Today, I’m sharing a recipe that tastes EXACTLY like banana bread and a chocolate chip cookie. Now that I’ve written that I realize that I probably should have called these chocolate chip cookie dough banana bread muffins. Oh well.
This week we’re skipping the usual weekend favorites and opting for paleo + vegan banana muffin recipe for #AKMuffinWeek. It’s Friday afterall and I’m here to bring you something for your weekend baking festivities.
Ingredients in vegan paleo banana muffins
Lately, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how to veganize recipes and/or to make more of my recipes without eggs. I’m all about giving the people what they want so I took myself on a quest to create the most delicious VEGAN AND GLUTEN FREE banana muffin on the planet. You can thank me later. You’ll need:
- Banana: you’ll need 2-3 extra ripe bananas to give these muffins the perfect amount of natural sweetness.
- Almond milk: I recommend using an unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk to keep these muffins dairy free and vegan.
- Flaxseed meal: this will be your egg substitute! When you mix the flaxseed meal with the other ingredients the muffins will bake up perfectly without any eggs.
- Almond butter: use a natural, creamy almond butter (just almonds + salt) to keep these banana muffins paleo. You can also use cashew butter or peanut butter.
- Coconut oil: you’ll need a bit of coconut oil to add moisture to the muffins.
- Vanilla: for a boost of flavor.
- Almond and coconut flour: the blend of almond flour and coconut flour keeps this paleo banana muffins gluten free and paleo while adding healthy fats.
- Baking soda & salt: to help these paleo muffins bake up.
- Cinnamon: a little cozy cinnamon flavor is delicious in these muffins.
- Chocolate chips: keep your muffins vegan by using dairy free chocolate chips! If you’re not vegan or dairy free feel free to use any chocolate chips you’d like.
The best part about these muffins is that I haven’t added any sweeteners into the recipe (besides the chocolate chips!). That’s right, ONLY ripe bananas are used to sweeten this recipe. Now you may be skeptical, but believe me when I say that these babies are sweet and have wonderful banana bread flavor. Almond flour and coconut flour (both naturally sweet flours) add a nice sweetness to the muffins without overpowering the banana flavor. If are looking for an even lower sugar option, try reducing the chocolate chips or leaving them out completely. Not sure why anyone would want to leave out chocolate chips, but you do you.
How to make paleo banana muffins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 9 muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
-
In a large bowl, mix together mashed banana, almond milk, flaxseed meal, almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter evenly into the 9 liners, filling about ¾ cup way through. Add a few more chocolate chips on each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Customize your paleo banana muffins
You can absolutely add your favorite mix-ins, besides chocolate chips, to these easy, paleo banana muffins! Some ideas:
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
- homemade nut butter on top
Freezer-friendly muffins
These vegan paleo banana muffins are freezer-friendly! Simply wrap muffins individually in freezer-safe bags or store them in a large freezer bag. When you’re ready to enjoy them, reheat for 30-45 seconds in the microwave or simply thaw them at room temperature.
I’m unbelievably obsessed with these paleo banana muffins and know you will be too. I love enjoying them warm with a little almond butter + sea salt on top. SO GOOD. And if you haven’t tried my coconut flour banana bread yet, that that ALSO need to happen ASAP.
If you make these paleo banana muffins, be sure to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! You can also upload a photo to Instagram and use the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen.
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Vegan Paleo Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2-3 bananas)
- 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk)
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- ¼ cup creamy natural almond butter (or sub cashew butter or peanut butter)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients
- 1 cup fine blanched almond flour (or hazelnut flour)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips, plus 1-2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 9 muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together mashed banana, almond milk, flaxseed meal, almond butter, coconut oil and vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter evenly into the 9 liners, filling about ¾ cup way through. Add a few more chocolate chips on each muffin. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
More healthy muffin recipes you’ll love:
Paleo Double Chocolate Tahini Banana Muffins
Skinny Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
144 comments
The question is: Who doesn’t like a banana/chocolate combo?!
