Tall and fluffy, these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are loaded with sweet banana flavor and tons of gooey chocolate chips. They’re ultra moist without being too dense or claggy, and make for the perfect breakfast treat or sweet snack!
Yield:
12 large muffins
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:15minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: Loaded with banana flavor and the perfect amount of chocolate chips. Texture: Perfectly fluffy, moist, and tender with chocolate chips studded throughout. Ease: SO easy to make. Ready in 30 minutes from start to finish! Pros: The whole family will gobble up these muffins. Cons: Absolutely none. Would I make this again? Absolutely, these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are perfect for a quick grab-and-go breakfast recipe or even impressing at a family brunch gathering.
These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins will satisfy whenever that chocolate + banana flavor combo craving hits.
The best thing about banana muffins is they can be made so many different ways.
But banana and chocolate? This combination has a special place in my heart.
Enjoy one of these banana muffins with a cup of coffee to kick your day off with the MOST delicious start!
I’m sharing all my sweet tips for making the BEST Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins below.
How to Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins:
Bread flour – Although bread flour does work best in this recipe, you can also use all-purpose flour instead. If you can, opt for King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, which has a higher protein content.
Unsalted butterand vegetable or canola oil – I always prefer unsalted butter in baking – learn why here. We are using both oil and butter in this recipe for multiple reasons – more on this below.
Eggs – Eggs bring so much to baking, such as structure, tenderness, moisture, and more.
Vanilla extract – For flavor.
Semisweet chocolate chips – You could also use milk, dark, or white chocolate chips if you prefer. Mini chocolate chips will work just fine, too.
Coarse sugar – For garnish, if desired.
How Ripe Should Bananas be for Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins?
Be sure to use overripe bananas for these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Here are some of my best banana baking tips:
The best bananas for baking should be very well-speckled or even nearly black.
Overripe bananas are actually significantly sweeter and will contribute more banana flavor AND more moisture to the recipe.
If you use underripe bananas (and when I say ‘underripe,’ I mean for baking specifically!), your muffins will be bland and dry.
Can I Add Nuts to These Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins?
Sure! I created these muffins to include chocolate chips, but you can add some coarsely chopped nuts in place of some of the chocolate chips if you prefer.
Just keep the same total volume of mix-ins the same as written in the recipe, for best results.
I recommend lightly toasting your walnuts or pecans before adding them to the batter.
Do I Need To Adjust This Recipe For High-Altitude Baking?
Reduce baking powder to 2 teaspoons if you are at high altitude. You may need to adjust more or less depending on your altitude.
How Do I Bake Tall Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins?
Tall Muffin Tip #1: Use Bread Flour!
Bread flour has a higher level of protein content than all-purpose flour.
That extra protein will allow the flour to absorb more moisture and add more structure.
The result? Extra tall muffins that are still super moist and tender!
Tall Muffin Tip #2: Bake At A High Temperature!
In this recipe, we bake at a high temperature for 425°F the entire time to get tall, beautiful muffins.
You may have seen techniques that call for an initial burst of heat and then require you to drop the temperature down for a longer bake.
I personally don’t love this method because all it takes is one time when you forget to lower the temperature, and you have scorched muffins.
Tall Muffin Tip #3: Fill Your Muffin Cavities 3/4 Full With Batter!
For tall muffins that have a bit of a muffin top, it’s essential to fill each cavity of your muffin pan pretty full with batter. For this recipe, I find that filling each cavity 3/4 full using a standard 12-cup muffin tin works beautifully.
If you want slightly smaller muffins or have a muffin pan with smaller cavities (each bakeware brand is different!), then feel free to fill the cavities 2/3 full. You’ll just need to fill 15 cavities across two pans.
This recipe was designed to bake at a higher temperature for a shorter period of time, just 14 to 15 minutes. Those overripe bananas help to keep the muffins moist instead of drying out in the hot oven.
How To Avoid Overbaking Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Don’t use a dark-colored nonstick pan when baking muffins. It simply conducts heat too aggressively and can lead to burnt bottoms and dry edges. My favorite pan for muffin baking is either this Wilton or this USA Pan.
How Do I Make MOIST Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins?
Use a combination of oil AND butter! Use some oil for the sensation of moisture on the palate. This happens because oil is liquid at room temperature. It’s also my preference to use some melted butter so you get that beautiful distinct taste that only butter provides. This way, you get moistness and flavor! Learn more about oil and butter in baking here.
