Soft and moist Banana Muffins with melty chocolate chips are the ultimate treat and are a great way to use overripe bananas. These banana chocolate chip muffins take less than 30 minutes to whip up, so they are perfect for meal prep, sharing with neighbors and coworkers, and a quick recipe to bake with kids.
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We’ve had so many questions about turning our chocolate chip banana bread into muffins so here you go – your guide to the best banana muffins! While we love classic banana bread, these muffins bake fast (25 minutes) and the flavor is just as good.
Banana Muffins Video
Watch me turn those brown, mushy bananas into the best banana bread muffins with chocolate chips. See how easy this recipe truly is, and then let’s get baking!
Easy Banana Muffin Recipe
If you’re staring at a few browning, speckled bananas on the counter, please don’t toss them! Those ripe bananas add the perfect natural sweetness to this banana muffin recipe. The browner the better, in fact! Once they are smashed up and baked into muffins, you’ll never see how brown they started anyway.
Since chocolate chips make everything better, we’ve tossed a few into the batter. They add great moisture and a gooey chocolate chip is the equivalent of melty cheese in the dessert world. One look at our chocolate chip cookies and you’ll agree.
Ingredients for Banana Muffins
Whip up these banana muffins with just a few pantry staples, like flour and sugar. You’ll need 30 minutes and a muffin pan for the single-serving-sized treats.
- Dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt
- Wet ingredients – unsalted butter (to control the sodium level), sugar, eggs, and vanilla
- Ripe Bananas – 3 medium-sized bananas (about 1 cup) mashed up. Brown is best since it has the most natural sugar. Here’s how to determine if they are past ripe. If they aren’t quite ripe, see our tips below on how to ripen them quickly.
- Chocolate Chips – we prefer semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you prefer. You can omit if you’d prefer, or also substitute the chocolate chips with an equal amount of toasted chopped pecans or walnuts for banana nut muffins, or replace them with raisins for banana raisin muffins.
Pro Tip:
To ripen bananas in 24 hours, place the bunch into a brown bag, close and store on the counter for 24 hours. You can also try to bake almost-ripe bananas in the oven at 250°F for 15-20 minutes.
Can I use Frozen Bananas in Banana Bread Muffins?
If you have overripe bananas and aren’t ready to use them, toss them in a ziploc (peel on) and freeze them for later. Before adding frozen ripe bananas to the recipe, thaw completely at room temperature, or in the refrigerator overnight. Frozen bananas tend to release more moisture so peel and lightly pat dry with paper towels to remove excess liquid.
How to Make Banana Muffins
Our easy Banana Muffins recipe comes together in just a few minutes and has that irresistible banana flavor and a moist, spongy crumb.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place liners in a 12-count muffin tin.
- Cream together butter and sugar then mix in lightly beaten eggs.
- Add mashed bananas and vanilla.
- Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt then mix into batter. Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips.
- Scoop batter into your lined muffin tin, sprinkle with chocolate chips, and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Pro Tips for Moist Banana Muffins
There are 3 key points for achieving moist and tender muffin:
- Use very ripe or overripe bananas. Underripe bananas will be difficult to mash and won’t incorporate into the batter well.
- Do not skimp on the butter. Since there is no other ‘liquid’ in this recipe, softened butter is needed for a soft and moist crumb. Watch our video on how to soften butter in 5 minutes.
- Don’t over-bake. If you’re wondering how long to bake banana muffins, test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center after 25 minutes and continue baking only if you see wet batter on the toothpick.
Make-Ahead
Cooled muffins keep well on the counter in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They keep even longer in the freezer. Make a double batch so you’ll always have muffins on hand!
- Freezing: Place cooled muffins in an airtight freezer container for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: Thaw on the counter or in the fridge.
Please DO NOT throw away your overripe bananas because they are the secret ingredient for these moist and delicious banana muffins. The browner and spottier the peel, the better!
What is YOUR favorite way to use overripe bananas?
More Muffin Recipes
Enjoy our top-rated, made-from-scratch, bakery-quality muffin recipes. I hope you find some new favorites here.
- Egg Muffins
- Blueberry Muffins
- Mixed Berry Muffins
- Zucchini Muffins
- French Breakfast Muffins
- English Muffins
- Cinnamon Muffins
Banana Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (8 Tbsp), softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temp, lightly beaten
- 3 bananas, very ripe, coarsely mashed with a fork
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, measured correctly
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚ F and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a mixing bowl, cream together 8 Tbsp softened butter with 2/3 cup sugar. Add 2 lightly beaten eggs.