Right?! Such a classic <3
YUM I made these last night and they’re nearly gone! My muffin tin is a regular size and I had to bake these longer before than 18-20 min. I baked for 30 mins and they were delicious. I also added an extra banana because the batter seemed dry
So happy you loved these ones! The batter can look a bit thick because of the gluten free flours, but I’m glad the extra banana worked out.
These look incredible! You kill the muffin game as usual. And I love how they have no added sugar 😋 gonna make them today!!!
Muffin week was the best week! Hope you enjoyed these Emma 🙂
I can’t handle gluten free flours; serious constipation!
Feel free to try this muffin recipe instead!
Oh my gosh YES! I love how these are only sweetened from the bananas! Making these tonight for easter weekend, have all the ingredients so it’s meant to be 🙂
Yes! And they’re perfectly sweet 🙂 Hope you loved them!
Thank you for making muffins only sweetened with bananas. Can I submit whole wheat pastry flour for the almond and coconut flours? I don’t always have those ingredients and I am not gluten free.
Also, I would love a banana only sweetened morning glory muffin recipe. 🙏
Try this muffin instead!
I made these today…..they are pretty good….I baked mine longer, still moist but not gummy. Thank you for sharing.
Great! Glad you enjoyed!
Always looking for vegan options. Thank you
Enjoy! 🙂
To avoid the sugar in the chocolate chips can use Lily’s stevia sweetened chocolate chips instead!
You bet!
Monique, i don’t have flax meal. Can i sub something else?
I’m not vegan, so im
Open to non-vegan options
Update: i used 1 egg in place of the flax and OMG 😻 so good!
Perfect!!
YES great call! Glad you loved them!
I added two eggs instead of the flax egg, they’re overly moist. Is there any way to salvage them? Should I bake them longer? I don’t want to get sick from the raw egg?
Help
Oh gosh, I’m not sure — I’ve only tested as is, I’m so sorry!
Hi! I love this recipe, along with all of yours (!), but I’m allergic to nuts. Is there any way you can write nut-free substitutions for the nut ingredients? Thank you!
I am going to make these with tahini, but that doesn’t solve your almond flour problem, sorry!
I tried these (and they were very yummy!!), but next time i want to try Tigernut flour in place of almond flour. That maybe something you can try! (it’s not a nut)
I’ve never baked with Tigernut flour! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi! I try to add allergy-friendly substitutions wherever possible, but sometimes when I’m using specific, gluten-free flours it can be tricky to find a sub that will create the same texture. I’ll definitely keep this in mind! Thank you!
Hi there these look delicious!! Could I use almond meal instead of almond flour?
Hi! I think so – just know that the consistency might change a bit.
Made these today and delicious!! New favorite muffins!!! Great taste, texture, and love the lack of sweetener or butter. Thank you
So happy to hear that Nancy! 🙂
Thank you for this delicious muffin recipe. It’s hard to find good vegan muffins.
These muffins are FANTASTIC!!!
YES so glad you like them!
Great and super delicious. I ate them in 2 days 🙂 Will make again soon.
Thank you.
YUM glad you liked them!
I just made these after doing a 30 day gluten and dairy free month-I wanted a little treat to have on hand. These were very good but definitely not very sweet. Which is okay! But i think I just expected a bit more sweetness from the combo of banana and chocolate chips. Still delicious though 🙂
I would make sure your bananas are super ripe! The riper the better for getting that sweetness 🙂 Glad you enjoyed them!
I dont have Almond Flour (only almond meal right) but I DO have some cassava flour in my pantry. Think I could use Cassava?
I’m not sure how cassava will change the recipe – but you can use almond meal!
Made these tonight and they were amazing. I didn’t use chocolate, I just added some chopped pecans. They aren’t very sweet, but I prefer it that way. These will be a regular recipe for me. Thank you 🙂
Pecans sound delicious in here! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Super easy to make and in a few short minutes all ready to eat!
