Woke up the other day thinking one thing, chocolate chip muffins. I even had my first email about chocolate chip muffins when I was in middle school, so you can say I’ve been a fan for years. Muffins used to be my favorite breakfast food, and they’re actually quite easy to make. Even with vegan baking, they really don’t require any extra effort, and they’re perfectly portioned for a single serving, but don’t fret if you go a little overboard and eat two or three.. you aren’t alone. These easy vegan chocolate chip banana bread muffins are just that addicting!
I have to say, not trying to be rude to anyone, but when I see other food bloggers putting out their ‘healthy’ recipes and that they claim to be nutritionists or whatever certifications they have, it is kind of shocking to see how much sugar they are adding to their baked goods. Like muffins, I cut the sugar in half of what most recipes I’ve seen in the past show, and they are still fairly sweet. Americans are known for lots of sugar, and it’s evident in home goods as well as store bought. As my toddler gets bigger, I don’t want her growing up eating like that, so I make food with sugar levels that I feel comfortable letting her have. Judge me if you want, but the department of health and human services just released new nutrition guidelines for toddlers and babies, which actually said no added sugar below the age of two, so even what I have been giving her is more than what is recommended, and my family make fun of us for limiting her sweets.
Off the serious topic, I really do love these muffins. They are sweetened with really ripe bananas so that makes them sweeter than you’d expect. Honestly you could probably cut the sugar in half of what this recipe calls for if you are using really brown bananas and still have enough sweetness, but I also don’t eat really really sweet food anymore so I like to be safe. I would suggest getting mini chocolate chips because they really aren’t abundant in these muffins and sometimes it’s a letdown if you only get them in a couple bites when using normal sized chocolate chips. That said, even if you get a bite without the chocolate it still tastes good.
What you’ll love about these chocolate chip banana bread muffins?
- They are easy to make. If you mash the bananas with a potato masher or fork, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make these, and most of the ingredients are common in the average pantry.
- They are delicious! My toddler is super picky, like even doesn’t like some sweet treats, and she will eat these. My husband has never been a huge cake or muffin guy also chows them. They’re a healthy take on a traditional chocolate chip muffin without sacrificing flavor or texture.
- Lighter in sugar. Opposed to traditional muffins that contain lots of sugar and cholesterol from butter, these muffins are light in sugar and contain no cholesterol.
- Make ahead breakfast. If you ask anyone who knew me in middle or high school, they’ll tell you I probably ate a school chocolate chip muffin for breakfast 3 or more times a week. These take me back to those days, and there is no prep in the morning so for a quick on the go breakfast or mornings where you have a fussy kid, grab one and worry about the task at hand.
How to make these vegan chocolate chip banana bread muffins?
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Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with liners or silicone liners. If you don’t have liners, generously grease the pan.
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In a large mixing bowl, mash or puree bananas well. I used an immersion blender to get a finer blend, but mashed will give more of a banana bread texture. The riper the banana the better and more natural sweetness you will get.
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In a small bowl or cup, make the flax egg by mixing together the ground flax and warm water. Allow it to sit for a few minutes to thicken.
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In the bowl with bananas, mix together the vanilla, sugar, oil, vinegar, and flax egg until well incorporated.
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Next add the whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. You can get a smoother texture by sifting these in, but it isn’t necessary. If you don’t have chickpea flour, just replace it with more whole wheat flour.
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Stir this together until you start to get a batter forming. Add milk to the batter slowly, getting it to the point of cake batter. It should be almost pourable but still quite thick (a bit thicker than queso). If you don’t need all the milk to get this texture, feel free to use less. All flours have slightly different absorbancies of water so you could need less or more milk than I did. Fold in chocolate chips.
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Portion into muffin tins. I filled mine full to the top so they made large muffins. You can fill them ¾ full if you want to make slightly smaller muffins, but you’ll need a second pan.
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Bake them for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow them to cool to room temperature. Enjoy!
Related Posts
Vegan and Oil-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Grain-Free Vegan Sweet Potato Muffins
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Bread
Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup chickpea flour can sub this with extra whole wheat or oat flour
- 1.5 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Wet Ingredients
- 4 bananas mashed or pureed
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp flaxseed ground mixed with 3 tbsp warm water
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup plant milk I used almond
- ½ cup sugar cane, brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 3 tbsp oil
- ½ tsp vinegar distilled white, apple cider, or rice work
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with liners or silicone liners. If you don't have liners, generously grease the pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash or puree bananas well. I used an immersion blender to get a finer blend, but mashed will give more of a banana bread texture. The riper the banana the better and more natural sweetness you will get.
- In a small bowl or cup, make the flax egg by mixing together the ground flax and warm water. Allow it to sit for a few minutes to thicken.
- In the bowl with bananas, mix together the vanilla, sugar, oil, vinegar, and flax egg until well incorporated.
- Next add the whole wheat flour, chickpea flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. You can get a smoother texture by sifting these in, but it isn't necessary. If you don't have chickpea flour, just replace it with more whole wheat flour.
- Stir this together until you start to get a batter forming. Add milk to the batter slowly, getting it to the point of cake batter. It should be almost pourable but still quite thick (a bit thicker than queso). If you don't need all the milk to get this texture, feel free to use less. All flours have slightly different absorbancies of water so you could need less or more milk than I did.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Portion into muffin tins. I filled mine full to the top so they made large muffins. You can fill them ¾ full if you want to make slightly smaller muffins, but you'll need a second pan.
- Bake them for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow them to cool to room temperature. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you tried these muffins, I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments below. They are some of my favorite treats and I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
Cassie 🙂