What started as chocolate tahini banana bread morphed into the fudgiest, most delicious chocolate muffins on the block!
Despite being naturally sweetened (with bananas!) and swirled with tahini, the main flavor is clear: CHOCOLATE.
They’re refined flour-free, gluten-free, plant-based, refined sugar-free, (oil-free optional), and made in 1 bowl!
These muffins start with making a flax egg, followed by adding bananas (spotty ones are best) to the mixing bowl and mashing with a fork.
Baking soda helps the muffins rise and a combination of coconut sugar and maple syrup gives balanced sweetness and texture while keeping them refined sugar-free. Then we add tahini for moisture, which also means there’s no need to add much oil.
Sea salt and vanilla enhance the flavors, and cocoa powder gives these muffins a rich, chocolaty flavor.
The final dry ingredients are almond flour and rolled oats, which keep these muffins wholesome, whole grain, and free from refined flours! The result is fluffy yet fudgy muffins flecked with whole oats. SWOON!
And we saved the best for last: a sprinkle of chocolate chips for the perfect amount of melty chocolate in each bite!
We hope you LOVE these muffins! They’re:
Fudgy
Chocolaty
Perfectly sweet
Tender
Easy to make
Surprisingly wholesome
& SO delicious!
They’re the perfect dessert for chocolate lovers and they pack well as an on-the-go snack. They even freeze well (in case you want to have a freezer stash to satisfy chocolate cravings fast — trust us, you do!).
More Chocolate Dessert Recipes
- Fudgy Sweet Potato Brownies (V/GF)
- Vegan Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies
- No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecakes
- Vegan Chocolate Ice Cream
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
1-Bowl Fudgy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Vegan/GF)
Ingredients
- 2 medium-size ripe bananas
- 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg)
- 2 ½ Tbsp water (to make flax egg)
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or sub organic brown sugar)
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup (or sub agave nectar)
- 1/4 cup fresh drippy tahini (or sub other nut or seed butter of choice)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil (or melted coconut oil or vegan butter // if oil-free, sub more nut or seed butter of choice and reduce dry ingredients slightly to compensate for thicker batter)
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted if clumpy
- 3/4 cup gluten-free rolled oats (to keep grain-free, try subbing half the amount in coconut flour, though we haven’t tested it ourselves)
- 1 ¼ cup almond flour (we haven’t tested with almond meal but think it would work)
- 1/4 cup vegan dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake wrappers (if subbing a different size pan, adjust cook time as needed).
- To a large mixing bowl add banana, flax egg (flaxseed meal and water) and mash to combine, leaving only a few chunky pieces. You want it pretty smooth.
- Add baking soda, coconut sugar, maple syrup, tahini, sea salt, vanilla, and avocado oil and whisk vigorously to combine. Then add cocoa powder and whisk again to combine.
- Add gluten-free rolled oats and stir to combine. Then add almond flour a little at a time and stir to combine. You're looking for a scoopable batter that's still moist (see photo). If too dry, thin with a bit of water or dairy-free milk. If too wet, add more almond flour a little at a time. Lastly, add chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Divide batter between muffin tins, filling almost all the way to the top (as recipe is written, about 11 muffins — adjust amounts as needed if adjusting serving size). Option to sprinkle on a few more chocolate chips before baking for more chocolate flavor.
- Bake on the center rack for 25-30 minutes or until risen. When cooked, a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean.
- Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer muffins to a cooling rack to let cool completely. The wrappers come off more easily and the texture is best when completely cooled.
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 4-5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*15 minutes prep includes 10 minutes for making the batter and 5-minute cooling time (although a 10- to 15-minute cooling time is ideal).
Bosha says
Ils sont fabuleux !!! A refaire sans hésitation !!! Félicitations, on aime
xoxo!
Jane says
I don’t have coconut sugar or maple syrup or agave nectar. Is the same volume of white sugar ok?
Hi Jane, the muffins will be sweeter and the batter thicker, but it should work! You can add a splash of water or your favorite milk if the batter is too thick to stir. Hope that helps!
Kajal Parekh says
Is there a substitute for the almond flour? Thank you
Hi Kajal, cashew flour would be the next best option and sub well 1-1. If you have a nut allergy, you could experiment with sunflower seed meal or lesser amounts of oat or coconut flour, but the muffins will have a different texture (more gritty, dense, and/or gummy).
Barbara Lindberg says
Delicious, moist and fabulous. Just had one 20 out of the oven. You nailed it!
lots of gratitutde for your channel
Thank you so much for your sweet words and lovely review, Barbara! We’re so glad you enjoy the muffins! xo
Liliya says
I made the recipe. It looks good. I will use oat flour next time instead of rolled oats. My muffins turned out too chewy and they don’t look uniformly brown because oats look lite in color.
Like you web site.
Thank you for the recipe.
Sorry you didn’t love the oats, Liliya! Just confirming you were using old-fashioned rolled oats, not thick cut or another variety that might make them more chewy?
Johonna says
Thanks for this recipe. Looks good! Can you replace the tahini with the same amount of almond butter or peanut butter although peanut and almond butters are a bit thicker than tahini?
Hi Johanna, yes, that will work! It may change the flavor slightly, but many readers have reported still enjoying it with those nut butters :)
Kajal says
Can I use a substitute for almond flour due to allergies? Thank you
Hi Kajal, can you have cashew flour? That would be the next best option and sub well 1-1. If it’s a nut allergy, you could experiment with lesser amounts of oat or coconut flour, but the muffins will have a different texture (more gritty, dense, and/or gummy).
Mia Wazwaz says
Your dessert recipes have saved my life. This turned out awesome and made them during my work lunch break. I used Unsweetened creamy PB vs tahini and one egg vs flax. Everything else I made The same. I’m in high altitude 5280 and 25 minutes was perfect. Made 12 muffins. For freezing, do I keep them in the muffin tin liner and use a ziplock bag? Will that work.
We’re so glad our dessert recipes have been a lifesaver, Mia! Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review! Yes, keeping them in muffin liners in a ziplock bag is perfect for freezing. You can either defrost on the counter (for a few hours), in the refrigerator (overnight), or in the microwave (~20-30 seconds). Hope that helps!
Regina says
Can I use 1 egg in place of the flaxseed egg? Can’t wait to make it! Looks so yummyyyyy 😋
Hi Regina, other readers have reported making that swap with success! We think it should work well, though the muffins may be a bit less fudgy. Let us know if you try it!
Melissa says
Hi!
These look amazing!
I really am watching my sugar, natural and added, and wonder: do you have a similar chocolate cake or cupcake recipe made with zucchini or carrot?
Thank you for all your fabulous recipes!
Melissa
Hi Melissa, thank you for your kind words! Yes, we have a zucchini bread that resembles chocolate cake!