These Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins are the perfect treat for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. Shhh…they’re actually on the healthier side.
I’ve got a special treat today ~ super chocolatey Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins. Decadently rich tasting, no one will guess that these muffins are actually on the healthier side. These muffins are perfect for making ahead of time – you can freeze them, then pull out a few the night before you want to serve them. Your family will be in for a treat and you can tell them later (or not) that they really don’t have to feel guilty about eating one of these.
I’m not sure what the difference is between a cupcake and a muffin, other than that cupcakes are eaten for dessert and muffins for breakfast, and that cupcakes usually have frosting swirled on top. Well, I passed these muffins off to the kids as cupcakes one afternoon when they got home from school. Sprinkled with a little powdered sugar, the boys fell for my little trick. 😉
Made with Almond Flour, oat flour and 
coconut oil, not only are these gluten-free and dairy-free, but they’re rich with healthy nuts, grains and fruit. A touch of coffee adds depth to the chocolate flavor in these muffins, and I made sure to use high quality bittersweet chocolate discs and cocoa powder. I also used dairy-free soy-free chocolate chips which had no lecithin as most chocolate chips do.
Whether you’re looking for a healthy snack or something sweet for breakfast, these Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins will do the trick.
Today, I’m participating in Food Network’s Comfort Food Feast where Breakfast is being featured. Please be sure to check out what my fellow foodie friends made t his week:
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Broccoli and Goat Cheese Omelet
Feed Me Phoebe: Amaranth Breakfast Porridge with Blueberry Compote
Weelicious: Crispy Orange Stuffed French Toast Sticks
Devour: Bobby’s Breakfast for Dinner Recipes
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Egg Bruschetta with Pesto
Red or Green: Huevos Rancheros
Dishing With Divya: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach and Sweet Toast
Virtually Homemade: Crescent Dough Breakfast Skillet
Taste With The Eyes: Kimchi & Cheddar Omelette
Blue Apron Blog: 7 Breakfast for Dinner Ideas from Around the World
Dishin & Dishes: Shirred Eggs (Baked Eggs)
Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Peasant Omelette
Domesticate Me: “Shakshuka” Egg White Frittata with Turkey Sausage
The Sensitive Epicure: “Egg In The Hole” with Sauteed Spinach
The Heritage Cook: Southwest Breakfast Hash
FN Dish: Wake Up to Breakfast
Gluten-Free Triple Chocolate Banana Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 1/2 ounce 60% bittersweet chocolate finely chopped
- 4 ounces ~ 1 1/2 cup sifted almond flour
- 5 ounces ~ 1 1/2 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 packet Starbucks VIA coffee
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup organic unrefined coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine coconut oil and bittersweet chocolate in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds until smooth and melted; cool to room temperature.
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Mix almond flour, oat flour, cocoa, cinnamon, coffee powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk together.
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In another bowl, combine bananas, almond milk, vanilla, eggs and melted chocolate. Beat with mixer until blended. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat just until mixed through. Stir in chocolate chips.
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Divide batter among 12 lined muffin cups. Bake 20-25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in middle of muffin.
Gluten Free Fruit and Nut Snack Bars {Nature Valley $500 Gift Card Sweepstakes}
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Jeanette, your muffins look fabulous! I love the flavor combination as well as all the ingredients you used…from the coconut oil and almond milk to the coconut sugar. All things I have in my pantry. Cannot wait to try! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Stacy – these are really chocolately but no one will guess they’re actually on the healthier side. Enjoy!
Wow your muffins look absolutely delicious and look so moist too! I enjoy learning healthy alternatives from your blog!
Thanks Nami – these are really good – hope you have a chance to try the recipe.
These look amazing! And they are healthy!
Thanks Liz – these are so good, my kids have been begging me to make more!
I know you may not have these answers, but I’ll ask – any chance I could use super bitter chocolate with some agave to balance it out? I have a pack of high quality dark chocolate at about 98% cacao and I don’t know what to do with it!
Also, I have coconut flour, regular, and whole wheat – could I sub some of these for the almond & oat flour? I’m not GF.
Thanks for posting! Besides these subs, I have all the ingredients at home. These look delicious!
