Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Zucchini season was made for these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins! They have a moist, tender texture, they’re packed with zucchini and studded with dark chocolate chips. There’s no refined sugar, dairy and they’re gluten-free, so they’re perfect for meal prep breakfast, snacks or even dessert!
I look forward to zucchini season every year because I absolutely love baking with it.
I was very young the first time I tried zucchini bread. My mom baked it, and the prospect of a sweet quick bread that included a green vegetable sounded very strange to me.
I loved it instantly, and I helped my mom bake it from then on. I learned quickly that zucchini is completely flavorless, and it adds a ton of moisture, making it perfect to bake with.
I love making my healthy zucchini muffins and zucchini chocolate chip bread for my family now, but when I have big chocolate cravings I turn to these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.
These muffins are soft, fluffy and packed with big chocolate flavor. They’re made with whole grain oat flour, which lends a tender cake-like texture that I adore.
Like my chocolate zucchini bread, they include both cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips for a double dose of chocolate.
For me, it truly doesn’t get better than the chocolate zucchini combo, and I’m obsessed with these muffins!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- These healthy chocolate zucchini muffins are moist, fluffy, and packed with zucchini and big chocolate flavor.
- This recipe is extremely easy to make and it comes together in one bowl.
- They’re so delicious that nobody will know that they’re healthier!
- They’re made without unrefined sugar, dairy or gluten so they’re great for special diets.
Recipe ingredients
This chocolate zucchini muffin recipe contains 100% whole grains and there’s minimal sugar and oil as compared to other recipes.
There’s also no refined sugar, dairy or gluten, making them a healthier choice.
Ingredient notes
- Oat flour. If you’ve never used oat flour, you’re in for a treat. It’s got all the goodness of whole grains, it’s naturally gluten-free, and it lends a soft texture that I adore. It’s readily available at most stores or find out how to make oat flour in my easy tutorial!
- Zucchini. You’ll need a pound of zucchini, or about 2 medium. You can grate them or process them into smaller pieces in the food processor, and it may be done up to 2 days in advance. The best news is that you don’t need to squeeze out the excess liquid before adding it to these chocolate zucchini muffins!
- Coconut oil. This adds moisture to the muffins. It may be substituted with whatever type of oil that you have on hand.
- Maple syrup. I tested these muffins with coconut sugar and maple syrup, and maple syrup made a huge difference in flavor and texture. For best results, I don’t recommend substituting it with another type of unrefined sugar.
- Eggs. The eggs provide structure to the muffins.
- Almond milk. I use unsweetened almond milk, but any dairy or non-dairy milk will work in this recipe.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. This adds plenty of chocolate flavor to the muffins!
- Chocolate chips. I used mini dark chocolate chips to boost the chocolate flavor. Use your favorite dairy or non-dairy variety.
How to make this chocolate zucchini muffin recipe
This recipe is super easy to make. There are just a few ingredients and they come together in one bowl.
Pro tip: Grate the zucchini up to 2 days in advance to make prep time even quicker!
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Grate the zucchini.
- Whisk the wet ingredients until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, whisking until well combined.
- Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly between (12) standard muffin cups.
- Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.
FAQs
Most zucchini muffins are made with white flour and they’re loaded with sugar and oil. These muffins are made entirely with whole grain oat flour, which is a good source of fiber and nutrients. There’s also a minimal amount of oil, and there’s no refined sugar, dairy or gluten.
There’s no need to squeeze out the excess liquid — simply grate the zucchini and add it right into the muffin batter!
Zucchini may be grated up to 2 days before you’re ready to add it to your recipes. Simply grate and store it in an air tight container.
Freeze these chocolate zucchini muffins in an air tight container for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw at room temperature.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Grate the zucchini 1-2 days in advance to make muffin prep easier later in the week!
- I don’t recommend substituting the maple syrup with a different sweetener as it yields the best texture and flavor out of all the unrefined sweeteners that I tested.
- Store muffins in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Muffins are freezer friendly making them great for meal prep! Simply thaw at room temperature and enjoy!
