These fudgy paleo chocolate banana muffins are super rich and decadent! They’re also naturally sweetened with honey and are grain-free, gluten-free and dairy-free.
When I make muffins, I’m usually able to eat at least three or four before I feel even the slightest bit full (I have to admit that I’m kind of a piggie). But these chocolate banana muffins are so rich and filling I could hardly do one and a half.
I suppose that’s not too surprising considering all the almond flour and chocolate in there!
These gluten-free muffins have a really nice texture! They’re not quite fudgy, but definitely headed that way, which is probably another reason why I couldn’t handle eating several of these at once.
So they’re dense, but a nice dense, and have a really nice crumb. And they definitely don’t have that typical paleo muffin texture! I don’t know about you, but I’ve had way too many bad grain-free muffins.
They’re often weirdly spongy and just don’t taste very good. My taste testers thought that these were made with all-purpose flour. To be honest now, my taste testers don’t know a thing about baking, let alone grain-free baking, but I was happy. :D
For another paleo muffin recipe with an awesome texture, you have to try my paleo blueberry muffins! They’re magical. They’re almost like angel food-like in texture.
These paleo apple muffins are also amazingly delicious! They have grated and chopped apples and loads of cinnamon for a lovely explosion of fall flavor.
But back to today’s recipe! The banana taste is also pretty strong in these banana muffins so I wouldn’t recommend making these unless the idea of chocolate and banana appeals to you!
I was kind of hoping to use up my bananas in these muffins and not have them taste like banana at all, but I’m still really pleased with how they came out.
I haven’t tried subbing the banana with something else so I have no idea how that’d work. If you try using something else, let us know in the comments how it worked out!
If you’d rather have something more traditional, try these guilt-free chocolate banana muffins from Noble Pig. These double chocolate banana quinoa muffins from A Dash of Sanity also sound delicious and interesting!
Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 12 muffins
Ingredients
- 2 medium super ripe bananas (each banana was 185 grams with the peel and 143 grams without)
- 1/3 cup (106 grams) honey
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) refined coconut oil, melted1
- 200 grams (~2 cups but please weigh!) blanched almond flour
- 3 tablespoons (27 grams) coconut flour
- 1/3 cup (42 grams) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (180 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (use dairy-free / paleo chocolate chips, if necessary)
- additional mini chocolate chips for sprinkling, if desired
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, mash the bananas with the bottom of a glass. They should almost be like a puree.
- Add the honey and vanilla and stir.
- Add in the eggs and oil and stir until well combined.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Stir just until combined and then stir in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the muffin liners and sprinkle on additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Be careful not to confuse a melted chocolate chip with the batter.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
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313 comments on “Paleo Chocolate Banana Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)” — Add one!
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Hi and thank you for all the good work you are putting in here . I just made this muffin recipe and thought I would let you know of my substitution. I did not have any almond flower on hand so I ground up some walnuts and used that instead. They worked beautifully. I left the nuts a little more textured than what almond flower would have been, but it did not seem to hurt the muffins, only it made them with some nut texture. I will make these again. We are having a birthday party tomorrow so it will be interesting to see what the verdict is then.
What a nice thing to say! Thanks. :) And that’s interesting about the ground walnuts. I’m surprised (but happy!) that that worked out well. I’ll have to try it myself and see how it tastes. Thanks a bunch for your nice comment and the tips!
Made these today! I believe this is the best muffin recipe I have ever made that was “clean”! I love how moist they are and they really seem like cupcakes instead. I used sugar free chocolate chips and chopped them with my food chopper (so they wouldn’t settle to the bottom) instead of mini chocolate chips. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Wow! I’m thrilled that you enjoyed them so much. :) I also love how moist they are. I’ve had way too many weirdly textured grain-free cakes and muffins. ;) And good to know that they’re still sweet enough with sugar-free chocolate chips. Thanks for your comment!
These were amazing!!! We made a double batch for church and they were gone within seconds and people kept coming and asking if we had any more. Loved that they didn’t taste too much like banana as I don’t usually like chocolate and banana together. Will definitely be making them again… and again and again and again!!!
