Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins made with whole grain oats instead of regular all-purpose flour. This wholesome recipe is sweetened mostly with ripe bananas, is dairy-free and makes the best afternoon snack.
After sharing my Double Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins, I’ve been on a chocolate muffin kick.
This time around, I was craving the classic combination of banana and chocolate for a sort of banana bread meets chocolate cake approach.
The end result is a dozen banana muffins that aren’t overly sweet and come with a big chocolate bonus.
One of my favorite things about these healthy banana muffins (in addition to the amazing pairing of chocolate and banana flavors), is how wholesome they are.
They’re made with whole grains, are lower in added sweetener, and the majority of the sweetness comes from fruit (bananas). Easy breakfast, here we come!
Because the recipe is made with all natural ingredients (except for the chocolate chips which are optional), I consider it to be a healthier option than muffins that are made with refined sugar, white flour, and butter.
If you prefer using a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend over oats, you can make my Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Muffins.
For a grain-free option using almond flour, make my Paleo Double Chocolate Banana Bread Muffins.
Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this healthy muffin recipe!
Ingredients for Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins:
Rolled Oats: Rather than using regular all-purpose flour, we blend up rolled oats (or old-fashioned oats) in a blender to create an oat flour. This results in whole grain muffins that are so wholesome and tasty! If you already have your own oat flour at home, use 1 ⅔ cups.
If you need the recipe to be gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats in all of my recipes calling for oats.
Ripe Bananas: Overripe bananas make up the majority of the sweetness in this healthy muffin recipe. Be sure to use bananas that have plenty of brown spots for the best results because they add a great deal of sweetness and moisture.
Pure Maple Syrup: While the pure maple syrup is optional, I like adding a few tablespoons to bump up the sweetness so that it tastes like we’re eating chocolate cake in muffin form. Skip it if you don’t eat added sugar.
Avocado Oil: The fat content of these fluffy chocolate banana muffins. Avocado oil brings a moist crumb and lovely texture to the muffins so that they taste rich.
Eggs: A couple large eggs help the muffins rise and become nice and fluffy.
I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg replacer like flax egg but I’m betting the muffins would turn out very dense without eggs.
Pure Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla extract brings warm flavor to the muffins. It isn’t mandatory if you don’t have it on hand but I like the added nuance.
Cocoa Powder: Providing a big burst of chocolate flavor, we need an unsweetened cocoa powder.
I prefer using raw cacao powder over regular cocoa powder because it tastes less bitter and has a creamier flavor. Any brand of cocoa powder you’ve tried and love will work here.
Baking Soda & Cider Vinegar: The leavening agent, which helps the muffins rise and bake evenly.
Cider vinegar reacts with the baking soda to create the perfect chemical reaction to help the muffins rise. In place of cider vinegar you can use lemon juice, rice vinegar, or balsamic vinegar.
Chocolate Chips: Melty chocolate chips level up the texture of these muffins to a sultrier status. The chocolate chips are entirely optional but I love the fudgy texture they bring. The pockets of sweet chocolate goo are just so inviting!
If you prefer treats that are lower in sugar, skip the chocolate chips or halve the amount. Use dairy-free chocolate chips, sugar-free chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips if you’d like.
Sea Salt and Ground Cinnamon: A pinch of salt enhances all of the flavors. I also like adding a pinch of cinnamon because I think it tastes amazing in baked treats but the cinnamon is optional.
Recipe Customizations:
- Replace the pure maple syrup with 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar or brown sugar. If you go this route, I’d recommend adding another 2 tablespoons of avocado oil.
- Add 2/3 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts for nutty muffins.
- Omit the chocolate chips or replace them with raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, or dried blueberries.
- While butter or coconut oil can easily be substituted for avocado oil, I like that avocado oil adds omega-3 fats to the muffins.
- For lower fat, you can substitute some of the avocado oil for almond milk. If you go this route, I recommend adding slightly more almond milk (2-4 tablespoons) to make up for the loss of moisture.
Let’s bake a batch of these healthy chocolate banana muffins!
How to Make Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
Transfer the rolled oats to a high-powered blender and blend for 1 minute, or until a flour forms.
Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon to the blender and blend for 10-30 more seconds or until all of the dry ingredients are well-combined.
Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until they reach your desired texture. You can mash out all the lumps or leave them somewhat lumpy which is what I do.
Add the pure maple syrup, avocado oil, and pure vanilla extract (the rest of the wet ingredients) to the large bowl with the mashed bananas and mix well.
Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well, until a thick batter forms. If adding, stir in the chocolate chips.
Pour muffin batter into the lined muffin tin, filling the muffin cups most of the way up. If you’d like, top the muffin batter with extra chocolate chips.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the muffins test clean.
A great way of checking whether or not muffins are cooked through is to take their internal temperature using a digital thermometer (or meat thermometer). Simply insert a thermometer into the center of a muffin and if it is higher than 190 degrees Fahrenheit, it is baked through.
Allow the muffins to cool to room temperature before peeling off the muffin papers to enjoy. Note that peeling the paper liner off when the muffin is still warm will cause much of the muffin to stick to the paper.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container or zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also freeze muffins in a zip lock bag or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
I recommend heating a muffin up in the microwave for 10-15 seconds to enjoy it warm. A slather of peanut butter on a warm muffin never hurt either.
This recipe makes 12 big chocolate chip banana oatmeal muffins or you can make 16 smaller (regular sized) muffins.
The next time you’re in the mood for a treat but want to keep it mindful, whip up a batch of these banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins! I pair them with some quality protein for a healthy breakfast or enjoy one as is for a healthy snack.
Enjoy them with a cup of coffee and some Greek yogurt for breakfast!
If you enjoy healthy muffin recipes like this one, be sure to check out these fan favorites too!
More Healthy Muffin Recipes:
- Healthy Sweet Potato Muffins
- Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins
- Healthy Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
Chocolate and banana lovers unite!
Oatmeal Chocolate Banana Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 4 large ripe bananas about 2 cups when mashed
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ cup avocado oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp cider vinegar
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
- Transfer the rolled oats to a high-powered blender and blend for 1 minute, or until a flour forms. Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon to the blender and blend for 10-30 more seconds or until all of the dry ingredients are well-combined.
- Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until they reach your desired texture. You can mash out all the lumps or leave them somewhat lumpy which is what I do.
- Add the pure maple syrup, avocado oil, eggs, cider vinegar, and pure vanilla extract (the rest of the wet ingredients) to the large bowl with the mashed bananas and mix well.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix well, until a thick batter forms. If adding, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour muffin batter into the lined muffin tin, filling the muffin cups most of the way up. If you’d like, top the muffin batter with extra chocolate chips.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the muffins test clean. A great way of checking whether or not muffins are cooked through is to take their internal temperature using a digital thermometer (or meat thermometer). Simply insert a thermometer into the center of a muffin and if it is higher than 190 degrees Fahrenheit, it is baked through.
- Allow the muffins to cool to room temperature before peeling off the muffin papers to enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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These were delicious! Hard to believe that there’s no white or brown sugar in there! Just wondering–if I want to use whole wheat flour instead of oats, how much would I use?
Hi Jennifer! I’m happy you enjoy the muffins! I would start with 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour and see what the batter looks like. You can always add a little more if it’s too thin but whole wheat flour tends to absorb liquid a little better than homemade oat flour. My guess is you’ll end up using somewhere between 1 1/2 cups and 1 3/4 cups of flour. Let me know how they turn out! xo
I made those Healthy Oatmeal Chocolat muffin last night and we love them, even my husband said they were delichious. Thank You
Aww that’s great to hear, Aline! I’m happy you and your husband enjoy them! xo
Hello. Step 4 does not say to add the eggs and vinegar.
We just finished making these and we love them! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I’m happy to hear you enjoy them, Tanya! xo
Very good and easy to make.
I’m happy you enjoy them! 🙂 They’re a new household staple for us.
In the recipe, you say “Add the pure maple syrup, avocado oil, and pure vanilla extract (the rest of the wet ingredients) to the large bowl with the mashed bananas and mix well”
Did you forget to mention the eggs and cider vinegar? Do they also get added here? I’m used to eggs being added as one of the first wet ingredients, and many recipes call for beating them first Can you clarify please? Thanks! Can’t wait to make these… they sound amazing!
