Pumpkin banana chocolate chip muffins are a perfect way to use up some browning bananas and extra leftover canned pumpkin! It’s a delicious and nutritious fall snack that the whole family will love. Made with less sugar than traditional muffin recipes, this is great for active women who want tasty treats that will also help fuel their fitness.
Note: This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated in 2022.
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of everything you’ll need to make this recipe, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Banana – You want a banana with brown spots or even more fully browning, as this will be soft, sweet, and ideal for baking.
- Pumpkin – You’re looking for canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. The former is simply plain pumpkin with no added sweeteners.
- Whole wheat flour – This has more fiber compared to traditional all-purpose flour. If you don’t have whole wheat on hand, though, you can use all-purpose.
Instructions
This is a simple one bowl recipe! You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the page, but here’s a helpful overview with photos.
Start by pressing on the banana with the back of a fork until it’s well mashed.
Next, add the pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, olive oil, honey, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice to the banana. Mix it all up.
Add in your flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined, then fold in your chocolate chips.
Portion that out in a greased muffin tin, bake it, and boom – delicious muffins are ready to enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may arise as you prepare these muffins:
No, but only if you’re planning to enjoy them within 2-3 days (store in an airtight container at room temperature). If you don’t plan to enjoy them within 2-3 days, you can store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for longer storage.
Yes. Allow the baked muffins to cool, then place them in a zip top bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months for best quality. When ready to enjoy one, simply defrost it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Simply roast your fresh pumpkin until soft, remove the skin, then mash or puree the flesh. Use as a 1-1 substitution for the canned pumpkin called for in the recipe.
Nutrition Benefits
So, why does this dietitian like these muffins? Here are a few reasons that gives them a better nutrition profile than other options:
- Made with much less added sugar than traditional pumpkin muffins. Most muffin recipes contain ¾ to 1 cup of sugar, whereas this recipe is sweetened with just a smidge over ⅓ cup of honey (plus the natural sweetness of the banana in the recipe).
- Made with whole wheat flour rather than all-purpose flour, giving each muffin more fiber and minerals.
- Uses Greek yogurt in the batter, adding slightly more protein to each muffin.
- Uses olive oil as the source of fat, which contains more monounsaturated (aka healthy) fats, as well as polyphenols.
- Includes dark chocolate chips, which have more flavanols than regular milk chocolate chips.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you’re searching for all the pumpkin goodness this fall season, check out these other delicious recipes:
- Pumpkin coffee smoothie
- Pumpkin Greek yogurt dip (great with apples and graham crackers!)
- Pumpkin smoothie bowl
- Pumpkin protein bars
- Pumpkin oatmeal breakfast cookies
I hope you love these banana pumpkin chocolate chip muffins! If you get a chance to try them, be sure to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Pumpkin Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 medium ripe banana, mashed
- ⅔ cup canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 6 tbsp honey (⅓ cup plus slightly less than 1 tbsp)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 ⅔ cup whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, olive oil, honey, eggs, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and salt to the bowl. Stir until combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Portion the muffin batter into the muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees F for 17-20 minutes, or until a toothpick pulls out clean from the center of the muffins. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be sure to use a banana with ample brown spots or large browning areas, as this will be softest and sweetest for making these muffins.
Nutrition
Share: What’s your favorite pumpkin treat this time of year? If you tried these muffins, what did you think?
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Amanda
Yum! These look delicious 🙂 and your son is too cute! Pinning this for later.
Chrissy Carroll
Aw, thanks Amanda. It was fun doing the fall photo shoot with him.
Rachel @ RachelMcMichael.com
You always have the best recipes!! Can you ship these to my house? They look AMAZING!!!
Chrissy Carroll
Thank you Rachel – I love to cook and bake (and eat) so it’s fun for me to share the recipes.
Jenna
As always my friend, your recipes never disappoint! I’m making your beef stew recipe this week!
Chrissy Carroll
Yay! Be sure to pop back over and let me know how you liked the beef stew recipe, and these muffins if you decide to make a little dessert this week.
Michelle @ Running with Attitude
This sounds like a winning combination!
Chrissy Carroll
Totally Michelle – pumpkin + dark chocolate chips = deliciousness.