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).
Annabelle says
Another winner as far as I’m concerned! To address the issue of the oats’ mouth feel, I wonder if it would be a good idea to soak the quick oats with the flax egg or with a little bit of nondairy milk or water to soften them up a bit before making the batter. Personally, the texture didn’t bother me and I thought they were absolutely delicious. I’d really like to try to make these with unbleached all-purpose flour. Would you recommend reducing the measurement to 1 cup in that case? Thank you for all of your wonderful recipes!
Thank you for your kind words and lovely review, Annabelle! We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins! We haven’t tested this recipe with all-purpose flour, but we find it’s about 2x as absorbent. We’d suggest starting with 2/3 cup and working your way up from there, if needed, referencing the texture of the batter in the photo and video. Let us know if you try it!
Yvette says
Loved the texture with the oats.. so delicious. Thank you for the recipe. Made as is with all the ingredients in recipe
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Yvette! Thanks so much for sharing. xo
Michelle says
Decadent and delicious! I used coconut flour instead of oatmeal. I baked them in silicone muffin pans without muffin liners. When I removed one it stuck a little so I put the pans in the freezer and they popped out perfectly. I brought them to room temperature. My grandchildren loved them too.
Lovely! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications. xo
Forest says
I tried this recipe exactly as described
It needs some reworking
There are a lot of expensive ingredients to this
And to my household they are not good
Hi Forest, we’re sorry you didn’t enjoy it. Would you mind sharing what you disliked about the muffins besides the cost of ingredients? We’d love to help to troubleshoot, if possible. As for the ingredient costs, gluten-free (and alternative sweetener) baking is more expensive, unfortunately! Especially when trying to replicate the texture of similar gluten-rich baked goods. If you’re not gluten-free, you could experiment with a lesser amount of all-purpose flour and refer to the substitution options such as brown sugar instead of coconut sugar, agave instead of maple syrup, and coconut oil instead of avocado oil.
Forest says
No problem with cost of ingredients or need for subs on this recipe. I did not like the mouthfeel of the oat flakes against the decadence of the fudge like texture . If I made these again I would grind the oat flakes to a flour consistency.
Rae says
These look so yummy! I have an intolerance to almonds (and cashews). I’m wondering if there would be a good substitute flour that I could use? I’m obsessed with tahini and have been craving these ever since the recipe came through my email!
Hi Rae, you could experiment with replacing the almond flour 1-1 with sunflower seed meal! Another idea would be to use a lesser amount of oat and/or coconut flour, but the muffins will likely have a different texture (more gritty, dense, and/or gummy). Let us know if you try it out!
Rae says
Thank you! I made them tonight and used a sub of coconut flour. I only used 1 cup because the batter was really drying out with the coconut flour. I added some oat milk, too – probably 1/4 cup? The taste of them is very delicious but they’re still too dry! Wish I had taken out more flour. I didn’t find them too gritty though, just too crumbly.
Hi Rae, sorry we didn’t give you more guidance on the amount of coconut flour! By lesser amount, we meant significantly less. Coconut flour is very absorbent. For next time, we’d suggest starting with 1/4-1/3 cup and slowly increasing until the batter resembles the texture in the photos/video. Hope that helps!
Jenni says
Do you think I could sub maple syrup for the sugar?
Hi Jenni, we haven’t tested it that way, but we do think it would work. It may have a slightly noticeable maple flavor, but another reader reported that substitution was a success for them :) Let us know if you try it!
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?
Liliya says
Thank you for pointing this out. I have gluten free organic sprouted rolled oats at home that I buy from Costco. This must be my problem.
I am glad I asked. I don’t think the recipe says old fashioned rolled oats.
Anyway, I will try to make it again and hope they will turn out better next time.
Liliya
Hi Lilliya, sprouted rolled oats should be fine as long as they aren’t thick cut. It could just be that you prefer a less chewy texture and as you mentioned, would prefer oat flour. We’d recommend using slightly less oat flour than oats since it will be more absorbent. We hope you love the muffins next time!
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!