These fudgy paleo chocolate banana muffins are super rich and decadent! They’re also naturally sweetened with honey and are grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.
When I make muffins, I’m usually able to eat at least three or four before I feel even the slightest bit full (I have to admit that I’m kind of a piggie). But these chocolate banana muffins are so rich and filling I could hardly do one and a half.
I suppose that’s not too surprising considering all the almond flour and chocolate in there!
These gluten-free muffins have a really nice texture! They’re not quite fudgy, but definitely headed that way, which is probably another reason why I couldn’t handle eating several of these at once.
So they’re dense, but a nice dense, and have a really nice crumb. And they definitely don’t have that typical paleo muffin texture! I don’t know about you, but I’ve had way too many bad grain-free muffins.
They’re often weirdly spongy and just don’t taste very good. My taste testers thought that these were made with all-purpose flour. To be honest now, my taste testers don’t know a thing about baking, let alone grain-free baking, but I was happy. :D
For another paleo muffin recipe with an awesome texture, you have to try my paleo blueberry muffins! They’re magical. They’re almost like angel food-like in texture.
These paleo apple muffins are also amazingly delicious! They have grated and chopped apples and loads of cinnamon for a lovely explosion of fall flavor.
But back to today’s recipe! The banana taste is also pretty strong in these banana muffins so I wouldn’t recommend making these unless the idea of chocolate and banana appeals to you!
I was kind of hoping to use up my bananas in these muffins and not have them taste like banana at all, but I’m still really pleased with how they came out.
I haven’t tried subbing the banana with something else so I have no idea how that’d work. If you try using something else, let us know in the comments how it worked out!
If you’d rather have something more traditional, try these guilt-free chocolate banana muffins from Noble Pig. These double chocolate banana quinoa muffins from A Dash of Sanity also sound delicious and interesting!
Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 2 medium super ripe bananas (each banana was 185 grams with the peel and 143 grams without)
- 1/3 cup (106 grams) honey
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) refined coconut oil, melted1
- 200 grams (~2 cups but please weigh!) blanched almond flour
- 3 tablespoons (27 grams) coconut flour
- 1/3 cup (42 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (use dairy-free / paleo chocolate chips, if necessary)
- additional mini chocolate chips for sprinkling, if desired
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with the bottom of a glass. They should almost be like a puree.
- Add the honey and vanilla and stir.
- Add in the eggs and oil and stir until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stir just until combined and then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin liners and sprinkle on additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to confuse a melted chocolate chip with the batter.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
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314 comments on “Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)” — Add one!
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Hello Erin! I’ve just made your recipe (baking now!) and the batter came out really really thick – like dough. Is that the texture (consistency?) of the batter when you make this? Should it be thick like cookie dough? Thin, like pancake or other batter? Something in between? I appreciate your advice (and all of your wonderful recipe wizardry :-) )
These have been a staple in our home for more than 5 years! I’m writing a comment because I dropped by to send the recipe to another friend.
I add flax for added nutrition and organic dried coffee for a “mocha” muffin.
Thanks!
I’m dying to make these but bananas are a no in our home. What could be used in place? Thank you!
I’m sorry but I don’t know of a good sub for bananas in this recipe. :( 2 bananas is a lot to sub. One commenter below used pumpkin but I tried it and didn’t like them at all. I’d have to recommend finding a non-banana muffin recipe.
These are FABULOUS!!! This recipe is a keeper. I love the moist, fudgy texture. Thank you so much!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad that you enjoy them and that you want to make them again. :) Thanks for your comment!
Having eaten 4 over the last several days, (couldn’t help myself) I can honestly say this is my favourite grain-free recipe to date. And I’ve made lots! So decadent! And as someone trying to cut down on refined sugar, I love that these are made with honey. Ripe bananas may never make it into my fruit smoothies ever again. Mmmm.
4 over the last several days in an amazing achievement. 😂 I wish I had that kind of self-control! I’m so happy that you have a new use for ripe bananas. Thanks again for your feedback. :)
Great tasting muffins. By any chance do you have the Macro breakdown for these muffins?
