Moist Vegan Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-Free Variation)

Get ready to take your taste buds on a thrilling journey as we bring to you our heavenly vegan banana chocolate chip muffins. This is not just your average muffin recipe, but an exciting spin that will give your breakfast or dessert a remarkable edge. Let's dive into the world of flavors and learn how to whip up this moist, gluten-free delight that'll have you reaching for seconds!

Let's talk about why this vegan banana chocolate chip muffins recipe is your ultimate ticket to a guilt-free sweet treat. Each of these muffins is bursting with the richness of bananas, a source of energy, high-quality fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Their natural sweetness means we can keep added sugars to a minimum, while the dark chocolate chips bring in a dose of antioxidants and that indulgent chocolatey note we all crave. These muffins aren't just satisfying your sweet tooth; they're nourishing your body too.

Now, let's discuss the winning factor of this recipe - its simplicity. You don't need to be a professional chef or have fancy kitchen tools to whip up these tasty delights. With some common pantry ingredients and a little bit of time, you'll be pulling out a batch of your homemade vegan banana chocolate chip muffins.

Be it for a quick breakfast, a grab-and-go snack, or a light dessert after dinner, these muffins are an easy way to incorporate nutritious and delicious plant-based food into your daily routine. Here's to tasteful baking that's straightforward and fun!

Even on those bustling mornings, whipping up these banana bread muffins, a cousin to our beloved vegan banana bread recipe, is as easy as pie. And here's a pro tip: make a batch ahead of time, and you'll always have a delectable homemade breakfast or snack within reach. They're also a fantastic addition to your special brunch spread, joining the ranks of our adorable mini blueberry muffins and zucchini muffins.

Jump to:

• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🥢 How to serve
• 🍶 Substitutions
• 🍽 Equipment
• 📖 Variations
• 🥡 How to store muffins?
• ❓ FAQ
• 📚 More healthy sweet recipes
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews and Comments

🧾 Ingredients

This convenient mini banana muffins recipe is made with just a few ingredients:

• Mashed ripe bananas: Overripe bananas are key in our muffins, bringing natural sweetness to the table and lending that much-coveted, moist, fluffy texture.
• Vegan chocolate chips: dairy-free chocolate chips create surprise bursts of sweet, chocolatey decadence that beautifully complement the banana.
• All-purpose flour: This is the structural hero of our muffins. It helps them maintain their shape while keeping the crumb tender and delicious. We like using wheat pastry flour.
• Coconut sugar: This sweet touch brings a certain depth of flavor and color to our muffins, thanks to its molasses content.
• Coconut oil (melted) or vegetable oil: Fat equals moistness and richness in baking. These oils give our muffins a tender and juicy texture.
• Vanilla extract: This subtle, fragrant addition enhances other flavors and marries perfectly with bananas.
• Baking powder & baking soda: These are our muffins' secret weapons, helping them rise to the occasion and be all light and fluffy.
• Chia seeds: These little powerhouses act as a vegan egg substitute when mixed with liquid, binding the ingredients together and adding a healthful dose of fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Dairy-free milk: This is the secret ingredient that helps create a smooth batter and enhances the moistness of the muffins as part of the vegan buttermilk made with lemon juice.
• Lemon juice: When mixed with soy milk, it slightly curdles to mimic the texture of buttermilk, ensuring our muffins are extra tender and moist.
• Salt: balances the sweetness and elevates the overall flavors in the muffins.

Optional ingredients

• Chopped Walnuts: Consider adding walnuts if you're all about that crunch. They not only provide a delightful texture but also contribute healthy fats and protein.
• Cinnamon: This warm spice and banana are a match made in heaven, adding an inviting aroma and a depth of flavor to our muffins.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Pro tip: In general, mashing one medium to large banana will give you approximately ½ cup of mashed goodness.

🔪 Instructions

Ready to whip up these moist banana muffins? Here are the easy steps to follow:

• Creating the perfect union of chia eggs and dairy-free buttermilk.
• Merging the wet and dry ingredients into one harmonious mix.
• Mastering the baking process.