That’s great that they were such a hit at church! I’m so happy you liked them despite the banana + chocolate thing. I’m also not a huge fan of the two together but I do love these muffins. ;) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
I found these quite dry. But then I usually do when baking with almond or coconut flour. OK with gobs of grass-fed butter! Sorry, but I wouldn’t make them again.
I think something must have gone wrong for these to come out dry because they’re quite fudgy and moist like in the pictures! Did you use measuring cups or did you weigh the flour? If you packed your cups denser than I do (I don’t pack them at all), then that could explain why they came out dry for you. Sorry you didn’t like them!
HI ERIN.
I’M VEGETARIAN .I DON’T EAT EGGS.WHAT CAN I USE AS A SUBSTITUTE.THANKS RAJ
Flax seed and water are an option as an egg substitute.http://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Made these beauties today for after church snack. I asked my twins if they wanted to try a muffin “just a piece of one it’s probably your gluten free crap” lol they said you’re getting better! I think I may turn them yet. I personally thought they were delicious. Thanks again for all you do making us healthier goodies!
Hahaha. Your twins sound feisty. ;) I’m happy that they thought they were better than the usual gluten-free stuff. I suppose that’s a step in the right direction. :D Thanks a bunch for your feedback and your nice comment!
Sam’s Club has blanched almond flour at our store 48 oz for $17.98!
Holy moly! That’s expensive. Or is that a good price in the US? I’ve never bought almond flour there!
Just made these muffins and am really impressed! Expected them to be good but honestly not this good!! Fantastic recipe!! It’s good to know there are tasty treats you can make while following gluten and dairy free diet! Thank you so much!!
You’re welcome! :) That’s awesome that you enjoyed them so much. They exceeded my expectations when I first made them, too. ;) Thanks a ton for your nice comment!
These muffins were UHmazing!! Very easy to make. And extremely hard not to eat them all. :0)
Haha. I totally agree with you on it being hard not to eat them all. ;) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
My sister in law made these for me last year. The best ever! I am FINALLY getting around to making them today. Fingers crossed, it’s my first healthy baking attempt!
Good luck! I’m sure it’ll go great (as long as you don’t make any substitutions ;)) Thanks a ton for your feedback!
Thanks! It went PERFECT! I’m amazed and so in love with this recipe. Nice to sit down and enjoy a real treat, and it’s guilt free!
Yay! I’m so happy to hear that it went well. :) Thanks for coming back to let me know how they turned out!
I made these again and added 2 tablespoons of coconut yogurt and the texture and taste was perfect. I also added 1/4 extra baking soda. See my comment on March 23, 2105. My son loved them.
I’m so happy that he liked them! And good to know about adding coconut yogurt if using a GF baking blend. Thanks for the tip and your feedback. :)
I made these about a month ago and they were ABSOLUTELY DELISH! I was curious- could you substitute part or all of the almond flour for cassava flour- both to make them slightly fluffier but also to cut back a little on the fat?
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! I’ve been dying to try cassava flour but we unfortunately don’t have it here in Germany. I’ll be visiting the US in December and will get some then. Until then, I’m afraid I can’t give you any advice. I do know that they (you’re talking about Otto’s, right?) say cassava flour is often interchangeable with wheat flour, and almond flour really isn’t interchangeable with wheat flour, so I’m guessing that that sub wouldn’t work. It’s just a guess, though! I posted some really delicious 100% whole grain chocolate banana muffins that you may have better luck with when it comes to a cassava sub. Sorry I couldn’t be more of a help. Let me know if you try it out. I’d love to know how it goes. :) Thanks for your feedback!
I have another brand of cassava flour, but I’d imagine they’re going to be basically the same. thanks for the suggestion on the other recipe as well! keep up the awesome recipe-sharing! :)
Aww, thanks! I’m happy you like the recipes. :) Thanks again for your feedback!
Oh my, these are delish. I only gad 1/4 cup almond meal and used 1 & 1/4 cups gf flour mix – so total 1 & 1/2 cups. I added a bit if water at the end too. Came out moist and yummy. Finally an easy gf, df muffin for my son. Thank you.
I’m so happy that your sub came out well and that you found a recipe your son can enjoy, too. :) Thanks so much for your feedback!
These look so fudgey and delicious! Cannot wait to try them!
