I love a good healthy muffin recipe! From pumpkin chocolate chip to sweet potato & blueberry, pb&j, and now these oatmeal chocolate chip muffins – you just can’t go wrong with a portable breakfast or snack. Especially when there is some chocolate involved 😊
These aren’t your typical muffin recipe as we are using rolled oats as the base. No flour or refined sugar is needed. They have a good balance of carbs, some healthy fats, and a little bit of protein.
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Banana chocolate chip oatmeal muffins are perfect for a make-ahead breakfast, snack, or healthy dessert. I even love having them as a pre or post-workout snack – served with some greek yogurt and even topped with some peanut butter – the perfect combo!
Better yet, they only require 9 ingredients and are vegan, dairy-free, and naturally gluten-free.
Why we love these chocolate chip oatmeal muffins
- made in one bowl and super easy to make
- simple whole food ingredients – and I’m guessing you probably already have most of the ingredients at home
- lightly sweetened – we are using just a tablespoon of maple syrup + brown bananas
- super customizable – you can easily adjust this recipe to what you have on hand and change up the flavors each week
- absolutely delicious – they really are so good, especially right out of the oven
Banana oatmeal chocolate chip muffins ingredients
- spotted or brown bananas – this gives the muffins some natural sweetness
- almond milk
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
- rolled oats
- ground flaxseed
- cinnamon
- baking powder
- salt
- chocolate chips – I used dairy-free mini chips
How to make oatmeal chocolate chip muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with silicone muffin liners or grease a nonstick muffin tin.
- Mash bananas. In a medium-large mixing bowl, add your bananas and mash until mostly no lumps remain. For these oatmeal muffins, you want brown or spotted bananas. They are easy to mash and the riper they are, the sweeter they are.
- Add your remaining ingredients. First, add your wet ingredients – milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Then add your dry ingredients – oats, ground flax, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well to combine again. Finally, fold in the chocolate chips. Tip – save a handful of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top of the muffins before they bake!
- Form muffins. Using a cookie scoop, or about 2 1/2 tablespoons worth, fill your muffins cups. I love using silicone muffin liners (they are my favorite and make for easy cleanup and nothing sticks to them!).
- Bake. About 25 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for a couple of minutes and enjoy!
How to mash brown bananas
- with a fork – this is the easiest and my to-go way. Just add your banana to a bowl and mash them until smooth. It’s hard to get all the lumps out but try your best.
- electric mixer – you can use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. Both work the same.
Can you use quick oats?
Rolled oats and quick-cooking oats can be used interchangeably. Rolled oats will provide more of a chewy texture while quick oats are a little moister, but both will work.
You cannot use steel-cut oats in this recipe though. Steel-cut oats are a lot coarser (they aren’t as processed), but also take longer to cook and the results will not be the same.
Gluten-free oatmeal muffins
Rolled oats are naturally gluten-free, but they can be one of the most cross-contaminated products. To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, look for certified gluten-free oats.
How to store baked oatmeal cups
- to store – I found you can store them on your countertop or in the fridge. First, let them cool completely. Add to an airtight sealable glass container or silicone bag. For best results, store them in the fridge for up to a week. They will also keep on your countertop for a few days if it is not too hot in your house.
- to freeze – let cool completely and place on a large plate or baking sheet. Place in the freezer and let freeze for 2 hours until hardened. This will help ensure they freeze individually and won’t stick together. Transfer to a large bag (we love reusable silicone ones) and freeze for up to 3 months. You can defrost them by placing them in the refrigerator and then warming up the microwave if desired
Substitutions or additions
This recipe is super forgiving – here are some easy substitutions:
- spotted or brown bananas – if you don’t have enough bananas, you can use some applesauce or pumpkin puree to make up the difference.
- almond milk – any kind of milk will work. I used whole milk on our last batch and they turned out amazing!
- maple syrup – any kind of liquid sweetener will work (honey, agave…). You can also leave it out if you don’t want any sweetener.
- rolled oats – quick-cooking oats will work instead
- ground flaxseed – if you don’t have this, you can honestly just skip it. It helps absorb a little of the liquid and adds some healthy fats, but not neceassily needed to make the recipe work.
- chocolate chips – I like using mini for more chocolate, but regular size ones will work. Milk or dark chocolate chips work as well.
While I love these baked oatmeal cups as is, they are so easy to customize. Here are a few suggestions to change the flavor from week to week:
- chopped nuts – walnuts, peanuts, or pecans would be great
- nut butter – stir in about 1/4-1/2 cup nut butter to the batter before baking
- fresh or dried fruit – strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries would all be great
- shredded coconut – chocolate and coconut are always a good combo
- cacao powder – to make them extra chocolatey, stir some cacao powder into the batter
- protein powder – for a little extra protein boost, you can add a scoop or two of your favorite protein powder. However, they might not be as moist. You can add a little more liquid if needed depending on the thickness of your protein powder.
More healthy oatmeal recipes
- chocolate peanut butter overnight oats
- cauliflower oatmeal
- coffee overnight oats
- peanut butter & jelly stuffed oatmeal cups
- mango overnight oats
- peach baked oatmeal
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins
ingredients
- 2 small-medium spotted or brown bananas, mashed (200 grams/about 3/4-1 cup)
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (250 grams)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (120 grams – I used dairy-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with silicone muffin liners. You can also grease a nonstick muffin tin or use nonstick muffin liners.
- Mash bananas. Add bananas to a large bowl and mash with a fork until no lumps remain.
- Add your remaining ingredients. First add your wet ingredients – milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix to combine. Then add your dry ingredients – oats, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Mix well to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips (tip – save a handful of chocolate chips to sprinkle on top of the muffins before they bake). The batter should be somewhat wet.
- Bake. Using a cookie scoop, or about 2 1/2 tablespoons worth (80 grams), fill 10 muffin tins. Sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips if you saved some. Bake for 25 minutes* until golden brown on the top. Let cool for a couple of minutes and enjoy!
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I’ve made this receipe a handful of times with a couple variations and it never fails!
I’m wondering if I can make it in a pan and cut into bars? Mom life doesn’t always allow for the time to scoop into separate muffin tins 🙂
Yes, I think that should work perfectly! You may just have to bake longer so I would keep an eye on it towards the end. I also have this recipe which are bars (slightly different flavor) – https://eatthegains.com/peanut-butter-oatmeal-chocolate-chip-bars/
I’ve made this recipe a handful of times and It’s always a hit. I didn’t have Bananas today so I used homemade apple sauce and that was also delicious 😋
Oh I love that idea! Good to know for the future. Thanks for trying them, Shelby!
These are definitely excellent!! Easy and very tasty❗️
So glad you enjoyed them! Thanks, Nancy!