Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins — NO added refined sugar, flour, or oil and only about 100 calories!! Naturally gluten-free! They taste AMAZING, are a reader FAVORITE, and are made in your blender!!
Healthy Chocolate Muffins Recipe
It’s been over 6 months since I made some of my favorite muffins ever. But I couldn’t just leave well enough alone. I had to ‘improve’ them. By making a chocolate version, of course.
These healthy chocolate peanut butter muffins are ridiculously soft, moist, rich, decadent, but only about 100 calories each. That’s a good thing because like all mini food, these babies are so poppable. One after the next, down they go.
Because people ask frequently, I did a detailed breakdown of the stats here. By adding 1/3 cup cocoa powder to this version, the calorie count increases nominally, only about 5 extra calories per muffin.
One unique thing about these blender muffins is that there’s no refined sugar. There’s just 3 tablespoons of honey used for the entire batch. Many recipes use a whopping cup of sugar but we’re talking tablespoons of honey.
The healthy chocolate muffins are sweet enough without being too sweet, and make for a satisfying and comforting snack when you need a chocolate-peanut butter fix. Or have chocolate for breakfast. I won’t judge.
The other unique element is that there’s no flour, ground oats, almond meal, grains, or specialty flours. They’re flourless and naturally gluten-free. They’re also dairy-free and oil-free.
You may be skeptical if the recipe could possibly work, and if you read the comments on the original muffin post, many people admit they were, but said they were happily proven wrong.
The chocolate flavor is enhanced by mini chips mixed into the batter and more sprinkled on top. The peanut butter flavor is present, but it doesn’t overwhelm or dominate.
Depending on how ripe your banana is dictates how banana-ey the muffins taste. The less ripe, the less banana flavor, and also the less sweet the muffins will be. Since there’s only 3 tablespoons honey used, I prefer my banana on the riper side so the muffins are sweeter. Even with a very ripe banana, while you can taste the banana, it’s faint and muted by all the chocolate.
I intended to donate half the batch and for the rest to be tossed into a few days worth of school lunches for my daughter, but we had no willpower around these super soft, springy, bouncy little muffins that just melt in your mouth. The few we had left on day 2 were even softer and tasted better after the flavors married.
Who can resist all those chocolate chips.
What’s in These Healthy Chocolate Muffins?
To make these healthy chocolate peanut butter muffins, you’ll need:
- Banana
- Egg
- Creamy peanut butter
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Honey
- Vanilla extract
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Mini chocolate chips
How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
With this chocolate peanut butter chocolate chip muffins recipe, everything you normally do to make muffins with a bowl of wet ingredients, a bowl of dry, and fold gently to combine, goes right out the window.
I made the batter in my Oster® Pro 1200 Blender in one minute. Add everything at once (except fold in the chocolate chips by hand), and whiz until smooth. There’s no harm in overmixing since there’s no gluten that can be developed, so no worries about tough muffins.
The Oster® brand allows you to experiment to create high quality meals and drinks. Oster® Appliances are simply, yet powerfully designed, to help you transform your ingredients into tasty creations.
These healthy chocolate muffins will need to bake for roughly 8 to 12 minutes. See my detailed notes in the recipe card below for figuring out your exact bake time.
Can I Make These Blender Muffins Vegan?
You can experiment to keep the recipe vegan by omitting the egg and replacing the honey with agave or brown rice syrup. I haven’t done it, but many readers wrote on the last post to say they veganized with success.
Can I Substitute Another Type of Nut Butter?
Some readers have reported success using almond butter in place of peanut butter. Just keep in mind that I used a traditional peanut butter for these muffins (i.e. not homemade or natural), and it was fairly thick and creamy. Avoid using nut butters that are oily or runny.
Can I Bake These as Full Size Muffins?
Of course! You’ll need to increase the bake time, though.
Tips for Making Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
I recommend using mini chocolate chips since full-size chips can be too big and clunky, and can easily overwhelm the delicate mini muffins. If all you have is full size, I’d chop them a bit.
Watch your mini muffins closely while they bake since they can go from perfectly baked to overdone in seconds. I’ve given detailed tips in the recipe card below on how long to bake your healthy chocolate muffins.
These blender muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I find the muffins get softer over time and taste better on days 2-3 after the flavors have married.
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Flourless Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Mini Blender Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 medium/large ripe banana, peeled
- 1 large egg
- heaping 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, I recommend using classic storebought peanut butter, and not natural or homemade because it can be oily or separate
- ⅓ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons honey, agave, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup may be substituted
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- heaping 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips + more for sprinkling muffin tops
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare mini muffin pans by spraying very well with cooking spray or grease the pans; set aside.
- To the canister of an Oster® Pro 1200 Blender, add first 8 ingredients, through optional salt, and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add heaping 1/2 cup chocolate chips and stir in by hand; don’t use the blender because it will pulverize them.
- Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, drop rounded 1 tablespoon mounds into prepared pans. Each cavity should be filled to a solid 3/4 full.
- Sprinkle each muffin with a generous pinch of chocolate chips.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the tops are set, domed, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter. ** (see note)
- Allow muffins to cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until they’ve firmed up and are cool enough to handle. It’s normal for muffin tops to be quite domed in oven but flatten as they cool.
