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The best Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Muffins. Warm out of the oven with sweet cinnamon honey butter and a pinch of salt, these are everyone’s favorite muffins. One bowl, super quick to mix up, and made with wholesome ingredients like sweet bananas, zucchini, honey, and whole wheat flour. An incredibly delicious way to use up summer zucchini!
Happy Tuesday everyone! It’s been a minute since I shared something sweet and chocolatey on a Tuesday, but something has me in a baking mood. Between all the summertime peaches, berries, and zucchini, there are endless amounts of sweets to bake.
I have so many ideas that I’ve just been running with them and baking things up! Some are turning out, some are falling short. But these chocolate chip zucchini banana muffins really hit the mark.
When I made these I wasn’t sure I’d end up sharing them. But once I pulled them out of the oven and saw just how perfectly they baked up? Well I knew the recipe was a good one! Simple and not overly sweet – the perfect summertime treat.
And the cinnamon honey butter with a pinch of sea salt on top makes them even more special.
The details
All you need is ONE bowl, a handful of basic everyday ingredients, a few minutes to mix up the batter, and about 20 minutes for baking.
First step, the zucchini. When baking with zucchini it’s really important to remove any of the excess moisture (so the water). You want to do this so your baked goods don’t end up super dense and watered down. Simply shred the zucchini, then ring the zucchini out to squeeze out all the water. It’s really easy. The drier you can get the zucchini, the lighter your muffins will be.
Now that your zucchini is squeezed of excess water, the rest is quick and easy.
Before adding anything else, mash the bananas in a bowl. Use super ripe bananas. They’ll help keep the bread sweet and very moisturized. Next, add melted coconut oil, a couple of eggs, vanilla, and honey for some additional sweetness. Then stir in the zucchini and add in whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, plus a touch of salt.
Stir in a good amount of sweet chocolate chips. You can use dark chocolate or even vegan if you’d like, but semi-sweet seemed just right to me.
The cinni honey butter
While the muffins bake, I mix up the cinnamon honey butter. I’d say this is optional, but really, it’s not. You just have to smear this all over your warm muffins. It’s the most indulgent addition, and it’s absolutely what your muffins need.
Salted butter mixed with sweet honey and cinnamon is truly magical on a warm muffin.
The muffins aren’t too sweet, but we love them this way. Super soft and so incredibly tender. You can enjoy them warm with honey butter or save them for a snack.
Every last bite leaves you wanting another. Which is totally fine, the zucchini and bananas give you a good dose of healthy nutrients!
Looking for sweet zucchini recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Zucchini Bread
Sneaky Zucchini Chocolate Chunk Coconut Bread
Zucchini Peach Streusel Muffins
Lastly, if you make my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Muffins, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Banana Muffins with Cinnamon Honey Butter
Servings: 18 muffins
Calories Per Serving: 246 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, grated (about 2 cups grated before squeezing out water)
- 2-3 over-ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup mashed)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/3 cup honey (use 1/2 cup for sweeter muffin)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, or all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips or chunks
Cinnamon Honey Butter
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 18 muffin tins with paper liners.2. Lay a clean towel on the counter and spread the zucchini out in an even layer, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, cover with another towel, and let sit 5 minutes, then squeeze out any excess water. You should have 1 cup of zucchini. 3. In a bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, coconut oil, honey, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Mix in the squeezed-out zucchini. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 4. Divide the batter among the prepared pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.5. Meanwhile, make the cinnamon butter. In a small bowl, combine the butter, honey, and cinnamon. 6. Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature smeared with cinnamon honey butter. Enjoy!
Notes
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten-free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.
Storing: These muffins keep well for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Freezing: Cool the muffins, wrap well with plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for a few hours on the counter before serving.
Made them this morning for breakfast. Delicious!!! Thankyou for a great recipe ☺️
Hey Trish!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed:)
A tasty treat, and a good way to use up our garden zucchini and frozen overripe bananas! Great texture and flavor, and the additional cinnamon honey butter is a nice accent. Whole wheat pastry flour is becoming a staple for our baking.
Hey Christi!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed:)
Can we sub out bananas for something else? I’m not a banana fan but would love to make these!
Thank you!
I think you can sub applesauce or pumpkin puree but check the sub ratios on Google for that.
Hey Tricia,
I would try this recipe, you could also make it into muffins:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/chocolate-chunk-almond-butter-zucchini-bread/
Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I have not been able to save the last two daily recipes to my Pinterest board. Has something changed to prevent that?
Hi Colette,
So sorry about this! Working to get it fixed:) For now, you can go directly go to my Pinterest page @HBHarvest and save from there! xx
hi! what can i sub honey for, that’s still healthy-ish? would love to give these to my baby but he is under 1 and can’t have honey yet. thanks!
Isn’t he restricted from chocolate, too
Maple syrup
Hi Mallory,
You could use maple syrup in place of the honey. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
very very very good! the honey cinnamon butter is a must
Hi Susana!
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a winner! Yes, the honey cinnamon butter is my fave:) xxT
These look delicious. I would also like to know what to substitute for coconut oil. I am not a fan of the flavor it gives baked foods. Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
You can use another neutral oil or butter in place of the coconut oil. Please let me know if I can help in any other way, I hope you love the recipe! xx
Hi, is Greek yogurt a good substitute for the coconut oil in this recipe please? Thank you!
Hi Pam,
Greek yogurt wouldn’t be the best option, I would use another neutral oil or butter in place of the coconut oil. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xTieghan
Thank you so much for including gluten free instructions. Love your recipes
Happy to share Lynn, let me know if you give the recipe a try!!
I made them this morning and they tasted really good! Only had yellow squash but that worked well. These are fluffy and lightly sweet-just how we like them. My bananas weren’t over ripe but that didn’t seem to matter. I was going to freeze them but I don’t think they will last that long!
Hi Kim,
Happy Wednesday!? Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was a tasty one! xxT
Hi! If I am unable to find whole wheat pastry flour, can I use regular whole wheat flour? Thank you!
Can you make this in a loaf pan – if so what size?
Hi Linda,
Sure, you could use a regular sized loaf pan or mini loaf pans, it will work either way, just keep an eye on the bake time:) I hope you love the recipe!! xTieghan
Hi Ashley,
You can just use regular all purpose flour:) I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Do you make any modifications for high altitude baking on your chocolate chip zucchini muffins? I’m at 7800 ft.
Thanks!
Hi Marilyn,
You can follow this recipe as is, no adjustments needed:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Wanting to save to my Pinterest board but not finding the usual roll-over link. Has that process changed? Thanks.
I am having the same issue myself. There might be a little bug preventing the pinterest link from working properly. I just added it manually.
Working to get this fixed, thanks Molly!!
Hi Marie,
Thanks so much for asking! Working on our end to get this fixed, so sorry! You can save all of the new recipes on Pinterest if you go to my Pinterest page @HBHarvest. I hope this helps for now! xT
I’m glad there is an option besides whole wheat flour. Not a fan of that! Is it a 1:1 substitution if something calls for whole wheat flour?
These look AMAZING!
Is there a substitute for the coconut oil?
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much!! You can use butter or another neutral oil in place of the coconut oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hey Camden,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
Can’t wait to make these! I was telling my son how good zucchini bread was last week when we were eating zoodles and he could not picture it. (Of course when he was younger he ate this, he just does not remember!) I like muffins better for freezing the quick snacks or breakfast. So will be making these this week. Perfect timing!
Awesome!! I hope you love the recipe Susan, let me know how it turns out! xx