These chocolate, banana, lentil muffins have a texture and taste similar brownies, but are lower in sugar and provide great amounts of fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals.
Total Time: 25 minutes Servings: 12
$2.76 Recipe / $0.23 Serving
Chocolate, Banana Lentil Muffins
You are going to love these chocolate banana lentil muffins! They’re easy to whip up, they taste great and they freeze for future use wonderfully. They best part is they can be used as for a breakfast or a snack! We love eating one of these muffins with a Lemon, Raspberry, Yogurt Parfait for breakfast.
This recipe for delicious chocolate, banana, lentil muffins is a favorite at our house! Using extra ripe bananas makes them naturally sweet, so very little added sugar is needed.
Lentils in Muffins
Putting lentils in muffins sounds kind of crazy, right?! But let me tell you why it is such a great idea!
First, lentils are loaded with tons of amazing nutrients for your body. Some of these nutrients include:
- Protein for muscle building and satiety
- Fiber for gut health and fullness
- Thiamine, B6 and Manganese for metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats
- Folate for the prevention of birth defects
- Iron for transporting oxygen throughout your body
- Magnesium to help your body make DNA and proteins
- Phosphorus for bone health
- Potassium to keep your heart healthy
- Zinc for healthy growth and development
Second, brown lentils have a relatively neutral flavor. As long as you puree them smooth enough, you won’t even notice they are there.
Where to Find Lentils?
Lentils can be found in the rice and soup or ethnic aisles of most grocery stores. You can buy them in their dry form in a bag, or precooked in a can or a pouch. Either option works great for this recipe!
Lentils come in a variety of colors with brown, green and red being the most common ones. For this recipe I used brown lentils.
How to Cook Dry Lentils
If you are using lentils from a can or pouch, they are ready to use. If you bought dry lentils, you will need to cook them first.
To cook them start by placing the dry lentils in a pot. Next, cover them completely with water. No need to measure the water, just make sure the lentils are submerged and the water level comes at least one inch of above them.
Next, heat the pot of lentils and water over high heat until the water starts boiling. Reduce the temperature to low and simmer them until they are tender but still intact (about 20 minutes). Cooking them too long will make them mushy.
Last, drain off any excess water and they are ready to eat or use in a recipe. I like to cook a big batch of lentils all at once, then freeze the ones I am not using in a freezer safe bag.
Making the Chocolate, Banana Lentil Muffins
The first step to making these muffins, is blending the cooked lentils along with all of the wet ingredients in a food processor. My kids don’t like visible lentil chunks in their muffins, so I blend them until they are smooth to avoid this.
After the wet ingredients are blended, add the dry ingredients to the mixture then pulse them just until they are combined.
Next, divide them evenly between the 12 spots of a muffin tin and cook them at 350 degrees until they are cooked through (about 15 to 18 minutes).
Freezing the Muffins
I like making a double or triple batch of these muffins so I can freeze some of them for future snacks or breakfasts. To freeze them, start by letting them cool completely. Once they are cooled, place them in a freezer safe bag or container. If you are using a bag, try to get as much air out as possible before sealing it up. This helps them to stay fresh longer. If sealed properly, they stay fresh in your freezer for about 3 months.
Chocolate, Banana, Lentil Muffins {Whole-Grain}
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line or grease a muffin tin.
- In a food processor or blender, combine all of the wet ingredients. Blend them until they are mixed and the lentils are smooth.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to the food processor and press the pulse button a few times, just until the ingredients are mixed.
- Bake them in your oven until they spring back when touched (about 15-18 minutes).
Notes
I love when I can sneak in things that are healthy for my children without them knowing and it still tasting good, great recipe!