Healthy Sourdough Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
These healthy sourdough chocolate chip banana muffins are bursting with flavor and one of my favorite ways to enjoy our Sourdough Bread & Muffin Mix. These sourdough banana muffins are seriously SO fluffy, tender, moist, a hint of spice from organic cinnamon, and rich dark chocolate chips in every bite. With the natural sweetness of coconut sugar and bananas and the nutty flavor of whole-grain spelt flour, this recipe turned out beautifully and incredibly delicious.
All you need is a few spotty bananas, almond milk (or your favorite nut milk), dark chocolate chips, pasture-raised eggs, and melted coconut oil. Since I was running low on grass-fed butter, I made these sourdough banana muffins with coconut oil instead, giving them an even richer flavor and texture.
I love to enjoy these with some peanut butter on top and a pinch of sea salt. Actually, even better, with a bit of melty grass-fed butter. Sourdough muffins are the perfect breakfast paired with your morning omelet, as an afternoon snack topped with nut butter, or as a dessert (just add some dark chocolate chunks to your batter!). They also taste just like banana bread but have a lighter, softer, and richer flavor.
Plus, thanks to a slow, natural fermentation with sourdough starter, these muffins are incredibly nutritious, more flavorful, and easy for our bodies to digest than traditional muffins.
What's to love about this sourdough banana chocolate chip muffin recipe:
- These muffins are so easy to make with just 6 simple, nutrient-rich ingredients.
- Naturally Fermented. Our Sourdough Bread & Muffin Mix has been naturally fermented with sourdough starter for enhanced nutrition and gut health.
- Whole Grains. They're made with 100% whole grains like ancient spelt and heritage whole wheat.
- These muffins are subtly sweetened with coconut sugar with only 4g of sugar per muffin.
- A touch of organic cinnamon for a subtle-sweet flavor
- These muffins freeze well too! I love to freeze a batch and then have them as an easy grab-and-go snack throughout the week.
- Dairy-Free. All you need is almond milk or your favorite dairy-free milk to keep these muffins perfectly moist.
- Healthy fats. This recipe uses melted coconut oil which helps create a fluffy texture.
What makes these healthy sourdough banana muffins extra special?
Sourdough Fermented
Our Sourdough Bread & Muffin Mix is made with 100% activated, high-quality stoneground ancient and heritage grains. The grains in our mix have already gone through a long, slow natural fermentation with sourdough starter for enhanced nutrition and gut health.
Sourdough fermentation is an ancient technique that increases the bioavailability of vitamins and minerals in grains, like B-vitamins, iron, zinc, calcium, and magnesium and improves nutrient absorption. This unique and traditional process awakens enzymes in grains to break down complex starches and proteins (like gluten) and neutralize anti-nutrients and lectins. Fermentation also creates prebiotic fibers, which feed beneficial gut bacteria and support a healthy microbiome.
Ancient & Heritage Grains
We use ancient and heritage grains because they're more nutritious, more flavorful, and have significant environmental benefits. Ancient and heritage grains have not been altered by modern plant breeding. For context, ancient varieties, like spelt, einkorn, and emmer, have remained unchanged for thousands of years. While heritage grains like Red Fife wheat were developed a couple hundred years ago. Both ancient and heritage grains are more nutritious than modern grains and are prized for their robust flavor and unique characteristics.
These ancient grains occupy an essential role in a thriving regional grain system. They have deep, extensive root systems than modern grains, making them more resilient, hardy crops to grow. Ancient grains require less fertilizer, are better able to withstand periods of extreme weather, and are well suited to poor soil conditions. For diversified farms that rely on organic practices, all of those qualities are super important.
What are the health benefits of Whole Grains?
- Vitamins: Whole grains are an excellent source of B vitamins. They're exceptionally high in niacin, thiamin, and folate and are a good source of B6, B5, B2, and vitamin E.
- Minerals: Grains contain essential minerals, including significant amounts of iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium.
- Dietary Fiber: Thanks to the bran, whole grains are high in dietary fiber, which can positively affect digestion, and also slows down the release of glucose, lowering the GI index of grains.
- Prebiotic Fiber: Whole grains contain prebiotic fibers, including Beta Glucans and arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS). Prebiotics are indigestible fibers composed of oligosaccharides that feed beneficial gut bacteria and promote a healthy and diverse gut microbiome. Prebiotics are on the cutting edge in nutritional and medical research and are increasingly linked to numerous health benefits.
