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
I give 5 stars because it looks like a great recipe. I want to make but I do not EVER buy over ripe banana. I hate them. Can you make with pretty ripe yellow skin bananas?
Hi Joli, we don’t buy them over rip either but we do let them sit on the counter for some time. The results are better when the bananas are soft and fully ripe.
We love these! I sub the egg out with apple sauce as I can’t have egg but these are so tasty!
Wonderful to hear that Carly! Thank you for your great feedback.
Hi natasha, I made these banana muffins for my family today and they turned out perfect. everyone loved them. it made exactly 12 muffins and it’s almost gone in only one day.
That is so awesome Lili! Thank you so much for sharing that with us.
Hi Natasha, I don’t like the taste of baking soda. Can I replace it with baking powder or can I use self rising flour instead?
Thanks
Hi Lamia, I haven’t tested with a different leavening so I can’t give you specific advice, just keep in mind that baking soda is about 4 times stronger than baking powder.
These are the best muffins I tried in my entire life so soft so goooood! It’s a miracle ! I love you!
That’s so awesome Mary! Sounds like you found a new favorite!
Tried your recipe ,came out delicious,easy to follow recipe ,simple ingriedients.Family approved,thumbs up!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Violetta! Thank you for that great feedback!
Thank you So much for sharing all delicious recipe I love all your recipes and the way you explain and your video. Thank you
Thank you for that wonderful feedback Jilla!
Dear Natasha, thanks from Australia for your wonderful blog! I’ve tried out heaps of your recipes, and all of them turned out to be winners!
Hello Irina, thanks for your comments and I’m glad that you enjoyed the recipes that you tried!
I really like your recipe easy to follow and most of all ingredients is just in the kitchen.
Just did cinammon roll and they really love it even in my work place
Thanks Natasha
Hello Dorina, thanks for your good comments. I appreciate it!
I am celiac so only bake gluten free. Down the list of comments are a few who follow the same diet. I used Bob’s Mill 1 to 1 Baking flour which worked great as it contains xanthan gum. When in the States I bought something similar… Cup4Cup but it isn’t available where I live in Canada. I asked my husband how they were and he said, “Well… they have chocolate.” Big grin. They were a hit.
That’s so awesome! I’m so glad this worked out with gluten-free flour!
Hey made these muffins this evening and used whole wheat flour instead they came out great ,
That’s great to know Caro. Thanks for sharing that with us, this is helpful for others who would like to try using wheat flour too!
I made these muffins today. They are delicious. The only changes I made, was the 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips, 2 bananas and 1/2 cup of applesauce. On the half of the muffins I sprinkled walnuts. Will make these again in the next 2 days for my friend who just had a baby.
Wow! That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing this with me!
Hi Natasha, i love this recipe and my baby sister loves it, she is 11 months.
Nice to know that Crystal! Thanks for your great feedback.
Can I substitute banana for something else?
Awesome recipe! I use apple sauce instead off egg and still turns out great every time!
That is awesome! Thanks for sharing that with us.
These come out very good (like many other recipes of yours). Thank you, Natasha! You are my cooking inspiration!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Best muffins I’ve ever made!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Hanna!
Loved these muffins. I actually made them with 1 cup spelt avd 1/2 cup buckwheat avd the were still moist avd flavorful. Definitely a keeper!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
I followed the recipe exactly and I was able to fill my muffin cups to the top — there was a lot of batter. (Ok, I added a cup of choc chips and a handful of chopped nuts). They came out wonderful
So awesome! So happy to know that you loved the muffins.
I made these mugfins and they are delicious!! Im a beginner baker and love to bake. I have been trying to find a moist soft banana recipe and these are perfect. I have made different recipes and they always came out dry and crumbly. We never ate them. But this is my go to recipe from now on!! I made half woth out chocolate chips cause my mom doesntike chocolate in muffins.
Sounds great and so happy to know that you achieved great results! Thanks for your good review!
My muffins turned out perfect and delicious. I had my oven on 180°C fan forced and left them in for 20mins. Yum!
So glad to know that you enjoyed the muffins, Jam. Thanks for sharing that with us!
incredible! used half cup dark chocolate chips & half cup pecans… favorite use of mushy bananas i’ve tried yet!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for the wonderful review, Sydney!
If I only have 2 bananas will it turn out? Thanks!!
Hi Marisa, if they are the larger size bananas it might work, but it would be more moist and better with what is called for in the recipe. You might replace some with applesauce.