Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins {Gluten-Free}
These healthful (yet decadent) double chocolate banana blender muffins are easily gluten-free, amazingly delicious, and SO fast to make. No stressing about over mixing muffin batter – the blender does all the work!
If I’ve learned one thing about myself over the last couple of years, it’s that I have a thing for blender muffins. And I’m not entirely sure I see that stopping anytime soon.
Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins
Banana Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins
And while my mind is constantly spinning with other flavor profiles, clearly I couldn’t proceed until we tackled a double chocolate blender muffin. These super quick, totally foolproof double chocolate banana blender muffins are in a league of their own. Wow, they are good.
The ultra-chocolate flavor leaves no doubt of what’s really important in life (and in a muffin). But believe it or not, they still fall on the healthful side of the spectrum (for me; I realize we all have our own parameters around “healthy”). Naturally sweetened with bananas and honey, there’s no added or oil or fat, and the muffins are deliciously whole grain.
Why blender muffins work
Most muffins recipes lecture you from here to Friday about the dangers and perils of over mixing the muffin batter. Over mixing can be death to a fluffy, moist muffin. But you don’t have to worry about that at all with this recipe. You literally throw all the ingredients in the blender and let ‘er go.
Skeptical? I get it. I was too. How on earth could a blender pulverize muffin batter and still turn out a soft and fluffy muffin? Well, one of the risks of over mixing traditional muffin batter is that it over develops the gluten and toughens the texture of the muffins. Gluten is present if there’s all-purpose or wheat flour in the recipe.
Because this recipe relies on oats for structure, the gluten is virtually nonexistent (and totally nonexistent if using certified GF oats). That means the batter can undergo the total definition of over mixing in the blender and still come out on the other side fluffy and perfect.
Please note, however, that while these double chocolate banana blender muffins are certainly soft and very definitely moist, they aren’t ultra sky-high fluffy like a cupcake or bakery-style muffin. I would describe the texture as soft and sturdy. Not dense, just a little sturdy deliciousness.
You can see in the picture below that after blending, the oats are still just a tiny bit detectable. The batter isn’t going to be 100% completely smooth. And that’s ok. There’s no noticeable oaty chunks in the baked muffins.
Because these muffins don’t have any added butter, oil or other fat, you might want to lightly grease the liners before scooping in the muffin batter. And definitely grease the muffin tin if you are going commando (no liners).
I almost always use my large cookie scoop aff. link to portion out muffin batter (for these muffins, I do a full scoop and then just a titch more to get the right amount – super scientific, I know). And even though I’ve said it before, let me reemphasize the merits of the USA brand muffin tin aff. link. It bakes evenly, it’s super easy to clean, and the muffin wells are slightly deeper which means I’ve never had a muffin ever, ever overflow when baking in this tin. Cue the Hallelujah chorus.
Of course a more traditional muffin tin can be used as well (this inexpensive Farberware brand aff. link is great).
Dotting the top of the muffin batter with additional chocolate chips is totally optional. But I do think it says a lot about a person depending on what they choose. Are you a more chocolate chips always and forever more kind of person? Or are you in the I’m good let’s not go overboard camp? I think we all know where I stand on this issue. 🙂
Either way, there’s enough chocolate flavor in these banana blender muffins to last a lifetime.
With less than 15 minutes of prep and an even quicker baking time (please oh please don’t over bake them!), you’re going to be faced with an entire muffin tin of gorgeous double chocolate banana blender muffins before you know it. I propose you figure out your self-control strategy sooner than later.
Because while they may be whole grain and somewhat healthful and all that, they are still completely irresistible.
And while you get a batch or three of these in the oven, I’ll just be over here dreaming up the next blender muffin flavor profile. How did we ever live before blender muffins (and siri)? Seriously. How.
As a sidenote, my youngest child, Cam, is following a strict gluten-free/artificial food dye-free diet for a while to try to narrow down some tummy issues. I have a lot to say about this and will probably talk about it in an upcoming Friday Thoughts post, but I’m certainly gaining a whole new appreciation for all of you that embrace a gluten-free lifestyle day in and day out!
These easily gluten-free muffins have been a lifesaver for her. She’s been thrilled to have a treat at school on those days when birthday cupcakes and cookies are being passed around in class (as well as dum-dums and skittles and oreos and everything else she can’t have right now thanks to the gluten-free + food dye component).
Believe me, though, these double chocolate banana blender muffins aren’t just tolerable because we’re searching for gluten-free snacks…they are honest to goodness delicious in their own right. I hope you love them!
