Jul 14
Chocolate zucchini muffins get a healthy makeover in partnership with Blue Diamond Almond Breeze! Made with whole wheat flour and no butter or refined sugars (besides chocolate chips). You’re going to love these perfectly moist, insanely delicious muffins!
Zucchini season is HERE because my Pinterest feed told me so. I even made a board devoted to all things zucchini (shameless plug so you can follow me!)
If you’re thinking that you would never put zucchini in a baked good, it’s time to get out of your comfort zone because these muffins are MIND-BLOWING and full of chocolate love with zero zucchini taste.
I love when vegetables can taste like chocolate, don’t you?
After all, remember my skinny banana chocolate chip zucchini muffins from a few summers ago? Or how about these chunky monkey zucchini muffins? Probably one of my favorite muffins on my blog.
I say that about every muffin I put on this blog though, so think what you will.
I spent half of the weekend perfecting this recipe. Seriously, I think I made these muffins four times. During one attempt, I tried to insert avocado into the baking equation, but it didn’t work as well as I hoped. It’s not that the muffins weren’t good with avocado, they just weren’t fluffy; I opted to use a bit of coconut oil instead.
Now you would think that the average zucchini bread would be healthy, but most recipes call for more than a cup of sugar and at least a 1/2 cup of oil. Healthy fats are wonderful but I’d rather put them on top of my muffin (like peanut butter). So I thought I’d try my best to make healthy chocolate zucchini muffins that still taste amazing.
CHOMP. I succeeded thanks to a few special ingredients in these chocolate zucchini muffins.
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Banana or applesauce instead of lots of oil. Keeps the muffins moist and adds natural sweetness.
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Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk. Delicious and dairy free. I’m cool with that.
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Whole wheat pastry flour. Probably the best wheat flour out there. You can’t even tell these muffins are whole-grain!
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Honey or pure maple syrup instead of sugar. Technically honey is sugar, but it’s not a refined sugar plus it also helps to keep these muffins soft.
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Zucchini. Of course, this veggie adds an insanely amount of moisture to the muffins. They are just SO good you guys!
These chocolate zucchini muffins would be perfect for breakfast, an afternoon treat, or even dessert. You can even bake these as bars or as a bread, but of course you’ll need to adjust baking times.
See how to make these chocolate zucchini muffins:
Have a wonderful week! xo
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a comment below and rate the recipe! You can also snap and picture and post it on Instagram using the hashtag #ambitiouskitchen. And of course be sure to follow Ambitious Kitchen on Instagram. xo!
- Serves: 12
- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 160
- Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Sugar: 14g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 3.4g
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
- 1/3 cup honey, agave nectar or pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 cup shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
- 1 ripe mashed banana (or you can use 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)
- 1/2 cup Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almondmilk
- 1/2 cup regular or mini chocolate chips, dairy free if desired
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners and generously spray inside of liners with nonstick cooking spray.
- Squeeze shredded zucchini of excess water with a paper towel. This is important, so don’t forget!
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, add coconut oil, honey/maple syrup, vanilla, egg; mix on medium-low until smooth and well combined. Add in zucchini, banana (or applesauce) and almondmilk; mix again. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
- Evenly divide batter into prepared liners. Bake 22-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted into middle comes out clean. After 5 minutes, remove muffins and transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
I love adding a few extra chocolate chips (2-3) on top of each muffin before baking to make them look pretty, but it's up to you!
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cake with Avocado Chocolate Frosting
Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze
Grain Free Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread (2 different ways!)
This post is brought to you by Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Almondmilk, but as always all opinions are my own; I love baking with their almondmilk! Thanks for continuing to support Ambitious Kitchen.
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Yeah, these look good! I made brownies this morning and thought about adding zucchini into the batter…I ended up staying traditional #nexttime
Definitely next time!
I love baking with Almond milk too! Love this recipe – simple and real food ingredients!
