Double Chocolate Chip Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins
Make Double-Chocolate Chip Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins with my easy gluten-free recipe. These muffins are naturally sweetened with bananas and maple syrup, with no refined sugar or white flour. Cottage cheese adds moisture and protein, and my special baking technique gives them a bakery-style dome top!
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Banana Muffins Recipe
- Bakery-style muffins at home: Learn the secret to achieving those beautiful high dome tops.
- Naturally sweetened: Bananas and maple syrup bring natural sweetness without refined sugar.
- Gluten-free and protein-rich: Oat and almond flour, plus cottage cheese, make these a wholesome choice.
- Quick and easy: Perfect for busy mornings or as a satisfying, chocolatey snack!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here is everything you need to make the best-tasting double chocolate chip cottage cheese banana muffins:
Bananas: If you don’t have ripe bananas, you can use unsweetened applesauce as a substitute. Use 1/2 cup of applesauce to replace 2 ripe bananas.
Cottage Cheese: If you’re looking for a dairy-free alternative or simply don’t have cottage cheese, you can use plain Greek yogurt or a non-dairy yogurt such as almond or coconut yogurt.
Maple Syrup: Honey or agave nectar can be used instead of maple syrup. Use the same amount as the original recipe calls for (1/2 cup).
Applesauce: You can use any variety you like. I prefer unsweetened applesauce to minimize any added sugars.
Light Olive Oil: You can replace olive oil with other neutral-flavored oils like canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil.
Apple Cider Vinegar: White vinegar or lemon juice can be used as a substitute for apple cider vinegar. Use the same quantity (2 teaspoons).
Eggs and Egg White: For the large eggs, you can use a flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water) or a chia egg (1 tablespoon chia seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of water) for an egg-free version.*
Oat Flour: If you don’t have oat flour, you can make your own by blending rolled oats or quick oats until they turn into a fine powder.
Almond Flour: Almond flour can be substituted with other nut flours like cashew flour or hazelnut flour, or you can use additional oat flour if you prefer.
Cocoa Powder: Unsweetened cacao powder is a good substitute for cocoa powder if you have it on hand.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda: You can use gluten-free versions of baking powder and baking soda if you need to keep the recipe entirely gluten-free.
Cinnamon: If you’re not a fan of cinnamon, you can omit it or replace it with a pinch of nutmeg or allspice for a different flavor.
Chocolate Chips: You can use dairy-free chocolate chips if you want to make the recipe vegan or if you have dietary restrictions.
How to Make My Double Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins with Cottage Cheese Recipe
Step 1: Make the Batter
Preheat your oven to 425°F.
In a medium mixing bowl or upright blender, add the bananas, cottage cheese, maple syrup, oil, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix with an immersion blender or upright blender until smooth. Add the eggs and egg whites and whisk until well blended.
Add the oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the muffins tough.
To determine whether your batter is thick enough to bake with high domes, lift your whisk or spatula with batter and allow it to drip into your bowl. If the batter holds its peaks on top of the batter before blending in, then it’s just right. If the batter is too runny, add more oat flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it’s thick enough. If your batter is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk or almond milk at a time to thin it out.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips to distribute them evenly throughout the batter.
Step 2: Fill the Muffin Cups
Place muffin liners in the muffin cups. If using paper liners or no liners, lightly spray the cups with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Spoon the muffin batter into the prepared cups, almost to the top. An ice cream scoop works really well for even batter distribution. Allow the batter to mound in the middle of each muffin to help create a higher center. The center can be filled slightly higher than the top of the muffin cup.
Optional: Add additional chocolate chips on the tops of the muffins.
Step 3: Bake the Muffins
Place the muffin tray in a 425°F oven and set the timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the muffin tray in the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F, and bake for an additional 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Once done, remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
These muffins taste best when eaten warm or at room temperature.
Banana Double Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe Notes
Ripe Bananas: Using ripe bananas is crucial for this recipe as they provide natural sweetness and moisture. The riper the bananas, the sweeter your muffins will be. Look for bananas with brown spots on the peel.