One Year Ago: Lemon Truffle Shortbread Bars
Two Years Ago: Monterey Chicken with Pico de Gallo {Chili’s Copycat}
Three Years Ago: Skillet Teriyaki Meatballs
Four Years Ago: Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with Simple Tzatziki Sauce
Five Years Ago: Grilled Honey & Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins {Gluten-Free}
Ingredients
- 2 (about 226 g) ripe medium-size bananas
- ½ cup (113 g) sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (113 g) honey, or (71 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (43 g) natural, unsweetened cocoa powder (see note)
- 2 cups (200 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (see note)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ to 1 cup (85 to 170 g) chocolate chips + more for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners and lightly coat the liners with nonstick cooking spray (or omit the liners and grease the muffin tin).
- Add the bananas, sour cream or yogurt, eggs, vanilla, honey, cocoa powder, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt to a blender. Process until well-blended, scraping down the sides of the blender if needed.
- Add the chocolate chips to the blender and stir with a spoon or spatula.
- Portion the batter evenly into the muffin cups, about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of each muffin (optional).
- Bake for 15-18 minutes until the muffins spring back to the touch and are baked through (don’t over bake or they might be dry!).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: inspired by these banana chocolate chip blender muffins
I ran short of banana so added in blueberries to get the appropriate weight. My bananas were super ripe and straight from the freezer (smooshed them flat in a ziploc). For those that are saying it’s dense, there’s no way. You’re likely not adding in the leavening (add it at the very end and get these straight into the oven) or more likely not measuring correctly. They are incredibly light and fluffy. I bake a ton with oats and the trick is to NOT make a powder first for recipes like this. Literally blend everything together. Also, weigh things like oats because they will always inadvertently compact in the measuring cup.
Other than the berry sub, I added about half as much honey, an extra egg, and used cottage cheese in place of yogurt (needed to use up the last of the cottage cheese. Omit the salt if you go this route). Topped them with a sprinkle of oats and some sugar free dark chocolate chips.
An excellent little protein snack when paired with a big glass of milk! I calculated about 135 calories, 4g of fiber, and 6g of protein for my substitutions. Perfectly sweet without being a “banana” muffin!
These were a rare miss. They were heavy and dense, and the wrapper stuck so bad, even though I sprayed it with oil. Very chocolatey, though!
Very good! Definitely will make again.
These are so simple and delicious. I love the healthy ingredients, too!
Great recipe. Super easy way to use old bananas. I left off the chocolate chips, to make it a little cleaner for toddler hands and they were still yummy. I used quick oats with no issues.
Mel! Thank you for saving me tonight! I’ve been off refined sugar for 5 days for the sake of my health and I was in desperate need of a sweet fix tonight. I went directly to your website (my go to) cause I knew you’d have something great for me there. These muffins have such an incredible, delicious texture, I can’t believe how healthy they are considering the yummy taste. I will come back to this recipe again and again! My whole family loved them too.
We love these and have made them many times. These are soooo easy to make egg-free and/or dairy-free. I use coconut milk yogurt in place of the sour cream and have used flax eggs or egg replacer for the eggs. I usually make 2 batches because my kids eat them so quickly. Healthy and delicious!
LOVED this recipe and will be making it again and again. I substituted the Greek yogurt/sour cream for 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup coconut oil because those were the ingredients I had on hand and it tastes fantastic. I also used quick notes like some of the comments suggested and thought it was great. Husband didn’t love the graininess of the oats but I think his tastebuds are broken. Thanks for this wonderful and easy recipe! So nice to throw it all in a blender and pour it right into the cupcake liners. I’ll be making this recipe to share with some neighbors.
Made these tonight. They were heeeavvy. Their only redeeming quality was the chocolate chips. Will not make again.
Love you Mel, love your recipes but these are not my favorite.
I’ve been making these muffins for a few years now and they never disappoint! They freeze beautifully and feel like a healthy treat to have with my lunch. I don’t add chocolate chips to the batter–just sprinkle a few on the top before baking (save those few calories wherever I can!). Thank you for another winning recipe, Mel!
I really wanted these to work but they just kind of taste…Bland. There was no chocolate flavour at all and they had a weird sourness to them. I followed the recipe perfectly, any ideas of maybe why it went wrong?
Just made this recipe for my kiddos and they are a HIT! I only had one banana on hand so I added a jar of banana purée baby food and it works just fine. I also used instant oatmeal, added a few scoops of ground flax, and about a teaspoon or so of avocado oil., baked for 18 min. Made about 15 muffins. SO yummy. Thank you!
I made these and they are delicious! I have a friend who has gluten-free and dairy-free eaters in her home so this time I substituted applesauce for the sour cream and added one teaspoon oil. It was a total success. Just thought I’d share if anyone was looking for a way to make them dairy-free.
Thank you for sharing! I was hoping to find a DF substitute.
Hi I would like to know if there are any substitutions for eggs in this recipe?
Our family has made and loved these muffins many times; they always come out delicious and just like the pictures!
Side note- we rarely have ripe bananas on hand because my kids go through them so fast. But we found out that frozen bananas work great! We just added all the other ingredients first, and the frozen bananas last so the blender can gain some traction before hitting them.