Thanks! 🙂
Oh I have got to try these! Do you think the timing for a loaf pan would be about 35-40 minutes approx to begin testing for doneness?
I think probably around 40 minutes, I would test. 🙂
These were awesome! Probably the best muffins I’ve ever made! My picky kids who never eat zucchini loved them. Thanks!
I am so happy that you made them and your kids liked them, too!
I made the banana zucchini muffins last week, so I had to make these too! I used regular all purpose flour and olive oil bc that is what I have on hand. They are moist, delicious and delightful!! Don’t think I could pick a favorite btwn the two. Thanks for another wonderful recipe 🙂
Aren’t they delightful?! Thanks for making them Mandy!
Could I substitute 100% pure maple syrup instead on honey? Can’t wait to try!
I think you could but I’m not certain they’d be as sweet!
Hi Monique, so glad I came across your blog! I was just wondering how much oil to use in these muffins if I wasn’t using applesauce?
Hi! I think you could use about 1/3 cup and it would be fine. Enjoy!
Can these be made gluten free by just substituting the flour?
I think you could use an all purpose gluten free flour if you’d like, but I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not certain how it will turn out. Let me know if you try it!
I made these using bobs 1 to 1 gluten free flour and added an extra egg and 2 tb almost milk in adition to what the recipe calls for. (Because gluten free flour requires more liquid) I also subbed the honey for coconut palm sugar. They turned out great! Super moist and fluffy!
Sounds awesome! Thanks for sharing. I’m going to follow your subs right now.
Hi Monique,
I just stumbled on your blog today and I’m so glad I did! Lots of great content. Quick question, is it best to melt the coconut oil before mixing it in with the honey, vanilla, and egg?
Yes, but I think either way it will work just fine. You can also use olive oil! 🙂
Hi Monique,
I made this recipe yesterday and the muffins were marvellous ! You’re such a genius ! I was wondering, though, what would happen if I omited the zuchinni ? Thank you. Can’t wait to make more of your recipes ! 🙂
I’m not quite sure – they might become dry! Perhaps you could add a little more oil to ensure there is enough moisture?
Thank you : 🙂
Love this recipe! I subbed out the zucchini for steamed/mashed pumpkin and added some orange sprinkles to the top to make “Scary Healthy Halloween Muffins.”
The most yummiest, amazing, oozingly good muffins i have ever had! Has to be eaten warm!!! Yum yum thankyou:)
Can I freeze them after baking, or do you think i should freeze the batter in the baking cup instead? Also do you think I could make mini muffins with this recipe? If so, how long should i bake them for?
You should freeze after baking them. I haven’t made them into mini muffins but I’m guessing 10-15 minutes.
Just made these with zucchini puree and granulated sugar in lieu of honey (too lazy to deal with post-honey cleanup), and they are phenomenal! Whole wheat pastry flour had already become one of my favorite pantry staples, so it’s nice to have another recipe that uses it so well.
These look great. How would you adjust baking time to make “mini muffins”?
Hi my hubby is allergic to nuts. What is a good low cal alternative to the almond milk? Low fat milk or does the alone milk do something else? Protein?
You can use any kind of milk you’d like.
Can’t wait to bake these. Do I peel the zucchinis?
Nope!
Hola Monique. Do I really need the applesauce? I’m trying to make these for tonight but I don’t have the applesauce 🙁
You could use oil instead – I’m sorry for the late reply!
Yum!!!
Can I replace or leave out the 1 egg white? How would it change the muffins?
Hi there! I recommend just adding an entire extra egg. 🙂
I use only 1 egg and no egg white and they always turn out good.
I made these yesterday (only changes: 2 whole eggs and regular milk) and they are amazing. I can’t believe they are not sinfully bad for me. Thanks for the recipe!
These look awesome! I’m definitely going to try them as is for myself, but I thought I’d try another batch without the chocolate for my husband who doesn’t like it (I know, what’s wrong with him?). If I omit the cocoa powder should I add more flour or anything?
