Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Muffins – These gluten-free double chocolate banana muffins are light, fluffy, and loaded with ultra-chocolatey flavor. A favorite sweet treat that’s easy to make any time! (Dairy-Free)

There are some super healthy muffins made with things like…flax…and whole grains…and no added sugar.

*Can we still be friends if I tell you these are not those muffins?*

These gluten-free chocolate banana muffins are special occasion muffins. They’re MADE for celebrating, or baking up on a rainy afternoon, or pulling out of the oven on a birthday or Valentine’s Day. They’re EVERYTHING a chocolate muffin should be–light and fluffy, with beautifully domed tops and melty chocolate in every bite.

If that wasn’t enough to get your chocolate craving going, I’ll also just mention that these gluten-free double chocolate banana muffins make your house smell like brownies and can be made in just ONE bowl (or a food processor!) to keep things extra easy. A delicious recipe with fewer dishes to wash? I’m THERE.

Here’s what goes into our chocolate banana muffin recipe (+my secrets to keep muffins from sticking to their wrappers!)…

HERE’S WHAT GOES INTO OUR GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFIN RECIPE:

RIPE BANANAS. Our gluten-free chocolate banana muffin recipe starts with 3 ripe bananas. You want them spotty and dotty for best results. (If they’re green, the muffins will be more sweet and less tender. If they’re completely black, you can run into a mushy or gritty texture.)

EGGS + COCONUT SUGAR + ALMOND MILK + OIL + VANILLA. Next, comes the rest of our wet ingredients. I use pretty standard muffin ingredients here–eggs for binding and puff, coconut sugar for sweetness, almond milk + oil for moisture, and vanilla to enhance the chocolate flavor.

OUR FAVORITE GLUTEN-FREE MEASURE-FOR-MEASURE FLOUR. On the dry ingredient side, I use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour for these gluten-free chocolate banana muffins. It’s easy (just one blend to use!), and gives pretty consistent results every time. I highly recommend King Arthur Baking Measure-for-Measure gluten-free flour blend. It’s light, fluffy, and contains xanthan gum which helps keep your baked goods tender. Our back-up is this one from Bob’s Red Mill. If you use another flour blend, know that your results may be different, since different blends have different ratios of flours.

UNSWEETENED COCOA POWDER + BAKING SODA + SALT. Then, you’ll just need some cocoa powder, baking soda and salt to finish up the dry ingredients. You’ll get so much lovely chocolate flavor from the cocoa, and the baking soda and salt help everything stay fluffy, light, and balanced. Easy-peasy!

CHOCOLATE CHIPS! To make these gluten-free chocolate banana muffins even better, I stir chocolate chips into the batter and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top. That way, there’s chocolatey goodness in every bite (and your muffins will look polished and lovely, too!). Make sure you use allergy-friendly or dairy-free chocolate chips as needed!

MIX-IT UP! HERE ARE SOME TASTY WAYS TO CHANGE UP YOUR GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS.

As written, our gluten-free chocolate banana muffin recipe is just perfect. But, if you want to play with the recipe a bit, you can try one of these variations…

STIR IN CHOPPED NUTS. To give these an almost rocky road vibe, you can add in 1/2 cup of chopped pecans with 1/2 cup chocolate chips (instead of 3/4 cup chocolate chips as written below). I still like finishing the muffins with a few chocolate chips + nuts sprinkled on top. Walnuts or toasted almonds would also work!

ADD A MIX OF WHITE + DARK CHOCOLATE CHIPS. For an extra special look, feel free to use a mix of white chips and dark chocolate chips here. Sometimes it feels extra fun and festive!

USE MINI CHOCOLATE CHIPS ON TOP. It might not seem like much of a change, but using 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips on top instead of regular chocolate chips makes these muffins look even more chocolatey. (Mini chocolate chips = more to go around visually!)

TRY COCONUT OIL OR MELTED BUTTER/VEGAN BUTTER IN PLACE OF THE OIL. You can play with the flavor a bit by swapping our neutral avocado oil for melted coconut oil, melted butter, or melted vegan butter.

FAQ + TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS.

LET’S TALK MUFIN PANS! I prefer baking our gluten-free chocolate banana muffins in a metal muffin pan for crispy edges that feel almost like a healthy brownie or cupcake, but you can totally use one of these silicone muffin pans which are naturally nonstick and dishwasher-safe. (I recommend placing your silicone muffin pan on a baking sheet for stability.)

OUR FAVORITE MUFFIN CUPS EVER. For muffins that won’t stick to the pan and won’t stick to the wrapper, I highly (HIGHLY!!!) recommend these parchment muffin cups. They’re the most nonstick I’ve ever tried and save you a lot of frustration (and broken muffins). Love them!

THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR FOR MUFFINS. In case you missed it above, I highly recommend this gluten-free flour blend from King Arthur Baking. It’s got a great blend of flours, contains xanthan gum, and always gives me light, fluffy results in muffins. Our backup is this one from Bob’s Red Mill. Just know that if you choose to use another flour blend, your muffins may not work out the same way.

CAN I MAKE THEM VEGAN? I haven’t tested these with flax eggs or chia eggs yet, but that’s where I’d start if I wanted to make them vegan! (Learn how to make a flax egg here.)

CAN I USE ALMOND FLOUR OR COCONUT FLOUR INSTEAD? I do not recommend substituting almond flour or coconut flour into this gluten-free chocolate banana muffins recipe. They bake differently and have different properties and without making other adjustments (to the amount of liquid, need to add starch, etc.), they will not turn out the same.

DO CHOCOLATE BANANA MUFFINS FREEZE WELL? Yes! It’s one of the things I love about them. Just pop them in a freezer-safe bag after they’ve cooled and store in the freezer for about 1 month. My daughter loves packing these muffins in lunches for a treat. They thaw by lunchtime and she feels like the luckiest girl around!

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