These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are moist, tender, chocolatey, and loaded with shredded zucchini! They are flavored with vanilla and full of chocolate chips for the double chocolatey treat.
This Chocolate Zucchini Muffins recipe is adapted from my Zucchini Muffins (Easy and Eggless) and is perfectly enjoyable for breakfast or snacks! They are easy to make with a few ingredients and without eggs.
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Why Baking With Zucchini?
It is fun to incorporate zucchini in baking recipes. This vegetable is flavorless but provides pure moisture, so baked goods with zucchini come out moist and tender without any green vegetable flavor. So, if you like to bake with carrots and have never tried zucchini, it is the time now.
Moist and Tender Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Not only fruits, but I love to add zucchini and carrots to my baking desserts. They add nutritional value without any vegetable flavors. And certain spices, chocolate, nuts, and dried fruits pair well with these vegetables.
I have already posted the recipe for Eggless Zucchini Bread and Zucchini Muffins (Easy and Eggless). So, I was also thinking of posting another delicious recipe that combines chocolate and zucchini.
These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are easy to make with only a few ingredients. They are super moist, fluffy, full of zucchini, double chocolatey, and perfectly sweetened.
I flavored the muffins with vanilla and added chocolate chips, but you can easily customize the batter and add your choice of elements. For example, add spices such as cardamom, nutmeg, or ginger.
Add coconut or lightly toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans instead of chocolate chips.
To make the batter, we do not need an electric mixer. Instead, we need mixing bowls, a spatula, and a whisk.
Why You Will Love These Muffins
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are loaded with zucchini and double chocolatey.
- The muffins are soft, tender, fluffy, and super moist.
- Making these muffins is beyond easy and quick.
- It is easy to incorporate your choice of add-ins to the muffins.
- Even kids will not mind the zucchini in these muffins.
- The muffins are eggless and vegetarian.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: I have used unbleached all-purpose flour and recommend using the same.
- Cocoa Powder: I used Dutch-processed cocoa powder. But you can use natural cocoa powder as well.
- Baking Powder: Baking powder is necessary to lift eggless chocolate zucchini muffins and make them light.
- Salt: I like to add salt to contrast the sweetness.
- Zucchini: I have not peeled the zucchini before shredding, but you can peel it if you prefer. Also, do not squeeze the moisture out of shredded zucchini. If your zucchini is too wet, blot it lightly with a paper towel before adding it to the batter. Use the finer side of your cheese grater to grate the zucchini.
- Sugar: I have used brown sugar and granulated sugar. Brown sugar provides extra moisture to the muffins.
- Oil: I used sunflower oil, but you can add any other neutral-flavored oil or melted coconut oil.
- Milk: It provides moisture to the muffins. You can use either 2% or whole milk for this recipe.
- Vanilla: It provides a sweet and warm flavor to the muffins. If possible, try to use pure vanilla extract.
- Chocolate Chips: I have added mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the muffins. However, this is optional, and you can skip it or add nuts or coconut to the muffins.
How To Make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Grease the muffin pan with non-stick oil spray or line it with paper liners.
- If using paper liners, grease them as well.
- Set aside.
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined.
- Add chocolate chips to the flour mixture and stir well.
- Whisk oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
- Add grated zucchini and milk, and stir well to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently mix until just combined.
- Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin liners.
- Fill each muffin liner all the way up to the top.
- I recommend using an ice cream scoop for easy and even distribution of the batter.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then keep them in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C).
- Continue baking for 15-17 minutes or until the cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes.
- Then, transfer them onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely before serving.
How To Store Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you have leftovers, cover them tightly and store them in the fridge for up to a week.
You can also freeze these muffins. Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to a month. Afterward, thaw them overnight in the fridge and then at room temperature before serving.
Variations
Coconut: Add sweetened or unsweetened coconut instead of chocolate chips.
Nuts: Add lightly toasted and chopped walnuts or pecans if you like to pair chocolate and zucchini with nuts.
Spices: Ground ginger, cardamom, or nutmeg can be added to these chocolate zucchini muffins.