- Muffins will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. I find the muffins get softer over time and taste better on days 2-3 after the flavors have married.
Notes
- *I recommend using classic storebought peanut butter, and not natural or homemade because it can be oily or separate.
- **That’s a large range with baking time and I find with medium bananas, there’s less batter, the cavities are less full, and 8-9 minutes is about right. With a larger banana or slightly more batter in each muffin cavity, 11-12 minutes is right. For these, I used a large banana and baked 11:30. Due to the mini size and oven variance, watch your muffins closely, and bake until done.
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More Healthy Muffin Recipes:
Flourless Peanut Butter Muffins — These gluten-free peanut butter muffins are made in a blender and come together in mere minutes. You’d never guess that these mini muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, and oil-free!
Vegan Mini-Chocolate Chip Mini-Muffins — Ridiculously moist, tender, delicate and light, without being airy, and as good as any traditional muffin with eggs and butter!
Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip Trail Mix Vegan Muffins — Fast, easy, healthy & made with your favorite trail mix ingredients
Vegan Banana Muffins — Extra fluffy and moist thanks to the combination of coconut oil and ripe bananas in the batter. This is a quick and easy muffin recipe you’re bound to love!
Healthy Blueberry Muffins — These easy blueberry muffins are made with Greek yogurt instead of butter, and there’s only a little vegetable oil and sugar in these. Don’t worry, these don’t taste healthy at all!
Mini Flourless Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins – The EASIEST pumpkin muffins ever!! Everything is mixed together in your blender! Super soft, moist, brimming with bold pumpkin flavor, and chocolate chips in every bite!!
Healthy Oatmeal Muffins— These healthy oatmeal muffins won’t jeopardize your New Year’s resolutions and are skinny jeans-friendly. No oil, no dairy, and just 1/4 cup of brown sugar!
Post is brought to you by Oster®. The recipe, images, text, and opinions expressed are my own.
how can a flourless,oil free,dairy free muffin be so good?!
I mean it is really unbelievable.there’s only a change I’m gonna make next time,use a little bit more honey or a little bit less cocoa.cause they weren’t sweet for me.and I saw that in the other recipe(fourless peanut butter muffin)the amount of honey is the same.shouldn’t it be more when you add unsweetend cocoa powder?
If you use a very ripe banana, that will add sweetness or just a touch more honey. If I write to use more honey, then people write in saying, ‘they’re too sweet’…so you just have to tinker a little bit with what’s best for your tastes. Glad you love them and are pleasantly shocked!!
I only have a regular size muffin pan. Can I make these in that?
Yes, I believe I indicated that in the recipe. Watch the baking time and it will take longer in a full size pan than mini. Enjoy!
This is amazing! I always have a problem trying to bake moist muffins so this solved everything :) Instead of peanut butter I used almond butter for a slightly more healthy option. I’m definitely going to experiment with other flavors using this recipe.
Glad to her that AB worked great for you and you’re so happy with the recipe!
I’m going to be baking these with my boyfriend pretty soon and I can’t wait to try them! His entire family is gluten free and along with that he’s diabetic, his sister is lactose intolerant and has a nut allergy and his mom is allergic to eggs. I was wondering if you think I could use unsweetened applesauce as a substitute for the eggs? I’d probably put less honey in it since apples are naturally sweet. If I could do that then it would be perfect! If not, I can probably leave out the egg like a previous commenter since it seemed to still turn out okay:)
unsweetened applesauce as a substitute for the eggs = hmmm, I don’t know. I fear that it would make the batter more ‘gloppy’ and watery rather than providing benefit. I would probably just omit the egg as others have done successfully. And/or if you’re not opposed, I have a feeling about 1/4 cup mashed avocado (you won’t be able to taste it or see it since it will be camouflaged in dark batter) could do the trick as a vegan substitute in this recipe. LMK what you end up doing!
a sub for egg that i have used in other recipes is 1 T ground flax + 2 T water in a small dish/cup, let it sit for five minutes or so until it gels. then just add it in like you would the egg. applesauce is a good sub for oil.
These are INSANE!!! I didn’t have overly high expectations for a flourless muffin. These are like the most decadent little treats I’ve had in a long time – and they’re healthy! I even reduced the mixed-in mini chocolate chips to 1/3 cup since I was planning to sprinkle additional on top of the muffins. Great recipe. Thank you!
Thanks for the great compliment, Valerie, and you’re one of many!!! people who had pretty low expectations going into these but were pleasantly wow’ed it sounds like – your comment echoes many others and I am so glad you’re a believer now :) Decadent but healthy, all in one!
I just made these and they are delicious!! I didn’t use a really ripe banana, but they still turned out to be really sweet…a little bit too sweet for my taste but still very yummy. I also used a regular muffin pan. I have no idea how long I baked them for because I forgot to set my timer and forgot about them! But they still turned out perfectly cooked.
Glad that even though you forgot about them, you managed to catch them in time, and they came out perfectly! If you want them less sweet next time, just omit/reduce the sweetener.
