Ultimate Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins

Introduction

Today I am sharing a recipe you won’t be able to get enough of- Vegan double chocolate banana muffins. The combination of cocoa powder in the batter and the finishing touch of chocolate chips complements the bananas perfectly. These muffins are decadent enough to be served as dessert but I like to eat them with a warm cup of coffee and a side of berries at breakfast. This recipe was an instant hit in my family and I think it will be for yours too. 

Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffin Ingredients

The Flour

I wanted to increase the amount of fiber in this recipe so I did a combination of All-Purpose flour and whole wheat flour. Fiber helps slow down digestion and helps to make you feel full for longer. 

The Bananas

A general rule for banana bread is to use overripe bananas. The longer you let them ripen, the more the starch in the bananas will convert to sugar, resulting in banana bread that is extra sweet and flavorful. The riper, the better as long as your bananas aren’t moldy or rotten. 

The Vegan “Egg”

For this recipe, I use a flax egg. Flax eggs are my go-to vegan egg replacers. They are so easy to make. All you need is ground flax seed and water! Flax also has the additional benefit of containing heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. If you aren’t vegan or don’t have ground flax, you can use a regular egg for this recipe as well. 

The Cocoa Powder

This recipe calls for dutch-processed cocoa powder. You can use natural cocoa powder as well, however dutch-processed cocoa has a more intense chocolate flavor. 

The Chocolate Chips

This recipe is best with semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you would like to decrease the sugar in this recipe, you can opt for dark or bittersweet chocolate chips instead.

How to Make Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins

Prepare

To make these muffins, you first need to do a little preparation. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare your muffin tin by lining a 12 muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.

Make a Flax Egg

Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons water. I like to use warm water because I find that it thickens a bit better but you definitely don’t need to. Set your flax egg aside. You will add this to the wet ingredients later.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

For this recipe, I use a combination of whole wheat flour and regular All-Purpose flour. The whole wheat flour adds fiber which has many known health benefits. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is used in this recipe which will impart a more rich chocolatey flavor compared to natural cocoa.

Prepare the Wet Ingredients

Use overripe bananas and mash them until they are mostly smooth with only a few clumps of banana remaining.

Combine All Ingredients

Be sure not to over-mix. Batter should be lumpy but no large clumps of dry flour should be present. Add in the chocolate chips and mix just until incorporated.

Pour Batter into Muffin Liners and Bake

The muffin liners will be filled quite full, but don’t worry. The muffins will rise just enough to produce those perfect fluffy muffin tops (and those are the best part, right?).

Allow to Cool

For best results, allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Banana Muffin FAQs

Why are my banana muffins gummy?

There a few reasons that your banana muffins are coming out gummy:

1. You’re using too much banana

If a recipe calls for 3 bananas and you happen to use extra large bananas, it will throw off the proportions of wet to dry ingredients so much that you will end up with gummy and overly moist banana muffins. I like to write my recipes for banana bread by number needed for simplicity sake; however I always include the approximate size of the bananas to help prevent this problem. That being said, no two bananas are alike and so the best way to get consistently good banana bread is to weigh out and properly measure the amount of banana needed. 

2. You’re overmixing your batter.

The wheat flour used in banana muffins forms gluten the more you mix it. Gluten adds structure and elasticity to bread, however over-mixing will result in too much gluten formation and you will be left with tough, gummy muffins. To avoid overmixing, mix until the batter is lumpy, but still combined and you aren’t seeing any pockets of flour when stirring.

3. You used too much (or too little) leavening.

Baking is a science and requires the right proportions of leavening agents such as baking powder and baking soda. If you use too little, the muffins won’t rise. If you use too much, your muffins will rise too fast and end up collapsing before they are done baking. Either way you will be left with muffins that are dense and chewy in the center. As long as you are following a solid recipe, this shouldn’t be an issue. 

4. Your muffins aren’t fully baked.

If you fail to bake your muffins long enough, you will end up with uncooked batter in the center. When following a recipe, use the bake time as a guide but understand that bake times can vary depending on your oven and the altitude at which you live. To determine if your muffins are fully cooked, use a toothpick and insert it into the center of a muffin. When you pull it out, it should come out clean without any wet batter on it. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe. If you did, you may also enjoy:

Best Vegan Easy Banana Bread Recipe

Simple Vegan Zucchini Muffins with Lemon Glaze