- Add 3 mashed bananas and 1 tsp vanilla extract and mix until blended.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until incorporated.
- Fold in 3/4 cup chocolate chips. Divide batter evenly into your 12-count muffin tin and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips evenly over the tops. Bake at 350˚F on the center rack for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a baking rack to cool to room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Just baked banana muffin this morning. My family loved it, soft and moist. Instead of using chocolate chips, I used peanut butter chips, it really goes well, yummylicious! Thank you for sharing your recipe.
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Hyunika!
What do you suggest as an egg substitute?I tried white vinegar and Bi-carb 1:1 but they sank.Using dairy free butter&live in UK?Any helpful hints?Also if i use GF flour is it still 1:1?Baking for work colleagues
Hi Katie, while I haven’t tried those substitutes myself, I read applesauce may work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I just made them for my grandkids and they are so good. Thanks for another great recipe.
SO GOOD! Instead of 1 1/2 cups flour I did 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup vanilla protein powder. Also I didn’t have semi sweet chocolate chips so I used milk chocolate chips. Absolutely delicious!! Next time I am doubling it!
Nice to know that the substutions that you used worked well! THanks for the good feedback and for sharing.
Wonderful recipe! I made it for mother’s day! It tastes amazing!
I’ve made these a few times and everyone has loved them so far. I want to make them as a post partum snack for a friend. Would these freeze well so I can make ahead of time?
Thanks for the delicious recipe Natasha!
You’re so welcome! I haven’t tried freezing them to advise but I imagine that will work!
Can I add nuts to this recipe? Or does that require anything special done to it?
Hi Sheel, that will work. Here’s what one of my readers wrote adding nuts: “Natasha, This recipe is absolutely amazing! I made it as is and also added 1 cup of chopped walnuts. WOW!” I hope this helps.
The banana muffins were awesome. My family loved it. Its the best recipe I have come across and surely a keeper. Thanks Natasha for this lovely recipe
THE best banana bread/muffin recipe, by far! I have tried many, and none are this good!!! Thank you for sharing your recipes, they are always, spot on
Thank you for your excellent review!
Delicious!! I made them Gluten Free (I’m Celiac)) and used 3/4 cup of Cup 4 Cup AP flour and 3/4 cup King Arthur 1:1 AP flour (both are GF flours). Other than the flour substitution, I followed the recipe exactly and they are absolutely delicious! You’d never know they are GF. Thank you Natasha for your tried and true recipes!! 🩷
Thank you so much for sharing, Cyndi! Great to hear that you were able to make this recipe Gluten Free successfully!
Delicious!! I made them Gluten Free (I’m Celiac)) and used 1/2 Cup 4 Cup AP flour and 1/2 King Arthur 1:1 (both are GF flours). Followed the recipe exactly and they are absolutely delicious! You’d never know they are GF. Thank you Natasha for your tried and true recipes!! 🩷
Yay great to hear that you were able to make them gluten free and loved them! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Very good base recipe! Made them gluten free out of necessity. Only change other than gf flour was to add half tsp xanthan gum. 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/4 cup sour cream. Consistency was nice and crumb was moist. Good flavor! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Good to know that you were able to make a gluten free version of this recipe. Thank you for sharing!
These muffins have been a staple in our family for a few years now! I have not made another banana muffin recipe! My kids love them!
Natasha, every recipe you make and post looks absolutely delicious! I’ve saved a lot of them.
I’m so glad you’re loving them!
My kids and husband love these! I’ve made them over 20 times! Great to gift to neighbors too.
Any suggestions for adjustments when making these as mini muffins for kids?
Hi Cameron. They will just bake faster, so watch them in the oven.
Your recipes for banana muffins and bread both sound delicious. Can I substitute whole wheat flour? If so, would it be the same measure?
Hi Kerry! Yes, see my note in the banana bread recipe blog under the section, “Substitutions for a Healthy Banana Bread.”
This recipe is perfect. I made it today and they turned out great. Thank you Natasha. I have tried so many of your recipes and they are wonderful. Thank you.
You’re very welcome! I’m so glad you’re enjoying them.
I just made them!
Perfect and delicious.
Easy recipe to follow.
Can’t wait to do them again!
Thank you.
Very easy to make which I love but I agree the time on the muffins were perfect at 22 minutes – 25 or more they would have been overcooked ~
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Michele, Ovens do vary in temperature.