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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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Remember to #bakerita if you try the recipe!
Paleo Almond Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 medium bananas, 1⅔ cups mashed or 380g
- 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.3 to 4 medium bananas, 3 eggs, 3 tablespoons coconut oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅓ cup (85g) creamy almond butter
- Add the coconut flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the wet ingredients and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chunks.⅓ cup (50g) coconut flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt, 4 ounces dark chocolate
- 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
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.