Enjoy the rich, chocolatey goodness of these moist double chocolate zucchini muffins! Perfect for breakfast or an easy snack, this recipe is a delicious way to use up fresh zucchini. They're gluten-free, dairy-free and flourless!
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These are the BEST double chocolate zucchini muffins are one of my favorite things to bake. They're an easy and tasty way to use up that extra zucchini or sneak veggies into a lightly sweet treat. They're rich, fudgy, chocolatey, and incredibly moist thanks to the shredded zucchini.
It may seem crazy to add zucchini to baked goods like quick bread or zucchini cookies, but once you try it, you'll love it! The zucchini blends right into the chocolate and you won't even notice - the muffins taste nothing like zucchini! Similar to my chocolate carrot zucchini muffins.
What a great way to use that fresh zucchini from the farmer's market or your garden! Your kids won't even guess they're eating vegetables. And they freeze well for easy breakfasts anytime!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fluffy and moist thanks to the shredded zucchini.
- Decadent rich chocolate flavor with cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips.
- The best thing, it's a simple one-bowl recipe for quick and easy cleanup. Dry ingredients and wet ingredients all in one bowl. No food processor needed.
- Delicious for breakfast on the go, or the perfect afternoon snack.
- Great way to sneak in some extra veggies without compromising on taste, especially during zucchini season.
Check out my breakfast recipes where you'll find other great muffin recipes like my easy orange muffins, juicy raspberry muffins, blueberry buckwheat muffins and cozy blueberry banana muffins to try.
Recipe Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins:
Ingredient Notes:
- Almond butter provides richness and moisture to the muffins.
- Shredded zucchini adds moisture and nutrients without altering the taste. One medium zucchini should be enough.
- Coconut sugar provides just enough sweetness.
- Cacao powder infuses rich chocolate flavor, and there's no need for gluten free whole wheat flour in these chocolate muffins.
- Eggs bind the ingredients together and contribute to the structure of the muffins.
- Mini chocolate chips adds melty pockets of chocolate goodness throughout the muffins. Use dairy-free if needed.
- Vanilla extract and sea salt adds warmth and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Baking soda helps the muffins rise and achieve a light, fluffy texture.
See recipe card below for all ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Swap almond butter for peanut butter, cashew butter, tahini, or sunflower seed butter. They'll all result in tasty tender muffins.
- If you swap the coconut sugar for maple syrup or honey, you will need to bake a little longer and you'll have moist muffins that are a little more dense in texture.
- You can replace the mini chocolate chips with regular chocolate chips, chopped chocolate, raw cacao nibs, or chopped nuts.
I have not tested this recipe with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please share how it turned out in the comments below!
How to Make Super Moist Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Step 1: In a large bowl, add almond butter, squeezed zucchini, coconut sugar, cacao powder, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and sea salt.
Step 2: Mix until well combined and batter is thick and glossy. Fold in chocolate chips.
Step 3: Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop the muffin batter into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle with a few extra chocolate chips if desired.
Step 4: Bake at 350°F for 22-25 minutes. Muffins will feel slightly firm to a light touch in the center.
Expert Tips
- Squeeze out all the excess moisture from the shredded zucchini so your muffins aren't too moist. Weight of shredded zucchini in the recipe card is after the moisture has been squeezed out.
- Use mini chocolate chips for better distribution throughout the batter.
- If your almond butter is not drippy and easy to mix, warm lightly in the microwave just until it mixes easily with a spoon; cool before using.
Common Questions
The simplest way to shred zucchini to use in baking is to use the largest grate setting on your box grater to grate zucchini. While typically reserved for cheese, it works wonders on soft veggies like zucchini, making perfectly shredded strands in no time. You can also use your food processor fitted with the shred blade for larger quantities of shredded zucchini. Place shredded zucchini in the center of a thin dish towel, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible before using.
To make them vegan you can try swapping the eggs for flax eggs. I have not tried it yet, and it may make the muffins a little more dense. Remember to use your favorite vegan chocolate chips.
Absolutely not! There's no need to peel the zucchini for these chocolate chip zucchini muffins. Zucchini's have thin skin, so it gets beautifully incorporated into the batter. No need to fuss over peeling!
Storage Tips
- Refrigerator: To keep your muffins fresh, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: These freezer friendly chocolate zucchini muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 months. To enjoy later, simply thaw at room temperature or warm in the microwave for a few seconds.
More Muffin Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Super Moist Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Equipment
- 1 large bowl
- 1 12-cup muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup (250 grams) *almond butter
- 1 cup (150 grams) *shredded zucchini, with moisture squeezed out (about 1 medium zucchini)
- ½ cup (80 grams) coconut sugar
- ¼ cup (22 grams) cacao powder, or cocoa powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup (90 grams) mini chocolate chips, extra for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, add almond butter, squeezed shredded zucchini, coconut sugar, cacao powder, eggs, vanilla extract, baking soda, and sea salt. Mix until well combined and batter is thick and glossy. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a ¼ cup measuring cup, scoop the muffin batter into prepared muffin pan. Sprinkle with a few extra mini chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes. Muffins will feel slightly firm to a light touch in the center.
- As soon as the muffins are cool enough to touch, transfer to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
- *if your almond butter is not drippy and easy to mix, warm lightly in the microwave just until it mixes easily with a spoon; cool before using.
- *weight of shredded zucchini is after the moisture has been squeezed out.
- place shredded zucchini in the center of a thin dish towel, and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Diana Stewart
Made these today. Nice and chocolately and hold together really well. You wouldn't know there isn't any flour in it. Will definitely be making these again!
Jacqui Wilson
Hi Diana, I'm so glad you like them!
Diane
These are AMAZING!! Does the zucchini help make them so moist? Thanks for the great recipe!
Jacqui Wilson
Hi Diane, yes, the zucchini adds so much moisture to these muffins. I'm so happy you made the recipe!
sylvia
normally when I make gluten-free muffins they crumble and fall apart but these were perfect! will definitely make again
Jacqui Wilson
Hi Sylvia, I'm so glad you made the muffins and they were perfect for you. I keep them in the freezer for a quick grab-and-go, they hold up really well!