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You are here: Home / Breakfast / Almond Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (GF)

March 31, 2020 14 Comments

Almond Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (GF)

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One of my favorite muffin recipes ever! These almond butter banana chocolate chip muffins are dairy-free, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened.

Healthy double chocolate chip muffins

One of my favorite recipes is these double chocolate peanut butter banana muffins. So, I adapted that recipe to make these almond butter muffins for a peanut-allergy friendly version for my little brother. The almond butter swap also happens to make these muffins Paleo-friendly if you omit the chocolate chips or use Paleo-friendly chocolate chips!

I’m typically a bit wary of gluten-free or Paleo baked goods, but these almond butter banana chocolate chip muffins are the BEST. They’re super moist, chocolate-y, and rich.

I often use Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips, which are dairy-free and Paleo-certified. I also really like Lily’s chocolate chips (sweetened with Stevia) for a lower sugar option.

I’ve made these muffins for girls’ nights, brought them to my small group, and even made them for friends’ birthdays, and no one has figured out that they’re healthy or gluten-free unless I mentioned it!

Healthy chocolate muffins

The Ingredients

Just ripe bananas, almond butter, dark chocolate cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, honey, chocolate chips, and milk.

I typically use almond or coconut milk since that’s what I keep on hand, but any type of milk works just fine.

Healthy double chocolate muffins ingredients

Even with the added honey and chocolate chips, these banana chocolate chip muffins only have 9 grams of sugar each! (For reference, I checked to see how much sugar is in one standard-size chocolate chip muffin at Starbucks– 39 grams!).

I’ve also experimented with both reducing and entirely omitting the honey for an even lower sugar version, and they still taste awesome if you don’t mind a slightly less sweet muffin. If you’re used to eating super dark chocolate, you’ll love the lower-sugar version!

The ripe bananas add enough sweetness that the muffins aren’t bitter at all. So, I added a recipe note about that option.making healthy chocolate muffins

What Type of Almond Butter To Buy

Depending on where you shop, you may have a ton or just a few options for brands and varieties of almond butter (no sugar added, flavored with vanilla/hazelnut/chocolate, etc.). This is what I look for in a healthy almond butter, if possible:

Raw Almonds: Raw almonds are generally considered healthier than roasted, so I buy raw almond butter when I can. I’m also not typically into flavored nut butters since they’re not quite as versatile and usually have added sugar, so I usually just buy plain raw almond butter.

No extra ingredients: Like peanut butter, some almond butters have extra ingredients like sunflower oil and sugar. I look for almond butter with just one or two ingredients: almonds and possibly salt.

Organic? The organic raw almond butter I’ve found typically costs double its non-organic counterpart, which isn’t worth it to me personally. So, I generally don’t worry too much about organic vs. non-organic almond butter.

I usually get plain (non-raw) almond butter at Costco or I also really like Trader Joe’s raw almond butter. I usually stock up whenever I go to one of those stores or when there’s a great sale at another store since almond butter can be pricy!

Healthy chocolate muffins with almond butter

A little more about these muffins: the banana and almond butter flavors are subtle, so the double chocolate definitely dominates. 😍😍

I accidentally under-baked my first batch of these almond butter muffins, and right out of the oven, they tasted like gooey molten lava cakes. They sunk in the middle slightly as they cooled, but they tasted amazing. Healthy chocolate chip banana muffins

Straight from the freezer, I pop a muffin into the microwave on medium-high power for about 25 seconds and it’s like warm, melty chocolate cake. The best healthy after-dinner treat for my chocolate cravings!

Along with my favorite gluten-free chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, I bake a batch of these gluten-free double chocolate muffins every week or two.

Muffins freeze so well, so I almost always have a bag of homemade muffins in my freezer for when friends come over or for when I make someone a little care package. These disappear SO fast!

Healthy chocolate muffins

If you try these almond butter banana chocolate chip muffins, let me know in a comment (with a star rating!) or take a photo and tag me @livbane on Instagram! I’d love to see. I hope you love these as much as I do!

