Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
on May 17, 2021, Updated Aug 22, 2024
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These vegan chocolate chip zucchini muffins with protein powder make a yummy treat anytime of day and are easy to make in 30 minutes with just a few simple ingredients.
These delicious bites are lightly sweetened with bites of zucchini and chocolate throughout. The sneaky zucchini adds nutrition and makes the muffins tender and moist.
The muffins are vegan low in fat with added protein powder and come out to about 100 calories each. You can also try protein powder in these Vegan Protein Muffins with oats.
With it’s soft texture and mild flavour, zucchini is an excellent veggie to use in baking. If you prepare extra, you can use it in these Vegan Healthy Zucchini Brownies, Vegan Carrot Zucchini Muffins or Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies.
Ingredients
This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.
- Zucchini: Use fresh, raw zucchini, finely grated.
- Flour: All-purpose, spelt or whole wheat flour works. I used whole wheat flour.
- Protein: Use vegan protein powder that’s made from primarily pea protein (most are). I used Vega but NuZest, North Coast Naturals, Orgain, Bob’s Red Mill or Aloha all work.
- Chocolate Chips: For vegan muffins, use dairy-free chocolate chips like Enjoy Life. For less sugar, you can use sugar-free chocolate chips like Lily’s or substituted finely chopped dark chocolate.
- Sugar: Recipe calls for cane sugar but any granulated sugar works.
- Applesauce: Any store-bought or homemade unsweetened applesauce works. If you only have sweetened, you can use it but keep in mind the muffins will be much sweeter and have added sugar.
- Oil: Olive oil, avocado oil, canola oil or melted coconut oil are suitable. If using coconut oil, make sure the applesauce is at room temperature otherwise it will cause the coconut oil to solidify.
- Vinegar: Helps add a little rise and fluff to the muffins. You can use white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Grate the zucchini and squeeze the clump in your fist over a bowl or strainer to remove excess moisture.
It doesn’t have to be completely dry but try to get the majority of the liquid out. It should squeeze out quite easily. You can also wrap the zucchini up in a dish cloth and squeeze if that works better for you.
Step 2: Add the dry ingredients (flour, protein, baking soda, salt, sugar) to a mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Stir in the grated zucchini until it’s all coated with flour.
Step 3: Mix the applesauce, oil and vinegar together in a bowl until completely combined.
Note that if you’re using melted coconut oil, to make sure the applesauce is at room temperature so the oil doesn’t solidify.
Step 4: Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Step 5: Scoop the batter into 10 muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes. Let the muffins cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes & Tips
- Original recipe was made with xylitol for a low-carb option. You can use monk fruit, xylitor or erythriol in place of sugar to make this recipe lower in sugar/carbohydrates.
- Be sure not to over work the batter. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined, then stop mixing.
- Whole wheat flour can be substituted with all-purpose flour or spelt flour. This recipe has not been tested with gluten-free flour.
Storing
- Let cool completely before storing.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature for 3 days, in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze in a container or freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
- If frozen, thaw at room temperature, in the microwave or in the fridge.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to comment section below to leave your star rating and review.
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Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed finely grated zucchini , 25 g
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, 120 g
- 1 scoop vegan vanilla protein powder, 30 g
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup cane sugar, 70 g
- 2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce, 180 g
- 2 tbsp olive oil, avocado oil or melted coconut oil, 30 mL
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, 5 mL
- 1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, 85 g
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin pan with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil or butter.
- Grate the zucchini then squeeze the clump with your hands over a strainer or bowl to remove the excess moisture.
- Add the flour, protein, baking soda, salt and sugar to a mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
- Add the drained zucchini and mix with a spatula until the zucchini is distributed and coated in flour.
- In a small bowl mix the applesauce, oil and vinegar together until well combined. Note that if you're using coconut oil to make sure the applesauce is at room temperature otherwise it will cause the coconut oil to solidify.
- Add the applesauce mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together until all of the flour has been wetted. Add the chocolate chips and fold a few times to distribute..
- Divide the dough between 10 of the muffin cups. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes then remove and let cool in the pan for about 20 minutes.
- Lift them out of the pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published April 29, 2016.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I really, really appreciate you stating all your measurements in grams, as (being a Brit) I’ve never really understood how to measure things properly using the cup system…
I had to substitute quite a few ingredients, as 1) I wanted these muffins IMMEDIATELY due to a massive sweet/chocolate craving and 2) I am currently living in Malaysia, so sadly purchasing xylitol via Amazon is not currently an option… but I am happy to report the end result was still good!
Instead of xylitol I used 40g organic cane sugar. I reckon I could reduce this if I make these again, as the muffins turned out pretty sweet.
I didn’t have coconut oil, so I used the same quantity of a sunflower/canola oil blend that I had in my cupboard.
I didn’t have any apple sauce so I used freshly cooked (baked) pumpkin.
I also threw in 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, as I thought this would probably compliment the pumpkin!
I used 20g unflavoured pea protein powder (Now Sports brand) and 20g chocolate flavour vegan protein (Ezyprotein brand) due to dwindling supplies of both…
Oh and due to my major chocolate craving I decided to swap 20g of the flour for unsweetened cocoa powder.
After plugging all this into myfitnesspal I was very pleasantly surprised to find these only came in at 93 cals per muffin… so I promptly ate three!
Amazing! Thanks so much for all your feedback. I’m so happy you enjoyed them and were able to make them work with the substitutions. Thanks!
I made these for Mother’s Day brunch and they were a huge hit! So delicious and easy to make. Only thing I’m regretting is not making a double batch. I used reg semi sweet chocolate chips … Otherwise followed recipe as stated. Thanks for the great idea!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Kerry! Glad everyone enjoyed them 🙂
I made these with whey protein, spelt flour and bittersweet chocolate chips today. Amazing! I used unflavored Naked Whey and added 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. I also added 1/2 tsp of baking powder since I substituted the spelt for all purpose flour. I did have to reduce baking time so I’d start checking around 18 mins.
Thanks so much for your comment, Stacey!