Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Super easy, delicious, and healthy double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins packed with nourishing ingredients and big flavor. Gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free!
These super decadent and delicious -yet healthy- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins had me giddy with excitement to share them with you because they are just too tasty. And furthermore? It’s truly hard to believe that they are both gluten-free and vegan, as they have the most absolute perfect texture.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- These healthy muffins taste of a rich, chocolate flavor that you would never guess included zucchini.
- They are easy to make.
- These gluten-free chocolate muffins have a perfectly fluffy, fudgy texture.
- Packed with wholesome, nutrient-dense, guilt-free ingredients.
- These are great for breakfast, dessert, or a snack.
- Zucchini muffins are super kid-friendly and a great way to sneak some greens into a diet.
- Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, vegan, grain-free, and refined sugar-free (dependent upon chocolate chips used!).
Why Zucchini?
Apart from the nutritional value of adding veggies into your treats and sneaking in some green power for your kids, adding zucchini to baked goods results in a lovely moist texture that is hard to duplicate with much else.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Tips, Tricks, and Substitutions
Tapioca Starch
Arrowroot starch, corn starch, or potato starch can be used in place of tapioca starch.
Cacao Powder
I like to use cacao powder for its added benefits, but you can use cocoa powder instead.
Chocolate Chips
I like to use allergy-friendly dark chocolate chips from Pascha or Enjoy Life, but any chocolate chips of your choice can be used! If you do not have chocolate chips on hand, you can simply chop any chocolate bar to use in its place too.
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar can be replaced with any granulated sweetener of your choosing. I haven’t tested these muffins with a liquid sweetener, but I do think raw honey or maple syrup would work beautifully in coconut sugar’s place too.
Cashew Butter
This ingredient really adds a lot to the texture and moistness of these muffins. If you do not have cashew butter on hand, any nut or seed butter will work well in its place! I like using almond butter or sunflower seed butter, but peanut butter and tahini make excellent choices as well.
Psyllium Husk Powder
This is my secret ingredient! I really love psyllium husk powder’s ability to mimic eggs in vegan baked goods. This adds some moist fluffiness and holding power to these muffins that are hard to duplicate, but in a pinch adding two teaspoons of ground flaxseed in its place will work too!
Storage
These muffins keep lightly covered at room temperature for up to two days. For any longer than that, I advise storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. You can even freeze these muffins for up to 6 months in a freezer-safe container.
More Delicious Muffin Recipes
Gluten Free Cherry Cobbler Muffins
Gluten Free Apple Buckwheat Muffins
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup almond flour
- 5 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1/2 cup cacao powder or cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar or any granulated sweetener of choice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or pink salt
- 1 cup milk of choice I like to use unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil or butter
- 1/4 cup cashew butter unsweetened
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded zucchini about 1 whole average zucchini
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips of choice I like to use at least 70% chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
- In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients (almond flour through salt). Stir until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients (milk through vanilla). Whisk until smooth.
- Fold in the zucchini. Then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Fill a greased muffin pan and/or muffin liners to the top with the batter.
- Bake for 20-24 minutes or until firm and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin pulls out clean.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
- Enjoy!
One of our favorites! We make it with ground sunflower seed meal instead of almond flour (due to allergies), and it works great. Sooo delicious!
I made these last night and we are enjoying them for breakfast this morning as I type and wow! They are so good. Incredibly moist, fudgy, and decadent tasting. We are going to make these all summer long!
These muffins were phenomenal. Like “I didn’t notice they were gluten free” good. Thank you for making a delicious muffin that I don’t feel guilty eating. kk bye. I’m off to try all your other muffin recipes.
These muffins were so unbelievably moist and flavorful. I’m looking forward to our summer zucchini crop so I can make more.
I can’t believe these are healthier! They are soft, fluffy, chocolaty and decadent!
This recipe is amazing! I made it twice but the second time the muffin tops caved in a little. I’m not sure what I did differently, but I wanted to ask do you melt the coconut oil so that all the wet ingredients come together smoothly? Not sure if melting the coconut oil slightly made the tops cave in.
Hi Rebecca! I’m so very happy to hear that! I either warm the coconut oil to melt it or allow it to soften/melt a bit at room temperature (I will update the recipe card with that, thanks!), but that should not makes the tops cave in. A few things can contribute to that are under-baking and pulling out of the oven too soon, opening the oven door too many times during cooking, using baking powder that might be on its last leg (not quite as active as it should be) and some ovens just aren’t very consistent with oven temps and may require a bit less or more time each time. I hope this helps! 🙂
These were so good. I brought them to a family gathering with guests who have various food allergies (primarily eggs and gluten) and everyone, particularly the non-vegan/non-allergic crowd devoured them. I’ll have to double the recipe next time. Thanks!
Oh, that makes me so happy to know! Thank you for taking the time to share. 🙂
What can I substitute for the zucchini? Can I leave it out?
Hi! I haven’t tested it without zucchini so I can’t attest to how well it would turn out, but you can replace it with pretty much any shredded veggie of choice. Any kind of squash and grated carrot would make great substitutions. I hope this helps! 🙂
I’ve always wanted to try zucchini muffins out! I have everything the recipe calls for, so I might have to whip up a batch this weekend. I really appreciate all your ingredient tips 🙂