We also prefer mini chocolate chips because they ensure every little segment of muffin has some melted chocolate in it 🙂
Perfection!
I keep thinking I need to tell my friend Mel this info but keep putting it off: If you haven’t tried silicone baking cups, you need to! As someone who makes muffins often, I really love them.. muffins come out of them so easily and with no residue!
🙂 Thanks, Angela!
Could I add protein powder to this?
I haven’t tried, but you could definitely experiment.
Excellent! Husband loves these muffins.
So easy to make. I have made these twice now and both times used quick oats.
OMGGGGG. YES! Another Mel recipe favorite to add into rotation. Perfect, filling, and not too banana-y. May have to make them without chocolate chips, so my toddler doesn’t just pick those out.
Can you use a food processor instead of blender. I only have a stick blender?
Yes, I think so! It may not get the consistency quite as well blended but it is worth a try.
I’ve made these so many times!! And they are DELICIOUS. Thanks for another great recipe Mel!
I’ve made these twice now, and both times I used milk kefir instead of the sour cream or Greek yogurt. Just wanted to say that the substitution worked fine. It’s homemade kefir, plain. If the kefir has separated, I blend it first.
And forgot to say — they were GOOD.
Omg these were so good!!!! Ive made them 5 times now. My husband recently found out he was gluten intolerant and these have been a lifesaver during quarentine.
Easy to make and I can’t believe how yummy it tastes without sugar! (I used honey) Thanks!
We loved these and it’s a fun alternative to banana bread when we have over ripe fruit. I subbed in cottage cheese for the sour cream and it turned out
Wow, Mel, these were fantastic!!! And thanks to the blender quick enough that I could make them for Sunday breakfast before 9:00 church lol!! We loved them 😀 My 5 year old has been requesting one in his lunch every day this week!
Just made these this morning and they are delish!! I added a little extra sweet since my hubby has a big sweet tooth.
OH. MY. GOD. These are SOOOOO good! My family has been gluten free for several years (a daughter w celiac) and these are absolutely delicious, with none of the gritty texture that so often happens. Thank you Mel!!!
BTW before I made these, even though she was skeptical, I said to my daughter “I trust Mel” !!
I used quick oats. I like the idea of using a blender but had a pretty hard time getting the blender to mix everything together. I mixed it all with a spoon a few times and tried lower speeds and then finally, it took. It was worth it when the muffins were done. Light, fluffy and moist. Truly amazing.
This recipe looks fantastic! I’m going to make them for breakfast tomorrow. I have a daughter going through some GI issues (for almost a year now) I made an appointment with a pediatric GI doctor a month and a half ago…and we’ve got another month to go. It’s so hard waiting for answers. Good luck! I hope you have answers or will get some soon!
Are these supposed to be pretty dense? Mine came out sort of firm and dense like. I haven’t done much baking with oats before just curious.
They aren’t light and fluffy like cake…but they also aren’t super heavy and dense. Were they soft and moist?
These were great! We used 13 oz bananas and 1/3 c white sugar and they were perfectly sweet and moist!
Love these muffins! Made them last week. I used coconut sugar and dairy free chocolate chips. So easy to make. Just added ingredients to my ninja and that’s it! I did have to cook them a little longer, 20 min. Very moist, my coworkers loved them. Thanks for the great recipes!
I’m really impressed with how good these muffins are considering they have no flour or processed sugar in them. They’re kinda magic!
Love these muffins! Easy to make. My grandkids added ingredients to blender
Mel, thank you for all the delicious recipes you share!! I know I’ve told you before, but you are my go to for everything- I told a friend once that if you don’t have a recipe it’s likely not yummy .
Have you found any answers for Cam, or your son when he was struggling?? I’ve had lots of dietary restrictions, and tried the elimination diets, and it can be rough some days! I went totally off gluten for about a year (along with other things) and now I can have it in little bits, but not regularly– hopefully Cam will be able to have her favorites at least once in awhile! Please keep us posted on what you learn! I’ll be praying for you
You are so sweet to ask, Kelli. Thank you! We are still in the process of eliminating foods and trying to slowly add them back in, so I’m not entirely sure what’s causing the tummy aches (but they did subside significantly when she was off gluten). I think I’ll probably take her into a pediatric GI doctor for some bloodwork just to get a little clarification, but I also know I probably can’t expect any quick answers. Thanks for the sweet comment!
Mel, I might make these for a readathon (even though I haven’t tried them i’m sure they’re tasty) and I am wondering how well they keep overnight. thanks!
I think they are still really good the next day (if kept well covered after they’ve been baked and cooled).
Sounds great! thanks!
I’ve been “gluten free-izing” your recipes for years for some of my own kids. It takes practice and experimentation, but all of us have reaped the benefits of less white flour in our diets. Thank you for your efforts on the behalf of so many who can’t do gluten!
