Paleo Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
These Paleo Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins taste just like your mom’s homemade banana chocolate chip muffins, but way healthier than the ones you remember. They’re gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and have no sugar added – these muffins are sweetened with only bananas!

*2018 Update* Time for another THROWBACK recipe! So many good recipes are buried behind tons of new content, and they certainly don’t get the love they deserve thanks to some less-than-stellar photos…so I’m bringing back the love for these Paleo Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins! I rephotographed the muffins, but I’m leaving the original post text from August 2015 (right after I graduated college) for nostalgia’s sake :) I hope you love them!
Settling in is an unusual feeling, don’t you think? A new apartment and a new city are finally starting to feel like home, but there is still a bit of nostalgia for the places you’ll never live again. My college house (and college, for that matter) has been left behind and now that summer is coming to a close, classes are starting again. The school year is beginning, and for the first time in my life that I can remember…I’m not starting classes too.

Instead, I’m sitting on my patio at home, sipping coffee and looking at our calming view of the Puget Sound, and enjoying my favorite spot in the house, writing a post to you. Let me just say: Our patio is seriously awesome. Super comfy futon, cute yellow trunk/coffee table, dining set, herb garden, twinkle lights, and flowers – what more could a girl want on her patio?
And the best part is that I can work from my patio, my kitchen, and my local coffee shop. On this Monday that’s the first day of school for so many, I’m instead on my own, teaching myself the things I need to move me forward, to my next step. I’m my own teacher and student, but also a peer of each and every person striving to do the same thing. School ends – but it doesn’t really. We graduate into the longterm education of life.

I’ve been trying to learn and grow and reach a lot recently, but it’s nice to still have the comforts of a good old banana chocolate chip muffin when you need something to bring you back to simplicity. This makes a solid batch of 12 muffins, and I bet they’ll disappear quickly. I added a nice dose of almond butter in the middle to give a little gooey filling and it adds such a nice texture and flavor to the muffins, but it’s definitely not necessary for a damn good muffin.
Also – these have NO SUGAR. All the sweetness comes from the bananas, so make sure you use the super ripe ones. Check out the clearance section of your grocery store. A lot of times they’ll have already ripe bananas for way discounted prices. And for these muffins, you want the bananas almost black.

So today, on the first day of school, I challenge you: teach yourself something today.
P.S. If you’ve never baked Paleo or made banana bread…I know of something you could totally teach yourself:

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Paleo Almond Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Paleo Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins taste just like your mom’s homemade banana chocolate chip muffins, but way healthier than the ones you remember. They’re gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, and have no sugar added – these muffins are sweetened with only bananas!
Ingredients
- 3–4 (380g) medium bananas, 1⅔ cups mashed
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (85g) creamy almond butter
- ⅓ cup (50g) coconut flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
Instructions
- Line a 12 pan muffin tin with paper liners and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl or mixer, combine the mashed bananas, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla extract and almond butter until fully combined.
- Add the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
- Divide the muffin batter between the 12 muffin liners, filling each about 2/3 of the way full. Top with more chocolate chunks or chips, if desired.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean, and the muffins should spring back when poked with a finger (not stay indented).
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about ½ hour. Flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
To keep the muffins Paleo and refined sugar-free, use Paleo-friendly chocolate or try making your own.
Also, when these muffins were first posted, they included an almond butter filling. I removed it from the recipe because I don’t think it’s necessary and it weighed down the muffins a bit. But, if you want to do that still, here are the instructions: add 1 tablespoon of batter to the bottom of each pan. Add a heaping teaspoon of almond butter to the center of each muffin. Divide the remaining batter evenly into the muffin cups, about another tablespoon of batter.
Nutrition
- Calories: 198
- Sugar: 3
- Sodium: 148
- Fat: 13
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 41

I live in Seattle too! I wonder if we were neighbors, if so maybe you can drop off some of these muffins.. ;)
Haha no way!! Unfortunately…they’re already gone :( but I’m always willing to share, haha!
