Chocolate, banana, and pecans…this flavor combination is meant to be. And in a muffin? Truly magical! These FLUFFY banana nut muffins are vegan, gluten-free, and generously studded with pecans and chocolate chips. Hubba hubba!
Bonus? They’re easy to make with just 1 BOWL and a handful of simple, wholesome ingredients. It’s muffin time, friends!
These vegan + gluten-free chocolate chip muffins begin with the egg-free binders: mashed banana and flax eggs. The flax not only keeps these vegan but also adds omega- & fiber-rich goodness and ensures perfectly moist, tender muffins.
Maple syrup keeps these muffins mostly naturally sweetened (besides the chocolate chips), and a combination of almond flour and our go-to gluten-free flour blend makes them super fluffy with a tender crumb texture!
Besides the muffin basics like oil (or vegan butter), baking soda, vanilla, and salt, there are just two final ingredients: chocolate chips and pecans!
A generous amount, of course! We wouldn’t set you up for anything less than melty chocolate and crunchy pecans in every bite.
We can’t wait for you to try these muffins! They’re:
Fluffy
Moist
Tender
Nutty
Chocolate-studded
Easy to make
& SO delicious!
Being decadent yet wholesome, they’re perfect for a lazy weekend breakfast or as a grab-and-go snack to enjoy throughout the week. They also reheat beautifully from frozen if you want to keep them around at all times (trust us…you will!).
More Muffin Recipes
- 1-Bowl Pumpkin Muffins (Vegan + GF)
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins (Vegan + GF)
- Sweet Potato Almond Butter Muffins
- Salted Chocolate Banana Nut Muffins (Vegan + GF)
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
1-Bowl Banana Chocolate Pecan Muffins (Vegan + GF)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal (to make flax egg*)
- 1/4 cup water (to make flax egg*)
- 2 medium ripe bananas (2 bananas yield ~3/4 cup or 210 g mashed)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (or agave nectar)
- 1/4 cup avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or vegan butter
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup MB 1:1 GF Blend (or other GF blend or all-purpose flour — see notes*)
- 1 cup almond flour (or almond meal)
- 2/3 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped (or sub walnuts)
- 2/3 cup dark chocolate chips (plus more for topping // ensure vegan/dairy-free as needed // we like Enjoy Life)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and lightly grease a standard-size muffin tin or add paper liners. Set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add flaxseed meal and water. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken — these are your flax eggs.
- Add the bananas and mash together with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth.
- Add the maple syrup, oil, baking soda, vanilla, and sea salt. Whisk for about 30 seconds until well combined.
- Add the gluten-free flour blend and almond flour (or almond meal). Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until just combined. Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly among muffin tins, filling almost to the tops. Optionally, top with a few sprinkles of chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin, then gently remove and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Once cooled, store in a covered container at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Video
Notes
*Our original DIY GF Blend would also work in this recipe as would similar store-bought blends. If not gluten-free, you can substitute whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all-purpose flour for the gluten-free blend.
*Modified from the Banana Chocolate Pecan Muffins in our cookbook.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Jane says
What muffin pan do you use?
Hi Jane, any will do! We’re currently using this muffin tin. Hope that helps!
Heather says
Wow. SO GOOD. Will be making these regularly! Used AP/almond flour and avocado oil. The muffins are a great texture and flavor. Doubled the recipe to bring to a friend and wish I had tripled it – I can tell these will be gone fast.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy the muffins, Heather. Thank you sharing your experience! xo
Kelly says
These look amazing! Could I substitute AP gf flour with either oat flour or more almond flour? Would I then need to add a binder like tapioca or something?
Hi Kelly, we think the muffins would be a bit dense and more wholesome-tasting with oat flour, but you shouldn’t need a binder. If you used more almond flour, the muffins would be also be more dense and perhaps a bit crumbly. Almond flour isn’t as absorbent, so you would need to use more of it, and perhaps some potato starch to prevent the muffins from being too dense. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Lara says
A lot of your recipes call for coconut oil/avocado oil. Could I use any other oil in it’s place such as vegetable or seed oil?
Hi Lara, yes, you can use a neutral-flavored oil – feel free to sub it whenever a recipe calls for avocado oil. For coconut oil, you may run into issues when the coconut is playing a role in the texture or taste, but it will often work, especially for things like muffins and cakes. Coconut oil solidifies at cooler temperatures, so it’s a better fit in things like scones and pie crusts where it contributes to flakiness, or adding to melted chocolate or no-bake vegan desserts to help them firm up. Hope that helps!
Jenny says
These muffins are awesome! Even my 10 year old nephew scarfed them down… We made with AP flour/almond flour combo and subbed walnuts for pecans. I love that they are made with only a few bananas because we typically eat ours up quick. Will make these again and again. Thanks for another great recipe!
We’re so glad you enjoy them, Jenny! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Amanda Amato says
Hi!
These muffins are delicious!
Would love to try to make it in loaf format next! What would you suggest for cooking time and temp for a loaf?
Thanks!!
Hey Amanda! We’re so glad you enjoy them! Hmm… we haven’t tried these in a loaf, but the oven temperature should stay the same and we would suggest beginning to check it for doneness around the 40 minute mark, but we think it might take longer than that!
