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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These are delicious. I usually skip mixing in the chocolate chips and put a few on the top of the muffin. I make these muffins regularly and carry them with me on the run, so much better than grabbing something from a store with empty calories.
I like them as an on-the-go breakfast treat, too! So happy you enjoyed them. :) Thanks for your comment!
O.M.G these are my absolute favorite treats I’ve ever made-hands down the BEST! I didn’t modify much except for 1/4 cup honey as I tend to like things on the less sweet side, and added 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. So amazing. A crowd pleaser!!
Oh, wow. That’s awesome! I’m thrilled that you think they’re the best. :D Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
Can I use something other than honey? I can’t have honey or white sugar. Maybe maple syrup or coconut sugar?
Maple syrup would work! And sorry for just now seeing your comment.
Love these ! Have made them twice, perfect recipe for using very ripe bananas and they are delicious! Thank you!
So very sorry for just now seeing your comment! I don’t know where the week went. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the muffins! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
Hi! I’m excited to see this recipe. I’m allergic to eggs, do you think it would work to omit the eggs and add an extra banana? Or replace the eggs with applesauce?
Thanks!
Hi there! The only experience I have with egg replacers is with chia eggs (which I’m not positive would work in these – grain-free recipes and chia eggs aren’t always a sure thing) so I unfortunately have no idea how applesauce or banana would work. I’m sorry about that! Wish I could help more.
Just made these this morning. Only had 1egg and didn’t weigh anything-Delicious!!! Texture and flavor are great!Thanks for sharing 😀
Haha. So happy it worked without weighing! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :)
200 g does not equals to approximately 2 cups, not even close. Using digital scale here.
1 cup of almond flour is 100 grams. I use a digital scale and cups to ensure accuracy. If you google “1 cup of almond flour in grams” you’ll find other sites saying around 95-105 grams of almond flour per cup.
These are awesome!!!! Rich, moist and so quick and easy to make. The taste of banana, chocolate and coconut were in each yummy bite.
I’m so happy you liked them! Thanks a bunch for your comment. :)
do you have a pumpkin muffin like this one. The chocolate
banana ones are awesome!!!!
I have these paleo pumpkin muffins but they’re not fudgy like these chocolate banana muffins. I’ve never had a fudgy pumpkin muffin but it’d be nice. ;) So happy you liked the chocolate muffins!
Hi, I stumbled upon your website and love them! I would love to try this recipe but I am allergic towards almonds. Can I replace it with coconut flour instead?
Hi there! So happy you like the site. :) Coconut flour is unfortunately not interchangeable with any other flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that!
These don’t feel or taste like a healthy treat. They are every bit as enjoyable as a regular chocolate muffin, just as easy to make, but guilt free! Im currently on the Gaps diet and needed something chocolate as well as something I could take on the go. This is SO perfect and my kids and husband love them!:)
Aww, yay! So happy you all loved them! I’ve also done GAPS (in combination with AIP) and know how hard it can be. Good luck with GAPS and thanks for your feedback. :)
Is it just me or do these muffins get even better out of the fridge?! They taste even more chocolatey some how!
Haha. I guess I need to make these again to test out your theory! :D
What a superb recipe find! Thank you so much. Neither me or my daughter can tolerate grains/gluten or dairy that well and this is such a perfect treat for her lunch box. And I agree – I’ve not found a decent Paleo muffin anywhere! UNTIL NOW! Thanks again :)
Aww, thank you! I’m thrilled that you and your daughter can eat them without issue and that you like them! Good paleo muffin recipes are hard to find. I can highly recommend my paleo apple muffins and paleo blueberry muffins if you want to try something else. :) Thanks for your comment!
I’m a baker, and I don’t specialize in gluten free, dairy free or Paleo baking so when a customer requested muffins that were gluten/dairy free I was rather nervous… All of the recipes I’ve tried in the past have been, for one reason or another, awful!!