Yummm, these muffins look great for breakfast! *drool!*
I know the feeling! When college was over for me it felt so strange not to register/attend classes anymore, or live in the same town :/ Good luck getting settling in your new place. Enjoy!
Thanks so much, Kristi!
I love that these are made with coconut flour- such an awesome muffin texture :) These look fabulous- pinning!
Thanks! I know – I love it for muffins. So good.
Is there anything more comforting than a warm muffin packed with chocolate?! These look amazing!
These sound incredible! I love all your paleo recipes, this one no exception! I’ve been hearing about coconut flour and now totally have to go get some to try in this recipe!
These look so good! I think I would eat way too many.
http://xoxobella.com
ughhhh These look amazing, as usual. You are my fave person for gluten free treats, seriously!
Thank you so so much, Aisling! You’re too sweet :)
These look absolutely incredible! Who knew that paleo muffins could look this good!
Isn’t it the weirdest feeling to know that you’re done with school? I totally remember that…bittersweet! These muffins sound amazing, Rachel! I love the almond butter in these cuties. Delish!
It feels so weird to be done with school, but I can’t say I miss it that much. I’m so happy for you that you’re working on your blog full time, Rachel! You have some of the best recipes and these muffins are no exception. Such a great breakfast treat!
Your patio sounds amazing and these muffins look fantastic! I loved college and law school, but I sure am happy to not go back to school right now!
These look so yummy! I love using almond butter and I like that there’s no sugar! I’m also in a period of settling in a new place as well. It can get a little overwhelming sometimes. :)
Your patio does sound absolutely perfect! These muffins sound and look amazing, love that chocolate in there! :)
Even though these have no added sugar, they look super decadent :)
I remember finishing my degree and adjusting to the start of a new school year without going to school. It was a strange feeling. But pretty exciting at the same time. These muffins look delicious. I’ll add them to my list of recipes to try when I’ve got ripe bananas on hand (which happens a lot)!
I hope you have a wonderful first year out of school, Rachel! These muffins are beautiful!
Rachel, yeay for settling in–it sounds like you have everything you need :) And these muffins look SO cozy (and I can’t believe they’re paleo–you are a genius :)
So glad you are starting to settle in :) Love these muffins! That’s awesome that they are paleo! They look SO incredible!
Sitting on the patio sipping coffee is definitely better than doing homework!! I definitely don’t miss that part of college. ;) These muffins look delish! I could definitely go for a couple with my coffee!
Im so excited to try these! I love all your paleo recipes!
aw your house sounds amazing!!
and so do these muffins-I adore them and the fact that theyre paleo and kind of healthy makes me go YIPPEEEE!
How many calories do each muffin have????
Hi Autumn. I haven’t calculated it, but you can enter the ingredients on a nutrition calculator like this one: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp – enjoy!
Can these be made without almond butter?
Hi Alicia, if you’re talking about the almond butter in the center – yes definitely! As for the almond butter in the muffin batter, that’s needed for structure and fat. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
Rachel, thanks for the response. Is there something else I can use in the muffin batter instead of almond butter (due to food allergies).
Hi Alicia, any other nut butter would substitute well – if it’s a nut allergy, try sunflower seed butter! Just be aware sometimes it can make things turn a hint of green, haha. Enjoy!
I used cashew butter because as I was making these, I realized the almond butter I had contained sugar! So I had to make a quick substitute. This was my first time making these and was worried they wouldn’t come out right because of the substitution, but I must say they’re pretty good! Nice and fluffy!
Hi Rosemary! I’ve found that most nut butters sub well for the almond butter in this recipe :) so glad to hear you’re enjoying them, even with the last minute change.
Thank you for this information. I was wondering why my muffins were green.
Oh just wow! My go to almond butter banana muffin recipe wouldn’t load so I started looking for a different one…I found yours! Hooray! Beyond delicious. No sugar too. That is hard to believe as these are so sweet and tasty. My kids even gobbled them up and they didn’t have to as they don’t follow special diets of any kind. I didn’t stir chocolate into the batter but only dropped a few chunks into the center with the almond butter tsp! They don’t really even need the chocolate. Just so yummy. Thanks so much!
