These Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are rich, tender, and filled with chocolate flavor. The muffins are easy to make and a great way to use up your zucchini crop.
If you’re not a fan of chocolate, try my recipes for zucchini muffins and zucchini bread. Both of these recipes are free of chocolate and packed with healthy zucchini.
Recently I shared with you my recipe for zucchini brownies. Since the combination of chocolate and zucchini was a hit with my family, I had to come up with a similar recipe for muffins.
And now that our garden is producing more zucchini than I know what to do with, I needed an additional way to make use of it. My husband and I are not fans of cooked zucchini, but hide it in baked goods and we’re all in.
These chocolate zucchini muffins are tender, moist, and filled with chocolate goodness. And yes, there’s healthy zucchini in there too, but you’ll never know it.
If you’re looking for a new way to put your zucchini squash to use, give this recipe a try. I know you’ll be making these muffins again and again.
Why this Recipe Works
- The moisture from the zucchini gives the muffins a soft and tender texture.
- Using both cocoa powder and chocolate chips makes the muffins extra chocolaty.
- The combination of white sugar and brown sugar adds flavor to the muffins without being overly sweet.
Ingredients You'll Need to Make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins:
- Gluten free flour blend - I use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour.
- Cocoa - Unsweetened cocoa powder. I use Hershey’s cocoa powder.
- Baking powder, baking soda, salt, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract - All the usual ingredients for making muffins.
- Milk - I use almond milk because I always have it on hand.
- Sugar - White granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar - Combining the brown sugar with the white sugar gives extra flavor to the muffins.
- Grated zucchini - Leave the skin on and drain the excess water.
- Chocolate chips - I use semi-sweet chips.
How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugars.
- Stir the zucchini in with the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Add the batter to a muffin pan and bake.
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a standard muffin pan with baking cups or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Place the gluten free flour blend, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until combined.
In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugars and whisk until combined.
Add the grated zucchini to the egg mixture and stir until well combined.
Stir the dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture until just combined.
Fold the chocolate chips into the batter and divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for Making Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Check your gluten free flour blend for xanthan gum. If your flour doesn’t contain xanthan gum, try adding ½ teaspoon to the recipe.
- When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir everything together. Stirring the mixture by hand will prevent overmixing the batter. Overmixing may lead to muffins that are tough.
- Use a scoop to fill the muffin cups with batter. This will keep the muffins similar in size and ensure even baking time.
Gluten Free Flour
To get the best results, use a good quality all-purpose gluten free flour when making these muffins. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 which contains xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum works to hold the muffins together. The gluten in all-purpose flour acts as the binding agent in traditional baking. Gluten free baking requires a substitute for the binding agent and that’s the role of xanthan gum.
Your results may be different depending on the type of gluten free flour you use. I haven’t tried using coconut flour or almond flour in this chocolate chip zucchini muffin recipe.
Remember to use the “spoon and level” method when measuring your gluten free flour. Simply use a spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup and then use the back of a table knife to level off the top. Using the measuring cup to scoop the flour directly from the bag or canister can give you more flour than needed in the recipe.
FAQs
I leave the skin on the zucchini. The skin is thin and tender and contains most of the nutritional value of the zucchini. Thoroughly wash the zucchini skin to remove any dirt or pesticides before using.
The muffins can be stored in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. I like to store them in packs of two so I can defrost a couple muffins at a time.
Thaw the muffins overnight in the fridge and pop them in the microwave for a few seconds to re-heat.
Easy Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
These easy to make chocolate zucchini muffins are a great way to add some veggies to your family’s diet. They’re tender, chocolaty, and great for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Share them with family and friends and no one will guess they’re gluten free. Happy Baking!
More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins
- Easy Gluten Free Strawberry Muffins
- Gluten Free Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Easy Sweet Cornbread Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Banana Muffins
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Recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free flour blend
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup almond milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini, drained
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a standard muffin pan with baking cups or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt until combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, and sugars and whisk until combined.
- Add the grated zucchini to the egg mixture and stir until well combined.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the zucchini mixture until just combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Check your gluten free flour blend for xanthan gum. If your flour doesn’t contain xanthan gum, try adding ½ teaspoon to the recipe.
- When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir everything together. Stirring the mixture by hand will prevent overmixing the batter. Overmixing may lead to muffins that are tough.
- Use a scoop to fill the muffin cups with batter. This will keep the muffins similar in size and ensure even baking time.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information provided is an estimate and will vary based on products and brands you use. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the ingredients you are using with your preferred nutrition calculator.
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