Julie, you might be able to use your super bitter chocolate and sweetener to taste; but I would probably reduce the liquid a bit. Coconut flour behaves very differently than most flours (this post provides some tips for baking with coconut flour: https://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2013/03/12-tips-for-baking-with-coconut-flour.html) so if you use it you will need to increase the amount of liquid (typically eggs). If you use whole wheat flour or regular flour, that should substitute 1:1 for the almond flour and oat flour.
Thanks, Jeanette! Maybe I’ll tackle these tonight. Baking’s always so much more finicky when it comes to altering recipes, so I hope they turn out!
Yes, I agree – the fewer ingredients you change at a time the better usually. I would suggest using a different flour than coconut flour your first go round.
My boys would love those Jeanette – they sound great!
I will try these for sure….just a side note on some research I have been doing about cross reactivity. Instant coffee can act like gluten in some people who have cross reactivity issues. The Via is instant coffee. I can put ground espresso in to be safe. Thanks for the great recipe!
These muffins look fantastic! Love all the healthier ingredients here too, definitely makes them kid friendly and great for people with food allergies and intolerances, pinning, thanks for sharing Jeanette 🙂
These look great! Can you tell a suitable substitute for coconut oil? Also do you suppose I can use equal amounts of wheat flour with good results? Thanks!
Kim – you can use olive oil or another healthy oil. You should be able to use wheat flour in place of almond/oat flour – I used these flours to make this gluten-free and healthier.
These muffins look amazing Jeanette!
Thanks Sommer – I’m going to make another batch of these this week for my boys.
These muffins look so rich and divine, Jeanette. Can’t believe these are even good for you too.
These look great! I was wondering if anyone has tried using ground flaxseed and water as an egg replacement yet? I’m trying to make this vegan. I also have to look at that bittersweet chocolate- any substitute ideas there?
I love your blog Jeanette!
I haven’t tried using flaxseed gel as an egg replacement in this recipe, but I think it would probably work fine. I used bittersweet chocolate because it has less sugar than semi-sweet chocolate. You could use semi-sweet chocolate, but you might want to leave out the chocolate chips if you don’t want it too sweet. Here’s another chocolate muffin recipe I made a while ago using flax seed gel in place of eggs: https://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2011/08/glutendairyegg-free-mocha-chocolate-chip-muffins-vegan.html
Thanks for sharing yet another great recipe Jeanette. We enjoy a good muffin at breakfast and this looks so chocolatey and yum. I really like the coffee in it.
bookmarking these to make soon – possibly even today! I love using almond flour!
Happy New Year Jeanette!
Oh my goodness, these muffins look and sound fantastic! Love your creative use of ingredients and the chocolate? a trifecta of bliss 🙂
I’m all for chocolate, healthy carbs in the morning! Sold!
I agree Megan – who could resist chocolate + healthy carbs for breakfast!
Jeanette – these look and sound sensational. They are definitely going on my list of upcoming goodies to bake!!
Thanks so much Jane – my boys were fighting over these!
They look so moist and you can’t ever go wrong with triple chocolate anything!
I couldn’t agree more Sylvie – triple chocolate is hard to resist!
Chocolate for breakfast? Perfection!
These were tasty but i wish i had read the comments first as i used my gluten free flour blend that had coconut flour as opposed to almond (can’t use almonds i our house)… so mine came out a little dry but still very tasty! Also, I scooped out the centers and filled them with peanut butter then topped them with a chocolate ganache and Valetine’s sprinkles as they were a decadent Valentine’s breakfast treat in our house. thanks for the recipe!
Traci – coconut flour works differently than most gluten-free flours. Usually you need more liquid in recipes that use coconut flour. You can learn more about using coconut flour in this post: https://jeanetteshealthyliving.com/2013/03/12-tips-for-baking-with-coconut-flour.html
What a fun idea filling the centers with peanut butter and a ganache topping – great treat for Valentine’s Day!
These look great! Can you tell me how you make your cupcake papers – they are so pretty. Thanks.
I actually bought them from Amazon.
Just made these and they turned out terrific! I ground my own oat flour, and didn’t have Starbucks Via…so I ground a TBSP of coffee beans to a very fine powder. I really like how coconut sugar isn’t too sweet and the bananas add subtle sweetness as well. I love how the coffee & cocoa meld together. this is a great recipe, thanks for sharing it!
So glad you tried these and liked them. Thanks for coming back and leaving a comment to let us know and sharing the modifications to the recipe that worked for you.