So glad you and your kids loved the muffins, Jill! Thanks for stopping by the let me know how they turned out for you.
Love this combo idea – bananas + chocolate :) And it’s also helpful that you don’t use almond flour here as I’m out of it right now! Thx!
Nutritional Facts?
Hi Cara. I haven’t calculated the nutritional info for these because it often differs based on the brands of products used, but you can do so here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator.
Cara, I calculated 8 WW points, if that helps you.
I just made these, with a few minor substitutions based on what I had in my pantry, but they still turned out wonderfully and can’t wait to have one with my coffee in the morning.
xo, Skylar
http://www.styledbyskylar
So glad you’re enjoying them, Skylar!
I just made these today. These are truly amazing. i have just recently started baking paleo and these muffins are one of the best recipes I’ve tried so far.
I’m so happy to hear it, Megan!
Thanks for this recipe. I don’t have coconut flour with me. Can I substitute with something else? Will whole wheat flour work?
Hi RS. Unfortunately, coconut flour has uniquely absorbent properties that make it unlike any other flour. Because of that, you can’t substitute anything else and get the same results. However, a little bit goes a long way and it’s rather cheap as far as gluten-free flours go, so I think it’ll be a worthy investment :) hope this helps!
Just made these today and they are delicious!! Should they be kept in the fridge?
I’d recommend keeping them in the fridge if you can – they keep longer that way! Glad you’re enjoying them Debbie.
Hi! Wondering where the 1/4 cup of almond butter comes in? The recipe says to add the 1/3 cup but never mentions the 1/4! Thanks!
Hi Alyssa, the remaining almond butter is used to fill the muffins, listed in the 4th step. Hope this helps!
Bakerita is one of my favorite recipe website. I just baked a banana choco muffins, wow wow. Delicious! i don’t have any problem with it, everything is so perfect!
Aw thank you so much Celeste! I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins and are loving my site :) hope you find many more recipes you love!
Thank you for this simple and satisfying recipe! I substituted natural peanut butter for the almond butter. They are slightly oily with that sub, but taste amazing! Will try them again with the almond butter, or leave out the coconut oil if I use PB again.
So glad you enjoyed them, Susanne! Thanks so much for your feedback.
I did the same but they don’t taste much like banana and have a weird taste to them, could it be that the bananas were just a weird taste? Have you made them before where it tasted different because of the bananas?
I’ve never had that experience…were your bananas either very under or overripe? Because that could change the flavor of them. Did you change anything about the recipe, Jenny?
These are so delicious! I have made several batches now and the muffins turn out very wet in the center when I use more than 3 very ripe bananas. I make half of the batch without the chocolate for my partner because he is allergic and he still enjoys them. The tsp of almond butter in the center is a really nice touch. Good with peanut butter in the center too. Thanks for this excellent paleo low sugar muffin recipe!
So glad you like them, Stephanie! Having more or larger bananas could cause the wetness because of the excess moisture. Sounds delicious with the peanut butter, too. Thanks for your feedback!
I just baked these and wanted to say “These are the Bomb” It’s so hard to find a yummy treat that fits in with your macros and this squeezes in nicely
Hi Jammie, so glad that you’re enjoying them! Thanks so much for your feedback.
I made these a few nights ago. I’m trying to be more “paleo” and these really hit the spot for just something baked and yummy!!
I’m so thrilled you’re enjoying them, Jill! Thanks for your feedback :)
I just made these and they are awesome! Great recipe, even my husband loves them. Thank you!
So thrilled you and your husband are enjoying them! Thanks for the feedback Mara.
These were absolutely delicious!! My husband and I LOVED them, and I’ll definitely be keeping the recipe handy. Thanks so much! :)
So happy to hear you both enjoyed them!! Thanks for the feedback Danielle :)
Baked goods sweetened with bananas are so great! Tasty and a healthy sugar alternative – can’t beat that! These muffins look amazing!
