Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins
Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins- made with whole grain oats and naturally sweetened, no one would ever guess these fluffy muffins are gluten-free, oil-free and vegan!
I’ve been slowly working my way through veganizing all of the versions of my blender muffins and these double chocolate banana muffins were second on my list. If you’ve tried the original recipe then you know how good they are. Fluffy and perfectly moist. They’re like eating chocolate cake for breakfast!
I realize it might seem easy to just sub regular eggs with flax eggs but I’ve found when it comes my flourless muffin recipes that trick just doesn’t work the same. They turn out overly dense and gummy which is because real eggs provide a lot more lift than flax eggs. That said, apple cider vinegar plus a combination of baking soda and baking powder produces a decent amount of air that allows for an extra fluffy texture. Beyond that change, the liquid amounts also have to be tweaked to get them just right. So it’s not always as simple as you might think.
What You Need to Make These Muffins
- Bananas– The key to getting the right amount of moisture is to make sure that you’re bananas are big enough. You should have 1 full cup when they’re mashed which comes out to about 2 medium-size bananas. Make sure they are ripe as they are a main source of sweetness in the muffins!
- Non-Dairy Milk– I’ve tested these with an almond/cashew blend with added pea protein, soy milk and oat milk. I have not tested them with dairy milk.
- Apple Cider Vinegar– A bit of vinegar reacts with the baking soda to release air bubbles which creates extra fluffy muffins. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, white vinegar would also work.
- Maple Syrup- Pure maple syrup is ideal because of it’s thin texture compared to honey. And honey isn’t vegan, of course. Agave nectar would also work in place of the maple syrup.
- Peanut Butter- Peanut butter is usually the most cost effective option for nut butters but you can use any variety you like. If there is added salt then you may want to omit the salt in the recipe. Equal amounts of melted coconut oil, tahini (well stirred) or sunflower seed butter would also work in place of the nut butter.
- Rolled Oats- While oats are inherently gluten-free they are often processed on equipment with wheat products so there is a risk for cross contamination. If you have any concerns for allergies be sure to check that your oats are certified gluten-free, such as Bob’s Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats. See below for tips on how to make these without a high speed blender.
- Baking Powder and Soda- It might seem redundant to use both baking powder and soda but please don’t leave one of them out! They are both necessary for maximum muffin height.
- Cocoa Powder- I recommend using cocoa powder as opposed to raw cacao powder because the latter tends to be bitter and requires more sweetener. Equal Exchange is my favorite brand.
- Dark Chocolate Chips- I’m a chocolate fiend so I pretty much add it wherever I can. I used these oat milk chocolate chips that I stumbled upon recently and they are AMAZING.
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A HIGH SPEED BLENDER?
You can see that the Vitamix does an awesome job breaking down the oats and making my muffins look like bakery perfection. If you can afford to invest in one, I highly recommend it. I’ve had mine for 7 years and it still works like a champ.
That said, if you don’t have a high speed blender you can easily make these by using equal amounts oat flour and combining the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in two separate bowls. For best results, I recommend blending or beating the wet ingredients together as this step incorporates air and will help lighten the texture. Then you just pour the wet ingredients in a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
If you want to try more vegan blender muffins like these be sure to check these out:
Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 medium to large ripe bananas, should equal at least 1 cup when mashed
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup creamy peanut butter, see notes for subs
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt, see notes
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease or line a muffin tin for 9 muffins (as pictured, can also make 12 smaller muffins) then set aside.
- In the bowl of a blender, add the wet ingredients first (bananas, milk, vinegar, syrup and peanut butter). Blend until smooth. Next layer the dry ingredients (rolled oats, cinnamon, baking powder, soda, and salt). Blend on high until oats are broken down and a smooth batter forms. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
- The batter will be thick so I recommend using an ice cream scooper to scoop the batter out into the muffin tin. Fill each about 3/4 of the way full. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool completely then serve and enjoy!
I love your blender recipes!! I make my son your vegan spinach blender muffins at least once a week. My muffins never come out fluffy like yours though, they are always super dense. Do you have any idea why? I’ve tried baking them for the shorter amount of time, and I’ve tried to not over mix the batter in the blender. They are still delicious and get devoured! Thank you for this recipe! I think for a treat I’ll make these this week!
