Home » Recipes » Breakfast » Muffins » Healthy & Moist Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
by Taesha Butler on Jul 17, 2023 (updated Sep 8, 2023)
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4.96 from 25 votes
These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are mixed all in one bowl, perfectly moist thanks to the addition of grated zucchini and have less added sugar than most muffin recipes. Made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce, these decadent muffins get a boost of chocolate goodness from your favorite chocolate chips. Perfect for a wholesome sweet snack or fun breakfast, these muffins are a delicious and full of good-for-you ingredients.
Are you all ready for another amazingveggie muffin recipe? Because these moist Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are pure perfection IMO.
While there many different Chocolate Zucchini Muffin recipes out there, making muffins that taste great and that are packed with veggies is kinda my jam. It is also what so many of you come to me for! And so I knew it was time to add my recipe version of these healthy zucchini muffins to the pages of TNN.
I love these Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins because they absolutely hit the spot when you want something sweet and chocolatey. Yet, they are made with less added sugar than most recipes (something else a lot of you love about my veggie muffins). Rockinga cup and a half of grated zucchini, sweetened withapplesauceandlittle maple syrup or honey, these muffins aretender, moist, and mixed all in one bowl. Made withwhole wheat flour, yet surprisingly fluffy, these muffins are truly the perfect sweet snack or fun breakfast option. They arenaturally nut-free, can be dairy-free when you use dairy-free chocolate chips, and can easily be made gluten free. This recipe makes abatch of 12perfect muffins, only takes20 minutes to bake, and is the perfect chocolate treat to have stashed in your fridge for when your sweet tooth calls.
If you love these muffins, be sure to check out my One-Bowl Carrot Oatmeal Muffinsand myHearty Whole Wheat Banana Zucchini Muffinstoo!
How to make these muffins: step-by-step visual guide
Suggested Adaptations
- Replace the applesauce with mashed banana.
- Use yellow summer squash instead of zucchini in this recipe.
- Boost the nutrition: You could also stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons of nutritious add-ins like hemp seeds, chia seeds, or ground flax seeds.
- Make them gluten free:Use a cup-for-cup style gluten free flour mix instead of the whole wheat flour.
- Need egg-free? I haven’t tested it, but I think using a common egg-replacer such aflax “egg”would work in this recipe.
How to store these muffins
These muffins can hang out on your counter for a day, but if you plan to enjoy them over several days pop them in the fridge! Keeping them in an airtight container in your refrigerator will help to keep these moist muffins fresh longer and prevent molding.
You can also freeze these muffins for up to 2 months when stored in an air-tight freezer safe container. I like to thaw on the countertop overnight or by zapping one in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.
Other veggie muffin recipes…
- Chocolate Muffins (with veggies!)
- Whole Wheat ABC Muffins
- Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins
- Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Hearty One-Bowl Parsnip Muffins
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
- One-Bowl Oatmeal Carrot Muffins
Did you try these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins and now you’re hungry for more?
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4.96 from 25 votes
Healthy & Moist Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 18 minutes mins
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Author: Taesha Butler
These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are mixed all in one bowl, perfectly moist thanks to the addition of grated zucchini and have less added sugar than most muffin recipes. Made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with maple syrup and applesauce, these decadent muffins get a boost of chocolate goodness from your favorite chocolate chips. Perfect for a wholesome sweet snack or fun breakfast, these muffins are a delicious and full of good-for-you ingredients.
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Ingredients
- 1½ cup grated zucchini, measure before squeezing moisture out
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup avocado oil , or olive oil
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1¼ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips, plus extra for topping
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375℉ and line a 12-hole muffin tin. Set aside.
Place pre-measured shredded zucchini in the middle a paper towel or clean kitchen towel. Wrap it up and squeeze out excess moisture.
Place drained zucchini in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, maple syrup, vanilla and applesauce. Whisk to combine.
Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Stir together with a spoon or spatula until just combined, being careful not to over mix. Over mixing can lead to dense muffins, so mixing until just combined is important for achieving fluffy muffins.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Divide batter evenly between the prepared muffin tin compartments, filing each compartment about ¾ full. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
TIP: If you have a kitchen thermometer, bake until your muffins are 200℉ in the center. This will ensure they are cooked through but aren't over baked, which can result in a dry muffin.
Let cool 10 minutes before transferring the muffins to a wire cooling rack and/or enjoying. Allow leftovers to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container in your fridge for 4-5 days or in your freezer for up to a month.
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 186kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.004g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 231mg, Potassium: 207mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 12g, Vitamin A: 100IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information provided here is only an estimate shared for convenience and as a courtesy. Information will vary based on ingredients + brands used to create the recipe.
Dairy-Free Desserts Muffins Nut-Free Snacks Vegetarian zucchini
originally published on Jul 17, 2023 (last updated Sep 8, 2023)
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Comments
32 comments on “Healthy & Moist Chocolate Zucchini Muffins”
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Erin —Reply
Wow, fantastic! Satisfied my chocolate cravings & felt good about it! What I love so much is how moist and flavorful these are without the sugar spike/crash like other baked goods. Followed recipe very closely, even bought maple syrup, used olive oil, cacao powder, a large ripe banana instead of applesauce. In placed of some of the flour, used 1 TBLS coconut flour & 1 TBLS ground flax. Definitely a remake for me! Can’t wait to try out other tasty recipes.Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad you enjoyed it so much, Erin! Thank you for taking the time to share!