I hope you’ll enjoy them! :)
Wow! So amazing! made the top 10 paleo Chocolate Recipes!!! http://joyfulbite.com/top-ten-paleo-chocolate-recipes-you-have-to-try/
Awesome! Thanks so much. :)
just one word for this muffin DIVINE
So happy that you liked them! Thanks for the feedback. :)
This is the BEST grain-free baked good I have ever had. Thank you so much for this recipe!
That’s awesome to hear! What a compliment. :) Thanks so much!
I subsituted king arthour gluten free baking flour for the almond flour and they were really dense but the texture was fine and taste was good. I think if you need to make it nut free you might need to decrease the amount of flour. My son has nut allergies and I do not work for the King Arthur company but I know that all gluten free flours are not the same.
I don’t really think a GF baking blend will work here but it’s good to know that people will need to reduce the flour if they decide to try anyway! Thanks for the tip. :)
Made these today, and they were amazing! I will admit I didn’t weigh the almond flour…just used “about 2 cups”, and they turned out awesome. I had to bake about 2 mins longer. Thanks for this recipe! I know I will be using it again!!
I’m so happy that they turned out well! And awesome that about 2 cups worked. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hmmmmm… I love chocolates! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe :)
You’re welcome! I hope you’ll like the muffins. :)
Wow! these are amazing! Even my muffin lovin’ kids devoured these…I have been searching for a healthy version of their favorite mega mart muffin! I always felt so guilty buying them!! But now I will make these instead…Thank you!!!!!
I’m so happy that you and your kids enjoyed them! And I’m with you – mostly guilt-free treats are the best. :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
I am totally addicted to these! Sooooo delicious! I’m just wondering if anyone has figured out the weight watchers points for one of these babies?
I’m so happy that you liked them! :) I don’t know if this will help (I don’t know anything about Weight Watchers), but here’s how to calculate those points.
Amaaaaaaazing! I have baked this recipe in a loaf tin and muffin tins between 1-2 times a week for the last couple of months. I take some everytime I catch up with friends, and send some home with visitors every time. It’s almost midnight and I’m baking them again. Just can’t get enough!
(As I don’t buy choc chips I’ve just added chopped raw cacao butter which works beautifully in place of the choc chips! I also add 5-6 drops of orange oil for a slight Jaffa flavour at times). I ran out of almond meal last week so substituted with one third freshly ground oat flour and it was just as moist as ever!
Thank you so much. (I loooove your banana oat pancakes too- I make that as a loaf when I don’t have time to stand around flipping them on the stove and the kids think they’re having cake for breakfast so they’re especially well behaved . Works a treat :)
Mmm! I love the idea of your orange version! And oat flour sounds great, too. :) What size loaf pan do you use? I’ll have to try that! I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed the recipe so much. And the banana oat pancakes, too! Thanks a ton for your feedback. :)
hi erin, i am no cook and this was my first attempt with “alternative” baking so i was certainly hesitant, but they turned out great and were delicious! i also made the pureed date brownies and passed them off on my kids ;-) thanks for taking the time/effort to create these healthy, chocolately recipes!
I’m happy to hear that you liked the muffins! Thanks for letting me know. :) Did you not like the brownies? Or were you just feeling very generous towards your kids? ;)
hi erin,
i meant passed them off in the sense that i served as “brownies” and left out the part that they were healthy–and they ate them ;-) i did like them as well. i’ve been living off your sweets for the past 2 months as i’m trying to go dairy, soy, rice, and wheat free for awhile (so depressing…). your recipes have been a lifesaver for my sweet tooth. i particularly like the cookie dough bites i’m thinking of making a double batch of the muffins so i have extra to freeze. would you recommend freezing the batter or the already baked muffins? take care!
Aww. I hope your dairy/soy/rice/wheat-free trial will be over soon! And if you do it permanently, I hope you can find enough recipes over here for your sweet tooth. I’m happy to hear that you’ve been enjoying the recipes so far. :) And I don’t recommend freezing the batter (because I don’t know what effect that’d have on the baking soda). Definitely freeze the already baked muffins! I hope you’ll enjoy them. :)
Delicious – wonderful texture and taste!
(thanks for including weight measurements) Can’t wait for my daughter with celiac disease to try them. thanks so much!
