Filled with chocolate and a hint of spice, these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are a great way to use up that bountiful zucchini harvest.
Zucchini season is the best for baking! For more baked zucchini goods, also check out this Chocolate Wave Zucchini Bread or this Glazed Lemon Poppy Seed Zucchini Bread.
I am never one to turn down excess zucchini. Whether I’m the one growing it, or if it’s coming from neighbors, friends, or the farmer’s market – I’ll always find a way to use it.
Because when you’ve had your fill of Zucchini Bread and Zucchini Muffins, you can change things up and make these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins!
Filled with the perfect amount of chocolate and just a hint of spice, this just may become your go-to summer muffin recipe!
Want zucchini bread instead? Try this Chocolate Zucchini Bread!
Ingredients
- Eggs: I use large eggs.
- Sugar: You’ll need both light brown and regular granulated sugar.
- Oil: I like to use vegetable oil, but you can use any neutral oil. You could even use melted butter.
- Vanilla: I always like to use a real vanilla extract.
- Flour: I make these with all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa Powder: You will want to use regular unsweetened cocoa powder, like Nestle or Hersheys.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: The pumpkin pie spice gives these muffins a bit of spice in the background. You could also just use cinnamon, but I love the complexity of the pumpkin pie spice.
- Baking Soda and Baking Powder: Both soda and powder are used to make these muffins light with great texture.
- Salt: The salt balances the flavors.
- Zucchini: I like to use small to medium zucchini. If you use a large zucchini, make sure to scoop out the seeds. The larger zucchini may hold more water, as well, so you may need to drain it.
- Chocolate Chips: I like to use mini chocolate chips so they are evenly distributed in the muffins. Feel free to use regular chocolate chips, as well.
How to Make Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
In one bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
Whisk the dry ingredients together in another bowl.
Combine the wet and the dry ingredients. Stir this together – but you don’t want to completely mix it together yet.
Add the zucchini and the chocolate chips.
Stir everything together until it is combined.
Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups, and bake until cooked through.
Tips and Tricks
As with all muffin recipes, you don’t want to overmix the batter. That is why you don’t mix the batter together completely before adding the zucchini.
Store any leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature.
These muffins stay nice and moist as leftovers. They should last up to 4 days if stored properly.
You can chop up the zucchini finer to hid it more in the muffins.
Helpful Tools
- Muffin Tin: A good muffin tin is a necessity.
- Scoop: A large scoop makes transferring the batter to the tin so much easier!
- Muffin Liners: While these muffins can be made by just greasing the muffin tin, I have become a fan of using liners. Not only do I feel like they are bigger because the batter has something to cling to, but the muffins are easier to serve and share.
More Muffin Recipes
Chocolate Banana Muffins
Oatmeal Muffins
Blueberry Muffins
Classic Bran Muffins
Chocolate Chip Muffins
Brown Sugar Muffins
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Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Prepare a 12-cup muffin tin by lining with liners or greasing the cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, both sugars, the oil, and the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Combine the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients and stir together until about 3/4 of the way combined. Add the zucchini and the chocolate chips and continue to mix until everything is evenly mixed, being careful to not overmix.
- Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until a tester inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, about 19-22 minutes.
- Let the muffins cool slightly, then remove from the pan to cool completely.
Chels R. says
I’m really wishing I had chosen to grow zucchini this year 🙁 But next year, watch out world! 😉 These muffins look perfect!
Kammie @ Sensual Appeal says
Yay! I actually have a bunch of zucchini I have to use up so this recipe couldn’t be any more ideal!
Bree (Skinny Mommy) says
My boys would LOVE these!
sally @ sallys baking addiction says
These muffins look wonderful Deborah! I love sneaking zucchini into chocolate goodies. 🙂
Loretta says
I wish our garden was producing right now! It was my first time doing a garden and most of my seeds never came up. So that was pretty lame…thank goodness for farmers markets!
Tieghan says
So pretty! The Look Awesome! I love that melting pat of butter on top!
Nancy P.@thebittersideofsweet says
These look delicious!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I love zucchini muffins and the chocolate in these sounds awesome! I can’t wait to try!
kat says
I found that chocolate zucchini cupcakes was one of the ways to get my nephew to eat a vegetable.