These easy small batch double chocolate banana muffins use one ripe banana to make six super chocolatey, soft, and fudgy muffins. Cocoa powder and chocolate chips turn regular banana muffins into decadent chocolate banana muffins that taste like dessert. No mixer required for this 30 minute recipe and the muffins can be made vegan or gluten-free if needed!
If you like these chocolate chocolate banana muffins, check out my double chocolate banana bread, gluten-free oatmeal banana chocolate chip muffins, and the easiest one bowl banana bread.
Why you’ll love this recipe
These double chocolate banana muffins are the fudgy chocolate version of my ultra popular easy one banana muffins, and I’ll let you in on a secret: I like them even better than the original.
You would not believe how many times I tested these squishy little muffins to get them just right. The perfect texture kept eluding me because cocoa powder can be a bit drying. I wound up having to reduce the flour significantly, and I also found that I liked the texture best when I used olive oil and maple syrup instead of butter and sugar. The good news from all that testing, however, is that I have MANY alternatives and substitution options for you in this recipe!
You’ll love these banana chocolate muffins because:
- They’re super quick and easy to make (30 minutes, no mixer)
- Great way to use up that last spotty brown banana lingering on the counter
- Super fudgy and rich chocolate flavor. I often eat these for dessert with ice cream or peanut butter!
- Less sugar than the average muffin
- Adaptable – many ingredient substitutions are possible depending on what you have, and can easily be made dairy-free, gluten-free, or vegan
- Just six muffins – the perfect amount for a quick batch on a weekend morning
Ingredients
Only a few simple ingredients needed for these small batch double chocolate banana muffins, and you can substitute or customize as noted below to make these your own! See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full ingredient list and measurements.
- One spotty or completely brown banana. Overripe bananas produce better flavor. This should weigh 85-100g without the peel, or equal about 1/2 cup mashed banana.
- Olive oil or melted butter (can substitute avocado oil or melted coconut oil if you prefer; or greek yogurt for oil-free)
- Maple syrup or brown sugar (or granulated sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1 large egg (can substitute a flax egg: 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 2.5 tbsp water)
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour (oat flour, white whole wheat flour, or gluten-free all-purpose flour all work too!)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder (natural cocoa powder or dutch process cocoa powder both work – see color difference in the photo above)
- Espresso powder (optional; chocolate lovers, this amps up the chocolate flavor!)
- Baking powder and baking soda for lift
- Salt
- Dark chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, mini chocolate chips, or chopped nuts (use what you like!)
- A bit extra granulated sugar, for bakery-style sparkle and crunch on your muffin tops
Equipment Needed
- Two mixing bowls – one for the dry ingredients and one for the wet
- Whisk (or fork) and rubber spatula
- Kitchen scale – I highly recommend weighing your ingredients for most accurate results, especially the flour! This is the primary way I bake these days as it is much more precise than using measuring cups (and there are fewer dishes to clean).
- 12-cup muffin pan
- Optional: parchment paper muffin liners (I swear these are the best – they don’t stick to the muffins!)
- Optional but highly effective: 1/4 cup muffin scoop or ice cream scoop
How to make Double Chocolate Banana Muffins: Step by Step
Like many of my recipes, the method here is streamlined and simple. No mixer needed! See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full instructions.
- Mash your banana in a large bowl until relatively smooth. Whisk in the other wet ingredients until smooth.
- Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl (make sure to tamp out any clumps of cocoa powder with your whisk).
- Dump the flour mixture into the wet and stir with a spatula or fork just until a batter is formed; this prevents gummy muffins. Fold in the chocolate chips or nuts, if using.
- Spoon chocolate muffin batter into every other muffin cup in a 12-cup muffin tin (greased or in muffin liners), sprinkle a bit of granulated sugar and extra chocolate chips on top of the muffins if desired.
- Bake as directed below until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a couple moist crumbs attached. Cool on a wire rack for a few minutes and enjoy!
Storage
These easy chocolate banana muffins can be stored as follows…
- Room temperature: baked muffins will keep for 2-3 days in a tall airtight container that doesn’t touch the sugared tops, or individually wrap them in plastic wrap for a quick breakfast on the go. These are great the next day!
- Fridge: up to a week in an airtight container; microwave each muffin for 15-20 seconds to reheat
- Freezer: up to 3 months, well-wrapped individually in plastic and stored in a freezer bag. Microwave for 30 seconds to reheat or allow to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Additions and Substitutions
Here are some options to customize the recipe and make it your own:
- Gluten-free: substitute an equal weight (62g) of gluten-free oat flour (I LOVED the fudgy texture of these muffins with oat flour!!) or a gluten-free all-purpose flour mix that contains xanthan gum. I tested and like Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Vegan: use a flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax + 2.5 tbsp water) and make sure to use vegan chocolate chips
- Chocolate chips: you can sub in 1/2 cup of nuts, dried fruit, or skip the add-ins entirely! Recipe works either way.
- Double the recipe for 12 muffins instead of 6!
- Mini chocolate banana muffins: this recipe will make 12 mini muffins. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F and 5 more minutes at 350F (check often for doneness) — or 8-10 minutes at 375F the whole time. I’d recommend using mini chocolate chips too!
More Easy Muffin Recipes:
- Small Batch One Banana Muffins (this is my original banana muffin recipe!)
