Chocolate Banana Quinoa Muffins | Simple Sundays
A recipe for Chocolate Banana Quinoa Muffins. Use leftover quinoa in a gluten-free chocolate muffin that is worthy of breakfast!
Use leftover quinoa in a chocolate muffin that is worthy of breakfast! These muffins are oil free and gluten-free, too.
I have a song stuck in my head.
“Maybe far away
Or maybe real nearby
He may be pouring her coffee…”
We watched the remake of Annie the other night. All of a sudden, I was a second grader again, belting out Tomorrow in the bathroom, the acoustics bouncing it out to my grandmother, who would gently call from down the hall, “Nene (a Tagalog term of endearment meaning “little girl,”) save your voice for Broadway.”
Looking back, she must have endured a very noisy visit with us that year.
Have you seen the new Annie? I wasn’t sure how I would like it – it’s always tricky with remakes – but in general, I kind of liked it. I still love the original best, and while I wasn’t crazy about the cinematography, they brought the musical up to speed, and captured the hearts of both my kids. The music is just as catchy, and they managed to embed a couple of earworms I can’t seem to shake. If that’s any measure of success, then it was a hit.
Speaking of hits, help yourself to a muffin. These Chocolate Banana Quinoa Muffins are my own remake of a chocolate muffin, but one I am happy to serve (and eat!) for breakfast. Deep and dark from cocoa powder, these muffins are full of leftover quinoa and bananas, and with no oil or butter. I also used gluten-free flour, which worked very nicely. My kids gobbled them up, and couldn’t believe that these dark chocolate muffins, studded with gooey chocolate chips, were chock full of good stuff! The muffins disappeared quickly, and then came the question:
“Can we have it again tomorrow?”
“Maybe,” I smiled.
HEALTHY BANANA MUFFINS
Muffins are a welcome breakfast treat, but these Chocolate Banana Quinoa Muffins are muffins you can make more than once in a while. They’re perfect for using up leftover quinoa, which adds extra protein and fiber, while is has a low glycemic index. Dark chocolate adds antioxidants, and the bananas add just the right amount of sweetness!
MORE MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY
Applesauce Chia Muffins
Blackberry Yogurt Muffins
Carrot Oat Muffins
Banana Nut Ricotta Muffins
Chocolate Banana Quinoa Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup gluten free all-purpose flour I used Trader Joe’s
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup mashed bananas about 2 large bananas
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a muffin pan with baking spray (I used coconut oil spray).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, brown and granulated sugars, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in quinoa and chocolate chips.
- In a separate mixer bowl, mix mashed banana and eggs until well blended. Mix the banana and egg mixture into the flour and quinoa mixture.
- Using a standard-sized ice cream scoop, distribute the batter into the greased muffin pan. Place in oven and bake for about 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean.
Notes
Can all-purpose flour be used?
Yes, absolutely! Feel free to substitute all-purpose flour 1:1 to gluten-free flour.Can cacao powder be used?
Yes. Cacao powder is wonderful, and a great way to add extra antioxidants and magnesium.Nutrition
Comments
COOKBOOK
The flavor of these is really good, but something was off about the hydration level and baking time. I had to bake them at least twice as long as noted in the recipe (a toothpick inserted came out wet and deflated the muffins before this) and even then, the muffins deflated a bit after they were removed from the oven and became quite damp on top. Damp muffins are unappetizing unfortunately, so even with the good flavor, it was hard to get myself and the fam to finish them. I’m wondering if they needed more flour, which I may try next time.
Anyways, thanks for a good start to a healthy chocolate quinoa muffin recipe!
Hi Nadia, I’m sorry to hear that you had troubles with the bake time – I wonder if either the oven temperature or perhaps one of your measurements might have been off? This is a family favorite, so I hope you do give it a try again — if you do find that it seems a little damp, a little extra flour should do the trick!
Great recipe! Makes 9 good size muffins. I substitute one portion of sugar with an artificial sweetener. Texture is great!
Thanks, Wendy! I’m so glad you liked it!
Great recipe. I used 1 egg, 1/4 c milk. Used regular flour. Very moist. Added 1tsp cinnamon.
Thank you, Catherine!!
Super good – very moist and tasty. I used 2 large bananas, which was more than 1 cup in total, so I had to bake them for an extra couple minutes until they were done, which wasn’t a problem. I will definitely make these again!
I’m so happy you enjoyed the muffins, Kim!!! Thank you!