Easy Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins are deliciously moist, dairy-free muffins made without butter or milk. A simple, one-bowl recipe using overripe bananas, crunchy walnuts, and rich dairy-free chocolate chips.
Delicious Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins are dairy-free and made with oil, without milk, butter, or margarine.
Whether you need a grab-and-go breakfast or a quick afternoon snack, these moist banana nut chocolate chip muffins are the perfect solution.
They're a terrific way to use up those overripe bananas that you were going to throw away or use in compost! In fact, overripe bananas add a stronger, sweeter flavor to these muffins.
You do not need any fancy equipment or even a stand mixer-just a simple whisk or fork, a bowl, and a few wholesome ingredients. However, if you prefer to use a hand mixer, that works too.
If you want tall, bakery-style domed muffins, bake them at a higher heat of 450°F for the first 5 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F for the remainder of the time until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
And this recipe is adaptable. If you don't want walnuts, just leave them out and you will have banana chocolate chip muffins!
A little about bananas
Bananas are a healthy and comparatively inexpensive fruit. The most popular type found in grocery stores starts out (and is shipped to destination countries) green but turns yellow by the ripening process. Unripe, they are not sweet but get softer and sweeter as they ripen.
Bananas normally have approximately 80-110 calories, depending on size, and are almost exclusively made up of carbohydrates and water, with only a little protein and no fat. In addition, bananas have nutrients, antioxidants, and a variety of other health benefits.
When used in baking, the overripe bananas (the kind that you would often throw out as non-edible) give the most flavor. And you can freeze bananas (even those that are ripe and flavorful enough for good eating).
FAQs for Easy Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins
Can I use a different type of nut instead of walnuts?
Yes, pecans, chopped almonds, or hazelnuts make fantastic substitutes for walnuts in this recipe, adding a similar nutty crunch.
Can I make these muffins nut-free if needed?
Yes, you can simply omit the walnuts entirely or substitute them with extra dairy-free chocolate chips.
How do I store leftover banana nut muffins?
Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. You can also freeze them for up to 2 months.
Will I need to toast the walnuts before adding them to the batter?
No, toasting is not required because the walnuts will naturally toast as the muffins bake in the oven, bringing out their rich flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why do recipes have salt in the ingredients of baked goods?
Even though salt tends to make foods, well, salty, it actually plays other roles in baking as well.
For example, the right amount of salt balances flavors in baked goods; it can bring out the sweetness of sugar and, at the same time, prevent them from tasting overly sweet. It also can help dull the bitterness of cocoa.
Salt prevents baked goods from tasting bland, while it balances the richness of the fats. It also helps develop flavor in yeast breads and works with proteins to strengthen gluten and make it more elastic.
Salt also slows down yeast fermentation because it prevents the yeast from eating up the sugars too quickly, which otherwise would cause the dough to rise too fast and then ultimately collapse, causing bread to come out flat instead of fluffy.
Salt helps baked goods stay a little fresher for a little longer and helps delay mold from growing on them.
What is the difference between baking soda and baking powder?
Baking soda and baking powder are both synthetic leavens that help baked goods rise, but there is a difference between them.
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, which needs another ingredient that is acidic in order to be activated. When the baking soda touches the acid, it creates a carbon dioxide gas, which helps the baked good rise.
Baking soda is between 3 and 4 times stronger than baking powder, and if too much baking soda is used, your baked good will end up with a metallic flavor.
Baking powder is baking soda that is already mixed with an acid and a stabilizer and will be activated by moisture and heat. Nowadays, baking powder is called double-acting because it activates twice-once when it gets wet (when you mix the ingredients together) and again when it heats in the oven.
Replacing one with the other can be tricky, and it's not recommended. However, if you have no choice, then do solid research for substituting one for the other for the baked good you are preparing so you don't ruin it.
What do eggs do in baking?
Eggs are made up of two parts: the whites and the yolks (the yellow).
Egg whites are made up of protein that sets when heated and helps baked goods hold their structure. The yolks are made up of fats and vitamins and help ingredients bond.
Eggs also help baked goods rise as well as keep them moist.
It is important to have the right amount of eggs when baking, because if there are too many eggs in a recipe, this can cause a rubbery, dense texture, and if there are too few eggs, this can cause a crumbly, dry texture.
The different parts of the egg will provide different textures to baked goods; using the entire egg in baking will provide moisture and help the baked good rise evenly, using extra yolks will create richer, denser textures, and extra whites will add fluffiness but may create a drier texture.
What is the difference in using oil vs butter or margarine?
Both margarine and butter are solid fats at room temperature, and both contain more saturated fats than oil.
While margarine and butter will change from a solid to a liquid when heated, they will change back to solids when cooled again. Oil stays liquid at all temperatures. Oil also coats flour better in the preparation process before baking.