Avoid overmixing your wet ingredients with the flour mixture as this will result in more dry, dense muffins instead of muffins with a moist crumb.
Follow the other tips above for using overripe bananas for the best guarantee of moist muffins!
Does An Overnight Rest Of The Batter Work For Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins?
I wouldn’t particularly recommend an overnight batter rest for these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.
If you’ve followed me for a little while, you may have seen my overnight muffin batter fridge trick. Basically, for muffin recipes that use baking powder, if you cover the batter and allow it to rest overnight in the fridge, then the muffins will bake up extra tall and tender the next day. Check out my full article on How to Bake Tall Bakery Style Muffins here.
However, this banana nut muffin recipe is a little different. It uses both baking powder and baking soda. Baking powder is double acting so it activates upon being mixed with liquid, and also when it hits the heat of the oven. Baking soda only acts upon being mixed with something acidic (like brown sugar). The baking soda in the batter will lose strength the longer it sits before being baked.
You can chill this batter in the fridge if you’d like to get a jump start on breakfast or brunch the night before. You’ll likely lose a little browning on the muffins while they bake. If you’re curious about learning more about baking soda vs. baking powder, click here!
How to Store Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Can you Freeze Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins?
Place cooled Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove them to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. You can reheat in the microwave directly from the freezer (about 15 to 20 seconds) or thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
Tall and fluffy, these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are loaded with sweet banana flavor and tons of gooey chocolate chips. They’re ultra moist without being too dense or claggy, and make for the perfect breakfast treat or sweet snack!
1 1/2cups(354 grams) mashed, very ripe bananas (about 3 large bananas)**
1/2cup(100 grams) granulated sugar
1/4cup(50 grams) light brown sugar
2tablespoons(28 grams) unsalted butter,melted and cooled
1/4cup(50 grams) vegetable or canola oil
2large eggs
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1cup(170 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
Coarse sugar,for garnish if desired
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Position an oven rack to the middle or upper middle position. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices (if using).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the bananas, sugars, butter, oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined. Pour into the dry ingredients and stir until just barely combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Divide evenly among the muffin tin cups, filling each 3/4 full for large muffins. You can also make about 15 smaller muffins by filling the cavities of two pans just 2/3 full. Sprinkle each with a generous amount of coarse sugar for a crunchy shiny topping, if desired.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 14 to 15 minutes. Let cool in muffin pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
*Reduce baking powder to 2 teaspoons if at high altitude.**Be sure to use very ripe bananas that are deeply spotted and almost black, for moist and flavorful muffins.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
About Tessa...
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
This recipe is amazing! Muffins come out tender, fluffy, moist and oh so delicious! I usually make half of my batch with nuts (for my husband) and half with chocolate chips (for myself). I’ve used this recipe multiple times and it hasn’t failed me yet.
I topped these with the peanut butter frosting recipe you have (used 1/4 of recipe ingredients, no salt needed). Have you frozen the muffin and warmed up for future eating?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— September 8, 2023 at 1:02 pm
Hi Emilia! Baking powder and baking soda are very different leaveners and react differently at a chemical level, and therefore cannot be swapped easily. Learn more about that here!
Best of Choc chip muffins! Recipe is easily doubled but I always make a few simple tweaks. First of all…if you really want the banana flavour to pop, I suggest letting those banana skins be mostly dark brown before using them. They’re waaaay overripe, already very mushy & their sweetness is undeniable! Second…I only use Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips. They’re a bit pricey, but unfortunately, they’re the ONLY choc chips that MELT. I’ve tried every other brand. They all USED TO MELT…BUT THEY DON’T MELT ANYMORE! Only GHIRARDELLI brand melts to perfection, which is what you want to happen. Thirdly…I EMPHATICALLY HATE, LOATHE & DESPISE VANILLA! Arbitrary? Perhaps. But I use a same level combo of ROSEWATER & BANANA BACARDI RUM! I doubled the batch, so I used a tsp of each of those FLAVOUR ENHANCING magic elixirs! You try doing this impressive recipe my way & then you will thank me later. I kid you not! I wish I could show pictures of mine here with this comment, but unfortunately…you don’t account for letting the world see your success stories as created by others. Pity. Try this recipe folks. Enjoy making these & make sure you eat at least one…because they’ll all vanish before you ever get to have another!
