Soft and moist Banana Muffins with melty chocolate chips are the ultimate treat. Banana chocolate chip muffins are a great way to use overripe bananas and a fresh spin on classic banana bread.
Chocolate chips make everything better! They add great moisture and a gooey chocolate chip is the equivalent of melty cheese in the dessert world. One look at our chocolate chip cookies and you’ll agree.
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Banana Muffins Recipe:
We’ve had so many questions about turning our chocolate chip banana bread into muffins so here you go – your guide to the best banana muffins! While we love banana bread, these muffins bake fast (25 minutes) and the flavor is just as good.
Can I Substitute the Chocolate Chips?
You can omit the chocolate if you prefer a basic banana muffin. The ripe bananas will still provide great banana flavor, moisture and natural sweetness. You can also substitute the chocolate chips with an equal amount of toasted chopped walnuts for banana nut muffins, or replace with raisins for banana raisin muffins.
Can I use Frozen Bananas?
If you have overripe bananas and aren’t ready to use them, toss them in a ziploc (peel on) and freeze them for later. Before adding frozen ripe bananas to the recipe, thaw completely at room temperature, or in the refrigerator overnight. Frozen bananas tend to release more moisture so peel and lightly pat dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid.
How to Make Banana Muffins:
- Preheat the oven and place liners in a 12-count muffin tin.
- Cream together butter and sugar then mix in lightly beaten eggs.
- Add mashed bananas and vanilla.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt then mix into batter. Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
- Scoop batter into lined muffin tin, sprinkle with chocolate chips and bake.
The little bit of added chocolate on top makes these irresistible.
Pro Tips for Moist Banana Muffins
There are 3 key points for achieving moist and tender banana muffins:
- Use very ripe or overripe bananas. Underripe bananas will be difficult to mash and won’t incorporate into the batter well.
- Do not skimp on the butter. Since there is no other ‘liquid’ in this recipe, softened butter is needed for a soft and moist crumb.
- Don’t over-bake. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center after 25 minutes and continue baking only if you see wet batter on the toothpick.
More Muffin Recipes:
Enjoy our top-rated, made-from-scratch, bakery quality muffin recipes. I hope you find some new favorites here.
- Egg Muffins – perfect breakfast on the go
- Blueberry Muffins – with the best lemon glaze
- Mixed Berry Muffins – moist and studded with berries
- French Breakfast Muffins – rolled in cinnamon sugar
Banana Muffins Recipe
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Soft and Moist Banana Muffins with melty chocolate chips are the ultimate treat. Banana chocolate chip muffins are a great way to use ripe bananas.
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Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 25 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Ingredients
Servings: 12 muffins
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (8 Tbsp), softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp, lightly beaten
- 3 bananas, very ripe, coarsely mashed with a fork
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350˚ F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners.
In a mixing bowl, cream together 8 Tbsp softened butter with 2/3 cup sugar. Add 2 lightly beaten eggs.
Add 3 mashed bananas and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix until blended.
In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix the dry ingredients into wet ingredients until incorporated.
Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly into your 12-count muffin tin and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips evenly over the tops. Bake at 350˚F on the center rack for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a baking rack to cool to room temperature.
Nutrition Per Serving
292kcal Calories37g Carbs3g Protein14g Fat8g Saturated Fat48mg Cholesterol215mg Sodium217mg Potassium2g Fiber20g Sugar300IU Vitamin A2.6mg Vitamin C19mg Calcium1.9mg Iron
- Full Nutrition Label
- Nutrition Disclosure
Nutrition Facts
Banana Muffins Recipe
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Breakfast, snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana muffins
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Please DO NOT throw away your overripe bananas because they are the secret ingredient for these moist and delicious banana muffins. The browner and spottier the peel, the better!
Q: What is YOUR favorite way to use overripe bananas?
Natasha Kravchuk
Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.
Read more posts by Natasha
FAQs
How to Make Homemade Muffins Moist: Our Top Tips
- Tips to Make Homemade Muffins Moist.
- Keep Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately.
- Add All Flavorings Last.
- Consider Paper Liners.
- Don't Overfill the Muffin Cups.
- Check the Temperature of Your Oven.
