Perfectly soft and tender, these skinny banana chocolate chip muffins are naturally gluten-free and vegan, studded with dark chocolate chips and sweetened with banana!
You guys, these muffins. Oh my goodness they are good.
So good in fact that since coming up with the recipe this past weekend, I’ve already made them three times. And yes, they’re already gone. I need more.
But you have to come over and help me eat them this time, OK?
Not only are these muffins moist, tender and perfectly sweet, they’re studded with dark chocolate chips and are actually good for you. And hence the “skinny” part of the recipe name.
I mean really… chocolate + healthy = a win in my book. Always.
But chocolate + healthy + breakfast? Nothing beats it (<– hello, Chocolate Peanut Butter Breakfast Parfait!).
What makes a recipe “skinny” anyway? Honestly, I’m not in love the term, I think it tends to fuel the never-ending body image fire that many of us fight inside, but it works for this recipe. I could just call them healthy, but these babies go beyond just being healthy. They’re a guilt-free indulgence that you can have any time of day and they won’t make you blow up like a balloon like other muffins might.
Traditional Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (like the kind you get at Starbucks or Costco) are over 400 calories, loaded with fat, sugar and refined flours. They’re completely void of all nutrition and have no place in a healthy diet.
Does that mean that those of us who do care about the foods we put in our body, we can’t enjoy these fabulous treats like the rest of the world? Absolutely not. Rather, we can enjoy something even tastier and know that we are still fueling our body with natural, whole-food ingredients that won’t leave us feeling sluggish and gross.
And so in a quest to create something banana and chocolatey and every bit as delicious as something you could buy at a mainstream bakery, I give you my skinny banana chocolate chip quinoa muffins. They're under 200 calories, have only 5 grams of fat AND have 3 grams of protein!
The base is a mixture of gluten-free oat flour and quinoa flour which keeps them ultra moist and surprisingly light. They’re sweetened only with a touch of maple syrup (or honey) and mashed banana. Have zero oil and are made with flax eggs.
These babies have it all. They are:
Light
Soft
Melty
Chocolatey
Not too sweet
Perfect with a cup of coffee (or tea!)
Use only one bowl
Gluten-Free
…and Vegan
They’re the whole package and I know you’re going to gobble them right up. Make sure to share yours with me on Instagram (it always makes my day – seriously though – when I see the recipes that you’ve created!).
Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Quinoa Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana about 2 small or 1 large
- 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 - 5 tablespoons almond milk separated
- 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
- 3/4 cup toasted quinoa flour
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed banana, flaxseed meal, water, honey, vanilla and 3 tablespoons almond milk. Beat until smooth. Set aside and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Once rested, add in flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. If batter feels dry, add more almond milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the batter resembles a thick pancake batter. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Spoon muffin mixture into prepared pan, filling each cup 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake on center rack fro 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for 3 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- I enjoyed these muffins slightly warm, so reheat if desired, or enjoy them as is!
Video
Nutrition
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They look amazing 🙂 just one question…what can I use instead of tapioca starch? Unfortunately they don’t sell it here anywhere 🙁
You can use any other kind of starch – what about potato starch? Or can you find arrowroot? If not, I’d try to sub in more oat flour, but you might have to do 1/2 cup or even 2/3 cup to compensate. Hope that helps! xo
Awesome, thanks 🙂 I have arrowroot starch, so will use that one 🙂 btw, I found your blog abt 2 weeks ago and totally love it!!! 🙂
Awesome! Let me know how they turn out 🙂 And thank you, that’s so sweet. I’m thrilled to have you here – let me know if you have any other questions about the recipes!
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What is toasted Quinoa Flour? Do you just brown it in a skillet? Thank you. Can’t wait to try this.
My first attempt at these muffins did not turn out. They don’t taste bad but they look and feel like pucks, haha! I can think of few things I may have done wrong. I used 2 frozen bananas but did not check if they actually measured 1 cup. I used ground flaxseed which I am not sure if that is the same as flaxseed meal. I used ground up minute tapioca instead of tapioca starch (I actually googled this and said it was a good option but maybe not). Anyway, any suggestions or recommendations on why mine turned out so heavy? The batter was really thick … not at all like pancake batter. I used all 5 tablespoons of almond milk. Thanks for any assistance. I will try again!
Delicious! Thank you! Just scrumptious. I don’t consider myself a baker and they came out perfect.
So glad you enjoyed them! xo
Any ideas for subbing the oat flour? My options are cassava flour, or more tapioca? :/
Hmm I’m not sure about that! I haven’t tested these a different way, so I can’t be sure on the amounts. Sorry! 🙁
I love all your recipes. Could you also list calories, carbs, sodium etc in the nutritional area not just what a portion is. Thanks.
I’m working on updating recipes to include that info, so stay tuned! xo
I didn’t have much luck with the recipe today. Wondering if the bananas were not ripe enough. Also, I had to add 6 tbsp. of almond milk and should have maybe added more. They are very dry and heavy. I will try the recipe once more to see if those two changes make a difference.
Hmmm yes, I think that could be it! Let me know how the next round goes 🙂 Also I would go for less baking time to help them be a bit more moist!
I would love to make these but I’m confused about the toasted quinoa flour. What is “toasted” quinoa flour??
It’s quinoa flour that has been lightly toasted in a non-stick skillet 🙂
Can I use something else besides banana?
You could try pumpkin or unsweetened applesauce!
I realize this is an older recipe, but I know that positive feedback always helps! This recipe has recently become my go-to “base” for inspiration. I never make the same recipe twice, but I have used this recipe as the starting point for a banana muffin with leftover chocolate covered nuts, a butternut squash muffin with dried cranberries, a protein pumpkin muffin with chocolate chips and an acorn squash muffin with dates. I always trust that your recipes will turn out perfectly! Thanks for the inspiration!
Oh my gosh this is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!! Love that you’re making them your own 🙂 xox
Oh my goodness! These were, hands down, the best gluten free muffins I’ve ever made! Absolutely delicious! Moist and full of flavor! So glad to have found this! Thank you!! Now on to try more of your recipes!
Oh yay! I’m so glad you like them 🙂