Description
Delicious and nutritious Chocolate Spinach Muffins made with ripe bananas, fresh baby spinach, and rich cocoa powder. These moist muffins combine the health benefits of greens with a chocolatey twist, perfect for breakfast or a wholesome snack that even kids will love.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons milk (almond milk or regular both work)
- 1 egg
- ½ cup Greek yogurt, full fat
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Add-ins
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (plus extra for topping if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it’s ready when the batter is prepared.
- Blend Wet Ingredients: In a high-powered blender, combine the milk, ripe bananas, and baby spinach. Blend until mostly smooth with a few lumps remaining, then transfer this mixture to a large mixing bowl.
- Add Eggs and Wet Ingredients: Lightly whisk the egg into the banana-spinach mixture. Then add the sugar, vanilla extract, oil, and Greek yogurt, stirring until well combined.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate small bowl, whisk together the white whole wheat flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cocoa powder to combine evenly.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender.
- Fold in Chocolate Chips: Stir in the dark chocolate chips, reserving some to sprinkle on top of the muffins if desired.
- Prepare Muffin Pan: Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners and evenly spoon the batter into each cup. Top each muffin with the remaining chocolate chips if using.
- Bake Muffins: Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of a muffin; it should come out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Let the muffins cool in the pan for several minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Use fresh spinach rather than frozen as frozen spinach has a stronger flavor and excess moisture, which is not ideal for these muffins.
- You can store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or at room temperature for about 3 days.
- These muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Use a freezer-safe container and thaw before serving.
- Feel free to experiment with other add-ins like shredded coconut, chopped nuts, raisins, or dried fruit.
- For extra indulgence, serve muffins with a drizzle of peanut butter or almond butter on top.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 180
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 130mg
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 26g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