The recipe makes perfect mini muffins with a nice height. Recipe made 48 (2 pans) + 4 extra minis . 13-14 minute baking time for mini muffins. . I prefer to bake mini muffins for co workers and the family – the extra energy you expend removing the papers burns calories, right? Standard sized muffins were delicious as well, but they sank a little in the center. Pan was too dark plus the only liners I had were foil lined for the standard sized pan. I’d use paper liners , as specified in the recipe, but a dark pan and foil liners were all I had the same time I had 3 gooey black bananas. I used Sugar in the Raw for a topping – perfect!
I’ve made these twice in less than a month. It’s a great use of my over ripe bananas. The first time I made them I added extra chocolate chips because, hey, who doesn’t like chocolate chips. Well there is such a thing as too much. The second time I followed the recipe. This makes a great afternoon snack. I love that I can freeze them too!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— February 22, 2023 at 11:04 am
Hi Kerry! We haven’t tried that with this recipe! Because some of the water in butter evaporates as you brown it, it will take a little experimenting if you wish to try this out. Alternatively, Tessa does have a delicious Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins recipe!
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— September 22, 2022 at 8:50 am
Hi Debi! We haven’t tried turning this recipe into banana bread – but Tessa has several incredible banana bread recipes, including this one, which you can add chocolate chips to if you wish! Happy baking 🙂
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— August 24, 2022 at 7:30 am
Hi Grace! No extra baking time needed, but I would recommend removing some of the chocolate chips, so the muffins don’t get too overwhelmed with mix-ins! You want to keep the balance of muffin-to-mix-in still around the same 🙂 happy baking!
I made these yesterday and they are great! Soft and moist with a delicious flavour, and SO quick and easy to make. I used cake flour, all white sugar and replaced the choc chips with chocolate chunks. 5 stars <333
These are delicious! I made them a few days ago and just went to have the last one- it is still just as moist and delicious as the first day. Thanks, Tessa!
Another awesome recipe from HtH! These muffins have such great flavour from the butter but are still so moist from the oil. Super soft too! I’ve tried maybe a dozen different banana muffin recipes and these are the best!
I’ve tried this recipe twice and really like it. These muffins are wonderful for breakfast or any time of day snack. My only concern is that they don’t finish cooking by 15 minutes at 425. Any suggestions when using silicone muffin cups?
My son and I have made these twice, and they taste really good. Except… each time we made them there were odd bites here and there that were very sour/bitter. It seems based on my googling that it might have something to do with the baking soda. I was wondering if you had any insight on that. The second time we made them I made sure to mix the dry ingredients super well and triple checked my measurements. I bake quite a bit and have never had such an issue. What could we be doing wrong?
Kiersten @ Handle the Heat
— August 22, 2022 at 12:13 pm
Hi Anne! Hmm, that is strange! Sometimes, if you can really taste the baking soda, it means that there wasn’t enough acid in the other ingredients to fully activate it, and neutralize it, and you have unreacted baking soda left in the food. Are the bananas you’re using super brown? If your bananas are too fresh, they might not be contributing enough acid to the batter to neutralize the baking soda. The brown sugar should also be assisting in this, but perhaps it’s not enough if the bananas are not overripe enough. Alternatively, if your baking soda is a bit older or you live in a humid climate, it might be clumping together (you would be able to see little clumps when you open the container). What you might be tasting is just tiny little clumps of baking soda that was not mixed in – no matter how much you mixed! (and you definitely don’t want to overmix!!) I recommend measuring out the baking soda and pushing it through a very fine sieve, as you mix it into the dry ingredients, and then gently fold those into the wet ingredients. You can also try decreasing the baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon, but just be aware, your muffins won’t be as light or tall as a result! I hope something here helps!! Good luck and happy baking 🙂
Hi Tia! Tessa actually states in the pink tip box above the recipe that AP flour can be used instead 🙂 It will affect the muffins texture a bit, so if you can, try using King Arthur AP flour as it has a higher protein content. Let us know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try!
I love banana chocolate chip muffins and these are the best I’ve ever had! They’re incredibly moist, super easy to make, and so good. Add the coarse sugar to the top, it’s definitely worth it. I’ll be making these again and again!
Hi Steph! Great question, we actually don’t recommend it. I just added your question and more details to the pink box above the recipe! Enjoy your muffins 🙂
Delicious! No doubt they would be. All of your muffin recipes have always turned out amazing. Perfect balance of flavours in these and a beautiful rise too.