Isn’t it the best?! Thanks for the love, Kaylie!
I replaced the coconut oil with applesauce, and they turned out great! Definitely a “moist” muffin, though; so don’t expect a traditonal cakey/drier texture. Love that these are healthy!
Thanks for your feedback, Kate! I’m guessing the applesauce contributed to the moistness. Enjoy!
I was so excited about these but they didn’t turn out very well. The banana flavor is very faint and they are a bit too moist in the middle even though I measured out the mashed bananas and used very ripe ones as you suggested. The dark chocolate is overpowering even though I used slightly less than suggested. Any hints? I’m fresh off W30 and I’d love to get these right.
Hi Bridget, unfortunately, it’s impossible for me to know what went wrong without being in the kitchen with you. I’m very surprised you can’t taste the banana, since there’s a lot in this recipe, and I would think you’d be extra sensitive to the sweetness after a Whole30. You can add as much dark chocolate as you prefer – the amount listed is how much I like. As for the soft middles, are you sure you baked long enough? The muffins should spring back when poked with a finger, not stay indented. Hope this helped a bit! Let me know if there’s anything else I can help with or clarify, so sorry they didn’t turn out as you expected!
Do you think I could almond flour instead of coconut flour?
Unfortunately, coconut flour is much more absorbent than almond flour, so it can’t be subbed 1:1. If you wanted to sub almond flour, you’d want to use 3x the amount. I haven’t tried or tested it that way though, so no guarantees!
I did it before seeing your response and they turned out well with the almond flour!
Thrilled to hear that was the case! Thanks for sharing your feedback.
I made these for my toddler and they were so good. I ended up speaking a few.
They were a little gooey like a cheesecake but still very good. I used honey instead of maple syrup and added flaxseed. I didn’t have the sinking problem like others mentioned. They were perfect. Will be making again
So glad you’re loving them, thanks so much for your feedback Haley!! These don’t call for any honey or maple syrup, so you must have just added that on your own…glad it didn’t make them too wet or heavy!
Funny, I’ve been making these at least once a month ever since the first version of the recipe (with the almond butter in the middle) – but after including that step the first time, I eliminated it. Glad to see we’re on the same page! :) I came back to re-print the recipe, as mine is almost illegible after 2 years of my messy baking skills! I’ve tinkered with this recipe quite a bit to try to get them not to sink in the middle/lose their peaks when I take them out of the oven, but I think ultimately I just need to try baking them a tiny bit longer. I’m always scared to overbake them!
Five stars though, my fave paleo muffin recipe.
Hi Cara, so glad you’ve been loving these for so long! Makes me so happy to hear that :) I think baking for a minute or two longer would do the trick – underbaking is usualllyyy the case for things falling. Thanks for sharing your feedback and love!
Ooh! Thank you so much for sharing this! I’m struggling with sugar (eating too much chocolate) and made these tonight – they’re fantastic! Filling, so I don’t eat too many, just sweet enough, and with enough chocolate to be satisfying – but not enough to feel guilty about. Yeah!
Quick question – is there any way to substitute something for the baking powder? All of the baking powder at my local Whole Foods has corn starch listed as an ingredient, which I believe is not paleo compliant? Could I use baking soda + cream of tartar (I think that’s what it’s called?) + salt?
Even if I can’t, I’m going to keep making them. So delicious! And, double thank you for not adding any extra sugars, I’m seeing so many paleo treats with maple syrup or honey, but am really trying to cut back on the sweeteners. Thanks!
Hi Nancy, so happy to hear that you are enjoying the muffins and that they help satisfy your cravings. You can use 1 part baking soda to 2 parts cream of tartar in place of the baking powder, so in this recipe that would be 1/4 teaspoon (additional) baking soda (to make a full tsp of it) and then 1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar. Hope this helps! :)
Hi Rachel! Thank you so much! I have to admit, I think I may now be addicted to these ;-))) I’ve been making them every time I run out (even buying extra bananas, “just in case” – ha!) They are *so* good! Thanks for the recipe adjustment – I appreciate it!