No problem! Thank you for the feedback and I hope your daughter will enjoy them. :)
Hi Erin,
I made these recently and loved them! I’m wondering if I can take the almond-coconut flour ratio and use that as a base for savory muffins? Or do you have a basic savory muffin/bread recipe base you use or would recommend? I’m thinking zucchini with sun-dried tomatoes. Thanks for any direction you can give!
Texan Natalie (now living in Oregon)
Hi Natalie! I like your idea but the problem would be… what to do with the cocoa powder, bananas and honey? They’re used here in pretty significant amounts. I’d definitely be worried about removing those things from the recipe to make a savory version. I don’t have any savory muffin recipes (sorry!) but I found this roundup of sweet and savory grain-free muffin recipes. I hope you can find something good there. And I’m happy that you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the rating. :)
These look delicious! What nut and gluten free flour can replace the almond in this recipe?
Can’t wait to try them!
Thank u!
Thanks! And unfortunately, I don’t think there’s any sub. :( You could try makinghomemade nut-free almond flour replacement or use a GF baking blend for these double chocolate banana muffins. I think that’d be a much safer bet! Good luck if you decide to try either one. :)
Thanks Erin, I’ll give the other recipe a try :)
I hope it’ll work out well for you! :)
I LOVE these! Awesome recipe!! Thank you!
So happy that you liked them! Thanks for the feedback and rating. :)
Sorry if this is a stupid question but is almond meal the same as almond flour? These look perfect to bake for my coeliac friend’s farewell party!
Almond meal will work fine here! Almond flour is blanched and ground a little finer but it won’t even be noticeable in these muffins (something like a light and fluffy lemon cake would be a different story). I hope you and your friend will like the muffins! :)
WOW! I’m pretty sure I’ll be making these weekly! You’re the BEST! Thanks for sharing this insanely delicious recipe!!!! <3
Aww, thanks so much, Megan! I’m so happy that you liked them! Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating. :)
I love anything chocolate and banana, these muffins look great!
Thanks, Laura! I’ll never forget your super pretty chocolate banana muffins in the blue wrappers. So, so pretty. :)
I have no words for how amazing these were. I love trying new recipes on pinterest and happened to have some browning bananas when I stumbled upon this. I had everything on hand (except i just used unsweetened cocoa powder from trader joes) – it made 12 exactly, i sprinkled in a few large ghirdelli dark chocolate chips.
WOW seriously one of the greatest muffin recipes i have tried. my boyfriend LOVESSSS them plus I was able to freeze half so i have them for next week. Great as an afternoon snack with my coffee and I don’t need to feel guilty about it- THANK YOU for this recipe :)
Oh, yay! I’m so happy that you enjoyed them! And it’s awesome to know that these freeze well. Thanks a ton for the feedback and the rating! You totally made my day with your review. :)
These look great. I dint think anyone will be able to tell that they are eating healthy when they devour one of these. Great recipe!
Thanks so much, Lisa! I hope you get a chance to try them. :)
Used this recipe last night and worked great. Unfortunately didn’t have enough muffin tins so we turned it into one big cake. It was lovely and moist and tasted amazing. Wasn’t able to find the exact ingredients so used ground almonds as almond flour and sweet desiccated coconut as coconut flour and still turned out great. Hard to think it’s healthy too :)
Desiccated coconut instead of coconut flour?! Whoa. That’s awesome. I’m really surprised (and happy!) that that worked. :) So happy to hear that they came out well for you! Thanks so much for the feedback. :)
Girl, these are insane! That texture! I can’t wait to make them.
Thank you and I hope you’ll love them! :)
I need to find coconut flour and pick up some almond flour immediately. These muffins look incredible!
I hope you do! They almost taste like “normal” muffins. :D
Do you have a calorie count for each muffin? Thanks…
I intentionally don’t include those (I focus on making healthier choices rather than low calorie / fat / etc.) but you can copy and paste the recipe here for that info, if you like. :)
Erin do you think that the almond and coconut flour can be substituted with a gluten free baking flour mix? I’d love to make them but that’s all I have on hand…
I’m afraid not. :( GF baking mix and even regular gluten-containing flour is totally different than almond flour and coconut flour and so subbing won’t work. What you could do is check out the whole wheat chocolate banana muffins I linked to in the post and use the GF baking mix for that! That would be a much better alternative than trying with this recipe (though I can’t guarantee it’d work since I haven’t tried it). I hope it works out for you! :)
I’m really loving you’re dairy free recipes. I would say I’m lactose intolerant, but really it’s more like an allergy. I use a lot of nut milks that we make from scratch. This recipe and the one for the banana pancakes look amazing. They’ll be perfect for dinner tonight for the grandkids. Thanks.
