These double chocolate zucchini muffins are moist, packed with chocolate, and healthier than your average muffins at only 190 calories each!
Let’s talk muffins! I’ve always loved them, but they’re usually loaded with sugar and oil, which means that I don’t eat them all that often. That’s where these healthier muffins come in. 
These healthy double chocolate muffins are packed with fresh zucchini, which helps make them moist (and it’s a great way to sneak some veggies in without tasting them)!
If you’ve never had zucchini bread, you may be thinking that adding shredded vegetables to your muffins sounds strange…but it’s a lot like making a carrot cake which doesn’t taste like carrots at all. The strands of shredded zucchini disappear into the muffins during their time in the oven, leaving you with a perfectly moist chocolate muffin with no traces of green.
I used my two favorite chocolate weapons: dark chocolate cocoa powder and espresso powder. You can certainly use regular cocoa powder and omit the espresso powder, but both help give the muffins a deeper, richer chocolate flavor, and that’s never a bad thing in my world. I use both in these fudgy dark chocolate brownies!
If you’re lucky enough to have a summer garden overflowing with zucchini or if you have access to some fresh zucchini at your local grocery store or farmer’s market…you know what the right thing is to do.
If you try these double chocolate zucchini muffins, feel free to let me know in a comment or tag me @livbane on Instagram! I’d love to see!
Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
- 3/4 cup brown sugar (can sub coconut sugar)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa powder (regular cocoa powder works, too)
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups milk (I used almond milk)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup tightly-packed shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
- 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (feel free to sprinkle extra on top)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin or fill it with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt. Gently stir in eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla until almost combined.
- Wash zucchini and finely grate it using a cheese grater or food processor. Using paper towels, wring most of the excess liquid from the shredded zucchini. Gently fold the zucchini and chocolate chips into the muffin batter.
- Divide batter between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top, if desired. Bake muffins at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and continue baking an additional 13-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin is mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool muffins in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Photography “on fleek”
Aww! Friendship on fleek!
I love zucchini bread/cupcakes/muffins! I’d love to give these a shot soon. Hmm I think my favorite type of muffin is blueberry or lemon poppyseed, but there are a lot good ones. And I’m definitely a dark chocolate person!
I agree- I’m for dark chocolate 100%! Well, not 100% dark chocolate, but you know what I mean 🙂 70% to 80% dark chocolate is perfect for me!
Double chocolate?! Yes please!! These look so good and since they have greens in them, I can eat them anytime right? 😉
I mean, they’re basically a salad… 😉
Holy moly do these look good! They look so dark chocolately and delicious. I think espresso powder makes a huge difference when baking with chocolate. It definitely brings out the chocolate flavor.
I agree! The first time I made a recipe that called for espresso powder, I debated whether or not I should buy it because I wasn’t sure how often I’d actually use it…but it turned out to be a $3 or so well spent!
YUM! I just posted a zucchini baking recipe too – glad we’re on the same “eating” page 🙂
Your paleo zucchini brownies look incredible!
I love the color of these muffins! So dark; just the way I like it. I have never had zucchini in anything, dessert or oatmeal, but I could get behind this recipe. Question for you: If I were to try this out, how do I shred the zucchini? Sorry, that might be a dumb question, but I don’t work with vegetables all that often.
Not a dumb question at all, Julia! You can shred the zucchini with a cheese grater or in a food processor 🙂 I’ll adjust the recipe to clarify that.
I’ve been looking to try a salad in a dessert sort of a recipe. These cupcakes look so moist and delicious. Love that close up shot!
Haha! Granted, they’re not anything like an actual salad… but I’m all for some healthy indulgences and if some veggies happen to be involved, even better 🙂
OOOO my! This is every girl’s dream… Well, I am stereotyping to believe that every girl loves chocolate, lol! I actually don’t – but these still look pretty perfect!
Haha! Maybe every OTHER girl’s dream then 🙂
I love adding veggies to my desserts! My kids are always trying to guess what I’m hiding in their food!!
Haha I love that!
Yum yum yum!! Will give it a shot soon ??
I stumbled upon your recipe today trying to use my bounty of zucchini from my garden..and OMG…it is fabulous !! Definitely a keeper. I shared some with my neighbor, and she called me and said “I must have that recipe” LOL, I printed it out for her. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
YAY, I’m so glad to hear you loved this recipe, Ro! Thanks for reporting back!
Hiii..
This is Neeraj from F and B Stories. First of all, I would like to thank you for sharing such a delicious recepie, the
cupcakes is amazing, delicious, and yumm….!!
it looks soo simple but its ingrediants was superb…..
keep sharing
cheers 🙂