These are delicious and exactly as the recipe states: light and fluffy and full full of banana flavour! I chopped up dark chocolate and used that in place of the chips and it was yummy!
Hello! I have bananas to use and these look perfect!! Can I exchange the bread flour for whole wheat flour? Or a mixture of whole wheat & all purpose? Would love to try these! Thank you and love your recipes!!
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This recipe is amazing! Muffins come out tender, fluffy, moist and oh so delicious! I usually make half of my batch with nuts (for my husband) and half with chocolate chips (for myself). I’ve used this recipe multiple times and it hasn’t failed me yet.
I topped these with the peanut butter frosting recipe you have (used 1/4 of recipe ingredients, no salt needed). Have you frozen the muffin and warmed up for future eating?
Hi MJ! That sounds delicious! Yes – check out the pink tip box (above the recipe) for Tessa’s instructions on how to freeze and reheat muffins 🙂
Can I do this without baking soda? What would I sub with? I only have baking powder.
Hi Emilia! Baking powder and baking soda are very different leaveners and react differently at a chemical level, and therefore cannot be swapped easily. Learn more about that here!
Best of Choc chip muffins! Recipe is easily doubled but I always make a few simple tweaks. First of all…if you really want the banana flavour to pop, I suggest letting those banana skins be mostly dark brown before using them. They’re waaaay overripe, already very mushy & their sweetness is undeniable! Second…I only use Ghirardelli Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips. They’re a bit pricey, but unfortunately, they’re the ONLY choc chips that MELT. I’ve tried every other brand. They all USED TO MELT…BUT THEY DON’T MELT ANYMORE! Only GHIRARDELLI brand melts to perfection, which is what you want to happen. Thirdly…I EMPHATICALLY HATE, LOATHE & DESPISE VANILLA! Arbitrary? Perhaps. But I use a same level combo of ROSEWATER & BANANA BACARDI RUM! I doubled the batch, so I used a tsp of each of those FLAVOUR ENHANCING magic elixirs! You try doing this impressive recipe my way & then you will thank me later. I kid you not! I wish I could show pictures of mine here with this comment, but unfortunately…you don’t account for letting the world see your success stories as created by others. Pity. Try this recipe folks. Enjoy making these & make sure you eat at least one…because they’ll all vanish before you ever get to have another!
The recipe makes perfect mini muffins with a nice height. Recipe made 48 (2 pans) + 4 extra minis . 13-14 minute baking time for mini muffins. . I prefer to bake mini muffins for co workers and the family – the extra energy you expend removing the papers burns calories, right? Standard sized muffins were delicious as well, but they sank a little in the center. Pan was too dark plus the only liners I had were foil lined for the standard sized pan. I’d use paper liners , as specified in the recipe, but a dark pan and foil liners were all I had the same time I had 3 gooey black bananas. I used Sugar in the Raw for a topping – perfect!
I’ve made these twice in less than a month. It’s a great use of my over ripe bananas. The first time I made them I added extra chocolate chips because, hey, who doesn’t like chocolate chips. Well there is such a thing as too much. The second time I followed the recipe. This makes a great afternoon snack. I love that I can freeze them too!
Have you tried making these with brown butter? Just wondering!
Hi Kerry! We haven’t tried that with this recipe! Because some of the water in butter evaporates as you brown it, it will take a little experimenting if you wish to try this out. Alternatively, Tessa does have a delicious Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins recipe!
these muffins are sooooo good! definitely my go-to recipe, I’ve made them several times and they always get devoured up so quickly 🙂
I was looking for the perfect recipe…found it! Thanks Tessa
I made these for my family and they really enjoyed them . I was wondering if I can make this recipe into banana bread.
Hi Debi! We haven’t tried turning this recipe into banana bread – but Tessa has several incredible banana bread recipes, including this one, which you can add chocolate chips to if you wish! Happy baking 🙂
I want to add walnuts to these, should I alter the bake time?
Hi Grace! No extra baking time needed, but I would recommend removing some of the chocolate chips, so the muffins don’t get too overwhelmed with mix-ins! You want to keep the balance of muffin-to-mix-in still around the same 🙂 happy baking!
I made these yesterday and they are great! Soft and moist with a delicious flavour, and SO quick and easy to make. I used cake flour, all white sugar and replaced the choc chips with chocolate chunks. 5 stars <333
woahh I just realised now the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon baking powder and I put 1/2 teaspoon!!
