Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins – Britney Breaks Bread

These moist chocolate chunk banana muffins combine sweet, ripe bananas with rich, melty chunks of chocolate – making these muffins the best way to start the day. They’re soft and tender, easy to make, and bursting with flavor.

For more muffin recipes, make my bakery style blueberry muffins and lemon poppy seed muffins! 

Baked goods in the morning? Yes! I mean, you can really eat muffins any time of day, but there’s something about popping a slab of butter onto a warm muffin and enjoy with a fresh cup of coffee.

Furthermore, these bakery style muffins are absolutely incredible. It’s like a chocolate chip cookie and my chocolate chip banana bread recipe got together and decided to make a delicious muffin baby. 

And there’s a few tips and tricks in this recipe that truly make these the most delicious banana muffins. For starters, we’re letting the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour prior to baking. This ensures those soft, moist crumbs and texture while also allows the leaveners to activate, giving the muffins that tall rise while baking in the oven. 

Secondly, we’re using banana pudding mix for added banana flavor AND giving them that super soft melt in your mouth texture! They’re truly the most perfect muffins. Ok, enough of me rambling, I could go on all day. Let’s make the these easy chocolate chip banana muffins!! 

Banana Muffins Ingredients 

(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)

• Overripe bananas. Ok, I really like to push the limits here. I’m talking brown bananas, dark enough that if you held them up in a dark room you couldn’t see them. I’m clearly joking, but we want VERY ripe here. They’re not only sweeter, but that’s how you get the most concentrated banana flavor. 
• Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks – I used semi-sweet chocolate chips. They go well with the sweet flavor of the bananas without being bitter. If you prefer a stronger chocolate flavor, you can use dark chocolate chunks or bittersweet chopped chocolate. For a creamy take, use white chocolate chips.
• Instant Banana Cream Pudding Mix is my secret ingredient. The pudding mix adds a ton of flavor. They also keep these moist muffins super soft, even days after baking. It also gives the muffins a nice and fluffy texture. Can you make this recipe without it? Yes. However, I HIGHLY recommend using this if you can pick it up at your next grocery store run. 
• Brown sugar adds moisture and a subtle molasses flavor to keep them soft and flavorful. Granulated sugar contributes sweetness and structure, balancing the flavors and ensuring the muffins rise properly.
• Sour cream adds moisture and richness. It also enhances the flavor by adding a tangy yet creamy flavor. 
• Salted butter adds moisture, richness, and a hint of salt that balances sweetness, enhances flavors, and adds savory depth to banana muffins.
• Eggs provide structure, moisture, and richness. They also help the muffins rise and hold their shape and create a light and fluffy texture.
• Baking powder and baking soda ​allow these muffins to rise in the oven, creating those sky high dome muffin tops! 

Variations and Substitutions

• You can use coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil as a substitute for vegetable oil.
• Omit the chocolate chips entirely! Try adding a different kind of chips like butterscotch, peanut butter chips, or even add nuts to make a banana nut muffin.
• Add a dollop of nutella on top like I did with my nutella banana muffins! These have chocolate chips so it really ups the ante! 
• If you don’t have or can’t find the banana pudding mix, you can omit it. Just add in an additional ¼ cup (32g) or all purpose flour. 

How to make Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins

Step 5: Bake at 425 degrees F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for 12-15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are golden brown. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then gently remove and place onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

Baking Tips for Success

• Use Overripe Bananas with brown spots or almost fully browned skins for maximum sweetness and flavor.
• Measure ingredients properly by using a kitchen scale (grams) or spooning the flour into your measuring cup and level it off to prevent adding too much, which can make the muffins dry.
• Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to avoid sogginess.
• Use Room Temperature Ingredients – Let eggs, butter, and other ingredients reach room temperature for a smoother batter and even baking.
• Let the batter rest before baking! Letting muffin batter sit before baking allows the starches in the flour to absorb liquid, creating a more hydrated batter for a tender texture. It also gives leavening agents time to activate, ensuring better rise and fluffier muffins.

Recipe FAQs

More Bakery-Style Muffins Recipes