First things first, make sure to preheat your oven to 400°F (200 ºC). A properly preheated oven is the first step to achieving baking success. And don't forget, using a measuring cup is a non-negotiable when aiming for perfect ingredient proportions.

Pro tip: When it comes to coconut sugar, we suggest blending it with the wet ingredients rather than sieving it with the dry. Due to its tendency to clump, it could make your sieving task a bit challenging. But when mixed with the wet components, it dissolves and spreads evenly, resulting in a batter that's smoother and easier to work with.

Prepare the muffin batter and divide it evenly into two muffin tins. For one tin, add a generous amount of chocolate chips on top of the batter. For the other tin, arrange thinly sliced bananas over the batter and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake the muffins until golden and fully cooked. Enjoy your delightful muffins with a perfect balance of chocolate and banana flavors!

Pro tip: To get the muffins out of the tin, use a knife to help them out gently. Then, put them on a cooling rack. For the best taste and texture, let muffins cool completely for about 10 minutes before eating.

Handy Hint: Feel free to experiment with this adaptable batter to create mini banana muffins too. Just be mindful of the size difference – you'll be using a teaspoon of batter instead of a tablespoon – which means less baking time, around 15-17 minutes, will be required.

Read on: vegan protein chocolate chip cookies, vegan zucchini muffins, banana mini muffins, and almond flour protein balls.

🥢 How to serve

• Kickstart Your Day: Pair your delicious muffins with a refreshing glass of your favorite plant-based milk – almond and cashew milk work wonders. Toss in some fresh fruit for a well-rounded, healthy start to your day.
• Picnic Perfect: These muffins are just right for a picnic. Pack them with slices of fresh fruit, some dark chocolate hummus or vegan granola bars, and a jug of cold iced tea for a tasty meal in the great outdoors.
• Afternoon Snack: These muffins go great with your afternoon tea or coffee. Serve them with mini vegan egg salad sandwiches.
• Back-to-school season?: Slip a muffin into your or your kid's lunchbox, along with a colorful veggie wrap or salad. It's a fun lunch treat that everyone will be excited about!

🍶 Substitutions

Want to tweak these banana chocolate chip muffins for a gluten-free diet? Check out these possible adjustments:

🍽 Equipment

• Muffin Tins: without a muffin tin or muffin cups, the batter would spread out, failing to create individual portions.
• Measuring Cups and Spoons: As baking is a precision-driven cooking technique, accurate measurements lead to the tastiest results.
• Mixing Bowl: This is the spot where all your ingredients unite. Opting for a medium to large bowl provides ample space for mixing, minimizing the chance of any messy spills.
• Spatula: a spatula is ideal for scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure thorough ingredient blending. It's also quite handy for transferring the batter into the muffin tins.

📖 Variations

You can use a fruity juice pulp to replace half of the banana in the recipe, to put some of that pulp to good use, just as you can also use it to make vegan crackers to munch with hummus.

Make mini banana chocolate chip muffins using mini muffin tins to make a bite-sized portion.

🥡 How to store muffins?

• Storing At Room Temperature: Let the muffins cool down completely. Then, you can keep them at room temperature for about 2-3 days. Just put them in a closed container or a ziplock bag. To keep them from getting mushy, think about putting parchment paper between layers.
• Keeping In The Fridge: If you want them to last longer, put them in the fridge. After they're totally cooled, store the muffins in a sealed container. They'll stay fresh for up to a week in the fridge.
• Storing In The Freezer: banana muffins freeze for up to three months for long-term storage. Wrap each cooled muffin in plastic wrap and put them in a freezer-safe bag or container. When you're ready to eat one, let it thaw at room temperature or warm it up gently in the oven or microwave.

Remember, it's crucial to let your muffins cool all the way down before you store them, no matter where you plan to put them. If they're still warm when you store them, they could get condensation and turn into mushy, less-tasty muffins.

❓ FAQ

📚 More healthy sweet recipes

Try out these 3-ingredient low-calorie protein balls, no-bake pumpkin balls, and pumpkin cookies; they are gluten-free and made in minutes.

⭐ If you try these vegan chocolate chip banana muffins, let us know! 💬 Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag us @ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!

📋 Recipe