- Apple Cider Muffins
- Spiced Molasses Muffins (great any time of year but especially winter)
- Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Recipe
Small Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
Equipment
- 1 12-cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (62g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch process)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
- 1 overripe banana (will equal 85-100g or about 1/2 cup mashed banana)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil (or melted butter, melted coconut oil, or avocado oil)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) pure maple syrup (or 1/3 cup (66g) brown sugar)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (85g) mini or semisweet chocolate chips (optional, plus extra for sprinkling on top)
- 1 Tablespoon (12g) granulated sugar (optional, for sprinkling on top)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line or grease every other cup of a 12-cup muffin tin (recipe makes 6 muffins; using every other cup creates better air flow and taller muffins).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, espresso powder, and salt. Make sure to tamp out any clumps of cocoa powder with your whisk. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash banana thoroughly with a whisk or fork. Whisk in the olive oil, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet and stir together until a batter forms. Stir until just incorporated; do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips or other add-ins, if using.
- Optional: Let batter sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before scooping for tallest muffins.
- Spoon the batter equally into the 6 muffin cups. Top each with a generous sprinkle of granulated sugar, and more chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C), then decrease the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) WITHOUT opening the oven door, and bake for 12-14 more minutes until domed and set. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or with just a couple crumbs attached.
- Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Like this double chocolate banana muffin recipe? Please RATE it and LEAVE A COMMENT below. Your feedback means so much and helps other bakers too!
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I made the non-chocolate version of these with great success, using a food scale for the first time! I’m in the process of making the chocolate version now, and I’m confused by the ml measurements for the olive oil and maple syrup. Do you also measure those on your food scale? Or with a measuring cup? I ended up using a cup and it didn’t come out to 60ml on the scale. I’d like to know for future reference as I’m sure I’ll make these again. Thank you!
Hi Jo – glad you started baking with a food scale! Typically, the scale is used for the dry ingredients. The standard in baking recipes for liquid ingredients is to use a glass liquid measuring cup with measurements on the side (like a pyrex). Milliliters are a unit of volume, whereas grams are a unit of weight, so they will not be the same because the density of the different liquids (i.e. maple syrup vs olive oil) is not the same. I included both the US and metric volume measurements for the liquid ingredients so that anyone can replicate it. I hope that helps!
Amazing recipe! Tried it for the first time today. Was pleasantly surprised by how fudgy it is – yum. Love that it tastes a bit indulgent for Mum (me) but also not too sweet for my toddler – didn’t add the choc chips this time so just relied on the banana for sweetness which was enough for me, but love that there is the easy option to add next time. To make a double batch is everything multiplied by 2? Might also consider making this as a birthday cake – any recommendations on how to adjust quantities to make this work?
Hi Kristin, so glad you loved it!! I agree, the fudgy texture is the best part. I think this would fit in a 6 inch cake pan, and you could double it to do 2 6 inch layers or 1 8/9 inch layer. Approx bake times for 6 inch pans is 350 degrees for 18-21 minutes, and 8 or 9 inch is between 28-33 minutes (check with a toothpick). Big disclaimer here that I have not tried baking this recipe as a cake myself so can’t promise it will turn out perfectly! Let me know if you try it!
Reporting back – birthday cake was a success! Doubled the recipe which was perfect for 8-9 inch pan. 25 mins in the oven was perfect. Rose nicely and didn’t collapse. Consistency was exactly like the muffins, lovely and fudgy. I substituted date syrup for the maple syrup this time. Slathered with a chocolate buttercream icing 😋
amazing!! thank you so much for following up – so glad that it worked!
These are absolutely delicious! Made them for the first time using the butter/brown sugar combo and they turned out amazing. Super quick and easy to make. Definitely a new favorite!! Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to try your other recipes.
Awesome!! thank you Jing!
Wow, these muffins are so good! They are light and fluffy(?!) and not too sweet; they’re perfect. Thank you for such a quick, easy and utterly delicious recipe!
thank you so much for the review!!!
These are AMAZING!! Substituted the espresso powder for cinnamon but otherwise followed the recipe exactly, and they’re definitely a new favorite. Do you have a version of these small batch muffins that isn’t chocolate? I love the maple syrup/olive oil combo, but would like to make a plain version I can drizzle glaze over. Any suggestions for cocoa powder sub to get there??
so glad you enjoyed these! yes, make my regular small batch banana muffins if you don’t want the chocolate! you can sub in the maple syrup and olive oil in that recipe in the same amounts as this one. enjoy!
This was so easy to make and loved that it made 6 muffins! They were so moist and flavorful yet not too sweet!
thank you so much!
I’m making my second batch. These are really good. I love that I’m able to use olive oil and maple syrup instead of regular oil/butter and brown sugar. They are delicious.
thank you so much Jacqueline! I agree, I love this olive oil/maple syrup combo in this one.
WOW! Made these this morning and they are delicious! So chocolaty! Not dry at all! I did the butter, brown sugar version and added mini chocolate chips too! Another wonderful recipe Katie! 😊
Thank you so much, Juli!! so glad you love this one too 🙂
Wow these are the best chocolate muffins!!❤️ I used the olive oil, maple syrup and mini chocolate chips and my husband and I give them 2 thumbs up.
I had made all your small batch muffins and love them all.
Thanks so much for sharing.
I love that, thank you Joan! I’m working on more small batch muffin recipes so stay tuned 🙂
THESE ARE INCREDIBLE!!!! I followed the recipe exactly, used the olive oil and maple syrup option, and they’re like little chocolate cakes I swear! You’d never know these are fairly low in sugar. Going to be on repeat!!
thank you Lauren!!
These are delicious and super easy. The Small Batch One Banana muffins are on constant rotation at my house so it was a no brainer to try this version. LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I made using Dutch Chocolate and Lily’s no sugar dark chocolate chips. I followed the recipe exactly using olive oil and maple syrup- yum!! Definitely will be making these all the time for my chocolate fix. Thanks for the recipe- now I may have to try the double chocolate banana bread 🙂
thank you so much, Jill!! chocolate fix is exactly the right word for these 🙂 the chocolate banana bread is one of my favorites too!