Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins with Maple Tahini Glaze

Chocolate and banana are one of those classic flavor combinations that I can't imagine ever growing tired of. I know I'm not alone in this. My favorite chocolate banana cream pie is possibly the most loved pie I know how to make. And if there's a better way to use up leftover sourdough bread than making chocolate banana bread pudding, I don't know what it is.

When my kids were little I used to make them these (healthy-ish) low-sugar and high-fiber chocolate banana muffins which made them feel like they were eating chocolate cake for breakfast.

And who doesn't love a banana split, hot fudge sundae with banana slices, or chocolate-covered frozen bananas?

So, you can trust me when I tell you that this is a crowd-pleasing kind of recipe. You're going to love them, your significant other is going to love them, as will your kids, neighbors, co-workers, friends... you get the point.

Like this classic, one-bowl banana bread recipe, these muffins require an extremely low commitment of time and energy from the baker. You can, I suppose, eat them without maple tahini glaze, but once you try it I don't think you'll want to.

Ingredients Needed to Prepare This Recipe

Ingredients for the Banana Chocolate Muffins:

• Non-dairy milk. I used oat milk, but any non-dairy milk will do as long as it's unflavored and unsweetened.
• Brown sugar. The molasses in brown sugar is a delicious compliment to both the chocolate and banana flavors in these muffins. And, as an added bonus, brown sugar makes these muffins extra moist.
• Vegetable oil. Using oil over butter in this recipe is about more than keeping it vegan. Oil creates a softer, moister muffin that stays fresh for longer than those using butter.
• Pure vanilla extract. As always, I suggest using real vanilla over the imitation stuff.
• All-purpose flour. If you also want to make your muffins gluten free, swap this out for a gluten free flour blend. My favorites are Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour and King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Or, make your own with this easy gluten free flour recipe.
• Cornstarch. Just one teaspoon of cornstarch helps give these muffins a soft and tender texture.
• Cocoa powder AND chocolate chips. Double the chocolate, double the deliciousness. I prefer to use vegan milk chocolate in these muffins, and have linked to my favorite brands in the recipe card.
• Baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Mashed bananas. It's important to use bananas that are very ripe in these muffins. Bananas get softer and sweeter as they ripen, which are good qualities for muffin batter. This is your chance to use up those brown bananas in the fruit bowl!

Ingredients for the Maple Tahini Glaze:

• Thick tahini paste. I currently have two different kind of tahini in my refrigerator. One is in a jar and it's nearly as thick as peanut butter. The other is in a squeeze bottle and it's quite runny. For this glaze, the thicker tahini works much better. You can still use a thin tahini if that's all you have, the glaze just won't be as thick.
• Maple syrup. As always, I suggest using real maple syrup over imitation kinds.
• Pure vanilla extract.
• Salt. Start with just a pinch, taste, and then add as much more as you like.

*See the recipe card below for precise quantities of all these ingredients.

Step by Step Instructions and Photos

Making these muffins is a cinch and takes very little time! Mixing up the muffin batter will take less than 15 minutes and the maple tahini glaze is only a matter of dumping the ingredients into a bowl and giving it a stir.

Add the milk, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla to a small bowl. Use a wire whisk to stir everything around a bit, but don't worry about trying to create a homogenous mixture. The oil will not mix with the milk, and that's ok.

Add the flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a larger bowl. Stir everything around to combine then move the dry ingredients to the sides of the bowl to create a kind of well.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the well you just created in the dry ingredients.

Stir everything together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don't try to get it perfectly smooth.

Add the mashed banana and chocolate chips and stir just until everything is mixed in.

Distribute the batter between the muffin cups. If using tulip liners, use 8. If using regular paper liners, use 12. These muffins won't rise much so don't be afraid to fill them quite full.

Bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in one of them comes out without any sign of raw batter. Let the muffins cool completely before topping them with glaze.

While the muffins cool, add all of the ingredients for the maple tahini glaze to a bowl and stir until everything is combined.

The glaze should be a similar consistency to caramel sauce. If you lift the whisk from the bowl, it will fall in a thick ribbon. If the glaze is too thick, thin it out with a touch of olive oil or coconut oil.

Spoon the glaze over the muffins.

Pro tip! Why I love Tulip Paper Liners.

I use tulip paper liners almost exclusively to make muffins. Here's why I love them so much:

• They make larger muffins. Tulip liners rise up above the muffin tin allowing for a lot more batter per muffin than normal liners. Unless I want to make mini-muffins, I appreciate the larger size that tulip liners allow. If anyone's not hungry enough for that much muffin, they can always cut one in half.
• They provide a container for streusel or glaze. When you want to top muffins with a substantial amount of streusel, like in these mixed berry muffins, or pour a thick layer of maple tahini glaze over muffins and have it stay put, tulip liners are your best friend.
• They make removing muffins from the tin a breeze. Just use the pointy tops of the paper liners to remove the muffins from the tin after baking.

If you use tulip liners to make these muffins, this recipe will make 8 substantial muffins. If you use standard-size muffin liners, you'll get 12 smaller muffins from this recipe.

Substitutions and Variations

• To make gluten-free vegan banana chocolate muffins, swap the all-purpose flour out for a gluten-free flour blend. My favorites are Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour and King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Or, make your own with this easy gluten free flour recipe.
• If you're not a fan of tahini, swap it out for any kind of nut butter. Peanut butter is especially good, but almond and cashew butter are also delicious. Because nut butters tend to be thicker than tahini paste, you might need to thin the glaze with a small amount of olive oil or coconut oil.
• For a classic chocolate and vanilla combination, skip the maple tahini glaze and drizzle this simple vanilla glaze over your muffins instead.

Make Ahead and Storage Tips

These banana chocolate muffins will keep well at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover the muffins to keep them from drying out.

You can also freeze these muffins. Place unglazed muffins in a freezer bag or other airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow them to thaw completely before covering with maple tahini glaze and serving.