These Chocolate Vegan Zucchini Muffins are melt-in-the-mouth delicious! They're easy to make, moist, and of course super chocolatey. We're all looking for ways to use up our glut of zucchini/courgette, and doesn't it just make you jump for joy when you hear you can make sweet treats from them?
🥣Ingredients
The ingredients for these delicious chocolate vegan zucchini muffins you may have in your cupboard already. The key ingredients I want to mention are:
Zucchini/courgettes - the star of the show! As they are so moist, they help to give a lovely moist sponge (which is what we all want). We have lots of delicious recipes for using up those zucchini, including Zucchini/Courgette Fries, Zucchini/Courgette Babaganoush and Courgette/Zucchini Fritters.
Milled linseed/flaxseed - this is the egg substitute to help bind the vegan zucchini muffins. Linseed is full of omega-3 fatty acids, as well as having loads of fibre. When you mix milled (or blended) linseed (affiliate link) with water, it forms a gel which is your egg replacement. There are lots of other great vegan egg replacements for burgers, cakes and breakfasts!
Cocoa/Cacao - this is the part of the muffins that makes them chocolatey! Cacao (affiliate link) is the purest form of chocolate, with lots of antioxidants. You'll more commonly find cocoa which is also great.
Vegan Chocolate Chips - these take your vegan zucchini chocolate muffins to the next level, and help make them melt-in-the-mouth delicious, especially if you eat them warm. Double-check the packet to make sure the chocolate chips (affiliate link) are vegan. You can also just chop up a bar of vegan chocolate! I often prefer this option as it's much easier to get high-quality chocolate bars (affiliate link) than to get high-quality chocolate chips.
👩🏽🍳How To
Muffins are actually very easy to make, and these are no exception. In summary, you make the vegan chocolate zucchini muffins by:
- Combining the sugar and oil. Then mixing in the milled linseed mixed with water.
- Combining the flour, baking powder and cocoa.
- Add a bit of the flour, baking powder and cocoa mix to the sugar, oil and linseed mix. Then add a bit of the vegan milk. Repeat, bit by bit, until all ingredients are combined.
- Fold in the grated zucchini/courgette, and the vegan chocolate chips.
- Put the mixture into the muffins tins - don't forget your muffin cases! (affiliate link)
- Sprinkle some extra chocolate on top and bake. Then share your vegan zucchini muffins with your friends (or eat them all yourself!)
❓FAQs
Yes! They freeze very well, like most vegan cakes.
As they have zucchini/courgette in them, the vegan muffins won't last as long as other cakes. So store them in the fridge if you're not eating them in 1-2 days. You can always heat them up a little before you eat them if you don't want them cold.
Chocolate chips are yummy, but you can leave them out if you want. Feel free to add something like nuts or seeds instead, or even dried fruit!
This recipe was developed by Vanessa, one of the original co-founders of this site. Vanessa is now working on her plant based health coaching business, Energise and Thrive Plant Based.
She's also brought out her FREE Guide - 5 Steps to Balanced Plant Based Eating which you're welcome to download. Of course, all the recipes she has created for The Vegan Larder (like this one!) will remain here for you to access.
🍴Similar Recipes
The Best Vegan Chocolate, Date and Banana Bread
Best Vegan Chocolate Cake! (Gluten Free Option!)
If you loved these Chocolate Vegan Zucchini Muffins as much as we do, please share the recipe with your friends, and rate and comment below.
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Vegan Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients Note:
For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.
(Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)
Ingredients
- 2 (2 cups) Medium Zucchini (courgettes)
- 100 ml (½ cup) vegetable oil (sunflower or rapeseed work well)
- 250 g (1¼ cups) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 2 tablespoon milled linseed/flaxseed (mixed with 6 tablespoon water)
- 360 g (2½ cups) plain (all purpose) flour (can also use spelt or wholemeal flour)
- 4 teaspoon baking powder
- 40 g (½ cup) cocoa powder (or cacao)
- 300 ml (1¼ cups) vegan milk
- 100 g (⅔ cup) vegan chocolate chips (plus extra to sprinkle on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4, and place muffin cases in the muffin tin.
- Grate the courgettes / zucchini.
- Mix the sugar and oil together. Then add the milled linseed mixed with water. Combine well.
- In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cacao and baking powder.
- Bit by bit, add the vegan milk, and the flour mix, into the sugar, oil and linseed. Mixing as you go.
- Then add the grated courgette / zucchini.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Bake for 20 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave the muffins to cool for around 20 minutes in the tins, then transfer to a cooling rack.
- Keep the muffins in the fridge if they won't be eaten within a couple of days.
patricia says
About how much zucchini in cups?
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
Around 1 cup of zucchini.
patricia says
Do you squeeze your grated zucchini? Also, about how much grated zucchini? Medium can vary alot. Thanks you. ( I would be making it gluten free also.)
Louise-Claire Cayzer says
In this recipe, the zucchini isn't squeezed. It was around 1 cup (roughly) when grated. This recipe is pretty forgiving though, so it doesn't matter if it varies a bit.
Kechi says
These muffins look incredibly rich and delicious! I love the addition zucchini, what a beautiful way way to sneak in veggies!
Vanessa Sturman says
Thanks Kechi. Ha ha yes, sneaking those veggies in wherever we can! Glad you like them x
Sara Welch says
Going to make these with some zucchini from my garden! Looks too good to pass up, indeed!
Vanessa Sturman says
Oh wonderful - you're a zucchini grower too! So much fun making cake from them xx
Mairead says
I love recipes that help me add some hidden veggies to baked goods. My kids are picky eaters and these muffins look perfect for them.
Vanessa Sturman says
So glad you like them. Perfect for kids too as you say - sneak those veggies in!
Anaiah says
I love these chocolate zucchini muffins!! I always have a difficult time finding a good plant based recipe when it comes to baking but these were so delicious and so moist. They turned out perfectly!
Vanessa Sturman says
We're so happy you enjoyed these. A moist cake is a must, right!? x
Michelle says
So chocolatey! And the perfect way to use up all that summer zucchini
Vanessa Sturman says
Thanks, Michelle. Ha ha yes, I am so happy to use up zucchini on chocolate desserts!