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These double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are made with no flour or added oil, but they taste like a brownie! They are a delicious way to sneak more veggies into your life.
This muffin recipe requires no added oil or butter, thanks to the sneaky vegetables hidden inside. The zucchini adds all the moisture you need!
These muffins are dairy-free and gluten-free, without using a specialty gluten-free flour blend, so they are perfect if you are serving guests or family members with special dietary needs.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Almond butter and eggs work together to give these treats a magical structure, without any flour required. (Similar to Banana Snack Cake.)
You can use cocoa powder or cacao powder with similar results, and I love adding in some mini chocolate chips for a double chocolate zucchini muffin, but that’s optional. Either way, you’ll enjoy a delicious chocolate flavor.
Coconut sugar adds sweetness but also helps with the structure of this recipe, so don’t swap it for pure maple syrup or honey without expecting different results.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
1. Prepare the zucchini.
Shred the zucchini using the largest holes of your box grater. (No need to peel them first!) Then place the zucchini in the center of a thin dishtowel, or cheesecloth, and gather the towel so you can squeeze-out the excess moisture.
Zucchini are very hydrating, so there should be quite a bit of liquid released!
Measure out 1 cup of the strained zucchini for this recipe. You can use any leftovers in a bowl of zucchini oatmeal or a zucchini smoothie later this week.
2. Mix the batter.
In a large bowl, combine the almond butter, eggs, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir well, until the batter looks thick and glossy.
Fold in the squeezed zucchini and mini chocolate chips, if using.
3. Bake.
Line a standard muffin tin with 12 parchment muffin liners. (Nonstick spray might not be enough to ensure they release later.)
Then use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top of each muffin, if you’d like.
Bake the muffins in an oven preheated to 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until the tops feel dry to the touch.
Your kitchen should smell like brownies when they are done cooking!
4. Enjoy!
Let the muffins cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes, and then the chocolate chip zucchini muffins are ready to serve. (They should firm up as they cool.)
Enjoy them lightly warm from the oven, or at room temperature for the best flavor and texture.
Storage Tip: Leftover muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve only tested this recipe with granulated sugar, so using something like brown or white sugar should work just as well. (They will just be slightly sweeter, FYI.) If you want to experiment with using honey or pure maple syrup, I’d start with just a 1/4 cup, since liquid sweeteners tend to be more concentrated in flavor.
Flourless baking does not do well with egg substitutes, like a flax egg. Start with an egg-free recipe that has already been tested, such as my vegan carrot cake muffins, as a jumping-off point.
You can use any other nut or seed butter that you have on hand, such as peanut butter, cashew butter, or sunflower seed butter. For the best results, it should be an all-natural nut butter that has a drippy consistency.
Looking for more zucchini recipes to try? Try it in my Vegan Chocolate Cheesecake, Zucchini Lasagna, or Zucchini Pesto for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 1 cup raw almond butter
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 12 parchment cupcake liners. Place the shredded zucchini into the center of a thin dish towel, and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- Transfer the squeezed zucchini into a large bowl, and add in the almond butter, coconut sugar, cacao powder, eggs, baking soda, salt, and vanilla. Stir well until the batter looks thick and glossy.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, if using, and then use a 1/4 cup to scoop the batter into the 12 baking cups. Top with a few extra chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake at 350ºF until the muffins have risen and feel firm to a light touch in the center, about 25 minutes. (Your kitchen should smell like brownies when they are done!)
- Remove the pan from the oven and let the muffins cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. You can serve them warm or cold, but I think they have the best flavor when they are at room temperature. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Nutrition
If you try these gluten-free chocolate zucchini muffins, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
Supppeerrr fudgey and delicious. Made them twice already.
When I went off dairy and sugar, life got a lot trickier!! These muffins saved the day for me and I make them so much. I will make them in bulk and freeze some so I can have them throughout the month. I substitute chocolate chips for dairy free chocolate chips. Love this recipe!!!
I have made these several times. I love that they are a rich, gluten-free chocolate treat that I don’t feel guilty about eating. I have found the trick is to mix the ingredients really well so I let the almond butter get to room temp so it’s easier to work with. I bake them about 24-25 min to make sure they aren’t too gooey. They are great from the freezer, too!
These are the best chocolate muffins i’ve ever eaten. A friend made them and brought us some and on]h, my goooooodness! They’re so so tasty. I will definitely be making them. She made them just as the recipe is written.
been loving these muffins lately, the kids just gobble them up, without even realizing there getting a gluten free muffin with zucchini in it!!! these are seriously a favorite in our home!!!
This recipe was so good! Tastes like a brownie, a yummy one! Thank you !!
This is a real 5-star recipe! So easy to make. So healthy. So very yummy and chocolaty. I did riff a little bit on the recipe. No coconut sugar so used 1/2 cup maple syrup instead. Perfect! And I only had chunky almond butter but it added a nice texture to the muffins. And then I chopped up a Belgian 72% dark chocolate bar for my chips. Yum! So good I ate 3 once they cooled off. Can’t wait to make more! Sending gratitude and chocolate smiles⭐️💫🌟
Couldn’t wait to make these based on all the glowing reviews. Definitely a 5-star recipe. Clean ingredients. So easy to make. So much chocolaty goodness without the guilt. Thanks to the reviewer who suggested subbing maple syrup. Nice swap! And I used cocoa powder and chopped up a 72% dark chocolate bar for my chips. So good! Will make again and again. Sending gratitude.
Soooo yummy!! I used regular peanut butter and cane sugar and I added some shredded coconut instead of the chocolate chips. They were so tasty that I had to make another batch right away. The second batch I used only 1/2 cup sugar. It didn’t take anything away from the wonderful taste of these muffins. Thanks for such an amazing recipe.
I made these last week and I’m making them again this week!! They’re amazing in every way. LOL! They’re moist, they’re sweet (but not too sweet) and they’re deliciously chocolatey. It’s just me and my husband so I refrigerated them and we each had one every day for the following six days. They were as moist (if not moister) then they were right out of the oven. Thank you so much for this recipe!