- Antioxidants: Whole grains are also rich in polyphenols, potent antioxidants. These include phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, plant-sterols, and others. Antioxidants prevent or reverse damage done to your cells caused by either environmental factors or just the natural aging process.
- Resistant Starch: As the name suggests, Resistant starch is a type of starch that resists being digested. Instead of breaking down into glucose, it passes through your digestive system unchanged until it reaches the colon, where it's fermented by beneficial gut bacteria. So it actually acts like a prebiotic. Resistant starch has a whole bunch of benefits. It slows down the release of glucose during digestion, which lowers the glycemic index of the foods they're a part of and helps reduce insulin resistance. It also supports gut health by feeding your probiotics in your microbiome.
What ingredients do you need for homemade banana chocolate chip muffins?
- Organic, ripe bananas: I'm talking your spotty, even brown bananas, to be exact. Even though bananas fall way down the Dirty Dozen Foods list, #37 to be precise, I prefer to buy my bananas organic. Bananas have a thick outer skin, so the fruit inside is generally protected from chemical fertilizers and pesticides. However, the workers are still subject to unhealthy working conditions with exposure to these harmful chemicals.
- Jesha's Bakery Activated Sourdough Bread & Muffin Mix: Makes light and fluffy sourdough pancakes and waffles, perfect with whatever you're craving – maple syrup, honey, almond butter, a lil' flakey sea salt. Made with a nutrient-rich blend of ancient and heritage grains, organic ingredients, and so easy to make!
- Pastured Eggs: I opt for Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs. In addition to their rich nutrient profiles of essential vitamins like Choline, Vitamin D, and protein, they help our sourdough pancakes rise once they hit the griddle.
- Melted Coconut Oil or Grass-Fed Butter: I love coconut oil for this recipe. I usually use unrefined coconut oil, so you won't actually taste a coconut-y flavor. You can definitely use Olive oil, which will give the muffins a more herbal flavor, or avocado oil which will be neutral in flavor. My other favorite is using melted grass-fed butter, which will give your muffins a richer flavor and an even fluffier texture.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Add 1/2 cup of your favorite dark chocolate chips (mini or regular size will do!) or 1 chopped chocolate bar. Dark chocolate is loaded with fiber and minerals like iron, magnesium, copper, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium.
- Almond Milk: You'll need a bit of milk or water to give the batter the right consistency. I personally love Malk's unsweetened almond milk, but you can use any milk or water!
- Organic Cinnamon: You will need a few shakes of cinnamon for added spice and subtle sweetness.
- Optional, Chopped Organic Walnuts
How ripe should the bananas be for this sourdough pancake recipe?
Ripe, spotty, or brown bananas are perfect for this sourdough banana muffin recipe. The ripe bananas will give your muffins a burst of natural sweetness and help create their delicate texture.
Freezer-friendly sourdough banana muffins
These muffins are totally freezer-friendly. I love having them either for an easy breakfast or a post-workout snack throughout the week. After baking, simply allow muffins to cool completely. Then place in a ziplock bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you're ready to enjoy them, you can either warm them from frozen or defrost them in the fridge overnight. The best way to reheat refrigerated or frozen muffins is in the toaster oven for 5 - 6 minutes at 350f. This will ensure each bite is still fluffy on the inside but still moist. You can also microwave them or use a regular oven to heat them.
Can you refrigerate muffins instead?
Yes, definitely. Once muffins are thoroughly cooled, store them in a container for 5 - 7 days in the fridge. Muffins freeze well too! Just pop them in a sealed freezer ziplock bag or storage container.
How to make healthy sourdough banana chocolate chip muffins
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 12 cup muffin tin with nonstick spray (I use avocado oil) or butter. And line a muffin tin with liners, nonstick spray (I use avocado oil), or butter.
- In a medium bowl, add bananas. Using a fork, mash up bananas until tiny lumps are left. It should be relatively smooth.
- Add eggs, almond milk, and ⅓ cup of melted coconut oil. Stir or whisk together until ingredients are combined.
- Pour the entire Jesha's Bakery Sourdough Bread & Muffin Mix pouch into the bowl and stir in until combined.
- Fold in the dark chocolate chips.
- Divide batter evenly between each muffin cup, filling ¾ of the way to the top.
- Bake at 375°F for 18 - 20 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden brown and centers are set. You can also stick a toothpick in the center of each sourdough muffin and see if it comes out clean.
- Cool muffins for 5 minutes in the pan before removing. Serve warm!
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #jeshasbakery. And of course be sure to follow along over on our instagram!
