Got some zucchini that needs using up? Bake up a batch of these chocolate vegan zucchini muffins! They're soft, fluffy, packed with spices, and bursting with chocolate chips and walnuts!
My dad has always been weirded out by fruit or veggie-based cakes and quick bread. So no carrot cake, no banana bread, or zucchini bread for him! And I guess that kind of makes sense from a picky eater kind of perspective — despite the fact that those are all delicious, you can tell they've got stuff in them.
That was not the case with these muffins! You can't detect the zucchini at all. No zucchini taste, no zucchini texture. But the zucchini does add moisture, so you end up with super soft, fluffy, tender chocolate muffins.
They taste like chocolate cake. Yes, cake! All thanks to a vegetable.
So if you want to sneak some veggies into a treat (and for the record, I am not saying these are healthy), or you just have some zucchini that needs put to good use, you'll want to make a batch of these muffins. They'll meet the approval of even the pickiest eaters!
Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Ingredients
Here's what you'll need!
- Non-dairy milk
- Oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Cocoa powder
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cardamom
- Cloves
- Salt
- Zucchini
- Vegan chocolate chips
- Walnuts
How to Make Vegan Zucchini Muffins
Make sure you've got your zucchini shredded before you start mixing everything. Use the fine grating surface of a box grater.
Mix up your liquid ingredients in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup: milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla. Now mix your dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
Pour the liquid mixture into the dry, and stir just until everything is fully blended. Be sure not to overmix the batter. Once the batter is just mixed, fold in the zucchini, chips and walnuts.
Divide the mixture among paper-lined muffin cups.
Now pop the tin into the oven and bake your muffins until soft and fluffy. You can test them for doneness by gently pressing a finger into the top of one — it should spring back.
Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before removing them from the tin.
I like to serve my muffins warm with a big cold glass of almond milk.
Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Tips & FAQ
- Shelf life & storage: These muffins will keep in a sealed bag or container at room temperature for about 3 days, or in the freezer for about 3 months.
- Where can I find vegan chocolate chips? I can usually get them at my regular supermarket. If yours doesn't carry them, try a place like Whole Foods. I used Enjoy Life Mega Chunks for this batch.
- Can these muffins be made gluten-free? I'm not sure! If you'd like to give it a try, I'd recommend using an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend such as those made by Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur Flour.
- Do I have to include all of those spices? Nope! I was going for a flavor combination similar to chai tea, but feel free to cut back on the spices if you don't have them all on hand. You could even omit the spices completely, though I do recommend at least including a bit of cinnamon.
- My muffins didn't rise! Why not? Usually this means your baking powder or soda is dated. Test baking powder by sprinkling a small amount in a glass of water. For baking soda, do the same, but use a glass of vinegar. Both should fizz. If either doesn't, throw it out and replace it.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
- â…“ cup canola oil (or neutral oil of choice)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- â…“ cup cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini (about 1 small zucchini)
- ¾ cup vegan chocolate chips
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12 cup muffin tin with papers.
- Stir the milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
- Stir the flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until fully blended.
- Fold in the zucchini, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
- Divide the batter among the muffin tins.
- Bake the muffins until soft and fluffy, 20 to 22 minutes. Test for doneness by gently pressing into the top of one with your finger — if should spring back.
- Transfer the muffin tin to a cooling rack and allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing them from the tins.
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I wanted to use up some zucchini. These came out perfect! They give that sweet chocolate kick but they still feel pretty light. The texture is really nice and fluffy. I love how the spices play with the chocolate too, very nice. And they cook and cool a lot faster than zucchini bread because of the smaller form factor.
These were excellent! I cut back on the spices by half because I was worried about picky eaters. You definitely can’t tell there is zucchini in them so imma feed them to a bunch of kids.