- Test if Muffins Are Fully Cooked.
- Top Your Muffins with Flavor.
The idea here is to start the muffins in a very hot oven for just a short amount of time. This activates the baking powder and allows the muffins to shoot up in height quickly. We then turn the heat down and continue to cook for longer. This is done to avoid over-browning and overbaking.
Is it better to use butter or oil in muffins? ›
Many muffin recipes use cooking oil instead of butter. Oil, being a liquid, distributes easily in the quick-mix batter and is readily absorbed into the baked muffin, producing a light non-greasy texture. Vegetable oil is ideal because its mild flavour doesn't compete with the main flavour of the muffin.
What is the most important rule to follow when baking muffins? ›
The number one rule for successful muffins is: Don't over-mix the batter. Use a rubber spatula to quickly fold (gently stir) the liquid ingredients into the dry ones. A few streaks of flour still showing is okay, especially if you plan to add in extra ingredients like fruits and nuts.
What not to do when making muffins? ›
Here are some common mistakes that might be causing this:
- Over mixing the batter.
- Overfilling the muffin tray.
- Leaving the muffins in the pan after they have baked.
- Berries, nuts, and chocolate chips sink to the bottom.
Choosing vegetable oil is the best option for baking moist, delicious baked goods. Canola oil, the most common vegetable oil used in baking, doesn't add a strong flavor. It allows your cake's flavor will shine through while still achieving a moist texture.
What does adding an extra egg do to muffins? ›
If there isn't enough egg, your batter or dough may not be able to hold its structure or could end up overly dry or dense. On the other hand, if there is too much egg, your baked goods could lose their shape due to excess liquid, or have a rubbery (or even overly cakey) texture depending on the recipe.
What does adding more eggs do to muffins? ›
Eggs are responsible for giving baked goods structure, which means the amount you use directly affects the resulting texture. Using too few eggs will make your desserts dense, but using too many will make them rubbery.
Why are bakery muffins so much better? ›
The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour
Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.
What is the slang butter your muffin? ›
The expression "butter your muffin" is a slang phrase that can have different meanings depending on the context. In some cases, it can be used as a euphemism for sexual activity or arousal, while in other cases, it may simply mean to add butter to a muffin or other baked good.
You can swap in 125g butter for the oil but the muffins may be a little dry and will possibly stale more quickly as the fat content of butter is lower than that of oil. For better results you may have to make some minor adjustments to the amount of fats and other liquids used.
What happens if you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil in muffins? ›
Baking with Olive Oil
If substituting olive oil for vegetable oil (or another cooking oil) in your baking recipe, you can use a 1:1 ratio. Because of olive oil's distinct flavor, it might affect the flavor of the baked product.
What is the most common flaw when baking muffins? ›
Overmixing is a common problem with muffins. First combine dry ingredients, mixing well. Then combine liquid ingredients, mixing well. Finally combine dry and wet ingredients, by hand, using only 15 to 20 light strokes.
Should I bake muffins at 350 or 375? ›
Ideal Muffin Cooking Temperature
That being said, the standard oven temperature for baking desserts like quick breads and muffins is commonly set to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Setting your oven to this temperature will almost always produce a well-cooked muffin recipe.
What is the most common fault when using the muffin mixing method? ›
Overmixing the batter.
When you overmix the batter, it crushes the air bubbles and ruins the fluffy texture. → Follow this tip: To ensure a batch of light, fluffy muffins, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just barely combined, and no more dry flour is visible.
How do you add moisture to muffins? ›
Recently I discovered that if I use sour cream in place of milk in a muffin recipe, I get a super moist, fluffy muffin! The switch is very easy. If a recipe calls for 3/4 cup of milk, I simply use 3/4 cup of sour cream instead. Occasionally, I need to add a bit more sour cream to moisten the muffin batter.
How do you moisten baked muffins? ›
Use a steamer
Steaming is a great way to add moisture to past-their-prime muffins. And according to a TikTok user, you should also be steaming your muffins when you bake them since the hot air and steam allow more time for the centers to rise, resulting in tender and airy muffins.
Should you let muffin batter rest? ›
Rest the Muffin Batter
The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.