I was skeptical of this recipe since the batter is a little more runny than I’m used to. But I’m happy to say this turned out perfectly! These were actually some of the best muffins I’ve had, gluten free or otherwise! Next time I’d reduce the honey as I found them a bit too sweet for my liking, but otherwise these will definitely be my go-to gf/DF/paleo muffins! Thank you!
Wow, thanks! So happy that you liked them so much. :) And that’s great that you found a paleo recipe that isn’t awful! I know how bad they can be. ;) Thanks a ton for your comment! I hope your customer was happy with them.
AMAZING! Wouldn’t change a thing!
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thanks for your comment. :)
I had all the ingredients except the chocolate chips and they turned out great without them.
Awesome! So happy you liked them. :) Thanks for your comment!
I’ve made these muffins a bunch of times and my family loves them. I recently had a bunch of zucchini to use up and after unsuccessfully searching for a gluten and dairy free recipe that looked appealing I thought I’d try adapting this one and they turned out great. I subbed the banana for equal parts zucchini (peel included) and I was a little worried that the zucchini flavor might be too strong so I added a tsp of cinnamon. I’m too lazy to grate the zucchini so I threw it along with all the wet ingredients in the blender. Also added two tbsp of ground flax seed to the dry ingredients, just for kicks. Love your recipes! Thanks so much!
Oooh! I love that you made a zucchini version of these muffins. I’m definitely going to try it! Maybe even tonight. So just to be sure, you used 286 grams of zucchini? Or some other measurement? I’m super excited to try it out! Thanks a bunch for your comment (and sorry for my slow reply). :)
I added 143 g of zucchini
Thanks so much! :)
I can’t wait to give these a try!
Have you ever tries substituting pumpkin instead of the banana? They are similar texture.
Check out the comment from Sammy below on June 8 and the replies. :)
This recipe is my “go to” for a chocolate fix. I love it! My kids love this treat. Thanks for sharing Erin! I make enough to freeze for later and place in toaster to heat up. Just as good as when it’s baked. Yummy!
In the toaster?! Ooh! I’ll have to try that. Don’t the chocolate chips get all melty? So happy you’ve been enjoying the muffins! Thanks for your comment. :)
Hey! Sound delicious! I will try them today without the banana. Hope will be he same. Thanks!
Hi there! This recipe won’t come out as it’s supposed to (and I’m thinking it’d just be a huge disaster) without the bananas. I recommend finding a different recipe for chocolate muffins if you don’t have any bananas. 2 bananas (about 300 grams) is just too much to omit from a recipe. Sorry about that!
AMAZING AND EASY RECIPE!
So happy you like it! :)
These were so good! I recently found your website and have been loving your recipes.
Awesome! I’m so happy you’re loving the recipes. :) Thanks for your comment!
I RARELY make comments on recipes I’ve tried but I had to come back and do so. OMG these are sooooo yummy! Definitely a keeper! Made exactly per recipe and wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you!
Yay! So happy you felt inspired to leave a comment. :) I really appreciate it! So happy that you liked them. :)
GORGEOUS!!!! I have tried many healthy muffins and never found one that I loved and that tasted good.These are gorgeous, thank you!!!
Woohoo! So happy that you finally found one you like. :) Thanks for your comment and sorry for the slow reply! I’m in the process of moving and haven’t had internet since Sunday.
I made them for the first time today and will be making them again! I reduced the honey to 1/4 cup and used dark chocolate chips. Moist and chocolatey. Will be storing some in the freezer if they last that long. :)
That’s great that they worked well with less honey! Thanks for the tip. :) So happy you liked them! Thanks for your comment.
Has anyone tried using pumpkin in place of the oil? Would that still work?
I haven’t but I don’t think the mix of banana + pumpkin would be very good. I could be wrong, though!
You could replace the pumpkin for the banana for less carbs and I use ideal protein maple syrup that has no carbs or sugar instead of the honey, turned out great :) I usually don’t trust many recipes on line, just made them and their fantastic!!
I mean the pumpkin replaces banana lol
I’m happy you enjoyed them! Did you actually try them with pumpkin or are you just suggesting it? Just asking because I know other people are curious. :) Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for the recipe! I’m making my second batch in a week as my little boys love them. Kind regards from New Zealand!