Yum, but not sure if they will make it to my lunch box by Monday!
You’ll have to make a double batch next time! 🙂
I made them but they deflated during baking 😩
Sorry to hear that Heather! I would maybe double check your liquid ratios next time and make sure your baking soda is fresh.
I made these muffins & they are out of this world delicious, I followed the recipe exactly except I added in 1or 2 teaspoons ( I don’t remember lol 😂) of coconut sugar.
My family & I are really enjoying these delicious muffins. Thank you!!!💝
Amazing! I’m so glad the whole family is loving these 🙂
Can I use ground chia instead of ground flax?
You could try, not sure it would come out quite the same.
I made your paleo banana muffins with dark chocolate chips recipe and it turned out perfect! Soooo good! Thank you for sharing!
Delicious! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Can I substitute normal flour with almond flour as I don’t have almond flour in my pantry. But I do have coconut flour.
I wouldn’t recommend swapping flours in this one. Try this recipe instead!
Hi! Do I have to use nut butter for this recipe? Could I just add a bit more coconut oil? Just seeing if I could lessen the fat content. Thanks! Looks so yum looking forward to trying it out.
I have only tried the recipe as written with nut butter, but you can experiment if you’d like! Let us know how they turn out!
Hi! I absolutely am obsessed with your recipes! They are all so yummy & healthier, which I love! Wondering if your muffins & breads can be frozen? I’m trying to prep for the holidays and am limited on time the closer we get! Would like to bust my baking out this weekend!
Thank you!!!
Amie
Hi Amie! Aw thank you so much – I’m glad you’re finding favorites here. Muffins & breads are great for freezing (I always have muffins in my freezer). Enjoy!
Delicious!! I was a little worried when I pulled them out of the oven, because they aren’t as visually appealing as some of your other muffins (probably due to the type of flours). I was worried they would be dry since the batter appeared thick, but they were moist and soooo tasty! Stocking my freezer with AK muffins for my maternity leave 🙂
They can look a bit more dense than normal muffins because of the flours 🙂 Glad you loved them and hope you find some new favorites to stock up on!
Just made them…wow, these are amazing. They’re moist and delicious and dont fall apart! The best part is that there is no added sugar. Cant rave enough about these!
So glad you love them! Perfect breakfast or snack.
Thank you for this recipe! I have made these for the past three weekends. It was just a coincidence to discover Lily’s chocolate chips and your recipe at the same time: Destiny!!!! Obviously this is my favorite vegan muffin recipe ever!!! Can’t thank you enough!
Amazing! So glad you found these 🙂
Can you use this recipe to make banana bread?
Hi Kayla! I haven’t tried it but I imagine it would work. Just know that it won’t bake up like regular banana bread.
The best paleo muffins I’ve ever made. Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
So happy to hear that! It’s my new go-to 🙂
These are delicious. I was wondering if they can be made in a bread pan instead of muffins tins for my second go around?
I haven’t tried it but it should work! The loaf will just have to bake a bit longer and note that it won’t bake up like normal banana bread (due to the gluten free flours).
Love these little guys. 2nd time making them and they are a hit!!
Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you, Tracy! So happy you enjoyed them!
I would love to make these.what would the amount be in ounzes
I’m not 100% sure what the amounts would be in ounces – sorry! I’d recommend looking up the conversions for the ingredients 🙂
Hi!
I was wondering if I can just use almond flour because I don’t have coconut flour.
thanks!!
Hi Gina! I wouldn’t recommend just using almond flour, but you can try using oat flour as a replacement for the coconut flour!
I was a bit skeptical before, during and after baking these because they seemed like they would turn out dry. But they are actually delicious! The texture is incredible – very moist and soft. And I love the combination of almond butter, banana and chocolate. Highly recommend if you want something that’s just a little sweet for breakfast or a snack. I’ll definitely be making these again.