Hi Court! These are meant to be chocolate zucchini muffins so if you make them without the cocoa it really wouldn’t turn out the same. I haven’t tested them any other way then as the recipe lists. You may want to try looking for a regular zucchini muffin recipe. Or you can try my banana version: https://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/08/skinny-zucchini-banana-chocolate-chip-muffins-healthy-low-fat/
Any chance I could use extra coconut oil in place of applesauce (since applesauce is the substitute for vegetable oil) ???
Thanks! 🙂
Yes, just use 1/4 cup total and the muffins should turn out lovely! Let me know how it goes.
Hi Monique – think I could sub greek plain yogurt for the applesauce?
These came out delicious. I used unsweetened cashew milk instead of almond… only 25 calories per serving!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made these this morning, and they were SO GOOD! After 6 weeks of a very productive zucchini plant, I am running out of idea of what to do with zucchini, so I was thrilled to find this recipe. Thank you!!!
Never before have I commented on a recipe but these muffins are freakin delicious!! My new favorites! Love the agave instead of sugar. Cannot. Stop. Eating.
Delicious recipe, indulgent tasting and not a hint of zucchini BUT my muffins rose and then sunk, I followed the instructions exactly except for using white plain flour instead of wholewheat pastry. What causes muffins to sink? What can I do? Thanks
Can I substitute ww all purpose flour for the ww pastry flour?
I’ve never heard of whole wheat all purpose flour. I’m assuming you mean whole wheat flour? If so, yes, but they will be much more dense.
These are SO INCREDIBLY GOOD!!! love a recipe that is lightened up and full of healthy ingredients!! THank you!!
Not sure why but these were seriously lacking a sweet factor and I followed the recipe exactly. I’d have to use something along w/the honey next time. Maybe Truvia.
Just made these for my son— he LOVES them. I made them vegan by substituting the eggs for flax eggs and I didn’t have any applesauce handy so I mashed a banana and that worked great! Thanks! 🙂
So wonderful to hear that, Cheryl!
Forgot to add that I also had to sub brown sugar for the honey to make it vegan.
Excited to try! Could I sub and use coconut flour instead? If so, how much?
These look amazing but my son had a tree nut allergy. Would coconut milk work as a substitute? We aren’t dairy adverse so I might use regular milk.
Let me know what you think!
That sounds like it would work!
These are really yummy! How would you adjust baking time to make “mini muffins?”
Also, I’ve made these with cow’s milk for friends with nut allergies and it’s still yummy.
Was very sceptical and unsure of my own abilities ….. BUT I can now say it’s a breakthrough and they are so Delicious!!! Worth making and I’m going to keep them for my journeys to work as my breakfast on the go 3 days a week
Amazing !! I made quick apple sauce as I had none and they turned out so chocolately c
I just made these using gluten free flour (pillsbury, if it matters) and it turned out delicious. I had to use a loaf pan because I realized too late I didn’t have muffin liners but it was really moist. Great recipe!
I can’t do eggs either! What suggestions would you have to replace the eggs in this recipe?
If you read the comments, someone said they used flax egg substitute…that should work. 🙂
I am making these right now and have been using zucchini in baked goods for years. I love them, i was just curious why you had to squeeze excess moisture from them? None of my other recipes ever said to do that.
Baked these last night and they turned out awesome ! So moist and my 10 year old daughter loved the taste. Only thing that I changed was to add coconut sugar instead of honey. Will be making again soon!!
I’ve made those and they are amazing! Used Maple syrup as a sweetener. Thank you so much for opening my eyes, never though I can use zucchini in a dessert .
Just shredded three zucchini from the garden and going to make these. Someone asked about replacing with regular flour but I didn’t see a response. Can I use regular baking flour?
I’ve made these several times for my kids and they love them. A variation that I do is use beets instead of zucchini, I strain pureed beets in a paper towel and use a little less apple sauce, makes a cake like red velvet :). Kids think they are eating chocolate lava cake
I just made these for the first time, and my daughters can’t get enough of them! Thank you for this recipe. I was looking for a healthier zucchini muffin/bread recipe, as most traditional recipes call for way too much sugar and oil.
