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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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. :)