Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins…bet you'd never hear that in a full sentence.
“BUT SAM, BANANAS AREN'T KETO”
“BANANAS ARE HIGH IN CARBS AND WILL SPIKE YOUR INSULIN”
Guys. Guys. I promise these are okay to eat on a ketogenic diet. Please don't come after me, lol.
Let me explain.
Bananas on their own are not great for a low carb diet. They are high in carbs and natural sugars and low in fat.
Disclaimer: this post contains some affiliate links that I may receive a small commission from. This does not effect your purchase.
BUT did you know bananas are actually low on the glycemic index?
They aren't actually as “dangerous” as you may think.
GI values under 55 are considered low and bananas have a GI value of 51. This means that they make your blood sugar rise slow and gradually..not immediately.
On top of that, the glycemic index was created and tested with these foods being eaten ON THEIR OWN. Not when combined with other foods.
When bananas are combined with a fat source..such as say..almond flour, eggs and butter along with other high fiber ingredients (coconut flour, almond flour) it greatly decreases their glycemic effect.
Pretty cool right?
The best part is that this recipe only uses 90g or one very small ripe mashed banana for the 24 mini muffins you get out of it.
That's just 3.75g of banana OR 0.71g of NET carbs per muffin.
This insulin spike caused by 3.75g of banana combined with almond flour, coconut flour, butter, eggs etc. Is extremely, extremely minuscule and NOTHING to even be concerned about.
So, if you are afraid to use bananas on keto, just know that in small quantities like this, it will not affect your state of ketosis.
It's simply about tracking total net carbs. Stay under your daily goal and you'll be okay!
Bananas are not inherently NOT keto, they just aren't typically a great choice unless you are spreading them out in a recipe.
Even with that said, if you still choose not to use banana in this recipe (although I really recommend it!) I've listed a substitution for banana extract in my tips section so you can still make these muffins.
NOW, with that out of the way..let's get on to how we make these delicious little Banana Chocolate Chip Keto Mini Muffins.
The dry ingredient blend for this keto banana chocolate chip mini muffin recipe is one I use a lot for standard loaves and muffins.
It's a combination of almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and a powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener.
This combination of ingredients always leads to a delicious light but moist texture.
The almond flour is what adds the most flavour and richness to the muffins while the coconut flour helps to lighten them without adding too many extra calories.
The arrowroot starch helps keep them moist in the center while the outside browns. But this is an optional ingredient and can be subbed with cornstarch if you don't have it.
The xanthan gum helps give some “chew” to the muffins and gives them a texture very similar to muffins made with white flour. It's again an optional ingredient but I'd HIGHLY recommend it if you are doing any amount of keto baking. It's used in 90% of the recipes I make!
The sweetener used in these keto banana chocolate chip muffins is a powdered monkfruit and erythritol blend. This is personally my favourite sweetener and in my opinion, the best tasting one (although allulose is a close second to me). It blends into desserts seamlessly and has a sweetness so, so similar to sugar with no weird aftertaste.
As for the wet ingredients in this recipe I used melted butter, ripe mashed banana(of course!), egg and vanilla extract.
The melted butter is what gives us a moist, denser crumb as compared to when you use softened butter.
Lastly, the chocolate chips in this keto mini muffin recipe are made by a company called Stoka Nutrition and they are fabulous.
I've been wanting to bake with mini keto friendly chocolate chips for ages! These are exactly what I imagined. They are just 3g of NET carbs for pretty much a 1/4 cup, they taste great and are made with just 5 simple ingredients! You can get them 20% OFF right now if you use SAMMYSAM on the Stoka Nutrition website. (I do NOT receive commission from this discount code, it's purely a gift for you guys).
Overall, these keto mini muffins are a fantastic, easy to make breakfast treat that everyone will love!
Tools I used to Make These Mini Low Carb Keto Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Mini Muffin Tin
- Mini Muffin Liners
- Mixing Bowls
- Low Carb Substitution Guide – This is totally optional but if you like my recipes, I now have a $5 guide available with all of the substitutions I use to create every recipe on my site. You can use this to convert old traditional recipes and create new keto recipes! You can purchase it here and/or read more if you are interested.
- Nutritional Food Scale – AKA my best friend. This little buddy has been with me for over 4 years and never fails. Perfect measurements and only needs the batteries replaced maybe once a year!
Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin Ingredients
- Almond & Coconut Flour I use the Kirkland Costco brand of almond flour (I buy it in bulk on Amazon or at Costco itself occasionally) and this brand of coconut flour for this recipe. As I’ve noted in many of my past recipes, the brand of almond and coconut flour can affect the final outcome of the recipe because absorbency can vary depending on how the flour has been processed.
- Powdered Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener – I used to use the SoNourished brand for both granular and powdered sweetener and loved it! But it's been tougher to find lately..so instead I've been using the Lakanto powdered monkfruit & erythritol blend which I like just as much!
- Arrowroot Starch – Can be subbed with cornstarch, helps the muffins brown on the outside while staying moist in the center.
- Xanthan gum This is used to create a batter more similar to that of white flour. It helps give the muffins a chewier texture with a crispy top.
- For this recipe I use Stoka Nutrition's NEW Mini Chocolate Chips, which I think are so fun!! They taste great and are just 3g of NET carbs for almost a whole 1/4 cup! You can definitely use large chocolate chips like lily’s chocolate-chips instead or even just chopped dark chocolate if you prefer. BUT if you do purchase the mini chocolate chips, feel free to use my discount code SAMMYSAM for 20% off at checkout. 🙂 (This is not anything I receive a commission from, they just sent me the chocolate chips to bake with and gave me the discount code to share!).
Tips For Making Low Carb Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Don't want to use real banana? You can also make these using 1 tsp banana extract and 10 tbsp melted butter and then just leave out the mashed banana.
- These muffins are also great with a few chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans thrown in if you'd like some crunch!
- Don't try to use a toothpick to test the doneness of these mini muffins, they can be deceiving and seem like they are done before they really are! It's best just to check if they look lightly browned on top.
How To Store Keto Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Store these low carb mini muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days OR freeze and thaw when you want a snack at a later date!
Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe
Serves: 24 Mini Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour, 140g
- 1/4 cup coconut flour, 28g
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch, 7g (or cornstarch)
- 1 tsp xanthan gum(optional, helps with texture)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup powdered monkfruit erythritol sweetener, 65g
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 small very ripe mashed banana, 90g
- 1/4 cup Stoka Nutrition mini chocolate chips, 60g
Directions:
- Pre-heat oven to 350*F.
- In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients including; almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add the melted butter along with the mashed banana, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener and whisk again until everything is well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until a thick dough is formed.
- Add your mini chocolate chips and mix again.
- Line a mini muffin tray with 24 muffin liners.
- This dough is thick enough to where you can use your hands to roll the dough into balls. Place a small ball of dough into each muffin tin.
- Bake the mini muffins for 14-17min or until lightly brown on top. Serve warm on their own or with butter. Enjoy your Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Nutrition for 1/24th of recipe (1 mini banana chocolate chip muffin): 72 calories | 5.1g fat | 1.5 NET carbs | 1.7g protein
Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
- 1 1/4 cups almond flour (140g)
- 1/4 cup coconut flour (28g)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot starch (7g (or cornstarch))
- 1 tsp xanthan gum (optional, helps with texture)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup butter (melted)
- 1/3 cup powdered monkfruit erythritol sweetener (65g)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 small very ripe mashed banana (90g)
- 1/4 cup Stoka Nutrition mini chocolate chips (60g)
- Pre-heat oven to 350*F.
- In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients including; almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot starch, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, add the melted butter along with the mashed banana, egg and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
- Add the powdered monkfruit/erythritol sweetener and whisk again until everything is well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
- Mix until a thick dough is formed.
- Add your mini chocolate chips and mix again.
- Line a mini muffin tray with 24 muffin liners.
- This dough is thick enough to where you can use your hands to roll the dough into balls. Place a small ball of dough into each muffin tin.
- Bake the mini muffins for 14-17min or until lightly brown on top. Serve warm on their own or with butter. Enjoy your Keto Mini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Ingredient Links
- Almond & Coconut Flour
- Powdered Monkfruit Erythritol Sweetener
- Arrowroot Starch
- Xanthan gum
- Stoka Nutrition's NEW Mini Chocolate Chips
Tips
- Don't want to use real banana? You can also make these using 1 tsp banana extract and 10 tbsp melted butter and then just leave out the mashed banana.
- These muffins are also great with a few chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans thrown in if you'd like some crunch!
- Don't try to use a toothpick to test the doneness of these mini muffins, they can be deceiving and seem like they are done before they really are! It's best just to check if they look lightly browned on top.
Storage Instructions
- Store these low carb mini muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days OR freeze and thaw when you want a snack at a later date!