The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

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These are the best banana chocolate chip muffins! They're made with brown butter for a wonderful nutty flavor, aren't too sweet, have a super soft and moist texture, and are loaded with chocolate chips and a chocolate ganache. And the best part? They're SO easy to make and come together in less than an hour!

6 baked banana chocolate muffins in a muffin tray filled with chocolate ganache imaged from the top, surrounded by some chocolate chips

overhead image of banana chocolate muffins, with one muffin broken into 2 halves to show the moist and soft inside and chocolate ganache filling

Read the full blog post below for detailed notes, tips, tricks, photos and videos.

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Why are these the best banana chocolate chip muffins?
Jumbo muffin tray
Tips to perfect this recipe
Video tutorial
Process with photos
Frequently asked questions
Related recipes
The Best Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

Why are these the best banana chocolate chip muffins?

The internet is full of banana bread and banana muffin recipes - so what makes these muffins so special? A few things:

They're made with brown butter. This step takes just a few extra minutes, but delivers tenfold in results! Brown butter has a wonderful nutty, caramel-like aroma and flavor, and complements the banana flavor perfectly
They use brown sugar only. This makes the muffins much more moist and tender in texture, while complementing the caramel notes from the bananas and brown butter
They are not overly sweet. The recipe uses less than a cup of added sugar, and relies more heavily on the sweetness from the bananas
They have a hint of coffee. Sure, you can skip it, but it adds a really nice subtle flavor!
They are ultra moist and tender without being dense. Some banana bread / muffin recipes go too far and turn out kind of heavy. This one gets it just right - the muffins are very moist while still feeling light and fluffy!
They are LOADED with chocolate. These muffins have chocolate chips and a chocolate ganache filled center. This was inspired by the viral Olympic double chocolate muffins, and is such an easy way to elevate the basic muffin!
They are really easy to make. The batter comes together with just a hand whisk and one bowl, and takes practically no time or effort to make

close up of baked banana chocolate muffins in a muffin tray. focus is on one muffin which has been filled with chocolate ganache in the middle

a jumbo banana chocolate muffin broken into half with more in the background. the muffin is filled with a shiny dark chocolate ganache and chocolate chips, and looks very moist in texture

Jumbo muffin tray

These muffins are "jumbo" sized, which I believe all muffins should be (otherwise they're more like cupcakes, aren't they!?). Here is a jumbo muffin pan on Amazon, with each muffin cup being slightly over 3" in diameter.

You can line the muffin cups using jumbo muffin liners, or make your own using parchment paper! Cut the paper into large squares, then make cuts along the diagonal lines leaving a circle in the center that is roughly the size of the base of the muffin. Press in using the bottom of a glass and the paper should take the shape of the muffin cup.

Tips to perfect this recipe

This is a really simple recipe, but I do want to share a few tips to help you get these muffins just right:

Use a weighing scale. This will yield more accurate results than measuring cups, especially for the flour and sugars
Make sure your bananas are VERY ripe! We want lots of bruises and very soft bananas, as they will have the most flavor in them
Leave some chunks in the mashed bananas. This helps add a nice texture to the muffins
Sift in the dry ingredients. This will remove lumps from them and make it easier to fold them in
Don't overmix the batter. Use gentle folding motions to mix in the dry ingredients, and stop as soon as they are combined. Overmixing can make the muffins rubbery
Use good quality chocolate. You can use chips (I did) but if you want molten chocolate in the middle, chopped chocolate bars or chunks will work best
Don't overbake. Take the muffins out of the oven as soon a a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with light, moist crumbs attached
Eat the muffins warm! I recommend microwaving them for a few seconds before eating them to get the most out of their texture

Video tutorial

Here is a short video tutorial for this recipe that I recommend watching:

Process with photos

The detailed recipe is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post, but let's go over the steps with photos to help you visualize everything.

Brown the butter. Then whisk it with the brown sugar for 1-2 minutes:

brown sugar and brown butter in a wooden bowl

brown butter and brown sugar mixed together in a wooden bowl

Add the eggs, vanilla and coffee, and whisk until smooth and creamy:

eggs broken on top of whisked butter and brown sugar in a wooden bowl

brown sugar and brown butter whisked together with eggs in a wooden bowl with a whisk inside

Add the mashed bananas and sour cream and whisk in:

mashed bananas and sour cream added to wet ingredients in a wooden bowl to make banana bread muffins

banana bread batter with wet ingredients whisked into dry ingredients in a wooden bowl

Then, fold in the dry ingredients until just combined:

dry ingredients sifted on top of wet ingredients in a wooden bowl to make banana muffin batter

banana bread batter before adding chocolate chips in a wooden bowl

Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips or chopped chocolate:

chocolate chips added on top of banana muffin batter in a wooden bowl

banana bread batter with chocolate chips folded in in a wooden bowl with a rubber spatula

Divide the batter evenly between 6 jumbo muffin cups, and top off with more chips:

jumbo muffin tray lined with parchment paper

jumbo muffin tray lined with parchment paper and filled with banana chocolate chip muffin batter

Bake the muffins. Let them rest for 10-15 minutes, then fill with ganache in the middle:

6 baked jumbo banana chocolate chip muffins in a muffin pan lined with white parchment paper

6 baked banana chocolate muffins in a muffin tray filled with chocolate ganache in the middle

Serve and enjoy!!

a baked banana chocolate chip muffin with more in the background. It is golden and tall and filled with chocolate ganache

a jumbo banana chocolate chip muffin broken into 2 halves that are resting on the counter. Muffin is filled with chocolate ganache and has a very soft and moist texture

Frequently asked questions

Can I use white sugar instead of brown?

Yes, you can use white sugar instead of brown, but brown sugar will give the best flavor and texture.

Can I skip browning the butter?

This recipe has been developed specifically for brown butter, which has less moisture than melted butter. Therefore, I don't recommend using regular melted butter

What is a substitute for sour cream in this recipe?

You can replace the sour cream with greek yogurt, or make your own sour cream at home using my easy recipe.

How can I ripen my bananas quicker?

Bananas ripen the fastest when left in a cool, dark place like a cabinet in a paper bag. If you need an even quicker fix, remove the peel and place the bananas in the oven at 250F for 5-10 minutes.

Can I skip the chocolate ganache?

Yes, you can skip the chocolate ganache and bake these as regular banana chocolate chip muffins.

Can I bake these muffins as a loaf instead?

Yes! You can turn these muffins into a banana chocolate chip bread and bake in a loaf pan for ~45-50 minutes. I love this loaf pan from USA Pan!

Can I bake these as cupcakes instead?

Yes, you can use this batter to make smaller muffins or cupcakes; just make sure to reduce the baking time.

Can I bake these muffins ahead of time?

Yes, these muffins are great to bake ahead of time. You can keep them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week. Make sure to microwave for a few seconds before eating!

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