I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins anyway! Next time, try the full amount – you’ll probably be shocked at how tall the muffins get!! 🙂
So glad to hear that you enjoyed these muffins so much, Ammaarah!
These are delicious! I made them a few days ago and just went to have the last one- it is still just as moist and delicious as the first day. Thanks, Tessa!
Hooray – so wonderful to hear that, Kelly!! 🙂
Really delicious! I made into mini muffins and baked for 10 minutes and they were perfect.
So wonderful to hear that, Michelle!!
Another awesome recipe from HtH! These muffins have such great flavour from the butter but are still so moist from the oil. Super soft too! I’ve tried maybe a dozen different banana muffin recipes and these are the best!
So thrilled to hear that, Chelsey!! 🙂
I’ve tried this recipe twice and really like it. These muffins are wonderful for breakfast or any time of day snack. My only concern is that they don’t finish cooking by 15 minutes at 425. Any suggestions when using silicone muffin cups?
Hi Liz! We haven’t tried baking these in silicone muffin cups, so I can’t say for sure!
My son and I have made these twice, and they taste really good. Except… each time we made them there were odd bites here and there that were very sour/bitter. It seems based on my googling that it might have something to do with the baking soda. I was wondering if you had any insight on that. The second time we made them I made sure to mix the dry ingredients super well and triple checked my measurements. I bake quite a bit and have never had such an issue. What could we be doing wrong?
Hi Anne! Hmm, that is strange! Sometimes, if you can really taste the baking soda, it means that there wasn’t enough acid in the other ingredients to fully activate it, and neutralize it, and you have unreacted baking soda left in the food. Are the bananas you’re using super brown? If your bananas are too fresh, they might not be contributing enough acid to the batter to neutralize the baking soda. The brown sugar should also be assisting in this, but perhaps it’s not enough if the bananas are not overripe enough. Alternatively, if your baking soda is a bit older or you live in a humid climate, it might be clumping together (you would be able to see little clumps when you open the container). What you might be tasting is just tiny little clumps of baking soda that was not mixed in – no matter how much you mixed! (and you definitely don’t want to overmix!!) I recommend measuring out the baking soda and pushing it through a very fine sieve, as you mix it into the dry ingredients, and then gently fold those into the wet ingredients. You can also try decreasing the baking soda to 1/4 teaspoon, but just be aware, your muffins won’t be as light or tall as a result! I hope something here helps!! Good luck and happy baking 🙂
Hi Tessa! Can I replace bread flour with all purpose flour? Will it affect the recipe outcome? Tia 🙂
Hi Tia! Tessa actually states in the pink tip box above the recipe that AP flour can be used instead 🙂 It will affect the muffins texture a bit, so if you can, try using King Arthur AP flour as it has a higher protein content. Let us know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try!
I have frozen ripe bananas. Will I get the same results once the bananas have thawed out? I love all your recipes! They are always a huge hit!
Hi Sandra! You can use frozen bananas – just thaw them out, drain the extra moisture, and they’ll be perfect 🙂 Enjoy your muffins!
I love banana chocolate chip muffins and these are the best I’ve ever had! They’re incredibly moist, super easy to make, and so good. Add the coarse sugar to the top, it’s definitely worth it. I’ll be making these again and again!
This was sooo good! Moist and fluffy with just the right amount of sweetness. Will definitely make again. 🙂
Can I chill this batter over night and then bake it? Thank you for all these trusted (and delicious:) recipes!
Hi Steph! Great question, we actually don’t recommend it. I just added your question and more details to the pink box above the recipe! Enjoy your muffins 🙂
Delicious! No doubt they would be. All of your muffin recipes have always turned out amazing. Perfect balance of flavours in these and a beautiful rise too.
Wonderful! So glad you loved these muffins!
Another brilliant recipe that delivers as promised. Handle the Heat is my go to site for all things baking.
Aw yay! So happy to hear that, thanks so much!
These are delicious and exactly as the recipe states: light and fluffy and full full of banana flavour! I chopped up dark chocolate and used that in place of the chips and it was yummy!
Wonderful! So happy you loved this recipe 🙂
Hello! I have bananas to use and these look perfect!! Can I exchange the bread flour for whole wheat flour? Or a mixture of whole wheat & all purpose? Would love to try these! Thank you and love your recipes!!
Hi Lori! We haven’t tried that! Please let us know how it goes if you do 🙂
Any Egg substitute? You can suggest for the recipe?
Sorry, we don’t bake egg-free recipes, so I can’t say for sure!