I’m glad you liked them! I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :)
Hello, Could I do all almond flour since I don’t have coconut flour?
There’s unfortunately no sub for coconut flour so you really need it for this recipe. :( Sorry about that!
These look delicious but I have one question. Is the quarter cup of coconut oil, a quarter cup before or after melting?
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your question! Things have been chaotic here. It’s the same whether you measure before or after melting. I’ve experimented. :) Sorry again for my slow reply!
You’ve done it again Erin..These are fantastic! My daughter and I just made them with some overripe bananas we needed to use up. I normally do not like a strong banana flavor in anything but the cocoa powder tames that just enough in these delicious muffins. This is my go to banana muffin recipe from now on. Yummmm!
Oh, yay! I’m glad to hear that you both enjoyed them. I actually made some other chocolate banana treats today and I did not like the strong banana flavor. I mean, my taste is totally off so it could be that it was a good recipe, but all I tasted was banana. Haha. Thanks as always for your feedback! I really appreciate each and every comment. :)
What a fantastic recipe, thank you! I used only almond and coconut flour.
I kept them in for an extra 2 mins as they seemed to be gooey at 18 mins.
So moist and delicious !
I’m really happy you liked them! Thanks for your feedback. :)
Hi! These sound delicious. Any thoughts on subbing almond flour for finely ground pecans? Or using make syrup in place of honey to make them vegan? Thank you in advance
I haven’t tried it but if your ground pecans are as fine as almond flour (which I’m not so sure it would be), then it’d work. Maple works but the problem is the eggs. I believe I’ve used egg subs in these and they didn’t work out. :/
Amazing! So much softer, more moist and tastier than any other grain free cake I’ve made.
I swapped out about two thirds of the almond flour for cashew flour because that’s all I had but it worked just fine.
Texan Erin for the win – again!
Aww, thanks! I’m glad that you like the recipes. :D It’s great to know that cashew flour works well. Thanks for the tip!
is there a way that i could make this without using nuts, i want to use this recipe for a school project and it cant have nuts in it
No, sorry. :( Almond flour can only be subbed with other nut flours.
These are my and my adults daughter’s firm favourite now. They freeze well, too. I use only half of the choc bits.
I’m glad that you both like them! And great to know that they freeze well. :) Thanks for your comment!
Hi Erin,
I substituted ground flax for the coconut flour (I don’t like the flavor of coconut flour) and the muffins came out super moist and delicious!
Do you have any idea what the calorie count is on these?
Hi! I’m sorry for just now seeing your question. I’m glad the sub worked out well! That’s the first I’ve heard of it. Have you used that sub in other recipes? I don’t have the calories but you could use this recipe analyzer for the nutritional profile. :)
Hi, I want to try this recipe but I don’t have any coconut flour with me can I use it flour instead of the coconut flour? Please let me know:)
There’s unfortunately no sub for coconut flour so you really need it for this recipe. :( Sorry about that!
I used bobs red mill gluten free all purpose blend in place of coconut flour since I didn’t have any on hand and they turned out amazing! My husband said they were the best muffins he’s had in a long time :)
Oh, wow. That’s a surprise. Those two aren’t at all interchangeable so it’s awesome that it worked in this recipe. Thanks a ton for your feedback! :)
This was amazing.. since going paleo I needed some form of chocolate fix.
I made per the recipe but reduced honey to 1/4 cup and reduced choc chips by half. Still turned out sweet and chocolatey as ever!
These would also be great with an almond butter cup in the center!
It’s great to know that it works well with less honey! And I love your almond butter cup idea. :) I’ll have to try that. Thanks for your feedback!
Muffins turned out delicious. This will be a keeper for us, thank you!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! Thanks for your feedback and sorry for my slow reply. :)
Omg these are so good
My daughter and I had them for breakfast , they are so good.
I forgot the honey and I only add half cup of dark chocolate chips, they are still rich in chocolate and sweet.
Thank you a billion yummyyyy
Wow! I’m surprised they came out well without the honey. That’s great! Thanks for your feedback and I’m very sorry for just now seeing it.
