30 Minute Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These easy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are soft and moist. They are the perfect way to use up ripe bananas, and freeze well so you can always have muffins on hand!

Hi hi! Just popping in to share this recipe for my super easy homemade banana chocolate chip muffins! These are a bit of a riff on the recipe that I grew up eating that my Mum made. I have been meaning to get a non vegan version of my vegan banana muffins up here for a while, because we all love options!

I love making homemade muffins - they are super simple, and come together quickly, and are great to stash in the freezer for whenever you need. I have a bunch of banana baking recipes on my site if you've got spare bananas kicking around. If you're looking for something larger format, my easy banana bread or my chocolate chip banana bread are both amazing banana bread recipes! If you're after another amazing muffin recipe, my chocolate cream cheese muffins are a reader favourite on here too!

How to make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These chocolate chip banana muffins are super easy to make, and come together in the time that it takes to preheat the oven - no softening butter required.

This is a stir together muffin recipe which follows a very standard muffin format - the only step that is a little different is that I get you to add the milk to the butter at the beginning of the recipe. All this does is stops the cold milk from curdling the butter - this way if it does make the butter go lumpy, you can quickly pop it back onto the heat to warm it slightly so the mixture smooths out.

I also always finish my banana muffins off with a sprinkle of raw / turbinado sugar for a bit of crunch - this is totally optional but I love the finish it gives!

Do I have to rest the muffin batter?

I know a lot of recipes often get you to rest the batter for muffins. This is to let the flour hydrate a little, which is meant to help the texture.

I tested resting the batter for this banana chocolate chip muffin recipe and didn't see a big difference, and to me, muffins should be a quick throw together recipe. These banana chocolate chip muffins come together in less than 30 minutes - no resting needed!

How do you tell when muffins are done?

I usually judge how muffins are baked by giving them a gentle poke with my finger - if they spring back, then you know they are done.

You can also insert a skewer or a toothpick into the centre and make sure that it does not come out with batter attached - a few crumbs clinging to it is great. Make sure that you do not poke it into a piece of chocolate and use that to judge!

Homemade Muffin Liners for Bakery style muffins

I like making my own paper liners for muffins - using a square of parchment paper that extends over the edge of the hole in the muffin cup means that you get a lovely tall lofty bakery style muffin.

To make your own muffin liners, cut 14cm (5.5") squares of parchment paper, and use a drinking glass or something similar to press them into the pan - you may need to use a little of the muffin batter to hold them down.

If you don't want to make your own liners, regular cupcake liners work great too, or if you trust your muffin pan you can bake them straight into a greased pan. Because they aren't being supported by the paper they will spread into a little more of a muffin top, but I promise that it tastes the same!

What are the best bananas to use for baking?

These banana chocolate chip muffins are a great way to use up those bananas you bought with good intentions to eat and are now baking with them because they went brown (only me?). Basically, the browner the better for bananas. You don't want them rotten or mouldy, but a lot of brown is good!

If your bananas aren't super over ripe that's fine too (I often make muffins when they are just a little spotty) - we are working with weight, so the quantity used will be accurate!

Why are there two temperatures in the recipe?

You will notice that there are two temperatures in this banana chocolate chip muffin recipe - an initial higher temperature for the first 10 minutes, then you drop the temperature down for the remainder of the bake time.

This initial first blast of temperature helps the muffin to get a good rise on it, and the lower temperature for the second part of the bake ensures that the middle of the muffin is baked all the way through.

Chopped Chocolate vs Chocolate Chips in muffins

I love to use chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips in my banana chocolate chip muffin recipe - in NZ eating chocolate is basically the same price as chocolate chips, so I prefer to go for something higher quality.

Chopping your own chocolate also means you get a nice range of sizes of chunks, ranging from that delicious chocolate dust to bigger pieces. I often grab just whatever chocolate needs using up in the house and doing a mixture of kinds of chocolate!

How do you store muffins?

This banana chocolate chip muffin recipe makes 7 large muffins, or 8-9 smaller ones, depending on how you portion out your batter. In our house, these only last a few days as I am married to the equivalent of a human compost bin and he loves a muffin, so we just store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to 4 days.

How do you reheat muffins?

Banana chocolate chip muffins are amazing fresh on the day that they are made, but if you are eating them after that, I recommend either quickly zapping them in the microwave to refresh them, or if you're feeling spicy, split them in half vertically, butter both halves, and place face down on a griddle or skillet. They get super toasty and a little bit caramelised and it's very, very good.

What makes a tough muffin?

The main culprit to a tough muffin is over mixing - this develops gluten in the mixture and causes the muffin to be chewy. Make sure that when you are adding the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients you carefully fold the mixture in - do not whisk or stir too hard. Leave a few streaks of flour when you add the chocolate to ensure that you do not over mix when incorporating it in.

Can you make banana muffins with frozen bananas?

Yes you can - defrost the bananas overnight. I usually strain off any excess juices but if you like to keep them in go for it. (we are weighing them so the amount will be correct)

How to freeze muffins

The great thing about muffins is that they freeze super well. I place them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until solid, then transfer to a ziploc bag. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before eating - I prefer them toasted or warmed if they have been previously frozen.

Can these muffins be made smaller or larger?

I have tested scaling back the amount of batter in each cup to yield 8-10 muffins, which works great - just watch your bake time. You could also make these into mini muffins by using a mini muffin pan - the bake time will be much less so just watch carefully!

I haven't tested making this recipe in a Texas sized muffin pan - I worry that by the time the inside cooks, the outside will be very done! They are already nice and high as bakery style muffins, and I prefer the ratio of slightly crunchy exterior to fluffy interior!

Frequently Asked Questions

What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page

Which pan did you use?

I use a USA pan muffin pan which is super non stick, but any 12 hole muffin tin will work!

Can I use chocolate chips?

Yes, you can use whatever you like here! I used dark chocolate, but milk chocolate chips, regular chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips would be delicious. You do you, just use the same weight of chocolate as called for in the recipe. They would also be delicious with a little chopped caramelised white chocolate.

Can these banana chocolate chip muffins be made dairy or egg free?

I have just the answer for you - make my vegan banana muffins! The recipe is already adapted to be dairy free and egg free for you!

For more banana recipes, check out:

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