Baking Tips For Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Measuring the Ingredients: To make the perfect muffins, correctly measure the flour and other ingredients. I suggest using a kitchen scale. If using the cup method, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into a measuring cup. Then, level it off with a knife.
Zucchini: I have not peeled the zucchini before shredding, but you can peel it if you prefer. Also, do not squeeze the moisture out of shredded zucchini. If your zucchini is too wet, blot it lightly with a paper towel before adding it to the wet mixture.
Brown Sugar: I highly recommend using light or dark brown sugar for extra moisture, but if you do not have it, replace it with white sugar.
Chocolate Chips: You can make these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins without any add-ins, but I like to add chocolate chips to make them double chocolatey. So, in this recipe, I have added mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, you can add lightly toasted walnuts or pecans instead of chocolate chips.
Filling The Muffin Tins: For tall muffin tops, fill the muffin tins all the way to the top. It will ensure that the Zucchini Muffins rise well and have nice domed muffin tops.
Frequently Asked Questions
While mixing wet ingredients into dry, do not overmix. Overmixing the batter develops gluten, destroys air bubbles, and ruins the fluffy texture, which results in dry, dense, and hard muffins.
To ensure the light and fluffy muffins, mix dry and wet ingredients until just combined and no more dry flour is visible. Also, after removing the muffins from the oven, do not leave them in the pan for too long. Once they are slightly cool, transfer them to a cooling rack. Otherwise, they will continue cooking in the pan, resulting in dry muffins.
There is no need to squeeze shredded zucchini for this recipe. But if your zucchini is too wet, it will release too much water, resulting in wet and unpleasant muffins. Another reason could be underbaking. So, if you think your zucchini releases too much water, lightly blot the shredded zucchini with a paper towel before using it for the recipe. Also, ensure that the muffins are baked until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Sometimes, even if we use paper liners to make muffins, the muffins stick to the liners; removing them is hard. To avoid this, grease the paper liners with oil or melted butter before pouring the batter into them. If you add the batter directly into the muffin tins, make sure to grease the muffin tins well.
More Eggless Muffins
Recipe Card
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (Eggless)
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoon (28g) cocoa powder (I use Dutch-processed)
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (50g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (120ml) oil (any neutral flavored)
- ½ cup (100g) dark or light brown sugar
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1½ cups (180g) shredded or grated zucchini
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease the muffin pan with non-stick oil spray or line it with paper liners. If using paper liners, grease them as well. Set aside.
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Add chocolate chips to the flour mixture and stir well.
- Whisk oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until combined.
- Add grated zucchini and milk, and stir well to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and gently mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin liners. Fill each muffin liner all the way up to the top. I recommend using an ice cream scoop for easy and even distribution of the batter.
- Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425°F (220°C), then keep them in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Continue baking for 15-17 minutes or until the cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them onto a cooling rack and let them cool completely before serving.
Storing Suggestions
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you have leftovers, cover them tightly and store them in the fridge for up to a week.
- You can also freeze these muffins. Place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to a month. Afterward, thaw them overnight in the fridge and then at room temperature before serving.
Notes
- Measuring the Ingredients: To make the perfect muffins, correctly measure the flour and other ingredients. I suggest using a kitchen scale. If using the cup method, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into a measuring cup. Then, level it off with a knife.
- Zucchini: I have not peeled the zucchini before shredding, but you can peel it. Also, do not squeeze the moisture out of shredded zucchini. If your zucchini is too wet, blot it lightly with a paper towel before adding it to the wet mixture.
- Brown Sugar: I highly recommend using light or dark brown sugar for extra moisture, but if you do not have it, replace it with white sugar.
- Chocolate Chips: You can make these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins without any add-ins, but I like to add chocolate chips to make them double chocolatey. So, in this recipe, I have added mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. However, you can add lightly toasted walnuts or pecans instead of chocolate chips.
- Filling The Muffin Tins: For tall muffin tops, fill the muffin tins all the way to the top. It will ensure that the Zucchini Muffins rise well and have nice domed muffin tops.
Thanks for coming! Let me know what you think.