Reader-Favorite Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

Studded with chocolate chips, super moist and fabulously fluffy, these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins may just be my very favorite zucchini recipe of all time!

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffin Recipe

• No Second Tier Muffins Here! I feel like zucchini muffins are usually regarded as a means to an end (that end would be: using up zucchini) and not a muffin you actually WANT to make. Chocolate chip zucchini muffins change the game! Tender and lightly spiced, they’re scrumptious enough to taste like a treat you’ll look forward to eating in the morning or tucking in with for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.
• Perfect for Freezing. If you have as much zucchini lying around as we do, muffins freeze well, so you can make a triple batch and stow them away for a later date. Perhaps later this winter when (and I know this is hard to imagine) decent zucchini is difficult to find and you really, truly miss it.
• A Secret Ingredient That Makes All the Difference. Spoiler alert: it’s banana. Because mashed banana is both sweet and moist, incorporating it into the recipe allows us to use a lesser amount of both sugar and fat while still having fantastic results.

How to Make Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

The Ingredients

• Zucchini. You don’t need to peel it, but you do need to shred it!
• Banana. The riper, the better. It will add more sweetness!
• Coconut Oil. Or substitute an oil you like to bake with.
• Honey and Brown Sugar. Either light or dark brown sugar will work. Honey sweetens and keeps the muffins moist.
• Ground Cinnamon. You can substitute another cozy spice if you’d like. I think cardamom would be spectacular!
• White Whole Wheat Flour. I like to use white whole wheat flour because its taste is light and mild while still being whole grain.
• Chocolate Chips. Use mini for more evenly distributed chocolate goodness, or regular size for bigger bites of chocolate. 

The Directions

1. Mix the Wet Ingredients. Beat the banana, honey, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract, then beat in the eggs.
2. Add the Dry Ingredients. Sprinkle the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt on top of the batter, then mix them in. Add the flour and mix on low speed.
3. Add the Mix-Ins. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
4. Bake. Divide the batter into a muffin pan and bake in a 375 degrees F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the chocolate chip zucchini muffins in the pans on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer them directly to the wire rack to finish cooling. ENJOY!

Recipe Variations

• Try Another Add-In. You can add fresh or frozen blueberries, walnuts or pecans, chopped dark chocolate—make these babies your own!
• Make Them Vegan. I’d recommend making my Vegan Zucchini Bread, but baking it as muffins instead. Otherwise, if you’d like to play around with this specific muffin recipe, you can use maple syrup for honey and flaxeggs for the regular eggs. I haven’t tried this yet myself, but one reader reported successfully using 1 flaxegg (combine 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons water; let gel for 5 minutes) and 1 baking soda egg (combine 1 teaspoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of white or apple cider vinegar).
• Make Them Gluten Free. In place of the white whole wheat flour, use a GF 1:1 baking flour like this one.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Tools for Shredding Zucchini. For grating zucchini, I like to use a box grater like this one or a coarse plane-style grater like this one. You can also use the shredding attachment of your food processor, but I’ve found that, even though it’s a little more work, a box grater does a better job.
• Squeeze. Blot. Repeat. A very important step to any baked zucchini recipe is to squeeze as much liquid from the grated zucchini as possible. Pile your grated zucchini onto a pile of paper towels. Press out as much water as you can, then repeat until most of the moisture is gone.
• Measure the Batter. For muffins that all finish baking at the same time, I recommend using a cookie dough scoop to portion the batter or, failing that, a small measuring cup.

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

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Studded with chocolate, delicately spiced, moist and oh-so-fluffy, these one-bowl chocolate chip zucchini muffins are a reader favorite!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 201kcal

Author Erin Clarke / Well Plated

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini (about 1 small/medium zucchini)
• ½ cup mashed ripe banana about 1 medium/large or 4 ounces
• ¼ cup coconut oil melted and cooled, very light olive oil, or canola oil
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder I recommend aluminum free
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips mini or regular (I used mini)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin or line with paper liners.
• Grate the zucchini, then throughly squeeze it with a paper towel to remove as much excess water as possible. Repeat as needed. If you have not already, melt the coconut oil and let come to room temperature
• In the bowl of a standing mixer or a large mixing bowl, beat together the banana, honey, brown sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add the eggs (make sure they are room temperature or the coconut oil may resolidify), then beat again until combined.
• Sprinkle the cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the top of the batter, then mix to combine. Sprinkle in the flour, then mix on low speed, just until the flour disappears. By hand, fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips.
• Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling them 3/4 of the way. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then carefully lift the muffins out of the pan and place them on a wire rack to cool completely (this will keep the muffins from becoming soggy).

Video

Notes

• Store muffins at room temperature according to my guide to store muffins, or individually wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator (or if you are in a hurry, unwrap and microwave gently on reduced heat until warm).
• For tips to make the muffins vegan or gluten free, see blog post above.
• For even more suggestions for how to vary up the recipe (adding oatmeal, using flaxeggs, etc.) skim the comments. There are many helpful suggestions from those who have reported making (and loving!) these muffins.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 201kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Potassium: 225mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 14g

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