Easy Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins made with sweet bananas and fresh summer zucchini make a delicious quick breakfast, afternoon snack, or addition to packed lunches!
*I updated this post with new photos and an improved layout for a better user experience. This is the original recipe. 😊
If you ask my kids, the best part of zucchini season is all the yummy baked goods you can make with it, haha!
These muffins are like banana bread muffins made with zucchini, if that makes sense. You really can't taste the zucchini- trust me!
What sets this recipe apart from other zucchini muffin recipes is that it's made with whole-grain flour, mashed bananas (for natural sweetness), and less added sugar.
And, as for the chocolate chips - they are a make-it-or-break-it if for muffins made with zucchini and bananas. Sort of like when you make bliss balls or sheet pan cookies. Just saying. 💁♀️
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe There is no need to use a paper towel to squeeze excess moisture out of the shredded zucchini. 🙌 And you only need one bowl, which means less mess!
- Simple Ingredients Sweet bananas, fresh zucchini, flour, olive oil, sugar, egg, baking soda, baking powder, salt, milk and chocolate chips. Sounds pretty simple, right?
- Kid-Approved I have yet to meet a kid who doesn't love a muffin, especially when they are made with chocolate chips. This recipe meets both criteria while not overdoing it on added sugar. So, it's a win-win for both parents and kids!
- Higher in Fiber These muffins are made with whole grain flour, banana, and zucchini, which will help your kids meet their daily fiber requirements.
Dietitian Tips
Tip 1 Muffins are a great way to help you eat more whole grains, fruit AND veggies, especially on busy mornings!
Tip 2 While these muffins do contain fiber, they are not high in protein. For this reason, I either serve them with a baked egg, glass of milk, or yogurt to help balance out the meal or snack.
Ingredient Notes
Notes on a few key ingredients for making these delicious muffins:
- Zucchini Adds fiber, vitamins (like vitamin C, vitamin B-6, and folate), and minerals (like potassium and manganese).
- Bananas Bananas are full of fiber and potassium. They also serve as a fabulous sweetener, especially over-ripe bananas.
- Flour Golden Wheat Flour (white whole wheat flour) and oat flour are used to provide the perfect consistency and flavor. Both are made from whole grains, which means they are excellent sources of fiber. Can use all-purpose flour instead.
- Chocolate Chips Use semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. Reserve some of the chocolate chips so you can place them on top of the filled muffin cups before baking.
How to Make Banana Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Here's a quick overview of the steps to make these easy and delicious muffins. For the full list of ingredients and complete instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas. Add the cup of shredded zucchini to the large bowl with mashed banana and stir well.
- Add liquid ingredients to the mashed banana and zucchini mixture and mix well. Add all other ingredients except chocolate chips and mix just until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Finally, add chocolate chips and gently stir in.
- Evenly distribute batter in the lined or greased muffin pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes and enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Do not overmix the batter.
- This recipe calls for just enough chocolate chips to give the taste kids love but not so much that they are overly sweet.
- Use either use a fork or a kitchen utensil like a hand-held meat or potato masher to mash the over-ripe bananas. It's easy!
- Shred the zucchini as you would shred a block of cheese. I use a box grater. A food processor or mandolin would work as well. Just be sure to wash the zucchini and trim both ends off first
- If using freshly grated zucchini, you do not need to ring it out first.
- Once cooled, store muffins in airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
- Refrigerate or freeze muffins you don't anticipate eating within 3 days.
- For mini muffins, reduce the baking time.
Questions You May Have
While I haven't tried it myself, this recipe should work if you replace all of the flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute.
Make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats in a blender or food processor. I did this when I made the muffins pictured in this post because I had run out of store-bought oat flour.
Oat flour softens these muffins that would otherwise be a little denser if made with white whole wheat flour alone.
While I haven't tried it, you should be able to substitute milk with water or a dairy-free milk alternative. The consistency will be a little different, but it should still work.
If you make these muffins dairy-free, please let me know how they turn out!
Yep! To turn this into a quick bread, pour the batter into a loaf pan, reduce the baking temperature to 325 degrees, and increase the baking time to about one hour.
Did you love these chocolate chip banana zucchini muffins as much as I do? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and comment below to let me know. A 5-star rating is the best compliment!
Don't forget to follow me @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram for more easy recipes and nutrition tips!
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
- 1 Muffin pan 12 muffins
- 1 Box Grater to grate zucchini
- 1 Food masher To mash the bananas
Ingredients
- 2 small over-ripe bananas
- 1 cup zucchini grated
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour also known as golden wheat flour
- ¾ cup oat flour
- ¾ cup milk I use skim milk
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Place the bananas in the bottom of a large mixing bowl and mash.2 small over-ripe bananas
- Add the grated zucchini to the banana and mix well.1 cup zucchini
- Add all other ingredients (except chocolate chips) to the mixing bowl, starting with the liquid ingredients. Mix just until all of the dry ingredients are combined.1 cup white whole wheat flour, ¾ cup oat flour, ¾ cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ⅓ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup olive oil
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.¼ cup chocolate chips
- Divide batter evenly into a lined muffin tin (12 muffins).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter. The batter should still be lumpy.
- Use either use the back side of a fork or a food masher to mash the over-ripe bananas. It's easy!
- Grate the zucchini as you would grate a block of cheese. I use a box grater. A food processor or mandolin would work, too.
- Wash the zucchini and trim both ends off the zucchini before grating it.
- Do not ring out the excess moisture from the zucchini. Just stir the grated zucchini in as is.
- Allow muffins to cool completely before storing in an airtight container at room temperature.
- Refrigerate or freeze muffins that you don't anticipate eating within 2-3 days. Muffins made with whole grain flour don't last as long as when made with all-purpose flour.
Lori T says
These are the best muffins, very nutritious and moist - perfect sweetness
Kristi Ruth RD says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Lori! I couldn't agree more 🙂
Sue says
My kids love these!!
Kristi says
I'm so glad!
Andrea says
Really good, easy to make, I used half coconut oil and half olive oil, honey instead of sugar and I did not have oat flour so I used spelt flour. Great way to use up my banana stash and those ever present zucchini .
Kristi says
Thank you for sharing! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!