Cottage Cheese Texture: To ensure your muffins have a smooth texture and no lumps of cottage cheese, blend the cottage cheese and bananas together with an immersion blender or food processor works well for this.
Maple Syrup and Sweeteners: You can adjust the amount of maple syrup based on your sweetness preference. If you want the muffins to be less sweet, reduce the maple syrup slightly. You can also use alternative sweeteners like honey or agave nectar.
Batter Consistency: To determine whether your batter is thick enough to bake with high domes, lift your whisk or spatula with batter and allow it to drip into your bowl. If the batter holds its peaks on top of the batter before blending in, then it’s just right. If the batter is too runny, add more oat flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it’s thick enough. If your batter is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk or almond milk at a time to thin it out.
High Dome: To achieve a high dome on your muffins, fill the muffin cups almost to the top. Allow the batter to mound in the middle of each muffin to help create a higher center. The center can be filled slightly higher than the muffin cup.
Extra Batter: This recipe makes a generous amount of batter for 12 muffin cups. If you end up with extra batter, you can fill a second muffin tray or pour the extra batter into a mini loaf pan and allow it to cook alongside the muffin tray in the oven. Check it separately for doneness, for you may have to pull it out sooner than your muffins if it has shallower batter.
Do you love muffins? Check out more of my easy and nutritious muffin recipes:
Double Chocolate Chip Cottage Cheese Banana Muffins
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 bananas (ripe)
- 1/2 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 egg white
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.In a medium mixing bowl or upright blender, add the bananas, cottage cheese, maple syrup, oil, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Mix with an immersion blender or upright blender until smooth. Add the eggs and egg whites and whisk until well blended.Add the oat flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until just combined. Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the muffins tough. NOTE: To determine whether your batter is thick enough to bake with high domes, lift your whisk or spatula with batter and allow it to drip into your bowl. If the batter holds its peaks on top of the batter before blending in, then it's just right. If the batter is too runny, add more oat flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until it's thick enough. If your batter is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of milk or almond milk at a time to thin it out.Gently fold in the chocolate chips to distribute them evenly throughout the batter.
- Place muffin liners in the muffin cups. If using paper liners or no liners, lightly spray the cups with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking. Spoon the muffin batter into the prepared cups, almost to the top. An ice cream scoop works really well for even batter distribution. Allow the batter to mound in the middle of each muffin to help create a higher center. The center can be filled slightly higher than the top of the muffin cup.Optional: Add additional chocolate chips on the tops of the muffins.
- Place the muffin tray in a 425°F oven and set the timer for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the muffin tray in the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F, and bake for an additional 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.Once done, remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.These muffins taste best when eaten warm or at room temperature.
Video
I rarely leave reviews but this was very easy to make, worked exactly as written, and it’s absolutely delicious, thanks!
Hi Patricia, thank you so much for taking the time to leave this review! I really appreciate it 🙂
If you don’t have apple cider vinegar what can you exchange for it
Hi Connie, white vinegar or half as much lemon juice can be used as a substitute. Or, you can omit it if needed 🙂
The recipe instructions say applesauce but there’s no applesauce on the ingredient list?
Hi Lucia,
Thank you so much for letting me know! It’s been added 🙂 I hope you enjoy this recipe!!
This video was recommended on my YouTube feed last night and I watched it and was so intrigued that I immediately went into my kitchen to make them haha. And I totally LOVED them! They were sweet enough, a great texture, and they were really filling too, compared to a lot of other muffins! My 10-year old son told me they were a 9 out of 10, but he says he would have rated them higher if they had more choc chips in them lol. I had just done the 1/2 cup all mixed in, but for his sake next time I make them I’ll go ahead and put some more choc chips on top like was suggested :). My daughter also really liked them, and both my kids suggested them for breakfast two days in a row so you know that means they enjoyed the recipe! I’ve printed out this recipe and will definitely make again. I’m excited to start trying out other recipes on your site, thank you!
This is so cool Sharice!! Thank you so much for sharing this with me. Please let me know what you think of any other recipes you try 🙂