the dry ingredients throughout. You don’t want to leave any clumps of flour unincorporated in your muffin batter.
- If you are having problems with your muffins sticking to the pan then you can use muffin liners or give them extra time to cool.
- If you are storing your muffins in the freezer then make sure they cool completely first so they don’t stick to each other when they freeze.
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Maple Sweetened Banana Muffins (with or without chocolate chips)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil or butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup packed mashed ripe bananas, about 3 bananas
- 1/4 cup milk, I used dairy milk. almond would work too
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degree and grease a 12-cup muffin tin well with butter or cooking spray.
- In a small bowl add the coconut oil and maple syrup and mix well. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Add the mashed banana, milk, and vanilla and stir to combine. Add the soda, salt, cinnamon, whole wheat flour, and oats. Stir until the mixture just comes together, it’s ok if it’s still a little lumpy, do not over mix. Add the chocolate chips if you are using them and stir until just incorporated.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with a few more chocolate chips and some raw oats if desired. Bake for 23-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan. Run a butter knife along the edge of the muffin to help release it from the pan, remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
This is our family FAVORITE! Go to every time. Works fantastic at our 7200 feet elevation. We do add the chocolate chips. My hubby thinks he’s adverse to “healthy” stuff, but LOVES these. ha!
Chocolate chips are never a bad thing and our husband must be related! Thanks for the review!
Can I use all purpose flour and how much?
Yes! Just add an additional 2 tablespoons.
I’ve made these at least 3 times now! I was looking for something healthier for my 11 month old and these are perfect!
I made these, and they were delicious! I used Einkorn flour. This worked well – they were still moist and yummy. Thank you for the recipe.
This has become my go-to banana chocolate chip muffin recipe. My daughters LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I have a feeling that banana chocolate chip muffins will be something they remember fondly about their childhood in a way that only food can help create the traditions of family, time together, and sharing a bounty with others.
LOVE! Thank you so much for coming back to share that with me, it makes the internet feel not so big. I really appreciate that.