Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Last Updated on June 25, 2023 by Priscilla
Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are perfectly decadent thanks to tons of chocolate chips and almond butter. They are so quick to whip up and enjoy perfectly warm as a snack or dessert, you’ll forget you’re eating veggies at all!
Why you’ll love these gluten-free chocolate zucchini muffins
- Easy muffin recipe – These chocolate muffins are made in one bowl with a handful of ingredients. If you love gluten-free and dairy-free muffins, you’ll also like my banana blueberry oatmeal muffins recipe!
- Gluten-Free – these are gluten-free zucchini muffins thanks to no wheat and no flour!
- Easy to make into chocolate zucchini bread! Pour the batter into a loaf pan instead of a muffin tin and bake.
- Dairy-Free – The olive oil in this recipe makes these muffins completely dairy-free
- Paleo – Almond flour and tapioca starch are used in this recipe, making delicious paleo chocolate zucchini muffins!
- So chocolatey! With both cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips used in this recipe, they are so fudgy and really are the best chocolate chip muffins in my opinion!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Zucchini: Use a medium-sized zucchini for these gluten-free chocolate zucchini muffins. Grating it using the smaller holes on a box grater or using a handheld grater ensures the muffins are super moist but that you can’t actually taste the zucchini in the muffin at all!
- Olive Oil: helps yield perfectly soft and moist muffins
- Almond Butter: use creamy, unsalted almond butter
- Almond Flour: for the best zucchini muffins, use fine almond flour
- Dutch Process Cocoa powder: Using this cocoa powder gives the zucchini muffins a deep chocolate flavor without making them bitter. I use Whole Foods brand of Organic Cocoa Powder which is processed with alkali, making it dutch process. Hershey’s also makes a Special Dark cocoa powder that is dutch process cocoa
- Tapioca starch: gives the muffins a nice springy texture that is bread-like. If you don’t have tapioca starch, you could try a gluten-free flour blend, but I have not tested this recipe with it.
- Coconut Sugar: helps give sweetness. Try light brown sugar if you do not have coconut sugar
- Chocolate Chips: I highly recommend using semi-sweet mini chocolate chips for these gluten free chocolate muffins. The smaller the chip, the more pockets of melted chocolate you will get in each bite. I use Enjoy Life brand to keep it dairy-free.
How to make Gluten-Free Chocolate Muffins
Step 1: Prepare the zucchini. Cut the ends off of your zucchini and use a box or handheld grater to grate the zucchini with the small or medium grate. Collect the grated zucchini into a ball and squeeze out any excess liquid and moisture.
Step 2: Make the batter. Place the zucchini in a bowl and add the olive oil, almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract and egg. Whisk them together until well combined.
In another bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until nearly combined.
Add ¾ of the mini chocolate chips and fold in until combined and no streaks of dry ingredients remain.
Step 3: Bake the muffins. Line a muffin tin with 12 parchment liners and fill each with an equal amount of batter. Top them with the remaining chocolate chips and place into a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-22 minutes.
Step 4: Storing and serving. Allow the muffin to cool for a while before peeling off the muffin liners and enjoying. They are best when they are still warm but if they are too hot the muffin will stick to the liner. Store fully cooled muffins in an airtight container and enjoy within 3 days, or place them into an airtight bag and place in the freezer for up to a month.
FAQs and Tips
Can you make these muffins into healthy chocolate zucchini bread?
Yes! To make these chocolate zucchini muffins into zucchini bread, pour the batter into a lined 9×5” pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the bread is firm. If you love paleo based breads, try my almond butter banana bread recipe sometime!
How do you store gluten-free chocolate muffins
These gluten-free chocolate zucchini muffins can be stored in an airtight container or bag and kept at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. For any muffins you don’t plan to eat within a few days, they can be frozen in airtight freezer bags and placed in the freezer for a month or more. When you are ready to eat one of the muffins, remove one from the freezer, remove the wrapper and place on a plate and microwave for 20-25 seconds and enjoy.
Can you make this recipe into vegan zucchini muffins?
I have not tried to make this recipe without eggs, but you could try to make vegan zucchini muffins by replacing 2 of the eggs with 2 flax eggs and using a mashed medium-sized banana for the third egg. If you try this out, let me know how it goes!
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and review rating below. For more recipes, food photos and tips, follow along @priscillacooks on Instagram as I’m most active there!
Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup grated zucchini (measure after grating and squeezing dry)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup creamy almond butter
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup fine almond flour
- 1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Shred your zucchini with a box grater or a handheld grater. I like to use the medium grate. Wrap it up into a couple of pieces of paper towel and squeeze out excess liquid.
- In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, creamy almond butter, drained zucchini, maple syrup, vanilla extract and eggs. In another bowl, combine the almond flour, cocoa powder, tapioca starch, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together until just a few streaks of dry ingredients remain.
- Fold in 3/4 of the mini chocolate chips with a spatula. Pour the batter equally into 12 muffin tins lined with parchment liners. Top with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until firm on top but still springy and fudge in the center. Allow the muffins to cool for 15 minutes or more before enjoying.
Notes
- To make the recipe into chocolate zucchini bread, pour the batter into a 9×5″ pan and bake for around 45 minutes.
- You can use a food thermometer to check the internal temperature of the muffins when they are nearly done baking. Take the muffins out from the oven when the thermometer reads 185-190 degrees Fahrenheit, then let them cool.
- Store cooled muffins in an airtight bag or container at room temperature for 3 days, or in the freezer for 1+ month.
I made this today for the first time and it is delicious. Easy to make and tastes very good. Thumbs up!
Thank you for trying out the zucchini bread and for the comment 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it, Bill!
Loved it!!!