Thank YOU, Lynor!
Do you think these would fluff up a little more if I blended everything except for the oats and then mixed in bread flour? I’m not a huge fan of the chewier texture oat flour gives. Would you do a 1:1 ratio? Thanks.
I’m not sure how flour would sub – I have a feeling the muffins might be more dense but I’m not entirely sure. If I were going to try flour, I don’t think I’d use bread flour, I’d go for all-purpose flour (bread flour could affect the texture). But again, I haven’t tried it so I don’t know for sure!
Okay, thanks!
I absolutely love your recipes be have been following you for your years. My daughter when she was almost 6 was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes then 3 weeks later diagnosed with Celiac disease. My older son does not do well on the food with artificial dyes. So I have been making your meals for the last almost 3 years gluten free and have been weighing every recipe into grams so I can calculate the carb count for my daughter. I love when you provide your ingredients in ounces. It is so helpful. My favorite flour that I have used to convert your recipes is Gfjules at Gfjules.com. Or you can find it on Amazon. I have made your sugar cookies with the flour and most people can only tell a slight difference. It has been hands down my favorite flour to use for gluten free. Costco has been really stepping up their game with gluten free and organic. Also if you don’t already follow serving Celiacs, just ingredients and clean Monday meals on Instagram for some wonderful advice on gluten free living and clean foods. Good luck with finding answers for your daughter. Sorry for the novel.
Love that feedback so much, Jennifer! Thank you for sharing. This is helpful for me and for anyone else following a gluten-free lifestyle. Kudos to you for researching and finding resources for your sweet kiddos!
I made these for breakfast this morning and used quick oats (because I was out of rolled) and they were soooo good. Turned out perfectly. My son and I cut them open and put peanut butter on them. It was like I let him have Reeses peanut butter cups for breakfast!! He was thrilled.
Oh yes to the yes on the peanut butter action. Yum!
Just made these and they’re delicious! I did however have a hard time with them and I’m a seasoned cook/baker. Firstly, my Vitamix struggled to blend well. Maybe it didn’t have enough liquid since I used sugar rather than honey? Secondly, for me, it was such a pain portioning them out with the scoop and narrow blender jar. Next time I’ll use my food processor. I think that will be a good adjustment to make things go a little more smoothly. But trust me, the taste was worth the effort and there will definitely be a next time! Thanks for all the great recipes!
My three children LOVED these! I made them yesterday morning and by bedtime they were completely gone. I am not a banana lover, so these weren’t for me, but my husband had one and declared them yummy as well. Thanks for a recipe that I didn’t feel like I needed to hide away and ration. They were begging for more this morning, but I was out of ripe bananas.
Love to hear this – thanks, Amanda!
Made these today and they were delicious! Thanks for sharing another great recipe!
These are beautiful muffins and oh so tasty! My twin seven year old daughters are obsessed with muffins lately so I am always looking for healthy yummy versions. I do have one question for you Mel… I only had fat free greek yogurt on had so that is what I used in place of the sour cream. This meant that my muffins had very little fat. I am not a huge fan of fat free baked goods because of the gummy consistency and they always stick to the wrappers even if I spray them. Being the baking genius that you are, do you think if I added 1/4 cup or even a few tablespoons of coconut or canola oil would make a difference? Would it make the muffins rise less? Perhaps even a nut butter would be fun to add?
Hi Ashley, yes, I think adding a little bit of oil will definitely help (melted butter would give slightly better flavor). I’m not sure how a nut butter would fare but it might be worth experimenting!
These are delicious! I also love that they taste like a muffin, rather than a cupcake. I ended up using a food processor instead of the blender and it worked out just fine. I have a blender that’s approaching 20 years old, and the batter was just a little too thick for the aging motor. A newer, bigger, more powerful blender is definitely on my wish list!
Is there something I can use besides the sour cream/greek yogurt? My little guy is allergic to milk! Thanks – big fan. 🙂
Hi Laurie – have you used a dairy free yogurt in the past that you like? I’d suggest that first. Otherwise I’m not entirely sure…you *could* try applesauce in place of the sour cream and see how that goes.
I did the regular blender banana muffins and put coconut milk in place of the sour cream/yogurt and it worked (I have also used sour cream but read someone else tried coconut milk so used that today since I didn’t have the other!)
I know this is an old comment, but I used applesauce in place of the sour cream/greek yogurt + one teaspoon of oil with great success!
I’m so excited to try your new blender muffin, Mel! The other two are our most-made recipes from your site – AT LEAST weekly! We’re about 1.5 years into a strict GF diet for my son with celiac disease (and, at home, the entire family eats GF). It’s very challenging, but having recipes like these make it more do-able. Thanks, Mel!
You’re amazing, Nancy!