Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins
Last Updated on September 10, 2021 by Annie
Banana muffins studded with chocolate chips and pecans make these Chunky Monkey Muffins a delicious and dairy-free treat! Made in one-bowl, with no oil, these healthy banana muffins are perfect for a breakfast snack, afternoon treat, or a guilt-free dessert!
These ultra moist, chocolate and pecan studded banana muffins are inspired by the Ben and Jerry’s ice cream flavor “Chunky Monkey”. This popular flavor has a banana ice cream base mixed with chocolate chips and walnuts. But since I’m not a huge fan of walnuts, I decided to swap them out for another similarly soft nut, the pecan.
These easy to make muffins are perfect for a batch of bananas you let sit on the counter just a touch too long. They are loaded with banana flavor, packed with just the right amount of chocolate and pecans, and bake up in just 30 minutes! You will want to try these the next time your bananas have gone from ripe to quick bread ready!
Why We LOVE these Chunky Monkey Muffins
I can think of a million reasons to stop what you are doing right now and get to the kitchen to whip up a batch of these chunky monkey banana muffins. Here are just a few off the top of my head!
- ONE BOWL recipe. This quick and easy banana muffin recipe comes together in just one bowl.
- Oil-Free. With no added oil or plant-based butter these muffins are a delicious treat you can feel good about indulging in.
- Multi-purpose. You can easily whip up these chunky monkey muffins for breakfast, snack, or a sweet dessert.
- Freezable. Make a batch with your over-ripe bananas and toss them in the freezer for a snack that’s easy to grab on-the-go.
How to Make Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins
Ingredients You’ll Need
Just a few pantry staple ingredients make these moist and flavorful muffins.
- Bananas- You are looking for very ripe bananas for this moist muffin recipe. They are both the flavor as well as the butter replacement.
- Sugar– Sweetens the muffins.
- Eggs– Binds together the batter.
- Vanilla– Adds a little flavor.
- Oatmilk– Tenderizes the muffin batter to keep the muffins moist
- Leavening agents– A blend of baking soda and baking powder allow these banana muffins to reach towering heights!
- Salt + Cinnamon– Give these delicious banana muffins a boost of flavor.
- Flour– I used all purpose flour to give these muffins some sturcture.
- Chocolate Chips + Pecans– Adds in the falvor of a scoop of chunky monkey ice cream.
Directions for Chunky Monkey Muffins
This easy to make, one-bowl recipe is perfect when you are short on time but rich in over-ripe bananas!
- Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 450°F and prepare a muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with cupcake wrappers. Set aside.
- Mash bananas. In a large bowl mash the bananas until smooth.
- Add remaining wet ingredients. Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and oatmilk to the mashed banana.
- Mix in dry ingredients. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and gently fold with a rubber spatula.
- Add the mix-ins. Next fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
- Put into muffin tins. Pour the banana muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins to fill each 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake in the oven at 450°F for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 400°F and bake an additional 15 minutes until baked through.
- Cool completely. Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 2 minutes before transferring the muffins to a cooling rack.
Helpful Tips
Here are just a few helpful tips to make these ultra-banana-y muffins!
- Use ripe bananas. The browner the peel the more ripe the banana. The more ripe the banana the sweeter the resulting muffin. If you do not have fully or even overly ripe bananas, I would suggest baking them before using in the recipe. Check out How To Ripen Bananas for an over view of how to get the most ripe bananas for these easy banana muffins.
- Spray the muffin liners. You might need to use a non-stick spray to keep the muffins fro sticking to the wrapper.
- Start high, then decrease to low. Start baking at 450°F and then decrease to 400°F after 5 minutes to get a nice dome on the top of your muffins.
Dairy-Free Changes
With a few simple swaps, these moist banana muffins are not only dairy-free but also oil-free!
- No butter used. In place of a butter or oil, I used an extra banana. It keeps the muffins moist, sweet, and extra-banana-y.
- Oatmilk. In place of a traditional milk to tenderize the batter, I used oatmilk. It’s perfectly creamy and flavorful.
- Dairy-Free Chocolate Chips. To keep it dairy-free swap out semi-sweet chocolate chips for a dairy-free version such as Enjoy Life. You can also find dairy-free options such as Kroger or Wal-Mart’s store brand chocolate chips that are Free-From the Top 8 Allergens.
Serving Suggestions
You truly can’t go wrong any way you want to dive into these delicious muffins! Here are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them.
- Fresh from the oven as is, these muffins are absolutely divine.
- Frozen. Hear me out on this one, take them out of the freezer and allow them to thaw about 3 minutes. The muffin will be cold and moist but the banana chunks floating around will be like frozen banana bites.
- Warmed and topped with a little non-dairy butter, maybe with a side of coffee or cold oat milk.
- Sliced in half and smeared with a bit of peanut butter because peanut butter + banana + chocolate = GOLD.
How to Store Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins
Before storing these banana muffins you will want to make sure they have fully come to room temperature. Then follow the suggestions below for the best way to store.
- Storing– Keep these muffins in an air-tight container for up to 5 days after baking.
- Freezing– To keep longer than 5 days, freeze the cooled muffins in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. I have found that I can typically freeze 16 muffins easily in a gallon sized ziplock bag.
- Reheating– Remove the number of muffins you want from the freezer and allow to come to room temperature on the counter. Alternatively you can heat the muffin in the microwave for about 15 seconds to thaw.
More Delicious Banana Recipes
- Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
- Banana Snack Cake
- Double Chocolate Banana Bread
- Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls
If you tried these addictive Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins and enjoyed them feel free to leave a comment below! I would love to hear how it went! Or, snap a picture and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy to share all your life after dairy adventures!
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Chunky Monkey Banana Muffins
Loaded with banana, these chunky monkey muffins are a dairy- and oil-free treat studded with pecans and chocolate chips.
Ingredients
- 4 Bananas ripe
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ cup Oat Milk
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Chocolate Chips dairy-free
- 1 cup Pecans chopped
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450°F and prepare a muffin tin by spraying with non-stick spray or lining with cupcake wrappers. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl mash the bananas until smooth.
-
Stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and oat milk to the mashed banana.
-
Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to the bowl and gently fold with a rubber spatula.
-
Next fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans.
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Pour the banana muffin batter into the prepared muffin tins to fill each 3/4 of the way full.
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Bake in the oven at 450°F for 5 minutes.
-
Reduce the heat to 400°F and bake an additional 12-15 minutes until baked through.
-
Remove from the oven and allow to cool about 2 minutes before transferring the muffins to a cooling rack.