If you’re not used to baking with paleo flours it can look a bit different, but they always turn out super moist and delicious! Glad you enjoyed 🙂 Such a great breakfast or snack.
These are so so good. I like that they’re only sweetened with bananas, they’re sweet enough thanks to overripe bananas 🙂
Absolutely! The riper the better 🙂 Glad you like them!
Hi there, thank you for this incredible recipe. I made these delicious muffins, but instead of almond butter I used less than 1/4 organic honey because I didn’t have any kind of nut to make the butter, they just turned awesome.I also didn’t add the flaxseed and I a just used coconut milk, however they were awesome and very tender. Thank you again!
Hi! Glad those swaps worked out for you. One of my favorite snacks!
These are in the oven and I can already tell I am going to LOVE them (are you really baking if you aren’t also licking the spoon?). I have PCOS and have to avoid dairy, gluten and sugar… not many fun options to choose from that’s for sure! I can always count on you for awesome and delicious recipes! You’re a mastermind! Thank you 🙂
So happy you found these! I hope you’re loving them 🙂 plenty more to come!
Is there a substitute I can use for the flax? My daughter has an egg allergy, but she’s also sensitive to flax. Baking is hard for us! Thanks.
You can use a chia egg! Check out this post to see how to make one: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/make-vegan-egg-4-ways/
These are SO good and easy to make !!! If you’re looking for a delicious, dessert without the guilt you will not be disappointed in these 🙂 thank you so much for sharing this AMAZING recipe
So glad you love these! One of my favorites, too.
Great easy recipe, these are delicious!
I omitted the chocolate chips and used psyllium husks instead of flax meal. Ended up with the perfect breakfast muffin!
Perfect! Glad those swaps worked out well.
Is it okay if I don’t have flax seed? Or if mixed in my peanut butter?
I would recommend following the recipe as written, as I have not tested any other way. If you want to experiment though, let me know!
Made these this afternoon, they were super quick and easy….and ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! My kids (super picky) even loved these muffins :). Makes me super happy when I can offer clean ingredient snacks to my kiddos, filling them up with Nutrients and protein to keep their brains fed.
I don’t know what I’d do without his recipe! I’ve Made it enough that recently I modified and used cashew butter and only tigernut flour Into a loaf, and it was my favorite yet (eliminated chocolate chips). These vegan, paleo but DELICIOUS recipes give me life!
I’m glad those swaps work out well! Such a great snack 🙂
Made these yesterday, and they came out SO good! Thank you!
So happy to hear that!
Can you make this without flaxseed meal and coconut flour – what can be substituted?
I suggest trying a different recipe as those are two main ingredients.
I’ve been experimenting with a lot of gluten free banana bread/muffin recipes during corona-quarantine, and this is the first recipe that got universal thumbs up from my picky family of five. It’s excellent! I have to confess I did add a tablespoon or two of maple syrup to the batter though!!
Amazing!! So happy to hear that. And I’m glad the extra maple syrup worked well!
I’m out of baking soda, any substitute!!
You could try 1 teaspoon baking powder 🙂
I love making these into mini muffins! They’re surprisingly moist and full of great ingredients.
Love that idea! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I LOVE this recipe! I made them with natural peanut butter. With the natural oil in that I didn’t find they needed any additional oil. They were delicious and not dry at all. The banana flavour really shines through and the chocolate chips take them to the next level. I can’t wait to make them again. Thanks 🙂
Perfect! One of my favorite muffins 🙂 glad you loved them!
These may be the best muffins I’ve ever made! I’m obsessed and so are my kids. They’re sweet enough that my 3 and 4 year olds call them cupcakes and healthy enough that they make an excellent breakfast for our whole family!
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂
One of my family’s favorite recipes. I use peanut butter instead of almond butter just because that is what we keep in the house. I find they’ve work well without liners.