Keep coming back to this recipe! Lovely moist muffins that bake beautifully without all the refined flour and sugar! PS love all your recipes really ;)
I’m very sorry for just now seeing your comment! I’m also super happy to hear that you like the other recipes, too. :) Thanks for your feedback and sorry again for only now replying!
These are good. I made mine into mini muffins and got about 32. I found I actually had to cook them a bit longer than usual for a mini muffin but I kept testing them until the toothpick came out clean. It took about 18 min. Otherwise I followed the recipe. I think next time I’d like to try using sugar-free maple syrup for the honey to reduce the carbs a bit.
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment! I’m glad that they worked out well for you. :) How strange that you needed more time for mini muffins! Usually I do those for 7-8 minutes. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the recipe! I panicked when three people in my picky-eater family were diagnosed with celiac, but these muffins have saved me. Everyone loves them, so I make them 4 batches at a time and freeze them for people to pull out whenever they need a snack. They are tasty, and very forgiving to the distracted baker, which is a lifesaver for me. I have shared them with so many friends and family, and everyone comes back asking for the recipe, gluten free and gluten lovers alike.
I think we would have all panicked! That must have been difficult. I’m so happy to hear that the muffins helped a bit. :) I love that you make 4 batches at a time. I’m jealous of your capability of not having the freezer packed full at all times. ;) Thanks for your comment and for sharing the recipe with your friends and family!
They are healthy and taste delicious!
Yay! Happy to hear that. :) Thanks for your comment!
It was surprisingly delicious! Very moist; reminds me of a brownie like texture and taste. My 3 yr loved it! Definitely be making it again!
I’m glad to hear that they were a hit with your kid! That’s always a good thing. :) Thanks for your comment!
I rarely make muffins but this recipe caught my eye. First I have to say that I love these! So yummy! When I made them I realized too late that I forgot to add the coconut oil. Did I mention I rarely make muffins? 😂. My quick fix…I took them out of the oven two minutes before they were “done”. Oh my gosh….so moist and decadent. Perfection! Will definitely make them this way again :)
Haha. I’ve done that sooo many times. Usually for me it’s the baking soda or the “main” ingredient – like chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies, blueberries in blueberry muffins. I’m happy that you enjoyed them! Good call on taking them out early. :D Thanks for your comment!
Refined coconut oil? Processed Dutch cocoa?
This is terrible for you! Why not virgin coconut oil and cocoa powder?
You’re welcome to use whatever you want if you think the ingredients I list are terrible for you. :)
Would butter work in place of the coconut oil or any other oils?
I think butter would be fine as well as olive oil!
This recipe looks great. Can I substitute GF AP Flour or Oat Flour for the Almond Flour? I cannot eat almonds.
Thanks! Unfortunately not. Almond flour is really only interchangeable with other nut flours / meals. Can you have hazelnut or cashew meal?
Hey Jen, I actually totally have made this recipe with oat flour a bunch of times and it came out great (my daughter has kids at her school with nut allergies, so she can’t take anything to school with nuts). I think you need a bit more oat flour than the almond flour? I can’t really vouch for the exact amount, I kind of winged it and eyeballed it based on the thickness of the batter. I actually finally just made them as written, with the almond flour and coconut flour, and they came out great, as well.
Thanks so much for the tip! I’d love to try these with oat flour. Did you also use it in place of the coconut flour? Thanks again. :)
Yep, I just used oat flour as the only flour…
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know. :)
I left out the honey so it could be sugar-free. Used walnuts instead of chocolate chips. Didn’t have any coconut flour so used all almond flour. Absolutely delicious!
So you just used an additional 3 tablespoons of flour? Good to know that that works out well! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them. :) I bet they’re great with walnuts! Thanks a bunch for your comment.
I am not a baker . And prefer gluten free . I have made MANY disaster gluten free baked goods . These are amazing !
Perfect combo of flours , sweetness .
And the big test – my kids love them !
Satisfies my chocolate craving .
Are you able to give the nutritional info ? Sugars , carbs , fat .
I’m so happy that you and your kids enjoyed the muffins!
