These Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins are one of my favorite muffin recipes because they're so easy to make! (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free.) You only need a few ingredients like almond flour, mashed banana, and pumpkin puree! During the fall season, I always have pumpkin puree on hand. The problem is, not every recipe requires an entire can! I'm usually left with a random amount stored away in the refrigerator. The great part about using pumpkin puree is that it gives the muffins an incredibly soft texture without the need of oil! Whether you have to crack a new can of pumpkin, or need to use up some leftovers, you're going to love these little chocolate muffins! (Updated March 2021.)
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What makes these Chocolate Muffins healthier?
These little muffins are not only delicious, they're also filled with good for you ingredients! Each muffin has 4 grams of fiber, and only 6 grams of sugar! (Compared to 10+ grams of sugar in traditional chocolate banana muffin recipes.) I also snuck in pumpkin puree which adds a soft, creamy texture without needing oil. Plus it's full of nutrients like vitamin C, and vitamin A!
🍴Recipe Ingredients
- Mashed Banana - Make sure the bananas are ripe!
- Pumpkin Puree - Double check that your pumpkin puree is not pumpkin pie filling! (I've made that mistake before.)
- Eggs - I have not tested this recipe with egg replacements.
- Organic Coconut Sugar - You can also sub with Lakanto Monkfruit.
- Almond Flour - I have not tested with any other flour, but if you have a gluten-free 1-1 flour, it usually requires less since it’s more absorbent. If you try substitutions, let me know in the comments! My favorite almond flour brands are Bob’s Red Mill, and Blue Diamond. Both have a finely ground blend that doesn’t come out clumpy! Make sure it's almond FLOUR and not almond MEAL. They have completely different textures.
- Cacao Powder - You can use traditional cocoa powder, but I like cacao powder because it’s less processed and more NUTRIENT DENSE. TerraSoul is one of my favorite brands – great quality, and great price!
- Cinnamon - This ingredient is optional, but I love adding cinnamon to my chocolate recipes.
- Baking Soda & Salt
Chocolate Chips
Chocolate chips are completely optional for this recipe! I personally like to add a few on the top just to make them a little more special. You can also fold them into the batter! Since I'm dairy-free I like to use vegan chocolate chips. I personally love the brand Pascha - they make high quality chocolate that's dairy-free and soy-free. The 85% dark chips are my favorite because they're sweet but not too sweet! They also have a 100% cacao option that is great for anyone who is sugar free.
🍴Recipe Instructions
Making the Muffin Batter
- Start by adding your almond flour, cacao powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Blend with a whisk or fork to make sure all of the flour clumps are removed. Set aside while you make the wet mixture.
- Add pumpkin puree, eggs, mashed banana, and coconut sugar to the bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to blend until creamy. (About 30-60 seconds.)
- Slowly start to add your dry mixture into your wet mixture. Scraping down edges when necessary. Once the mixture is fully combined, you can either fold in chocolate chips or save them to put on top!
Baking
- Grease your baking tins, or add muffins liners. Pour a little batter into each tin. Shake until they're even to make sure each tin has an equal amount of batter. If you're using medium/large tins it should yield 9 muffins.
- Place your muffins into the preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when they're done. (Check with toothpick or fork.) If you used muffin liners you can remove them after they sit for a few minutes. If you greased the tins, let them cool for at least 45 minutes before trying to remove them.
Helpful Baking Tips
- You can use muffin liners or grease your tins before pouring in the batter. I personally don't like muffin liners, so I usually grease the pan with coconut oil on a paper towel. You can also use a non-stick cooking spray. I recommend coconut oil or avocado oil.
- Baking time will depend on how large the muffin tins are. This particular baking pan makes medium/large muffins. It takes them about 18-20 minutes. Check your muffins with a toothpick or fork before removing. If the toothpick or fork comes out clean, you'll know they're done.
- If you don't use muffin liners, make sure to thoroughly grease each tin. When removing, let them cool for at least 45 minutes. Take a knife and gently scrape around the edges to loosen the muffin. Use a fork to pop each one out!
- My favorite way to mash banana is with a hand mixer! (Especially if I'm making a double batch.) It takes less than 30 seconds, and creates the perfect puree. You can also use a fork or potato masher! The bananas should be very ripe, which make it's very easy to mash!