Tom + Jo says
My husband and I have made these muffins three weeks in a row. We did use the almond flour + whole wheat flour combination. They are so delicious! Thank you so much for all your recipes. You are my go to vegan recipe blogger.
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Tom and Jo! Thanks so much for the lovely review and support. xo
Fran says
These muffins are so delicious, they are wet, soft and so full of chocolate chips! The crust is even a bit crunchy, I baked them in 2 batches because I only have a mini muffin tin, kept the same time in the oven and they turned out absolutely perfect! I subbed the oat flour with sorghum flour and I noticed that the dough is more crumbly when taking a bite. Nice and easy recipe, the 1-bowl ones are just so convenient!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Fran! We’re glad you enjoyed them overall! xo
Neicy Bee says
This was great. I followed the recipe (using the MB 1:1 GF flour blend). I roughly chopped my chocolate too. I can’t wait to make it again.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Neicy! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo
Sue Murray says
10/10! Always have good luck with the baked goods on this site. One bowl, easy, light and fluffy and stayed together. Will definitely make again. Followed the recipe as written and used a scale for the banana’s. Took 28 minutes in my convection oven.
We’re so glad you’re enjoying them, Sue! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Dawn Thompson says
I did not like the results on this muffin. The inside was gluey and not pleasant at all, unlike other recipes I have tried from your site. I fine this a 1 star.
Oh no! We’re so sorry your muffins didn’t turn out well, Dawn. These have been a favorite so far, so we wonder if you made any modifications? Which gluten-free flour blend did you use?
Sheetu Batra says
I absolutely loved this recipe! I followed the recipe, and the results were incredible. The amount of pecans and chocolate chips is perfect. Thank you so much—this has become our new favorite!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sheetu! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo
Danielle says
Dropping a comment here to say that I made these with two eggs in place of the 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal as the notes suggested—worked perfectly! The muffins turned out delicious and moist, it was very much a banana bread type of flavor. I’ll certainly make them again!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins and will be making them again. Thank you for sharing, Danielle! xo
The Vegan Goddess says
Easy to prepare and delicious! Another win for a vegan treat!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy this new recipe. Thank you for sharing! xo
Ginny says
Yummy! So simple to make and tastes so good! Thank you!
You’re welcome, Ginny! We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins. Thank you for sharing! xo
Stacie says
These are so easy and delicious! I accidentally forgot the oil, but they came out fine, just a little crumblier. I also cut the maple syrup in half (1/4 cup) and they are still sweet and delicious. I might try variations of this recipe (blueberries? raspberries? a little orange zest? poppy seeds?) and see what happens. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Yay! We love your creative ideas for variations on this recipe, Stacie! Thank you for sharing :)
Shelly says
I made them & turned out EXCELLENT. I used 2 eggs, coconut oil, and 3 Bananas. I used an extra banana as I had coconut flour on hand instead of almond and I know coconut flour requires extra liquids. I love the 1 bowl step. So easy. This recipe has now become my GoTo!
Thanks so much for sharing, Shelly! We’re so glad your muffins were a success with those modifications! xo
Stacie says
Amazing sub! I have coconut flour and I don’t know what to use it for… will try a version like this
sk says
Would you ever consider doing your ingredients in grams? I started baking that way a few years ago, and the thought of going back to cup measurements, which are so much less precise, makes me nervous!
Hi! You can find the measurements in grams by clicking “metric” beneath the ingredients header. Hope that helps :)
Lindsay says
I made this as soon as it hit my inbox today! They turned out delicious and I’ll for sure make them again. For the GF flour, I used the Cup for Cup I had on hand and would recommend.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Lindsay. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing the GF blend you used! xo
Raquel Duque says
I only have almond and coconut flour. Can I do almond flour for all the recipe or sub with coconut flour?
Hi Raquel, we wouldn’t recommend using coconut flour in these muffins because it will likely make the muffins dense, dry, and gritty. If you do want to try it, we would recommend only using ~1/4 the amount. For best results, it really does need the GF blend. Hope that helps!
Carly Belisle says
Just made these! I did substitute 2 eggs for the the flax and water. They were fantastic! Thank you!
We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Carly! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modification! xo
Sue says
Is this vegetarian?
Hi Sue, yes, it is!
Laura says
Well these are just fantastic. New favorite muffin! Followed the recipe as written and added a few scoops of collagen too.
Amazing!!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy the muffins, Laura. Thank you for sharing! xo
Susan says
I don’t have almond flour. Is there any sub?
Hi Susan, the next best option would be cashew flour. If not gluten-free, you could experiment with a lesser amount of all-purpose flour (probably half the amount), but we haven’t tested it that way and can’t guarantee the result. Hope that helps!
Geneviève says
I can’t have bananas at the moment. Could I sub applesauce instead? If so, how much would you say. These look so delicious. I can’t wait to try them!!!
Hi Geneviève, we think applesauce might make these muffins too moist and crumbly. If you wanted to try it, we would recommend 3/4 cup. Another option that might work better would be to try this other recipe and replace the banana with applesauce. Hope that helps!