You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear that your boys love them. :) And hello to you from Berlin!
LOVE this recipe!! Thank you for posting. My teen son was diagnosed with celiac disease last year and he loves muffins so he flipped for these!! They are super yummy!!
Yay! So happy that your son enjoyed them! Thanks for your comment. :)
I’d like to up the protein in these. Could I add protein powder do you think? If so, how would you suggest i alter the flour amounts? Thanks!
I’ve never used protein powder before so I really have no idea. Sorry about that!
I’m wondering how to convert this into a cake? Is that even possible? lol!
I haven’t tried it so I’m not really sure. Sometimes muffins don’t translate well to cakes and vice versa. I also don’t know what size pan you’d need. Maybe a round 8″? But it just a guess! Sorry I’m not any help. If you try it out, I’d love to hear how it goes!
Okay, i am now officially stalking your website! I am gonna try all the paleo, gluten free desserts you have here! I just made these muffins, and i am at a loss for words. They are soft, fluffy, and sooo good! I may have just found my baking guru! I love it! Expect more comments from me on your other recipes soon! Lol i’m a fan!
Haha, aww. Yay! I’m so happy to be someone’s guru and to have a website stalker. :D I hope you’ll enjoy the other recipes just as much! If you loved these, I recommend the healthier carrot cake cupcakes (they’re really muffins), paleo blueberry muffins and paleo apple muffins. :) Thanks a bunch for your comment!
“OOH, MOM! Can I have that crumb!?” An actual quote from my 6 year old when her little sister left a crumb of these muffins on her plate. These are our go-to family favorite muffins! I’m not super precise with measurements (I don’t weigh my ingredients) and these are always awesome. They’re so easy to throw together on random morning for a little something special, and I almost always have the ingredients on hand. My kids (6, 3, and 1) literally run to the table when they hear the oven timer. Thanks for helping our bellies stay healthy AND happy :D
I’m so sorry for just now seeing your comment, Emily! I don’t know how I missed it. And aww. That’s so cute that your little one wanted the muffin crumb! I love that your kids run to the table for the muffins. :) Thanks so much for your kind comment and sorry again for my slowness!
I substituted cherries for most of the banana (pureed together in a handi chopper) and they turned out fabulous! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
What a great sub! I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the tip! :)
These are simply the most delicious mouth watering muffins that I´ve ever baked! A zillion thanks for the recipe! Rgds from Copenhagen!
Aww, yay! So happy you liked them. :) Greetings back from Berlin (and this is random but I got married in Copenhagen – nice city! :))
Could you replace the bananas with pumpkin puree?
I’ve never had good luck with that sub. I haven’t tried it here but I’m not very hopeful it’d work! Sorry about that.
I just made these – fabulous! After reading others’ comments I made the following small tweaks: used 3T pure maple syrup since I didn’t have honey, separated the eggs, whipped the whites stiff and folded into the batter; used 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chips; AND made MINI muffins! As for separating the eggs, I haven’t made the recipe as written so I can’t comment on textural differences but I love the texture – rich but light in a way! I greased the mini muffin pans with coconut oil and dusted them with coconut flour (no mini liners in the pantry). I made 28 as I was afraid to overfill the pans but it would have been fine to divy up the batter for 24 MINIs. I baked them for 12 min total with several interim checks, cooled for 5 min and they came out ot fhe pans just fine! These are a real hit! Thanks!
Wow! That’s great that all your subs and changes worked out well. :) I still have to try that whipping the egg whites thing! I love how fudgy the recipe is as written so I’ve been hesitant to try. ;) Thanks a ton for sharing all your tips on how to make them as minis!
Can you use all almond flour and no coconut flour?
Unfortunately, coconut flour’s not interchangeable with any other type of flour as it absorbs so much more liquid. Sorry about that! I’d recommend a different recipe you don’t have access to coconut flour.
I substituted the coconut flour for 3 tablespoons of cocoa chia flax mixture from Whole Foods. Worked great for me and very tasty! These are the best muffins ever, I couldn’t stop eating them and my kids loved them too. Thank you!
