These healthy zucchini muffins with chocolate chips are as healthy as they are tasty. Super moist and almost cake like, you can't eat just one. This recipe uses no refined sugar and is kosher, dairy free, pareve, and can be made nut free. Read on for the best zucchini chocolate chip muffin recipe.
Kids love these muffins
This recipe is a quick and super easy way to get more nutrition into your kids' diets. Zucchini is one of those vegetables that is easy to sneak into other foods without anyone knowing. Besides being healthy, zucchini adds tons of moisture into baked goods. When my kids smelled these healthy zucchini muffins with chocolate chips baking, they could not wait to eat them. I barely got all of the photos of them taken before they were completely devoured. See what I mean...
Ingredients needed
Here is what you will need to make this recipe:
- flour - we used whole wheat flour
- baking soda - helps the muffins rise
- salt
- cinnamon - for flavor
- honey - a natural sweetener
- egg - to help with the texture
- oil
- non-dairy milk - we use almond milk, soy milk, or oat milk
- vinegar or lemon juice - used as an agent to make non-dairy buttermilk
- vanilla extract - use the real thing and not artificial vanillin if possible
- zucchini - provides moisture and lots of vitamins and nutrients
- apple - for sweetness, added moisture, fiber and nutrition
- chocolate chips - everybody loves chocolate chips (just in case you don't, you can leave them out)
- walnuts - optional but a delicious addition
A Step by step guide to making this recipe
Time needed: 35 minutes.
Healthy zucchini muffins with chocolate chips step by step.
- Preheat and make non-dairy buttermilk
Preheat the oven and make the non-dairy buttermilk by adding the vinegar (or lemon juice) to the non-dairy milk. Give it a quick mix and let it sit to give it time to curdle until you are finished preparing the dry ingredients and shredding the zucchini and apple.
- Mix the dry ingredients and shred
While you are waiting for the non-dairy buttermilk to curdle, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large mixing bowl. When the dry ingredients are mixed, shred the zucchini and apple.
- Add honey, egg, oil, non-dairy buttermilk
Add the honey, egg, oil, and pareve "buttermilk" into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until just after the ingredients are incorporated. Do not over mix.
- Add zucchini and apple
Gently stir the zucchini and apple into the batter.
- Add chocolate chips and walnuts
Now add the chocolate chips and walnuts (if using) and stir until just mixed.
- Pour and bake
Pour the batter into parchment paper lined or greased muffin tins until they are each about ⅔ full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
FAQ
Yes. As written, the recipe uses one egg but you can just leave it out completely. This may affect the texture slightly but it will still be delicious. This is an easy ways to make this recipe vegan.
There is no need to peel the zucchini before putting it into the batter. The zucchini peel is very thin and you will barely even know it was there. However, the peels will leave behind a few green specks. If you have kids that do not like to see green things in their food, you can peel the zucchini before putting it into the batter and that should eliminate the green specks. If you are not peeling it, make sure that you wash the zucchini before shredding it.
You could use a food processor with the shredder blade or you can use a cheese grater or a microplane. If you are shredding by hand, make sure that you pay close attention to what you are doing as it is very easy to injure your fingers by getting too close. There is no shame in discarding the small zucchini nub and not trying to grate the whole thing.
Zucchini breads are extremely popular. This is because of the moisture and health benefits that it adds to baked goods. Zucchini is high in vitamin A and antioxidants and is said to be good for digestion. Also, unless you were told that zucchini was in the zucchini bread you would never notice. Zucchini blends with other ingredients and takes on the flavors of whatever they are mixed with. Zucchini breads taste like cake and do not taste like zucchini. They are a great way to use up your extra zucchini.
Variations and suggestions
- Vegan muffins - leave out the egg and use dairy free chocolate chips.
- Banana zucchini muffins - add in 1 mashed banana, leave out the egg and grated apple
- Carrot zucchini muffins - substitute carrots in for apples.
- Blueberry zucchini muffins - use ½ cup of blueberries instead of the apples.
More recipes like this one
Healthy Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Equipment
- parchment paper
- Muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
- ¼ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ⅔ cup honey
- ½ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup zucchini shredded
- ½ cup apple shredded
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Mix non-dairy milk and vinegar or lemon juice together in a small bowl.
- Mix flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl.
- Lightly beat the egg and add it plus the vanilla, oil, and non-dairy milk mixture to the dry ingredients. Mix with a whisk until just fully blended. Do not over mix.
- Gently stir in the zucchini, apple, chocolate chips, and walnuts.
- Grease or line the individual muffin cups in the muffin tin with parchment paper or cupcake papers.
- Pour batter into individual muffin cups in the muffin tin until each cup is ⅔ full.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the middle of the muffins and come out clean.