Costco stopped selling the frozen Garden Lites chocolate muffins that my kids and I eat when we need a quick breakfast, so I searched for a recipe that sounded similar and found this one. When I made the first batch, I tasted the batter and was a little worried because it was kind of bland. But the muffins turned out great! The chocolate chips give it just enough sweetness. Thank you! I just made it again this week and doubled the recipe so we have lots to freeze. I didn’t have muffin liners or nonstick spray, so just greased my pans generously with coconut oil.
could i use oat flour instead?
Hi, first time I visited your site. This recipe is what brought me to it. I was trying to recreate the Garden Lite’s brand version of their chocolate muffins made with fresh zucchini and carrots. I followed your recipe exactly except I substituted the applesauce for greek yogurt as you suggested. They didn’t have much flavor or natural sweetness. I read several reviews but not all of them. I’d like to try again though. Any suggestions for next time?
Love these muffins. I have made them twice this week. My kids take them to school and they love them. Thank you.
This is the second recipe I’ve tried and let’s say I’m hooked on ur stuff. I didn’t hv enough zuchinni so I added some carrots… Texture was unaffected and the kids devoured it. My first recipe which was also a winner was the coconut flour chocolate chip banana bread…..itsppo
I have made these before and love them! I wanted to make more but didn’t have any zucchini. I did have 4 overripe bananas though. Wow, they were good too! I used Greek yogurt and a combo of wheat/ white flour this time because that is what I had. They always turn out great.
To clarify, i always double the recipe and 4 bananas were perfect. It always makes 12 regular size muffins for the kids and 6 large muffins I wrap up individually for my breakfast at work.
The kids love them! Thanks for the recipe. We are slowly switching over to the no-refined sugar way of life for everyone’s health. It’s wonderful to find recipes online where people have already done the hard work coming up with a recipe, so thank you. I used maple syrup(as I ran out of honey), used Grapeseed oil instead of coconut oil, didn’t have any plain Almond Breeze, but did have Unsweetened Chocolate Almond Breeze and I figure, it was just adding to the chocolate flavour anyway. My kids love mini muffins and this made 18 mini muffins. I baked them in a 425 degree oven for 8 minutes and they came out perfect.
Incredible! Delicious! Somehow healthy while still satisfying my craving for chocolate??
I made this recipe exactly using mini-chocolate chips. They were amazing! I ate them for breakfast, and as a snack. They’re long gone now, but I intend to make more when zucchini is in season. A lot more.
Thanks for the amazing recipe!
can I use coconut flour?
I made these last night. The moment they came out of the oven I couldn’t keep my hands off of them. They were yummy. My picky older son tried them this morning and he loved them. Even brought 1 to school for snack. Thank you.
These were amazing. So moist. Perfect recipe as is. My 2.5 loved by them and gave me a thumb so up!
Yay so glad to hear!
Very surprised with this recipe, which looks like it has spectacular, without more, a very good job on your part and thanks for sharing it, thank you, greetings and continue so you are well, strong support
Can you freeze these? I am looking for things that I can make in big batches now before we go back to school!
You bet! I usually end up freezing some of the muffins I bake 🙂 Just be sure to cool them completely before freezing!
Hi, made this as a loaf and was amazing. Husband now wants it for his bday cake this week but as a typical 2 layer cake. Will the recipe be to for this? Any tips would be great.
Amazing! There will actually be a new recipe coming out on Wednesday that will be perfect for this. Stay tuned for it!
Would almond flour work for these instead of the whole wheat flour? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Jen! I wouldn’t suggest almond flour because it would create different liquid ratios in this recipe. I haven’t tested a different flour yet!