I hope that you and the grandkids enjoyed the pancakes! :) And homemade nut milk sounds great. I’ve tried making homemade almond milk but discarding all the leftover almond pulp was just too painful for me. ;)
I decided to attempt to make coconut flour after doing some research. It was quick and simple, now on to making your amazing recipe!
Oooh! I love that you made coconut flour. :) I hope that the muffins came out well!
I have everything but the coconut flour, do you think it will drastically change the muffin to use 3 more tablespoons of almond flour?
I’m afraid so. :( Coconut flour and almond flour (or any other type of flour) aren’t interchangeable. Coconut flour absorbs much more liquid than other types of flour, but there’s not really a good conversion system. I also think baked goods made with just almond flour (without the addition of a little coconut flour) come out kind of oily. But that could be personal preference! Sorry I couldn’t be more of a help.
Your words totally make sense. Thanks so much!
No problem! :)
Oh yeah, I love me some banana and chocolate. These muffins look incredibly moist and fudgy. Yum!
Thanks! And yeah. Chocolate + banana. YUM! Now I’m kicking myself I didn’t involve peanut butter somehow. Booo!
Hi there! I am planning on making this recipe today, they look amazing! My bananas however do not seem ripe enough.. I have frozen ones a can thaw, but you had me a peanut butter LOL.. do you think there’s a way to sub half the banana with homemade peanut butter?!
Thanks! :D
Hi, Lindsay! I guess that sub could work but I’ve never tried subbing peanut butter for bananas so I really have no idea if it’d work (it sounds kind of risky to me – I’d hate for you to waste all that almond flour!) If you’re going by a shop today, you could get some ripe (they don’t have to be super ripe – just not green) bananas and ripen them this way! I hope that helps and that you’ll enjoy the muffins. :)
I really need to get a Costco membership. These sound perfect, Erin!
Haha. Yeah, you do! I loved going there or to Sam’s when I lived in the US. :)
Love the texture of these! I need to do more baking with almond flour!
Yeah, you do! It’s good stuff. Just wish it weren’t so expensive in the US!
These muffins are utterly fantastic and just plain gorgeous and moist and flavorful and wow!!
Did you actually try them?! :)
These muffins look so chocolaty and moist! Yummy!
Thanks, Medeja! And yeah. These are super chocolatey. :D
Erin,
Which coconut oil do you use and how do you know if it is refined or not? I have been using Rapunzel Kokosfett Mild and haven’t noticed a discernible smell or taste with the finished product so I’m guessing it is refined. Have you found one that is actually liquid here in Deutschland? Also, would love to hear if you have any experience with the yeast here.
Thanks so much, Carla
I use Othuena coconut oil. It’s the kind at Kaiser’s, Rewe, Netto, Kaufland and everywhere else. :) I was pretty sure it said refined somewhere on the package but I can’t find it on there now. If it has absolutely no coconut smell / taste, it’s refined. And as far as I know, coconut oil is always solid at temperatures below 75F. I don’t use German yeast. I tried it several times with American recipes and the loaves (which I now make with American yeast without issue) never rose properly. So I suggest having a friend send you some yeast in the mail. :)
Thanks for the info. I was afraid you were going to say that about the yeast. ; [ Didn’t want to wait that long!
No problem! And sorry about the yeast. Baking with American recipes in Germany is just a pain in the butt, isn’t it? :(
Wow, this looks so delicious! Gooey chocolate things are always my favorite :)
Same! Goo + chocolate. YES! :D
Love these, they look really delicious! Great tip about the costco chips – I’ll have to look for those.
Thank you! And I hope you can find the chocolate chips. I haven’t tried them myself but the commenter seemed happy with them. :)
I love the look of these – annnnnd love that they’re filling!!
Thanks, Katrina! Same here. It’s just dangerous when you can eat 4 muffins without feeling the slightest change to your hunger. ;)