These healthy banana muffins are made with lentils, oats, and whole wheat flour, and are sweetened only with overripe bananas and chocolate chips. Each bite is bursting with banana flavor and has just enough melty, chocolatey sweetness to make this healthy snack taste like dessert. Loved by kids and can easily be made with no added sugar.

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Banana muffins don’t have to be made with wholesome ingredients in the easiest way possible (hello, blender), but honestly, when they taste this yummy and your kids are obsessed with them, why the heck not?

These Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins contai lentils (say what!?), whole grain oats, whole wheat flour, and have no added sugar aside from the chocolate chips — which add just enough melty, chocolatey sweetness to make these snack-worthy muffins feel like dessert. 

I know what you’re thinking: lentils and dessert do not belong in the same sentence. I thought so too until we tried my friend Lindsay’s blog-famous Lentil Banana Muffins and ate the whole batch in one day. Those little bites of lentil goodness are the inspiration behind these blender banana muffins that are naturally sweetened with overripe bananas.  

These Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana muffins are also one of the most forgiving and versatile baked goods of all time.

Want to add a boost of healthy fats to each bite? Add 1/3 cup of peanut butter to the blender! Or if you’re in a double-chocolate muffin kinda mood? Stir in 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and an extra dollop of oil to keep them moist. I’ve made these muffins every which way and they never disappoint.

Oh and if you have little ones, mini-sized muffins are fun to eat and perfectly portioned. Our kids have one or two for a bedtime snack pretty much every single night these days — a far cry from the Little Debbie cakes we used to eat as kids! 😂 

A few time-saving tips:

These muffins have become such a staple in our house I’ve found a few tricks to bake less, save time, and minimize cleanup. Here’s how: 

• I cook extra lentils. The recipe calls for one cup of cooked lentils, approximately a generous ⅓ cup dry. Rather than cooking lentils every time I want to bake these muffins, I cook two generous cups of dry lentils at once and freeze what I don’t need in one-cup portions. This makes enough for 6 single batches, or three double batches! Then, all I have to do is grab a bag from the freezer a few hours before baking! 
• I double the recipe and freeze the extras. These muffins don’t last long in our house, and probably won’t in yours either! I usually bake a double batch and freeze the extras. They defrost quickly and come out just as soft and spongy as fresh muffins. The kids never notice the difference!
• I DIY my own muffin mix. We make these muffins so often I measure enough dry ingredients (flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon) for the next few batches and store my DIY muffin mix in mason jars in the pantry. The next time around all I have to do is pop the top and mix it in!

Can I make healthy muffins with no added sugar? 

You absolutely can! The healthy muffins alone have no added sugar, so simply omit the chocolate chips or substitute sugar-free chocolate chips. I hear good things about Lily’s Dark Chocolate and Semi-Sweet chocolate chips which are sweetened with sugar alcohol and stevia.

Can I use frozen bananas? 

Yes, absolutely! In fact, I almost always use frozen overripe bananas.

To freeze bananas, place peeled bananas in an airtight freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before freezing. Frozen bananas can last up to 6 months, maybe longer. 

Be sure to let the bananas defrost completely, either overnight in the refrigerator or leave them on the counter for a few hours. I usually toss them into the blender in the morning and let them defrost on the counter over the course of the morning. Regardless, make sure you include the liquid from the bananas as it helps keep them nice and moist.

Want more sweet, wholesome, good-for-you treats? Try these next!

• Healthy No Added Sugar Banana Bread
• No Added Sugar Pumpkin Banana Bread
• Healthy No-Bake Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

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