Perfect! Glad they’re a hit 🙂
can I substitute oat milk for almond milk?
Sure!
If I don’t mind having eggs, how many do I out to sub flaxseed meal? Thanks. Can’t wait to try this!
You can use 1 egg instead and they should be fine and delicious — let me know how they turn out!
The Vegan paleo banana bread muffins with chocolate chips are probably the best paleo/vegan version of banana muffins that I’ve ever had. Maybe even better than traditional banana muffins and I’m not even paleo or vegan!
So glad you love them!
Finally got to make these and they are sooo good! I used sugar free chocolate chips to cut down on the sugar/carbs. Having a hard time eating only one a day 😋
The best snack or treat!
Delicious! Ours were pretty mushy but I used three very ripe bananas and maybe it was more than needed. So yummy though!
The extra ripe banana could’ve added some more moisture – but I’m glad they were a hit regardless!
Can I use Tahiti instead of almond butter?
Yes tahini should work!
can i use eggs instead of flaxseed meal?
One egg should work!
These are so delicious and simple. I added blueberries instead. LOVE this recipe and the fact there is no sugar or natural sweeteners except the bananas! More recipes like this, please! Perfect to make for my diabetic dad.
Yay!! So happy you loved these. Great idea to add blueberries 🙂
My first time making vegan muffins and they blew me away! I always use frozen bananas. I reserved some of the banana liquid and added it at the end when I thought the batter seemed a little sticky and they turned out perfect!
Oh, so glad that worked well to use frozen bananas! Glad you loved these, Katie 🙂
These are my favourite muffin to serve to my 1 year old! I skip the chocolate chips and sometimes sub 1 egg for the flax, and they’re always A+. I also usually add a tbsp of chia seeds for a little extra nutrition. You are always my go to for recipes I feel good about serving to him 🙂
Yay!! So happy you’re loving these + my other recipes–thank you! ❤️
Make these frequently and my kids always eat them! Adults love them as well.
Made these. Loved them! They were great right out of the oven but I found them to be even better day 2 (more banana flavor). Confession, I made a few tweaks. First I use an egg because I was being lazy. Second I used crunchy almond butter because it’s what I had on hand. Third I used blueberries in lieu of chocolate chips because I’m avoiding sugar this week. OH and I added walnuts because yum. Quick, easy, delicious banana muffins!
So happy that all worked out well and that you loved these, Amy!!
I can’t eat coconut flour at all. Is there something I can replace it with? I am not paleo, but it often works for me. Would tapioca work or cassava flour? Thank you. They sound delicious
I’m sorry but the recipe is a little unreliable. The muffins turn out okay, but there’s not enough chocolate chips, or sweetness— not that I am expecting a cupcake- type of sweetness. Also, I blasted the heat when I started baking to try to get a dome on them, and even this didn’t really help, so I’d up the baking soda. I’m only criticizing because I spend a lot of money on these ingredients, and I wish some recipe details were more thought out.
Hi! Sorry to hear that these didn’t turn out for you. Were your bananas super ripe with tons of brown spots? The bananas are really what give the muffins the sweetness that they need. I’ve tested them many times with the listed amount of baking soda, so I’m not sure what could have caused the baking issue!
These were delicious! However, I am having trouble with them coming out a little mushy, do I just need to cook longer with my oven??
Make sure your baking soda is fresh and that you’re measuring out your mashed banana! Then they might just need a few more minutes of baking time 🙂
These muffins are absolutely delicious. The only reason I give them four stars (I really think it should be 4.8 but I don’t have that option) is because I’ve made them twice now and they didn’t rise at all. I thought at first it was my baking soda but I used a brand new one for the second batch and they still didn’t rise. Any suggestions?
So glad you like them! Because they’re gluten-free, they won’t rise as much as bakery-style muffins that use regular flour. Are they super flat and dense or just a little flat on the top?