More healthy muffin recipes you’ll love:
- Almond flour blueberry banana muffins
- Applesauce oat muffins by Tastes Better From Scratch
- Banana muffins
- Blackberry muffins
- Carrot muffins
- Cranberry orange muffins
- Healthy morning glory muffins
- Healthy pumpkin muffins
- Lemon blueberry muffins
- Peanut butter banana muffins
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil or sub with your favorite
- 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk or any dairy or non-dairy milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups oat flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups grated zucchini about 1 lb. or 2 medium
- 1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips or your favorite
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place paper liners in (12) cavities of a standard muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the coconut oil, maple syrup and eggs until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add the almond milk and vanilla and whisk until combined.1/3 cup coconut oil, 2/3 cup pure maple syrup, 2 large eggs, 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the oat flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk until incorporated an no lumps remain.2 cups oat flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips until well incorporated, then divide the batter equally between the (12) muffin cups and top with the chocolate chips.2 cups grated zucchini, 1/3 cup mini dark chocolate chips
- Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. After 10 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Grate the zucchini in advance and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make muffins.
- This recipe originally included whole wheat flour, but I modified it to include oat flour because I prefer the soft, fluffy texture that it lends.
- I don’t recommend substituting the maple syrup with a different sweetener as it yields the best texture and flavor out of all the unrefined sweeteners that I tested.
- Store muffins in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days.
- Muffins are freezer friendly making them great for meal prep! Simply thaw at room temperature and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This post was originally published in October of 2012. The recipe has been modified to be gluten-free, and new photos have been added.
20 Comments on “Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins”
These muffins look so chocolatey and delicious and would make a great sweet snack or even breakfast 🙂
Thank you Natalie! We love them any time of day. 🙂
Your photos are gorgeous, Marcie! I will admit that I’m not usually a fan of zucchini in baked goods, but these muffins look too delicious to resist. I love how thick and fluffy these turned out. And I bet these smelled SO good when baking, too!
Thank you so much Gayle! I swear you can’t taste any zucchini in these…the chocolate reigns supreme. 🙂
I’m envious of your farmer’s market hauls! We don’t have the best farmer’s markets here in Reno, but the ones in Tahoe are pretty decent.
LOVE these muffins so much! And also a huge fan of the versatility of zucchini. I definitely need to make these soon!
My aunt lives in Reno and says the same thing about the markets…I know the one in Truckee is pretty good!
Chocolate zucchini muffins, or loaf, is the BEST. I’m loving that these are whole grain, too! I just made your oatmeal chocolate chip zucchini loaf the other day, with some frozen shredded zucchini. So good, and the kiddos loved it to! Can’t wait to try this one!
I’m so glad to hear that you liked the loaf — that recipe is my favorite (although these are close). 🙂 Thanks Katherine!
I’m totally with you on zucchini – it’s such an awesome veggie! One of my favorites for sure. I love the idea of sneaking it into some chocolate muffins. And I am the same way at the farmers’ market… give me all the produce! 🙂
I never want summer to end! 🙂
I love all the seasonal produce this time of year too, and I agree, it can be overwhelming! I just want to buy and eat it all while I can! These muffins look delicious! Love that you made them healthier, and you’re right, chocolate and zucchini are a wonderful pairing!
Thanks Leanne and I hope you get your fill of all the summer produce! 🙂
Can I use another oil
You sure can — any type of oil will work.
Definitely need to try this recipe! It looks so good, easy, healthy, and honestly quick!!!! Thank you for sharing! Definitely going to be giving these a try!
I hope you love them as much as we do! 🙂
These are fantastic!
I’m glad you enjoyed them Millie!
What can I use in place of the maple syrup? We don’t like maple over here. We also can’t do coconut sugar due to a coconut allergy.
And I want to make these into mini muffins. How long should I bake them?
Thanks!
You can use regular granulated sugar or honey if you prefer. Also, I never bake mini muffins, but I would bake at 350 degrees and check them after 9-10 minutes. They shouldn’t take much longer than that.