Christine Viscione —Reply
These are so delicious!! I’m making more tomorrow! They are packed with good ingredients. I’m going to add flax seeds and chopped walnuts to the next batch!Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad to hear you loved them as much as we do!
Antonia —Reply
Really delicious and great texture! I didn’t have applesauce so I used bananas as suggested (2 large ones). I dislike mashing bananas so I blended all the wet ingredients. And I added less chocolate chips. This might be my favourite chocolate muffin recipe on this site!Taesha Butler —Reply
Delighted to hear you enjoyed them so much, Antonia! Thanks for taking the time leave a review!
Katie Hartman —Reply
These were amazing and super easy! Extra delicious topped with a little peanut butter. Froze the leftovers and they warmed up beautifully. Will definitely make again!Taesha Butler —Reply
Delighted to hear they were enjoyed so much, Katie! Thanks for taking the time to share
Laura —Reply
Hi Taesha, just love your recipes! Can I swap the whole wheat for a mix of almond and oatmeal in most cases? Thanks and please keep these gems coming!Love,
LauraTaesha Butler —Reply
Hi Laura! Great question. While I find oat flour typically works well as a swap for whole wheat, I haven’t tested this recipe with it. If you are looking for a gluten free version of these muffins, you might like this Paleo version I made a few years ago. https://thenaturalnurturer.com/paleo-chocolate-zucchini-muffins/
Minda —Reply
Great recipe! I always grate and squeeze the zucchini before measuring…🤷🏻♀️ it’s always resulted in a delish final product. I do digital temp them for doneness as you recommend. Thank you for a fun way to use up the last of our summer zucchini harvest.Taesha Butler —Reply
So happy you enjoyed these, Minda!
Natalie —Reply
We doubled the recipe and they still didn’t last 24 hours! I’ll triple it next time for sure. I love that these are a hearty, healthy-ish breakfast, and my kids love that they can eat “chocolate cupcakes” for breakfast. I was worried they wouldn’t be sweet enough, but the chocolate chips were a perfect amount of sweetness and the moisture level was perfect (don’t forget to squeeze those zucchinis). We also learned the importance of letting them cook before digging in—the first few warm ones were VERY crumbly. But they were so good, no one minded!Taesha Butler —Reply
SO happy you loved these as much as we do!
Kristine —Reply
All of your muffins are great way to sneak veggies to kids and sometimes even adults. I am glad I found this page.
Next time I would add a little bit more sweetness to this yummy muffins.Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad you enjoyed them and, yes, totally adjust the sweetener to meet your personal preference!
Sabrina —Reply
Perfect! I only had 1/8 cup apple sauce so I added 1/8 cup of greek yogurt! Wonderful recipe thank you so much!Taesha Butler —Reply
Love your addition of the yogurt! I bet it made them extra fluffy!
Patty —Reply
I have made these 3 or 4 times and everyone loves them. I have made them gluten free using a “one for one flour” and they are perfect. Also the tip using the thermometer is genius! Not overcooked at all. I used the thermometer in other muffins and they always come out great!
Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad you love these and my little baking tip! I use it allllll the time and tell everyone about it. Every oven bakes a little differently so it truly helps everyone have a perfect bake!
Ev —Reply
So good! I make this for my toddler all the time and he loves it!Taesha Butler —Reply
Music to my ears, Ev! So glad they are such a hit with your little!
Mumofthree —Reply
Delicious and moist! Even my fussiest eater eats these . Thanks for the recipe !Taesha Butler —Reply
Yay! I am so glad these were such a success for you!
Cathy —Reply
Made these today with my favorite 3yr old Sous chef. We used flax eggs, Gluten Free-flour & dairy free chocolate chips, so his mom could enjoy them too. They were delicious. We will definitely be making them again soon!Taesha Butler —Reply
This is my favorite summer muffin and I so love hearing about littles baking TNN recipes! Totally made my day, Cathy! I’m glad you were able to adapt it to fit your family’s personal needs + have delicious recipe the whole family can enjoy. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Vanessa —Reply
Made this recipe and they came out perfect and delicious!! Will be making it often 🫶🏼Taesha Butler —Reply
I’m so glad to hear that!
Trish —Reply
So delicious and moist!! I subbed more applesauce for the oil to fit better with my macros and they were still so soft and moist. These are going in my muffin rotation for sure.Taesha Butler —Reply
Love that, Trish! So glad these were so enjoyed!
Rayna Voiken —Reply
The flavour was on point! Mine got really stuck in the muffin tins though, lost 1/4 of the muffin 🙁 I don’t know what I did wrong . . this has never happened to me before.Taesha Butler —Reply
So glad you loved the flavor of these, Rayna! So, unfortunately I think it might be your muffin liners. Since my muffin recipes don’t have as much added oil or butter as a more traditional recipe, they sometimes stick to straight paper liners. I find spraying your liners or even just the muffin tin works well! Silicone liners or disposable liners with a food grade silicone coating (I use the brand If You Care) work so well with my muffins!