Oooh! That’s an interesting sub. :) I’m so happy it worked out! What is the brand? I’ve never heard of cocoa chia flax! That’s great that you and your kids enjoyed them so much. Thank you for your feedback and the tip!
Wow. These are excellent! I added only about 3/4 cups of chocolate chips and found that enough for me. I separated the eggs and whipped the egg whites. I stirred them in gently at the end after the other wet and dry ingredients were mixed well.
Instead of 12 muffins I made 6 large ones (yummy….). I added about 7 minutes to the baking time.
Loved them.
I’m so happy you enjoyed them! I’d be interested to try your version to see how whipping the egg whites affects the texture. Sounds good. :) Thanks for your tip and your feedback!
I used less than 1/4 c. Honey and they are perfect!
That’s great! I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the tip. :)
Awesome. I added nuts. YUMMMMMMY. Will definitely make them again.
Awesome! I’m happy you enjoyed them. I love your nut addition! Thanks for your feedback. :)
hey can you substitute or get rid of the chocolate chips
You can omit the chocolate chips but they won’t be nearly as delicious. ;) But you can’t omit or sub anything for the cocoa powder.
Is there a substitute for almond flour? It’s one of our allergies but this recipe looks good!
Thanks! You could try another type of nut flour. If you can’t do nuts at all, I’ve heard of people using sunflower seed flour but I’ve never tried it and have no idea if it’d work here. Sorry about that!
I didn’t have much almond flour left in my pantry, so I ground up some oats for oat flour instead. They had a slightly chewier texture but otherwise were moist and delicious!
Interesting sub! I’m happy it worked out. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I had some very ripe bananas when I made this so instead of honey I used maple syrup. I also put chopped pecans as a topping. I love them! Thanks for sharing.
Good to know that maple syrup works well! And I love your chopped pecan addition. :) Thanks for your tips!
Shared these with my non Paleo friends and they can’t get over how moist and delicious these muffins were and healthier too! These will be one of my favorites ❤️😄
Aww, yay! I’m thrilled to hear that they seemed to have been a hit. :) Thanks for your comment!
Made these with two really ripe yellow plantains…so so good!
Oh, that’s interesting! I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the tip! :)
One of my favorite muffin recipes!! We make these all the time. We are out of honey, could we sub maple syrup?
The two aren’t always interchangeable and I haven’t tried it in these but I think it’d work. Let me know how it goes and thanks for your comment! I’m happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying them. :)
I just made these with maple syrup instead of honey and they turned out very well. Thanks for the recipe!
Awesome! It’s great to know that maple works well. :) Thanks for your comment!
Just made these and they turned out DELICIOUS!!
My main issue is that I entered all the ingredients into My Fitness Pal (an app. to track calories and nutrients) and these are super high in carbs (30 g) and low in protein (around 6 g).
Is this because of the bananas?
I was really hoping for a low carb high protein muffin :(
I’m happy you enjoyed them! :) Bananas are indeed very high in carbs as is the honey and the chocolate chips. If you want a low-carb muffin, I’d suggest looking for a recipe without bananas and that uses a low-carb sweetener like erythritol or stevia. I unfortunately don’t have any suggestions on recipes as I don’t do any low-carb baking. Sorry about that! I hope you can still eat them. :)
I made it. It was delicious!!!
Awesome! So happy to hear that. :) Thanks for your feedback!
Is it 1 cup coconut oil as it says 1 four cup? Is it 1 cup choc chips total??
They look so yum and want to get recipe right 🙃🙃
It says 1/4 cup coconut oil. Do you not see the same? If not, try viewing in another browser. :) It’s 1 cup chocolate chips unless you want to sprinkle more on top. I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Waaaayyyy better than expected! Amazing!
Yay! So happy you liked them. Thanks for your comment!
Am I able to make these into a loaf instead of muffins?
I’m assuming so but I haven’t tried it so I really have no idea how long you’d need to bake it. Sorry about that! I hope you’ll enjoy it if you try it out. :)