This looks great and I can’t wait to try it! I just had a question for my friend who was recently put on a no fat diet for surgery (even if it’s healthy fat). Point is I’m trying to find ways to make this transition a little more interesting and easier on her. is there anyway at all she can substitute or omit the oil? (she cannot have any oil or any other form of fat at all). Recipe calls for one 1 egg. Can she use egg whites only? if so, does she make it 2 egg whites?
Hi Kathy! She could try using another half of a banana, and then 2 egg whites 🙂
I have made this recipe at least three times now and these muffins are fantastic. I love the tip about spraying the muffin liners and I find that the foil liners work the best (as opposed to the paper liners). Also, I live at high altitude and I find that the recipe works great with two whole eggs instead of just one whole egg and one egg white. All the recipes I’ve made from your site have been amazing. Thank you!
The extra spray on the liners is key! And noted on the high altitude adjustments – thanks for sharing those!
So, I just stumbled on this last night, and in my haste and excitement, I started before making sure I had all the ingredients! 😀
I wound up substituting 1/4 cup banana for the egg and using Silk Coconut milk instead of almond. I also added 1/2 tsp of espresso powder, as I do in anything I bake with cocoa, as it really enhances the chocolate flavour. I didn’t have chips so I skipped those. And these are really good! Very moist and fudgy!
They maybe aren’t QUITE as sweet as I would like, but perhaps next time if I remember to buy chocolate chips, they will be! I also considered adding a small amount of shredded coconut next time – they’ll really have that ‘macaroon’ flavour! But the important thing is… low/no sugar, and my kids love them. Thanks!
I’m glad you found some subs that worked for you! The chocolate chips do help add some bites of sweetness, but shredded coconut sounds delicious here, too. Glad the kids enjoyed!
These were not bad. I made these for my husband and he remarked the actual muffin lacked sweetness if not for the chips. I’m a health freak and he isn’t, so I think his palate is used to loads of refined sugar. I do think however that this does taste more like a loaf or a bread versus muffins. Also, don’t recommend grating the zucchini. I did it because I was hiding the health factor from my husband but shredded would probably be better!
Noted on the sweetness! I would be sure that the banana you use is super ripe, too, if you’d like them a bit sweeter. The shredded zucchini should stay pretty hidden in here!
I made these and they were delicious. I made a few changes. I doubled the recipe and added shredded carrot. I used half coconut flour, half whole wheat flour, and 2 TBSP ground flax. I ended up adding an extra egg and a lot more almond milk because my batter was very thick. I think it’s because I got a little carried away with the shredded veggies. I ended up with 32 delicious muffins that I am going to put in the freezer if I can stop eating them
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Erin! Yes – using coconut flour in this recipe will make it much more absorbent (which is probably why you needed some more almond milk). These are perfect for freezing for later! 🙂
Hi Monique,
I want to try this for my 5 year old! Could I substitute pumpkin for the banana or applesauce?
Thank you!
Hi! Amazing! I think pumpkin should work – let me know if you try it 🙂
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. They just cooled enough to eat and are totally yummy. I have to confess though that I didn’t have Whole Wheat Pastry Flour so had to go with All Purpose. I’ve tried substituting regular Whole Wheat Flour and it just ends up being too heavy so knew not to make that mistake.
Also with no applesauce I had to go with olive oil so thank you for the measurement of it which ended up being spot on. Will make sure I have some in before I make the recipe again. It’s awesome to have another recipe that I can use thawed frozen zucchini in before the growing season starts again. I think the bags of it are multiplying in the dark in the chest freezer. lol
I’m glad those swaps worked out! And YES so ready for zucchini season 🙂 if you search “zucchini” on my site here you’ll find some more amazing ones for using up what you have!
Do you refrigerate these after baking?? Love the recipe!
If you’re keeping them for more than a couple of days I’d refrigerate them!
I just made these and they were pretty easy to make. My banana was just yellow, no brown spots and I didn’t add chocolate chips and consequently the muffins needed a little more sweetener. Next time, I’ll know. Otherwise they are delicious. Thanks!