Hi Sydney! Thank you for your feedback…I’d like to help troubleshoot why you’re getting different results than I am. What kind of milk are you using?
Thank you for your fast response and support. You are always so sweet to try and figure out issues when people ask for help. Which is just another reason I love you and your blog so much!
I always use almond breeze almond milk and I use no salt added stir peanut butter that is stored in the refrigerator, which is possibly the problem? I usually let it thaw out a bit before adding it to the blender, but it’s never fully liquidy. I didn’t think it made a difference since I was blitzing it to smithereens anyway lol
Of course! I want you to be successful so I’m happy to help!
My suspicion is that it’s the almond milk, not the peanut butter. I have only tested them with plant milks that have a higher protein content such as soy, oat milk and Silk’s protein milk that’s an almond and cashew blend with added pea protein. Almond milk is low in protein and Almond Breeze is actually very watered down compared to some other almond milks. If you combine the apple cider vinegar and the almond milk prior to adding it to the recipe, it should curdle. If it doesn’t then that means the protein content is too low for there to be a reaction. I used to buy Whole Food’s almond milk and it would always curdle with ACV but not Almond Breeze. That reaction creates lactic acid which is important to help the muffins rise properly. Hopefully that makes sense! I touched a bit on the milk issue in the body of the post however, it’s a tricky subject because it depends greatly on the brand of almond milk you buy. It’s impossible for me to test them with every brand and variety of plant milk but from my experience it seems to be the protein content that makes the biggest difference. Hopefully that is somewhat helpful!
That is so helpful! Thank you so so much! I always wondered why my almond milk/ACV mixture looked odd. I will try making them with a higher protein milk this time and fingers crossed it works! I appreciate all of your help! :)
I hope they turn out better for you next time! :)
I made these this morning and followed your recommendation to use the Silk protein milk. They are AMAZING! Light and fluffy just like you said they would be. Thank you again for all of your help! My husband and son went bananas over these (Pun intended hehe) !
YAY!! That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review! :)
Seriously delicious! Thanks for making vegan versions of your blender muffin recipes. They are my new obsession.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for the review, Shari!
I made these right after seeing the post since I had 2 bananas ready to go. I’m usually making sweet breakfast items like this just for myself, and didn’t consider how the chocolate base would really tempt Matt. He’s eating them too fast, but I take that as a good review for the recipe! Lol.
I love that, haha! I’m so glad they were a hit with both of you. Thank you for leaving a review! :) xoxo
These muffins are delicious!!! My husband said I should make these weekly. I love that they are vegan and I had all the ingredients on hand. Thanks!!
Awesome! So happy to hear that!
Hi. These look amazing! I’m eating sugar free. If I skip the maple syrup, will the muffins not turn out well because there is less liquid?
Yes! They will also be very bitter because you need a little sugar to balance out the cocoa powder. I’m not familiar with stevia or other alternatives so I’m sorry I can’t advise you on how to make them sugar free. But there are lots of sugar free baking sites out there that might be able to help you!
Best vegan, gf muffins I have ever made. Thank you!
These are amazing! Great texture and flavor. The banana does not overpower the muffins whatsoever, like most banana-based GF baked goods I’ve made. They taste like rich dark chocolate. So decadent and delicious :)
Hi ! I was wondering if this could be made into a cake?? Thank you:)
I haven’t tried yet but I think so! The muffins do rise quite a bit and you don’t really need that for a cake so the leavening agents might need to be adjusted. It’s hard to say for sure until I test it myself but if you’re willing to experiment let me know how it goes! :)
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could i applesauce instead of banana? iloved your banana blender muffins by the way :)
I’ve tried that before and the result isn’t as fluffy and sometimes gummy. :(
could i pumpkin ? or do you have a version with pumpkin
Hey Carmen! I haven’t tested these with pumpkin instead of banana so I can’t guarantee good results. But I do have two pumpkin muffin recipes here: https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/healthy-vegan-gluten-free-pumpkin-muffins/ and https://www.makingthymeforhealth.com/healthy-flourless-pumpkin-muffins/
I’ll have to test these with pumpkin and let you know how it works! :)