I don’t have that info but you could use this recipe analyzer if you’d like for the nutritional profile. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Here’s what came out in the nutrition snalizer per 1 muffin
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 209
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 14.5g 19%
Saturated Fat 1.9g 10%
Cholesterol 27mg 9%
Sodium 13mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 18.9g 7%
Dietary Fiber 4.3g 15%
Total Sugars 10.6g
Protein 5.8g
Vitamin D 3mcg 13%
Calcium 45mg 3%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 173mg 4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
SOrry it’s without the chocolate chip :)
Thanks for sharing! :)
This is AMAZING! i am gluten free, dairy free and soy free so to find a recipe that is moist and fudge like is such a blessing!
Thank you for sharing this recipe, my partner absolutely loves it and didnt even realise it was missing the Gluten and Dairy.
I cant wait to try your other dessert recipes!
Aww, yay! I’m always especially happy to hear that people who can eat everything also like these allergy-friendly recipes. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment and I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much!
These are so good!! Definitely takes care of my chocolate cravings. My whole family loves them:). I’ve used pure maple syrup when I’m out of honey. I also only use 1/2 cup chocolate chips. They come out perfect every time! Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy that you’ve been enjoying them and to hear that maple works well, too. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
Ok… I never leave comments when I make variations to a recipe, but it’s sooooo yummy I just have to in case others want to try lower sugar, and an alternative to coconut oil or butter. This recipe is very similar to the Healthier Carrot Cupcake recipe and both are unbelievable (I’ll post a comment there too)!!! I’ve been looking for gluten-free options for sweets that only have nut flour for a long time now, and I’ve hit the jackpot!!! THANK YOU!!!!
So I subbed honey for 3 tbsp maple syrup (only because I prefer the taste of maple syrup), subbed coconut oil for 2 tbsp coconut yogourt (works with dairy yogourt too, cupcakes end up especially velvety if you use Greek yogurt, even more so if you use Icelandic Skyr yogurt) and I omitted the chocolate chips entirely. When substituting oil or butter, I tried apple sauce first, and it wasn’t as good as the recipe where I tried yogurt. I had to bake my muffins for 25 min to cook fully in the middle.
My family is not crazy about bananas,so I substituted 286 grams of organic carrot puree-absolutely delicious! Have made it several times. Definitely a keeper.
Oh, wow. Sounds great! Can you taste it at all or does it taste like a regular chocolate muffin? Thanks for the tip!
Tastes like a regular chocolate muffin. Cannot detect any carrot flavor. So delicious!
Awesome! Then I’ve got to try it. :) Thanks for the tip and coming back and answering my question!
Wow! These are wonderful. I substituted 1/2 C of GF oats for some of the almond flour to add more nutritional value. The whole family loves them. Thanks!!
Oats sounds like a yummy addition! Thanks for the tip. :) I’m happy that they came out well with them and that you and your family enjoyed the muffins!
I weighed everything and these came out wonderful. My toddler loved them. I’m going to try pumpkin purée next batch, so I can get extra veggies into the kids. Do you think this would come out well in a cake pan?
I hope pumpkin puree works well! I’d love to hear the result. I haven’t tried it but I think a cake pan would work fine! Thanks for your comment. :)
The pumpkin puree worked and is delicious, but I had to change the following: I used a can of organic pure pumpkin which is 425grams. I didn’t want to waste any of it, so I used the entire can and omitted the eggs. Before going paleo, I used to add a can of pumpkin to chocolate cake mix to make muffins, so I was trying to replicate that. Also, I had to cook at 375. So yeah! Now there is an egg free option as well!
Awesome! Thanks a bunch for sharing your egg-free version and all the details so others can try them, too. I’m so happy that it worked out well! :)
Loved them!!!! So good!!! But my batch came out very gooey, any suggestions? TIA
So happy you liked them! They’re supposed to be fudgy but not really very gooey. Perhaps bake them 2-3 more minutes next time? And measure by weight if you didn’t the last time. Thanks for your comment!
These were so good! By far one of the best ones yet. Need to see what other recipes you have.
Thanks a bunch! I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much. :)