Choc Chip Banana Muffins (Oven and Air Fryer)

These soft and fluffy choc chip banana muffins are a delicious recipe for using up ripe bananas. Taking just 10 minutes to prepare, you can bake them in the oven, or use the air fryer and have freshly baked muffins ready in under 25 minutes!

If you have bananas sat in the fruit bowl starting to go spotty and brown and fancy a change from banana bread, these banana and chocolate chip muffins are the perfect quick sweet treat! When enjoyed warm, with pockets of melted chocolate dotted throughout the soft banana sponge, these muffins are at their best. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy them in lunchboxes, as an after school snack or even a quick dessert!

If you have more ripe bananas that need using, these banana waffles, banana jam and banoffee pie are all easy and delicious recipes that are best made with over ripe bananas.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredient notes and substitutions
• How to make chocolate chip banana muffins from scratch
• FAQ
• My recipe tips
• You can use margarine instead of butter.Use less chocolate, 80-100g (2-3.5 oz) chocolate.
• Make ahead/storage
• Air fryer banana chocolate chip muffins
• Variations
• Why not try…
• Choc Chip Banana Muffins

Why we love this recipe

• This easy recipe for ripe bananas uses basic ingredients.
• You can easily halve the recipe and bake small batch banana muffins (something I do if I have 1 ripe banana that needs using up.)
• This recipe can be baked in a conventional oven or in the air fryer.
• These easy banana muffins are freezer – friendly and are so useful for last minute lunchboxes or snacks.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for ingredient quantities.

• Bananas – over ripe bananas are the best to use in these muffins as they are naturally sweeter – meaning a sweeter muffin – and help produce a moist muffin.
• Plain flour – or all purpose flour
• Butter – unsalted butter. As the butter is melted before adding to the muffin batter, you don’t need to remember to let it soften!
• Eggs – large eggs that weight approx 60g each.
• Sugar – White or granulated sugar.
• Milk – whole or full fat milk provides more flavour, but you can use half fat or skimmed milk if you prefer.
• Lemon juice – or use the same amount of white vinegar. This acid is mixed with the milk to create a homemade buttermilk, which gives the muffins a soft and tender texture.
• Raising agents – baking powder and bicarbonate or soda (baking soda). Both help the muffin batter to rise during baking.
• Vanilla extract – or vanilla essence or vanilla bean paste. It adds an extra sweetness and background flavour that works so well with both the banana and chocolate.
• Chocolate – I prefer to use bar chocolate and roughly chop it, but use chocolate chips if you prefer. We have tested this recipe with milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate, and all types of chocolate go well in these muffins.

How to make chocolate chip banana muffins from scratch

Please scroll down to the recipe card at the end of the post for the full recipe.

1. Mix the lemon juice / vinegar with the milk in a small bowl or jug and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, and add the white sugar and salt.

3. In another bowl mix cooled melted butter with vanilla, beaten eggs, mashed bananas and milk.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients in.

5. Add chopped chocolate / chocolate chips.
6. Mix until just combined, taking care not to over mix – it’s OK to have a few small lumps of flour in the batter.

7. Spoon into the lined muffin tin either with a spoon or ice cream scoop.
8. Place into the preheated oven and bake until a skewer inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

9. Leave in the tin for 5 minutes then move to a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely.

FAQ

My recipe tips

• Ripe brown bananas make the best banana muffins. Underripe bananas are less sweet, and won’t create a soft and moist muffin.
• Don’t over mix the batter, this will result in a tough muffin. It doesn’t matter if there are a few small lumps of flour in the batter.
• You can use 120ml of buttermilk instead of the milk and lemon juice / vinegar.

Make ahead/storage

These banana chocolate chunk muffins keep for up to 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

To freeze banana muffins: cool completely then wrap muffins well in foil before placing in a freezer zip lock bag or container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Unwrap the muffins to prevent them from going soggy and thaw in the fridge overnight.

Air fryer banana chocolate chip muffins

To make banana choc chip muffins in the air fryer, follow the steps to make the muffin batter. Instead of scooping the batter into paper cases, scoop into silicone muffin cases and cook in the air fryer at 180˚C / 356˚F for 11-12 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean.

Variations

• If you aren’t a fan of chocolate, or find you don’t have enough in the cupboard you can use chopped nuts or dried fruit – use the same amount as the chocolate.
• Caramilk – add the same weight of Caramilk chocolate, roughly chopped.
• White chocolate chips – sub in the same weight of white chocolate chips.

Why not try…

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