Aww so glad you’re enjoying them, Nancy! Thanks so much for the feedback!
These are so, soooo good! I shared the recipe with a friend who was having his birthday in the midst of a paleo challenge. He didn’t want to veer too far off course and he absolutely loved these. These are a keeper!
So thrilled that they were a hit! Thanks so much for the feedback, Erin :)
Can I substitute the egg with flex eggs?
You can, but it will change the texture slightly. I’d increase the baking powder to 1 teaspoon to help make sure they’re not too dense!
These turned out great! I only had 2 bananas so added some unsweetened apple sauce to equal the 1 2/3 cups of banana. I also added about 2 tablespoons of local honey and cinnamon. Didn’t fold in chocolate – just added on top before baking. Perfectly sweet and a big hit with the kids! Will save and make these again!
These turned out great! I only had 2 bananas so added some unsweetened apple sauce to equal the 1 2/3 cups of banana. I also added about 2 tablespoons of local honey and cinnamon. Didn’t fold in chocolate – just added on top before baking. Perfectly sweet and a big hit with the kids! Will save and make these again!
Hi Rachel,
I baked these muffins last night because we had lots of overripe bananas to use up. Also, I need quick breakfasts when school starts back up.
These muffins came out great! I substituted peanut butter for the almond butter and carob chips for the chocolate chips. They are sweet without added sugar. I will definitely make these muffins again.
I’m so glad to have come across your website!
So glad you’re loving them, Heather!! I hope you find many other recipes you love too.
The nutrition at the bottom of the recipe states there’s 198 calories. Is that for each muffin?
Yes that is for each muffin :)
Thank you for the great recipe! I made these the other day, and they came out great. I didn’t change a thing (which I usually do), and the muffins are really moist and flavorful. No sugar added except for the chocolate chips – fantastic! Leaving them in the pan to cool is wise advice, especially since I like to make them in a ceramic pan without paper liners.
So thrilled you’re loving them, D! Thanks for the feedback.
Easy and delicious! I’ll definitely be making these again.
So glad you’re loving them!!
LOVE these muffins!! I honestly didn’t even know how to bake before trying to make these delicious paleo muffins, but this recipe was so easy to follow. Now, I bake a batch almost every other week since they make for such a lovely morning or mid-day healthy treat! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe, it’s been a lifesaver!!
So thrilled you’re loving them, Reilly! Thanks so much for your feedback!
If I half this recipe, do you think one egg is enough?? Thank you!!
Hi Lora, that should be okay but I haven’t tried it so can’t say for sure!
Everything looks amazing! Have you thought about selling and shipping your goodies?
Hi Laura, unfortunately since I bake at home (and have a dog) I’m not able to do that, I’d have to get a commercial kitchen, so at this time it’s not feasible for me!
Made these today and they turned out terrific! I enjoy your recipes so much. You’ve never let me down. Thanks!
What a compliment, so glad you’re loving them!!
I have made this numerous times! Especially since my kids seem to swear they love bananas, but then let them all go to crap brown in the shortest days ever, lol These muffins are EASY, even made in my food processor today Vs large mixer which is much easier for me to get to and handle now as a new amputee!!! Yipeeeee that at least ONE of my kids loves them!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!
So glad they’re a hit!! Thanks so much Kat!
I have made this recipe many times now, this time I only had 2 bananas, so I add a 1/3 cup of unsweetened apple sauce (amaaaaazing) and I add about a 1/2 Cup of toasted coconut flakes!!! Holy amazing texture & flavor upgrade! They’re amazing as is, but this was a fun twist! Thank you Bakerita!!!
Also, wondering if I missed it, what is the serving size for the current recipe? 1 or 2 muffins?
Thank you again for being so amazing & sharing these with the world!!!
So glad you loved them, Kat! Sounds like some delicious additions. The serving size for this is 1 standard sized muffin :)
Awesome!!! Thank you so much!!!