These easy chocolate chunk banana muffins may be my favorite banana recipe yet. They use browned butter for a toasty, nutty depth and are loaded with large chunks of chocolate. Best of all, no mixer is required—just bowls and a small saucepan to brown the butter.
After creating my chocolate chunk banana bread (which was a huge hit at home), I adapted the recipe into muffins. I borrowed a few techniques from my bakery-style vanilla muffins to achieve tall, dramatic muffin tops.
Rather than standard chocolate chips, I chop a chocolate bar into large pieces. Those big chunks melt into glossy puddles and create an attractive cracked top. If you enjoy banana bakes, try banana pudding in a jar, banana bread with pecans, or a chocolate chip banana bundt cake later.
For a larger option, you can make a jumbo muffin version. Other tasty variations include banana raspberry muffins or banana coffee cake muffins.
Why I can’t get enough of these muffins!
- No Mixer — you don’t need a stand or handheld mixer. A few bowls and a saucepan are all it takes.
- Browned Butter — browning the butter adds a toasted, nutty richness that elevates the flavor.
- Tall Muffin Tops — spacing liners apart in the pan gives the tops room to rise for a bakery-style look.
Recipe Testing
I tested numerous banana muffin versions to get the texture and rise just right. I used my chocolate chunk banana bread recipe as the base, then added a bit of baking powder for extra lift. Spacing liners and starting the bake at high heat for five minutes (then lowering the temperature) helps the tops spring up quickly and form an appealing dome.
Placing large pieces of chopped chocolate on top right before baking creates a beautiful cracked-chocolate appearance. For an even more chocolate-forward treat, try a triple chocolate muffin recipe variant.
Grab your ingredients!
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients and instructions is below.
- Ripe Bananas: Use ripe or overripe bananas for maximum sweetness and easy mashing.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture and a tender crumb. Greek or full-fat yogurt can be swapped in.
- Chopped Chocolate: Use a good-quality chocolate bar (semisweet or dark preferred). Large chunks make the best pockets of melty chocolate.
- Leaveners: Check expiry dates on your baking soda and baking powder for reliable rise.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Chocolate: Swap the chopped bar for chocolate chips if you prefer.
- Sour Cream: Use Greek yogurt or full-fat plain yogurt in place of sour cream.
- Nuts: Stir in chopped pecans or walnuts to make banana nut muffins.
How to make these chocolate chunk banana muffins
Step 1: Brown the butter. Melt it in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring with a rubber spatula. The butter will foam and then you’ll see milk solids form on the bottom—stir until those solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl to cool for 10–15 minutes.
Step 2: Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 3: Mash the bananas in a medium bowl until smooth.
Step 4: Add granulated and light brown sugars to the cooled brown butter and whisk until combined; the mixture will be slightly sandy.
Step 5: Stir in mashed banana, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
Step 6: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula until just combined—do not overmix.
Step 7: Fold most of the chopped chocolate into the batter, reserving a few pieces to top each muffin.
Step 8: Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tray and leave every other cavity empty so the muffins have room to rise. Fill each liner to the top, sprinkle reserved chocolate pieces on top, and bake 5 minutes at 425°F. Without opening the door, reduce the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake 14–16 more minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Ella’s Baking Tips
- Bring all ingredients to room temperature before starting—pull them out an hour or two in advance.
- Weigh ingredients when possible. A kitchen scale and metric measurements improve consistency.
- Do not open the oven door while the temperature is lowered after the initial blast of heat—this helps the muffin tops set and stay tall.
- Fill liners to the very top for the biggest muffin domes. A large cookie scoop works well for even portions.
Try these breakfast recipes next!
Creamy Banana Spinach Smoothie-
Cinnamon Swirl Muffins
-
Apple Waffles
-
Nutella Baked Oats
Made This Recipe?
Please leave a rating and review below. Tag @alpineella on Instagram to show what you made. Thank you! — Ella
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tray
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cup (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups (350 g) mashed bananas (about 3–4 medium)
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 oz (140 g) chocolate bar, chopped (reserve some pieces for topping)
Weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for the best results.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (218°C) and position the rack in the middle. Line two 6-cup muffin pans with 12 liners, leaving every other cavity empty so muffins have room to rise.
- Brown the butter: melt it over medium-low heat and stir until foaming and small white solids form. When those solids turn golden and the butter smells nutty, pour into a bowl and cool 10–15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Whisk the granulated and brown sugars into the cooled browned butter until combined.
- Whisk in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula until just combined. Stir in most of the chopped chocolate, reserving a few pieces for the tops.
- Fill each muffin liner to the top with batter and sprinkle reserved chocolate on each muffin.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then without opening the door reduce the oven to 350°F (175°C) and bake another 14–16 minutes. Cool in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
These recipes were developed and tested using metric weights. I recommend using a kitchen scale for consistent results. US cup conversions are provided but may be less precise.
Bring ingredients to room temperature before baking for the best texture.
Salt: If substituting fine salt for kosher, halve the amount (1 tsp kosher = ½ tsp fine).
Sour Cream: Greek or full-fat yogurt works as a substitute.
Chocolate: Any chocolate type is fine—semisweet, dark, milk, or white. You can also use chocolate chips instead of a chopped bar.
Storage: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: Freeze fully cooled muffins in a freezer bag; thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Nutrition (per muffin)
Calories: 323 kcal | Carbohydrates: 44 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 15 g | Sugar: 24 g
The provided nutrition information is an estimate and not guaranteed.
Leave a comment below and tag @alpineella on Instagram so I can see your muffins!