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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are the perfect way to enjoy the zucchini and chocolate combination. The muffins are so moist and full of chocolate flavor, and you can make them one of two ways: with cinnamon sugar or chocolate chips. Which will you choose?
Easy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
I don’t know about you but a chocolate zucchini muffin sounds SOOOO good right now. Especially this recipe since you get 2 types of muffins from 1 batter.
These chocolate zucchini muffins can be topped with either cinnamon sugar before baking OR add chocolate chips to the mixture depending on your mood. However you decide to make these chocolate chip muffins, they won’t disappoint. They have the perfect flavor and texture, plus they’re easy to make!
Ingredients Needed
- Oil: you can use melted butter but I prefer vegetable oil because of its neutral flavor
- Applesauce: unsweetened applesauce since we’ll add sugar later
- Buttermilk: You can also use regular milk or nondairy, but you’ll need to add vinegar or lemon juice to activate the baking soda.
- Cocoa powder: Be sure to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process).
- Flour: Keep it simple with all-purpose flour. I’ve also made these zucchini muffins with whole wheat flour before and they were just as delicious!
- Zucchini: shredded zucchini from either 2 small zucchinis or 1 medium zucchini.
- Chocolate chips: for some double chocolate fun, add some sweet chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips to the muffin mix.
- Cinnamon sugar: make it or buy it. Either way, it’s so delicious on these chocolate zucchini muffins!
How to make chocolate zucchini muffins
- Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare your mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or line regular-size cupcake pans with liners.
- Stir sugar, oil, and applesauce in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
- Stir in eggs, buttermilk, and other dry ingredients. Then stir in your shredded zucchini.
- Spoon the cupcake mixture into your prepared muffin pans.
- Cool for at least 5 minutes in a muffin pan before removing.
Expert tips
- If you made regular-size muffins, they take about 15-20 minutes. Or if you made mini muffins, 10-12 minutes to cool.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
FAQs
Yes. you can freeze your chocolate zucchini muffin for up to a month if stored in an airtight container.
Bake these chocolate muffins until a toothpick comes out clean or when they start to loose their glossy sheen.
Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar divided
- ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 large eggs
- 5 ounces buttermilk see note
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 tablespoons (20g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (248g) all purpose flour
- 2 cups shredded zucchini (about 2 small or 1 medium zucchini)
Choose one:
- 1 ½ cups (255g) chocolate chips OR
- ½ cup cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray mini muffin pans with nonstick cooking spray or line regular size cupcake pans with liners.
- Stir 3/4 cup sugar, oil, and applesauce in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir in eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, cocoa, and salt. Stir in flour. Stir in zucchini.
- Spoon into muffin pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool at least 5 minutes in pan before removing. Regular size muffins: 15-20 minutes. Mini Muffins: 10-12 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Make your own buttermilk: add 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice to a measuring cup then add enough milk to make 5 ounces. Let sit 5 minutes.
- Looking for the mini doughnut muffins recipe? Make muffins as directed without chocolate chips and without cinnamon sugar topping. Bake in a mini muffin pan for 10-12 minutes. Cool slightly. Before serving, dip each in 4 tablespoons melted butter then toss in cinnamon sugar (1/2 cup sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon). Serve immediately.
Recipe Nutrition
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Last Updated on July 9, 2023
These look great. I guess you ate them all because I didn’t find any in your freezer last weekend. lol
xoxo
Ooooh these look so good! Unfortunately we didn’t plant a garden this year 🙁 just didn’t have the time. But I have some neighbors that have been generous and gave us some of theirs! Can’t wait to try these out!
You are so creative! I love these, and I haven’t even tried them yet! 3 cheers for that rich San Joaquin Valley soil!
I wish I had a garden. And that it was overflowing with zucchini. I think I’m the only person who has to buy it 🙂 I wish I lived closer to you! These look awesome and I love the combo of zuke/chocolate. I just made a cake this week with that combo!
I would totally load you up if you were closer!!
I love doughnut muffins and I’ve never seen them with this flavor combo! Awesome 🙂
I love all the zucchini recipes this time of year. We are getting tons of zucchini in our CSA and I enjoy finding new ways to showcase them! These muffins look spectacular!
Those muffins look amazing! And I’m kind of envying your zucchini growing ability. I try to grow it every year and every year I get nothing. Maybe one or two teeny tiny zucchini if I’m lucky but that’s it. Seriously, who can’t grow zucchini?! Oh well, I’ll buy some and make these! Clicking over to check out the recipe!
These look incredible! Yum!
We didn’t grow any zucchini this year, but there are a ton of farmer’s markets around that have huge zucchini. I need to have some of these. They’d be so tasty with a cup of joe.
They totally were!!
Wow what a great idea! I’ve made doughnut muffins but never with zucchini…might have to try that 🙂
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