Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These bakery-style, tall banana chocolate chip muffins have beautiful domed tops, a soft and moist banana bread crumb, and pockets of melted chocolate in every bite. Perfect for breakfast, brunch, or after-school snacks for the kids, they are full of real banana flavor and not too sweet.

Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Many banana chocolate chip muffin recipes are either dense and gummy or flat and dry, and even more of them are far too sweet once you add very ripe bananas and chocolate chips. These muffins are different in a few important ways.

First, I measure the bananas by weight. Bananas vary wildly in size, so "three bananas" can mean almost twice as much fruit from one batch to the next. Weighing the mashed banana gives you the same moist, never gummy texture every time.

Second, I use both butter and oil. Butter gives the muffins their rich, bakery flavor, while oil keeps the crumb soft and moist for days after baking.

Third, I use my secret vinegar and baking soda trick, the same one I use in my banana Nutella muffins. It makes the muffins light, fluffy, and tall without any sour cream or yogurt.

And finally, I keep the sweetness balanced, so you taste banana and chocolate, not just sugar. A few chocolate chips pressed on top before baking give each muffin a gorgeous, bakery-style chocolate chip finish.

Make the Muffin Batter

Make sure the unsalted butter, large eggs, and milk are at room temperature before you begin; this is what gives you a smooth, well-emulsified batter. Line a 12-tin regular muffin pan with liners, or spray muffin tins lightly with oil, and preheat the oven to 175°C / 350°F, without the fan.

Mash the overripe bananas and weigh them.

In a large mixing bowl, Cream the softened butter and sugar with an electric mixer for a few minutes, until pale and fluffy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the oil, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add the vanilla extract and milk, mix briefly, then mix in the mashed banana. Adding the wet ingredients slowly keeps the batter from curdling.

Sift the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt into the bowl, switch to a rubber spatula, and gently stir the ingredients together with the spatula or a wooden spoon, just until combined. In a small bowl, mix the vinegar with the baking soda. It will bubble up straight away; fold it into the batter immediately, just until combined.

Set aside a small handful of chocolate chips for the tops, then fold the rest into the batter.

Divide batter evenly between the liners: spoon or pipe it, or pour batter straight from a jug, filling each one about three-quarters full for tall, bakery-style muffins. Press the reserved chocolate chips into the top of each muffin. They stay visible as the muffins bake, giving each one a beautiful chocolate chip topping.

Bake, and Do Not Overbake

Bake at 175°C / 350°F for about 22 minutes or until the muffins are domed and golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Focus on texture rather than time, since every oven is different, and even a couple of extra minutes can dry them out.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Storage & Make-Ahead

These muffins are best enjoyed fresh, but they keep beautifully thanks to the oil. Let them cool completely before storing; if you seal them while still warm, the steam turns the tops sticky. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.

For longer storage, refrigerate them for up to a week. To freeze, wrap each cooled muffin in plastic wrap and foil, place it in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

See my complete guide on how to store muffins for more tips.

Flavor Variations

For double chocolate banana muffins, stir cocoa powder into the batter, as I do in my double chocolate muffins.

In the fall, I love to replace part of the banana with pumpkin puree, as in my pumpkin banana muffins.

For extra crunch, fold in chopped walnuts or pecans along with the chocolate chips. You can also swap some of the chocolate chips for peanut butter or butterscotch chips.

For a warm, spiced flavor, add a little cinnamon, cardamom, or nutmeg to the dry ingredients.

And for a gooey center, swirl a spoonful of Nutella into each muffin, just like my banana Nutella muffins, or use my homemade Biscoff spread.

Ingredient Substitutions

For dairy-free muffins, replace the butter with a high-fat vegan butter (see my butter substitute guide), use a plant-based milk such as oat milk, and choose dairy-free chocolate chips.

The eggs give the muffins their structure. You can try one of my egg substitutes, but the texture will be slightly different.

Any neutral oil can replace the vegetable oil; see my vegetable oil substitute guide. For a deeper, more caramel-like flavor, replace part or all of the white sugar with brown sugar.

To make the muffins gluten-free, use one of the gluten-free flours in my flour guide. Even small changes affect the texture, so browse my substitute guides for details.

Expert Tips to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

1. Always weigh the mashed banana. Bananas vary hugely in size, and the right amount is what keeps the muffins moist rather than gummy or dry.
2. The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful the muffins. Use bananas that are heavily speckled or almost black. If yours are not ripe yet, see my guide on how to ripen bananas quickly.
3. Use full-fat milk and high-quality butter with at least 82% fat for the best flavor and texture.
4. Take the milk out of the fridge an hour ahead and place the eggs in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes. See my tips on softening butter without a microwave.
5. Chocolate chips sink when the batter is too thin to hold them. This batter is thick enough to keep the chips suspended, so you don't need to toss them in flour.
6. Never mix the vinegar and baking soda in advance. The bubbles are what make the muffins light, so mix them right before folding them in.
7. Use good-quality dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. A darker chocolate balances the natural sweetness of the bananas.
8. Let the muffins cool completely before storing them, so the tops won't get sticky.

What Equipment to Use

A digital scale is essential for weighing the bananas and every other ingredient accurately, and a digital oven thermometer helps you bake at the right temperature.

Use an electric hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar and mix in the wet ingredients, then switch to a rubber spatula to fold in the dry ingredients and chocolate chips. I bake these in standard muffin tins, using a 12-cup muffin pan.

To make a banana chocolate chip loaf or cake instead, see my cake pan conversions guide.

Try Some of My Other Muffin Recipes

If you loved these chocolate chip banana muffins, here are more delectable muffins and delicious recipes to try next:

• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Pistachio Muffins
• Raspberry Muffins
• Red Velvet Muffins
• Brownie Muffins

Also, check out my roundup of the best sweet breakfast recipes for more morning inspiration.

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