- If your bananas aren't super ripe, you can bake them at 325 degrees for a few minutes to ripen them up! (It also makes them easier to mash.)
How to store leftover muffins
You can store leftover muffins on the counter at room temperature for a few days, but to keep them fresh I would recommend keeping them in the refrigerator. You can also store them in the freezer! (My personal favorite.) Place them in an air tight back or container. To defrost, leave them in the refrigerator. You can also toast them or microwave them!
More muffin recipes!
- Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Sweet Potato Muffins
- Gluten-Free Samoa Muffins
- Chocolate Twist Banana Bread Muffins
- Gluten-Free Coconut Muffins
Recipe
Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins
Equipment
- Oven
- Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer
- Mixing Bowls
- Spatula
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ Cup Mashed Banana
- ½ Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 2 Eggs
- ¼ Cup Organic Coconut Sugar Can sub with Lakanto Monkfruit.
Dry Ingredients
- 1+⅓ Cup Almond Flour
- ⅓ Cup Cacao Powder Can sub with cocoa powder.
- ½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- ¼ Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Start by adding your almond flour, cacao powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl. Blend with a whisk or fork to make sure all of the flour clumps are removed. Set aside while you make the wet mixture.
- Add pumpkin puree, eggs, mashed banana, and coconut sugar to the bowl. Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to blend until creamy. (About 30-60 seconds.)
- Slowly start to add your dry mixture into your wet mixture. Scraping down edges when necessary. Once the mixture is fully combined, you can either fold in chocolate chips or save them to put on top!
- Grease your baking tins, or add muffins liners. Pour a little batter into each tin. Shake until they're even to make sure each tin has an equal amount of batter. If you're using medium/large tins it should yield 9 muffins.
- Place your muffins into the preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when they're done. (Check with toothpick or fork.) If you used muffin liners you can remove them after they sit for a few minutes. If you greased the tins, let them cool for at least 45 minutes before trying to remove them.
Notes
What makes this chocolate muffins healthier?
These little muffins are not only delicious, they're also filled with good for you ingredients! Each muffin has 4 grams of fiber, and only 6 grams of sugar! (Compared to 10+ grams of sugar in traditional chocolate banana muffin recipes.) I also snuck in pumpkin puree which adds a soft, creamy texture without needing oil. Plus it's full of nutrients like vitamin C, and vitamin A!Helpful Baking Tips
- You can use muffin liners or grease your tins before pouring in the batter. I personally don't like muffin liners, so I usually grease the pan with coconut oil on a paper towel. You can also use a non-stick cooking spray. I recommend coconut oil or avocado oil.
- Baking time will depend on how large the muffin tins are. This particular baking pan makes medium/large muffins. It takes them about 18-20 minutes. Check your muffins with a toothpick or fork before removing. If the toothpick or fork comes out clean, you'll know they're done.
- If you don't use muffin liners, make sure to thoroughly grease each tin. When removing, let them cool for at least 45 minutes. Take a knife and gently scrape around the edges to loosen the muffin. Use a fork to pop each one out!
- My favorite way to mash banana is with a hand mixer! (Especially if I'm making a double batch.) It takes less than 30 seconds, and creates the perfect puree. You can also use a fork or potato masher! The bananas should be very ripe, which make it's very easy to mash!
How to store leftover muffins
You can store leftover muffins on the counter at room temperature for a few days, but to keep them fresh I would recommend keeping them in the refrigerator. You can also store them in the freezer! (My personal favorite.) Place them in an air tight back or container. To defrost, leave them in the refrigerator. You can also toast them or microwave them!Nutrition
After you make these Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins, make sure to leave a comment & rate the recipe! Your feedback is helpful for me, and for anyone planning to try this recipe. I hope you love them as much as I do! xo Mariah
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They're super fluffy!! I can't believe they don't have any oil in them.
I absolutely love these! I am not great in the kitchen but these are so easy to make and they taste delicious! I did not have coconut sugar but I used Xylitol sweetener instead and they taste just as great! I will freeze the leftovers (if I have any left, haha) and keep it for days when I am craving something sweet!
Yayy!! I'm so happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing Marina!! (: