I've spent plenty of time over the years in the kitchen baking muffins. Each recipe is a little bit different to highlight the flavors and ingredients, but always tender, tall, and full of flavor. I've tested, rewritten, and obsessed over these easy banana chocolate chip muffins. It's quickly become my go-to bake when I have a bunch of overripe bananas sitting on the counter. If you have way too many bananas (happens to me all the time) my Maui Banana Bread is the recipe to make.
For this recipe, I chose a combination of brown butter and a neutral cooking oil. The brown butter brings in a nutty, caramel flavor that pairs beautifully with the banana and chocolate - the oil keeps the muffins tender for days, not just the morning they come out of the oven. Greek yogurt adds extra flavor and keeps the muffins nice and soft. One bowl, no mixer, and about 35 minutes start to finish - a dozen bakery-style chocolate chip banana muffins that earn their spot next to all of my other reliable muffin recipes.
Quick Look: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Ready In: about 40 minutes
- Makes: 12 muffins
- Calories:
- Add to Your Shopping List: Greek yogurt, overripe bananas and mini chocolate chips.
- Dietary Info: contains dairy, eggs, and gluten - easily made gluten free with a simple swap.
- Baker's Note: Weigh your bananas if you can - 300g (about 1½ cups mashed) is the sweet spot. Too much banana is the main reason that banana muffins turn out dense and gummy.
Summarize and Save This Content
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Ingredient Notes
- How to Make Chocolate ChiP Banana Muffins
- Notes From My Test Kitchen
- Substitutions and Variations
- Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
- What to Serve With Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin FAQs
- More Recipes Made With Brown Butter
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Overripe bananas - This is the star ingredient in this recipe. You want bananas that are very speckled with brown spots, soft to the touch, and almost too sweet to eat on their own - the peel should be more brown than yellow. Underripe bananas don't mash up smoothly or bring the same sweetness to the muffins. The recipe calls for 1½ cups of mashed banana - this is about 3 medium bananas or you can weigh the banana and use 300g.
Greek yogurt - Use full-fat, plain yogurt. The acidity creates a tender muffin and adds flavor that balances out the sweetness of the bananas and chocolate.
Mini chocolate chips - I prefer to use mini chips, not regular chips in my muffins. Mini chips stay suspended in the batter and don't all sink to the bottom. I tested this recipe using semi-sweet, but dark or milk chocolate would also work.
How to Make Chocolate ChiP Banana Muffins
- Brown the butter and let it cool in the mixing bowl while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients - mashed banana, Greek yogurt, brown butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla in a medium bowl.
- Fold the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients - mix until just combined, don't overmix.
- Fold in mini chocolate chips.
- Scoop into a lined muffin pan, filling every other cup right to the top. Sprinkle muffin batter with extra mini chips.
- Bake at 425°F, then lower - after 5 minutes, drop the temperature to 350°F for another 10-15 minutes.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes From My Test Kitchen
Weigh your bananas. When I tested this recipe, I found that three medium bananas can weigh anywhere from 280g to 380g depending on size. Too much banana, and you end up with gummy, heavy muffins. Too little, and the banana flavor comes up short. I aim for 300g (about 1 ½ cups) mashed banana for these banana chocolate chip muffins. Using a kitchen scale guarantees consistent results.
Use Mini Chocolate Chips. I tested this recipe with regular-sized chocolate chips and they sank right to the bottom - bigger bites of chocolate but not well distributed. Mini chocolate chips stay suspended in the batter as the muffins bake, so you get chocolate in every bite.
Bake in every other cup in the muffin pan. This one took me a while to figure out, but it makes a real difference. Filling every other cup allows the warm air to circulate around each muffin instead which means that they bake more evenly and bake up nice and tall. You'll have to bake the muffins in two batches but the bakery style tops are worth the extra time.
Start at a higher temperature, then lower the heat. The high heat (425°F) for the first 5-7 minutes is what gives these muffins their tall, round tops. That first blast of high heat sets the outside of the muffins quickly, which forces the batter to rise up rather than spread out. Dropping the heat to 350° gives the muffins time to finish baking without the tops getting too dark. Don't open the oven door when you lower the temperature.
Substitutions and Variations
Greek yogurt - Sour cream works as a 1:1 swap and gives you the same soft texture.
Brown butter - If you're short on time, you can use regular melted butter instead. The muffins will still be tender and delicious, but you'll lose a bit of that caramel, nutty flavor that pairs up well with the banana. I like to keep brown butter made and stored in the refrigerator so that I always have it ready to use in baking recipes. For directions on making and storing brown butter, check out my in depth brown butter post.
Neutral oil - I have tested these muffins with canola oil and grapeseed oil. Any light, neutral oil will work well.
Gluten-free - Swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour blend. I like King Arthur Measure for Measure or Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour. The texture stays light and fluffy and the muffins will still rise beautifully.
Chocolate chips - Semi-sweet is my favorite for these, but dark chocolate or milk chocolate mini chips both work. Stick with mini chips, regardless of which type of chocolate you choose - regular chips will sink to the bottom of your muffins.
Add a streusel topping - A simple streusel topping turns this easy banana muffin into a bakery-style treat. Sprinkle a generous tablespoon over each muffin before baking.
Add nuts - Fold in ½ cup of toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts along with the chocolate chips for a little crunch.
Make it a loaf - Looking for mini banana bread loaves instead? My Maui Banana Bread recipe makes 4 perfect mini loaves of banana bread - the recipe is built for a loaf pan and will remind you of the banana bread you find on the Road to Hana.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Room Temperature - Store banana chocolate chip muffins in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Freezer - These muffins freeze beautifully. Let them cool completely, arrange with parchment paper between the layers as needed, then move to a freezer bag or container and store for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave a muffin on the counter for an hour or warm in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Make the Batter the Night Before - This is one of my favorite recipes to mix up ahead of time. Prepare the batter as directed, cover with plastic wrap, and store overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning, preheat your oven, line your muffin pan, then scoop and bake. The overnight rest develops the flavor and helps the muffins rise even more.
What to Serve With Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
These muffins are the perfect addition to any breakfast or brunch table. Here are a few of my favorite ways to serve them:
- Coffee or espresso - nothing better than a cozy mug of French roast or a latte to make it feel like weekend brunch.
- Greek yogurt with fruit and granola - try our banana macadamia nut granola.
- Scrambled eggs - plain or loaded with veggies and cheese.
- Fresh fruit - sliced bananas, strawberries, or raspberries for a refreshing side.
- A slice of coffee cake - because sometimes one baked good just isn't enough.
- Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes - lean all the way into the bananas for breakfast and serve with a fluffy stack of pancakes.
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin FAQs
Yes! Melted butter works as a 1:1 swap and the muffins will still be nice and tender. You will miss out on some of that nutty, caramel flavor that pairs well with the banana. If you have 10 extra minutes, I always recommend making the brown butter - it's worth it!
The high heat (425°F) for the first 5-7 minutes sets the outside of the muffins quickly, and this forces the batter to rise up rather than spread out. This is what gives you those tall, bakery-style muffin tops. Dropping to 350°F lets the muffins finish baking without the tops getting too dark. Don't open the oven door when you lower the temperature.
Filling every other cup allows warm air to circulate around each muffin, so they bake more evenly and rise up nice and tall. You'll bake in two batches, but the extra time is worth it for those perfectly round tops.
Brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor and the oil keeps the muffins tender for days. Using both gives you the best of both worlds.
More Recipes Made With Brown Butter
If you tried these Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
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Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
- medium glass mixing bowl
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- large mixing bowl
- muffin pan
- paper liners for muffin pan
- whisk
- spatula
- large cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260g ) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (180g ) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup brown butter cooled
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups (300g) mashed bananas
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips plus extra for the tops
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, using every other cup.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.2 cups (260g ) all-purpose flour, ¾ cup (180g ) granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, brown butter, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla.¼ cup brown butter, ¼ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup Greek yogurt, 1 ½ cups (300g) mashed bananas, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in 1 cup of the mini chocolate chips.1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling right to the top. Sprinkle with extra mini chocolate chips.
- Bake at 425°F for 5-7 minutes. Without opening the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the tops are domed and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining batter for the second batch.
Amanda says
These muffins are so light and fluffy! The recipe was easy to follow and the muffins were gone before I could get back to grab a second one!
Britt says
These are perfect! The whole house loves them ❤️