Butter "creams" better than margarine, but one cannot cream oil at all.
When converting a recipe from butter or margarine to oil, the general conversion rate is 1 to ¾ (although if you are doing more than one batch, you might need to reduce the oil because I have found that baked goods come out oily in this case).
And when converting from oil to margarine or butter, typically the ratio is 1 to 1¼.
What is the difference between real vanilla extract and imitation vanilla?
Real vanilla is made from soaking vanilla beans in alcohol, imitation vanilla is synthetic, and real vanilla costs quite a bit more than imitation. Whether or not there will be a taste difference in your baking depends on the baked good, so do some research before you decide. I personally always use the imitation as long as I have a really good brand because it's not worth it to me to spend the extra money.
Tips for baking
Preparing the batter
As obvious as that may sound (except to people like me), following instructions when baking is important.
It seems that all too often, bloggers will add extra steps or add extra ingredients, unnecessarily complicating the recipes.
Nonetheless, sometimes what seems unnecessary can be helpful.
That noted, the best way to start, unless directed otherwise, is by putting the dry ingredients in the bowl first and combining them together and then adding the wet ingredients.
I haven't found that it matters much what order the ingredients are put in the bowl when it comes to dough. However, with batter, it can make a difference, and it is a good practice to add the wet ingredients, one at a time, blending lightly in between, mixing slowly and thoroughly.
Dumping all of the ingredients in before mixing can leave flour clumps, which may not dissolve while baking, and mixing too quickly will add air bubbles, which can create air gaps in the cake.
Flour clumps, especially the larger ones, may not bake into your cake, and you may find them in your slices. If you have them, remove as many as you can before baking. Using a strainer helps. (Yes, this has happened to me.)
If you find you do have a lot of little air bubbles, gently tap the side of the bowl with your fingers before you pour into the pan (you can do this with the pan if you didn't notice the bubbles until you already poured the batter).
The tapping will pop them (you can actually see this). You may not get rid of them all, but the bigger ones are more important to pop. The bubbles seem to be more of a problem with thinner batter and with thicker batter.
The batter
Before you pour the batter into the pan(s), make sure to coat well with something to help prevent your final products from sticking.
There are various ways to do this, depending on your preference. You can use some type of fat, such as oil or cooking spray, margarine, or butter, with or without sprinkling flour as well. Or you can use baking paper.
My personal preference is to place baking paper on the bottom of the pan(s) and then coat with cooking spray, or vice versa. Baking paper can come in individual sheets or in rolls. For round pans, you can buy a suitable size that will fit right on the bottom of the pan. OR you can place the pan on top of the baking paper, trace around the bottom of the pan, and cut to size.
If you use baking paper, you might find that it won't stay at the bottom of the pan properly while you are trying to pour the batter in, and there are a couple of tricks I use to help. One is to cut the paper so it fits in the pan like a lining, and the other is to wet it so it sticks (the latter is quicker, so I normally use that one).
When making cupcakes or muffins, you can coat or you can use cupcake paper. I have found that with some brands, however, while the paper won't stick to the pan, it will stick to the cupcake, so you might want to lightly spray the paper before you pour in the batter.
Cooling
You know your baked good is ready when a toothpick can slide cleanly and easily in and out of the baked item (or when the top is a little firm and springy), it can be removed from the oven.
Leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.
For cupcakes and muffins, I recommend using cupcake paper, and after you have used the knife to loosen them from the cup, you should be able to just pop them out carefully using the same knife.
Want to try some more amazing muffins?
Try Dairy-Free Cranberry-Orange Muffins and Dairy-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins!
Want to try more banana baked goods?
Try
Easy Banana Nut Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
Moist, diary free, banana muffins rich in chocolate chips and nuts, made with oil, no butter, milk, or margarine.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups white all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
- ½ cup oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or flavoring
- 3 medium, overripe bananas, mashed*
- ¾ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the egg, oil, vanilla, and bananas and combine well.
- Add ½ cup of chocolate chips and ½ cup of chopped walnuts and mix well.
- Using a large spoon or ladle, pour batter into the paper-lined or greased standard muffin tin cups until they are approximately ¾ full.
- Take from the remaining chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and generously sprinkle on top.
- Place in oven that has been preheated to 350°F.*
- Bake for 15-20 mins or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (normally the top will have browned slightly, but sometimes the middle is still not done).
Notes
*The riper they are, the more flavor they have.
**If you want the muffins to have a smooth dome, then bake them at 425°F for the first 5 minutes or so and then reduce the heat to 350°F.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 372Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 3gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 173mgCarbohydrates: 48gFiber: 3gSugar: 25gProtein: 5g