These look *amazing*! I’ve already printed out the recipe and I’m itching to try them!
Check out my blog? https://cupcakechasers.blogspot.com/
I made these last night and they all gone!!! So yummy, cannot tell they are flour free. I didn’t have any eggs so I left the egg out and they had a fudgy texture like a brownie, yum!!! Also, they did not fall at all and held their dome shape really well. Thank you for a yummy healthy snack!
That’s great that they still worked without the egg – great to know that they can be made vegan and didn’t even fall! That’s great news! Thanks for the field report and for trying the recipe!
I’m paleo so I don’t eat peanut butter; will almond butter work just as well or is it too runny? Thank you!
I have never personally tested it. I would use less liquid sweetener and if you need to make up for the sweetness, use regular sugar, since the batter won’t need the extra liquid. I have had readers make the orig version of this recipe with AB and had success but I haven’t tried. LMK what happens if you do!
I just made these around 11pm tonight for treats tomorrow… well, my fiance and I couldn’t resist eating one doughnut each!
LOL
I baked these in my doughnut pan and they are delicious. You have a new fan! I was on Skype with my mom while making them and she couldn’t believe that they were flourless and how much they rose.
I skipped the chocolate chips and threw on hazelnuts ( I lurve nuts!!! )
Photos that I posted on my Facebook:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xfp1/t1.0-9/10426901_10152432090066041_4529261961075194894_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpf1/t31.0-8/p843x403/1512101_10152432094136041_3279999868671911601_o.jpg
So glad you enjoyed them and thanks for the links with pics!
I just made these and they are delicious! I don’t have a mini muffin pan so made them big and they turned out great. Thanks!
Oh that’s wonderful to hear that they turned out just great for you, even in the larger pan!
How long did you cook them for, in the regular sized pan??
These look like a chocolate lovers dream! Aka my dream muffin! And I can not believe how healthy they are!! Would it be possible to make these in a loaf bread pan?!
It may be but I haven’t tried…Although muffins are a little fussier, these such such a springy, bouncey great texture that I don’t know what will happen to that in a loaf pan but if you try, please LMK!
I have this in a loaf pan in the oven now! I doubled the recipe and the pan filled about half way.
Ok great info & thanks for sharing!
I’m that person, you know, the friend who is allergic to everything. I was wondering if you or any of your readers would have a good substitute for the peanut butter that isn’t a nut butter or soy. Because this showed up in my pinterest feed and I started drooling. I would love to try it except I can’t do nuts:(
Can you do cookie butter from TJ’s? It’s crushed cookies. That would be the closest. I was also going to say sunflower seed butter but not sure if you can do seeds. If you can, you could try that BUT b/c SFSButter is much thinner and runnier than PB, I would skip the honey/liquid sweetener. If you think they need to be sweeter, then I’d add 1-3 tbsp granulated or brown sugar, but no liquid sweeteners. If you don’t have a TJ’s in your area, I would beg someone you know who does to send you a jar or five of Cookie Butter. There is no other comparable product IMO, even WFs or specialty high end organic groc stores. Cookie butter is so thick, it’s like PB in texture, which makes it great for baking. LMK how this all turns out! I have dealt with numerous food allergies over the years myself so know exactly what being ‘that friend’ is like :)
I have never heard of TJ’s but I will google it and see if I can find cookie butter. That sounds like it could be dangerous to have laying around.MMM.
Thank you!
TJs = Trader Joe’s
Ahh! Yeah we don’t have those in Canada. But I’m sure I can figure away to get cookie butter shipped up here.
I am on a low carb diet but knew I had to try these guys out. I did not use honey, I subbed 4T of Swerve (an erythritol sweetener) and added 1T of water to help the batter get moving. Of all the low carb baking I’ve done, these turned out the best. I made them into mini donuts (hello, brand new mini donut pan) and it yielded 24 mini donuts. 2g net carb for each mini donut means I can have a few! We’re hosting a dinner party tonight and I wanted to make something everyone can have with their coffee. These are so lovely, no one will even know they’re low carb.
One more note — I skipped the mini chocolate chips and instead made a glaze of 85% chocolate melted into some butter and dipped the mini donuts in that. SO good. Thank you!
Wow that’s awesome to hear they worked in the mini donut pan (I have many!) and I need to try that. And your buttery/choc glaze sounds perfect! and I have never used swerve but am very familiar with eryth. sweetenters and good call to use that + some water to get the batter going. Great to hear they’re the best low-carb baking results you’ve had!
For low carb, I wonder what I could replace the banana with?
Considering there’s only 1 banana in an entire batch of muffins, I personally wouldn’t worry about the carbs :) It’s not really replaceable in this recipe. You could perhaps try avocado although I haven’t.
I’ve tried these muffins and they are Amazing! Thanks for the recipe!! I’ve posted pictures of the outcome on my website!
Thanks for trying them & glad you loved them!
Dude, this is definitely the way to start the day! This and my Starbucks. Could it be more perfect?!
You know I am rather unimpressed with ANY baked good I make anymore because I have become so picky about them over the years – well these, these babies, they were so so so good! I know you’re not a huge choc person but these aren’t super chocolaty. I think you’d love them!