Hi Persephone! Thanks for catching that! You nailed it – the eggs and cider vinegar are meant to be mixed in with the pure maple syrup, mashed bananas and oil 🙂 I made this change to the recipe card so that the instructions are clearer. Hope you enjoy!! xo
Can you use olive oil
Hi Linda! You can use olive oil but I would caution that sometimes the flavor of extra virgin olive oil comes through in baked goods. For this reason, I’d avoid using extra virgin unless you’re okay with a little olive oil flavor 🙂 Enjoy!
I just made these for breakfast to get rid of four brown bananas. They are amazing!!!! I’ve already pinned the recipe and will be making these again and again. They’re the perfect blend of delicately sweet and chocolate in a moist muffin. Delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them, Donna! They became an instant staple for me too. Thanks so much for such a glowing review! 😀
Hi!
Can I omit cocoa powder? Then wht should I replace that?
I want to make it for my son 1 years old…
Hi there! That’s a great question! I actually have a separate recipe that omits the cocoa powder. You can find it here: https://www.theroastedroot.net/flourless-oatmeal-banana-nut-muffins/ Hope you enjoy! xo
Iam exited about these recipe
Must try it.thank you.
I hope you enjoy them, Grace!
Hello- I am not seeing the amounts for the cocoa powder and bananas (I’m using my phone so I don’t know if I’m just missing that part). Thanks!
Hi Mayra! It’s 4 ripe bananas and 2/3 cup cocoa powder. If you click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page, it will take you right to the recipe, which may be easier on a phone than scrolling 🙂 Hope you enjoy the muffins! xo
If not using eggs, agave instead of maple syrup plus flax eggs should work to prevent this from being too dense. Agave is great in vegan baking for this reason.
Thanks so much for sharing this information! I had no idea. I’m not very experienced with vegan baking, and I didn’t realize using agave would make a difference to the texture! What fabulous news 🙂 Thanks so much for providing your input! xo
The recipe does not call for butter but at the end of the recipe it says you can replace the butter with different oils. I am confused on that part.
Hi Margarett! Apologies for the confusion. You can use 1/2 cup of avocado oil, coconut oil, or melted butter. Let me know if you have any other questions! xo
I just made these with flax egg replacement. I did a half recipe in case it didn’t turn out but they’re pretty good! I baked for an extra 10 or 15 minutes because the toothpick wasn’t coming clean but eventually just took them out. They aren’t gooey and are a pretty good texture!
Thanks so much for sharing this, Amanda! This is super helpful to others who want to try the same thing. Much appreciated! xo
I am going on a three-day skiing/snowshoeing trip next week. Each person is to bring some sort of snack to share after a day in the snow. Being gluten- and cane sugar-free, I wanted to bring something that was healthy and appealing to all. This recipe appeared to fit the bill, so I made a test run this afternoon. My husband LOVED the flavor and texture, although he said he could tell it wasn’t made with wheat. I made half into muffins and then made the other half in a small cast-iron skillet (to see if it could be made into a rectangular cake). The end result was that – except for the shape – there was no difference! BTW – your tip to use a thermometer and cook to 190 degrees was spot on! It was perfect. Thank you for sharing this superb recipe!
Amazing! I’m so happy to hear you and your husband enjoy the muffins, and I love the idea of turning it into a cake as well! Thanks so much for the thorough feedback – this is super helpful! Enjoy your ski trip!! xo
Could you add whey protein powder to this recipe to up the protein?
Hi Jenn! I believe so but I haven’t tried it myself yet. You could go about it one of two ways: 1) replace the cocoa powder with protein powder (either partially or entirely), or 2) add protein powder and some form of liquid to offset the addition of the dry ingredient. If you choose this option, I wouldn’t add more than 1/3 cup of protein powder, and I would probably add about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of almond milk (or oat milk, etc). Let me know what you end up trying! xo
How much cider vinegar?
Thanks for catching that, Jacqui! It’s 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar. I added it to the recipe card 🙂 Hope you enjoy the muffins!