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5 from 4 votes

Almond Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-Free)

These gluten-free almond butter banana chocolate chip muffins are rich and decadent, and you'd never know they're actually low in sugar (sweetened with banana and a touch of honey), have no oil or butter, and are naturally gluten-free!
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 209kcal
Author: Liv

Ingredients

Liquid Ingredients

  • 2 medium-large ripe bananas (approx. 6-7 oz. each, weighed with peel) (speckled bananas are best)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup natural almond butter (can sub peanut butter)
  • 3 Tbsp. honey or pure maple syrup*
  • 1/4 cup milk or almond milk

Dry Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup DARK chocolate cocoa powder (I've also tried regular cocoa powder, but I highly recommend Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder if possible. You can buy in the baking aisle of most grocery stores!)
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add eggs, almond butter, honey, and milk and stir well.
  • In a separate small bowl, stir together dry ingredients (cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt).
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir lightly until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
  • Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with cooking spray or fill with muffin liners. Fill with batter and sprinkle chocolate chips on top of each muffin cup.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes until the muffin tops are mostly set if you lightly jiggle the pan. (If you insert a toothpick, they'll still be gooey, but they'll set more as they cool).
  • Let muffins cool for 15 minutes and then remove from the muffin tin, using a knife around the edges to loosen the muffins if needed. Store leftover muffins on the counter or in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze remaining muffins for up to 2-3 months.

Notes

Since these muffins are already dark, it can be a bit hard to tell when they're done baking. Err on the side of under-baking (they'll be dry if over-baked!)
*I've experimented with as little as no honey and as much as 1/4 cup honey. I've found that 2-3 Tbsp. is perfect for me as someone who enjoys very dark chocolate. If you're not used to especially dark chocolate, you may wish to start with 1/4 cup. If you're following a low-sugar diet and enjoy very dark chocolate, you can successfully omit the honey entirely, as the bananas add sweetness.
 
Two things I always use: these natural (unbleached) baking cups + Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 14g | Sodium: 91mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g

Adapted from this recipe

 

 

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Comments

  1. Caleb Bane says

    April 1, 2020 at 10:47 am

    These are so good! And I appreciate you adapting your original recipe for me!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      April 1, 2020 at 1:43 pm

      So glad you enjoyed these ❤️

      Reply
  2. Misty says

    April 1, 2020 at 11:58 am

    5 stars
    One of my favorite muffin recipes and they are gluten and dairy free which is a huge bonus!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      April 1, 2020 at 1:45 pm

      Yes! Love that they’re GF and DF 😀

      Reply
  3. Alex says

    April 14, 2020 at 2:00 am

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for you blog post. These muffins are amazing! Can’t stop eating them!

    Reply
  4. Josie says

    August 9, 2020 at 3:09 pm

    5 stars
    Simply delicious! Made them with PB and only 1 tbspn of honey and they’re perfect! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 18, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      Awesome! So glad you enjoyed these, Josie!

      Reply
  5. Tiffany Daumueller says

    March 12, 2021 at 1:55 pm

    5 stars
    We loved these muffins. I was surprised at how well the flavors all blended so well even with such a small amount of ‘floured’ product. I’m having my kids make another 2 dozen today. They were perfect even with only stevia chocolate chips, naturally sweet enough with the bananas. Thank you for your GF DF recipe!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      March 29, 2021 at 11:35 am

      I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed these muffins!

      Reply
  6. Eileen says

    May 11, 2021 at 6:46 pm

    LOVED these. Simple and easy to make and super delicious. Started using them as my pre-run snack. Thank you for sharing!! Hard to believe they’re so healthy.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      May 24, 2021 at 6:35 pm

      So glad you enjoyed these!

      Reply
  7. Drift Boss says

    September 11, 2024 at 4:46 pm

    Absolutely love, love, love these gluten free muffins! Please make more gluten free recipes!

    Reply
  8. Forrest Mathin says

    April 1, 2025 at 9:47 pm

    so delicious! i love chocolate google baseball

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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