Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

These chocolate zucchini muffins with chocolate chips are the ultimate treat. They’re rich, indulgent, and perfect for breakfast or a midday snack. Like my Gluten Free Double Chocolate Chip Muffins, they’re packed with melty chocolate chips, so they taste like dessert but are completely acceptable to enjoy any time of day.

And they are SO moist and tender, in large part because of the shredded zucchini! You’d never know it’s there, but it adds just the right amount of moisture without changing the flavor. These muffins are a fun (and sneaky) way to sneak in some veggies, making them perfect for kids, picky eaters, and/or anyone wanting a little veg in their life. Best of all, they’re incredibly easy to make with simple ingredients and a quick recipe. Gotta love that!

These Zucchini Muffins Are Gluten-Free and Seriously Good

• Indulgent Chocolate Flavor – Rich, chocolatey, and loaded with melty chocolate chips, these muffins are basically a dessert you can eat for breakfast. Every bite is pure chocolatey bliss!!
• Moist, Tender Texture – The secret to the moist, tender texture? Zucchini! You’d never guess it’s hidden inside, but it adds the perfect amount of moisture without altering the delicious flavor. The use of oil (instead of butter) and applesauce also helps!
• Easy to Make – With simple ingredients and an easy-to-follow recipe, these muffins are a breeze to whip up. You can have them on the breakfast table in less than an hour.

What You’ll Need

Time to load up your shopping cart! Here’s what you’ll need to make these gluten free chocolate zucchini muffins (scroll to the recipe card below for precise measurements):

• Gluten-free flour – Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour is my favorite. If you have a food scale, weigh the flour to get the proper measurement. If you don’t have one, lightly spoon the flour into the measuring cups to make a heaping pile, then level it off with a knife. Packed flour can lead to overly dense muffins.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder – Dutch-processed cocoa powder will also work for a milder, smoother chocolate flavor.
• Leavening agents – I used baking powder and baking soda for the perfect rise.
• Salt – You need just a little salt to break up the sweetness of the muffins.
• Maple syrup – Honey would also work.
• Avocado oil – Or vegetable oil. I much prefer oil to butter for this recipe. It makes the muffins so nice and moist, especially in tandem with applesauce (see my next point).
• Applesauce – Using half applesauce and half oil gives a perfect balance of fat and moisture. Avoid using all applesauce or all oil.
• Granulated sugar – To add sweetness to these muffins, I used equal parts sugar and maple syrup. I find this yields the best flavor and texture, but you could play with the ratio a bit if you’d like.
• Large eggs – It’s best if the eggs are at room temperature. They mix more easily into the batter than cold eggs.
• Vanilla extract – To add depth to the flavor profile.
• Zucchini – Finely grated. I prefer small-medium zucchini. They have better texture and flavor than larger ones. They also have smaller seeds.
• Chocolate chips – Semi-sweet and dark chocolate are my favorites here, but milk or white chocolate chips would totally work. Use vegan chips for dairy-free muffins.
• Sanding sugar – This is optional, but I love how it creates an almost crunchy topping for these muffins.

How to Make GF Zucchini Muffins

Here’s a quick overview of how to make these gluten free muffins. Have a look at the recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

• Prep. Preheat oven to 425°F and line a muffin pan with muffin liners.
• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, leavening agents, and salt.
• Combine the wet ingredients. Whisk together the maple syrup, oil, applesauce, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Tips for Baking with Zucchini

• No need to squeeze. Some will tell you to squeeze excess moisture from zucchini before baking with it. That’s actually not necessary. Just lightly fill the measuring cup (no packing it in) and add it to the batter.
• Go for smaller zucchinis. Opt for small to medium-sized zucchinis. They’re sweeter, more tender, and have smaller seeds and softer skins.
• Don’t peel the zucchini. The skin adds color, flavor, and texture to these breakfast goodies, so no need to peel the zucchini! Don’t worry, the skin will soften as it bakes, almost melting into the muffins.
• Shred finely. Long shreds of zucchini can make these muffins unpleasantly stringy to bite into. So, consider shredding yours more finely or running a knife through larger shreds to shorten them.
• Test for doneness. The moisture from the zucchini can cause the muffins to sink a bit if they aren’t cooked through. So, stick a toothpick in the center of a muffin. If it comes out mostly clean with a couple of crumbs, you’re good to go!

Variation Ideas

Don’t be afraid to play around with this recipe. Here are some fun ideas to get you started:

• Nutty surprise. Chop up some walnuts or pecans and fold them into the batter instead of (or in addition to) the chocolate chips.
• Add a glaze. If you want to sweeten these muffins up a bit, you can top them with a simple glaze (after they cool). The glaze on these Gluten Free Glazed Air Fryer Donuts would be perfect. So would this Easy Chocolate Glaze.
• Spice things up. I will sometimes mix a little cinnamon into the batter. It adds a lovely, comforting feel to the muffins that’s ideal for morning coffee hour.

How to Store

• Countertop. Once cooled completely, seal any leftover gluten free chocolate zucchini muffins in an airtight container (or wrap each in a double layer of plastic wrap). You can store them at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Freezer. Wrap each fully cooled muffin in a double layer of plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow a muffin (or several) to thaw at room temperature when you’re ready to enjoy.

Don’t store these breakfast treats in the fridge. They will dry out.

More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes

Starting your day with a warm muffin is kind of the way to go. Here are a few more gluten free muffin ideas, just in case you want to change things up:

• Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins
• Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
• Gluten Free Raspberry Muffins
• Gluten-Free Banana Blueberry Muffins