The riper the better for the bananas in these! Glad you liked them 🙂
I made these today using the applesauce as I didn’t have any bananas on hand. I used 1/2 bead flour (it’s what I had) and 1/2 oat flour. The batter was thin (just an FYI) but these turned out incredibly delicious! I highly recommend this to anyone – very rich and yummy!
Swapping flours can change the consistency a bit, but I’m glad those swaps worked out for you! Love these ones for a healthy snack or treat 🙂
These were fabulous! I used a flax egg and goat’s milk and they were simply divine.
Perfect – I’m glad you loved them!
yes im making these tonight! I have made the double chocolate zucchini bread so many times. Im sure that they will be perfect. Would i be able to use oat flour on these or not? i have an extra packet of oat flour.
Yuck! This were so bad I threw them out. I understand trying to make them healthy but they tasted horrible. I’m sad.
Hi Joy! I’m very surprised that you felt these tasted horrible – they’re one of the most popular muffin recipes on my site. I would double check your ingredient ratios and be sure that the banana you used was nice a ripe.
Hi! Great muffins but I would like to do the recipe in a cake for 20 people, just wondering about adjusting the quantities?
Hi! I would suggest this recipe for the perfect cake version 🙂
Merci!
Probably the best chocolate zucchini muffins I have ever made. They were moist, not too sweet and absolutely delicious!
So happy to hear that Ami!
My choco-holic 13 year old daughter loves these!! Her old favorite recipe was mostly oil and sugar, and not very healthy at all. She wasn’t too pleased when she heard the ingredient list of these, though! 😉 But, she asked me to stock up on zucchini and spend this rainy day filling the freezer full of these for the bus ride to school.
Amazing! So happy to hear that 🙂 The sneaky zucchini is the best part.
Wow, these are amazing! My daughter needs dairy and egg free so I used Life brand chocolate chips and flax eggs. I also used coconut milk to keep it nut free for school. I am so glad I doubled the recipe the first time! My kids also love them. Thank you!
Perfect! I’m glad you guys love them. Such a great treat for school!
Yaaaaaasssss! So glad I was smart enough to double the recipe right off the bat. Best chocolate zucchini muffins I’ve had (sorry Mom!)
Always double! Glad you found this one Gina 🙂
Hi! Super excited to try these muffins, looking for a healthy snack for my son to take to school… I’m just curious, why is there no baking soda? Is it because of the pastry flour? If I use regular white all purpose flour, should I add baking soda?
Hi Yasmeen! There is 1 tsp of baking soda in the recipe 🙂
Made these yesterday they are awesome, I did use 1 cup almond flour and 1/4 cup spelt flour worked perfectly very tasty. 😊👍
Great! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
The texture of these muffins were SPOT ON! I am planning to top mine with some maple almond butter and that will be perrrrrrfect. I may add a tiny bit more maple syrup to the muffins on my next go round because I like them a bit sweeter. Thank you so much for sharing!
These were great! Used cashew milk and a flax egg, came out perfect.
Glad those swaps worked out!
What can I substitute for coconut oil? Sorry if it’s been asked before- was trying to scroll through all the comments but there are a lot!
Feel free to use melted butter or vegan butter!
These are so good! I made them with my 3-year old daughter, and she sprinkled them with unsweetened shredded coconut (she’s obsessed with it!). It’s was my first time baking with zucchini, and they turned out the best muffins I ever made! Thanks for making so many delicious cookies and muffins recipes with healthy and quality ingredients! You are the best!
Hi Laurie! So glad to hear you enjoyed the muffins. 🙂 this is definitely one of my favorite muffin recipes!
Absolutely delish!!! Not vegan or dairy free so I used cows milk, but still used coconut oil. Did add about 1/2tsp of cinnamon to boost the “warmth” of the batter (you don’t taste it, it’s more of a feeling – if that makes sense). Have already shared it with some friends, Thank You!