These zucchini chocolate chip muffins are moist, tender, and studded with chocolate chips! Easy to make, no mixer required, and one of the best ways to use up summer’s most abundant vegetable!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions are my own.
Surprise, surprise, I’ve got a muffin recipe I think you’re going to love.
I didn’t realize until I was updating this post just how many muffin recipes I have on the blog. And with good reason, who doesn’t love a muffin?
Muffins make an easy grab-and-go breakfast, satisfying snack, or easy lunch box addition. They can range from healthier to indulgent, and they always hit the spot.
Zucchini chocolate chip muffins
This recipe is perfect for summer because you know you were looking for a way to use up all that zucchini in your fridge! Maybe your own garden is producing more than you thought, your sister dropped off her excess at your house, or your CSA was overly ambitious in what they thought you could use. Either way, we’re going to enjoy this abundance with one of my favorite muffin recipes!
These zucchini muffins are moist, tender, and loaded with chocolate chips. The chocolate chips are optional (or swappable), but I think chocolate in muffins is one of the best inventions since… the muffin.
My kids actually request these, which is more than I can say for a lot of other things I’ve hidden vegetables in. I say don’t even hide the zucchini, let them know loud and proud so they can grow up loving this treat as much as you do!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Whole wheat flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Milk
- Vegetable oil
- Vanilla extract
- Eggs
- Zucchini
- Chocolate chips
How to make zucchini chocolate chip muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl combine milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir together quickly with a rubber scraper. Its ok if there are still a few dry spots.
- Gently fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips, if desired, until everything is combined.
- Divide evenly amongst the muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool briefly in the pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Top tips
How to grate zucchini
I use the large holes of a box grater (affiliate link) to grate my zucchini by hand. If you don’t like large strands of zucchini in your baked goods you could use one of the smaller holes instead.
You can also shred zucchini using a food processor if you prefer. This Cuisinart food processor comes with a grating plate that makes it easy to get this done in seconds.
Don’t overmix
When making any muffin or quick bread, make sure you’re only stirring as much as necessary to incorporate the ingredients together. Over-mixing will result in dense, dry baked goods.
Top with extra chocolate chips
For truly pretty muffins, save a few chocolate chips for pressing into the tops of the muffins before baking. This will ensure that you can see the chocolate chips in the finished product.
How to store chocolate chip zucchini muffins
Muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze your muffins, individually wrapped in plastic wrap and placed in a zip top freezer bag, for up to 3 months.
Tips for customizing zucchini chocolate chip muffins
- Swap the chocolate chips for walnuts or blueberries
- Top with this vanilla icing
- Swap the whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour
- Use an equal amount of applesauce in place of the oil
FAQ
No, there is no need to peel your zucchini before grating it and baking with it. The skin of a zucchini is thin and edible.
Some recipes require you to drain or pat dry shredded zucchini before using. This recipes does not require that, but instead uses the moisture of the zucchini to create a moist muffin.
If your grated zucchini seems exceptionally wet and is dripping or puddling, you can pat it gently with a few paper towels, but try not to remove all the moisture. Alternatively, if your zucchini seems very dry (resulting a difficult to stir batter that is thicker than cookie dough), try adding a small splash of water until the texture improves.
You can do either for this recipe. I prefer to spray the pan to prevent waste with throwing away the liners, but your muffins may bake more evenly and have a more attractive appearance if baked in liners.
Making a well means you’ll want to clear a little space in the center of the dry ingredients in the bowl for pouring the wet ingredients into. There’s no need to overthink this, you just want to make sure you can stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients with as few strokes as possible.
More muffin recipes
- Vegan Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Double Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Carrot Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Apple Spice Muffins
- Pistachio Rose Muffins
- Healthier Double Chocolate Mini Muffins
- Banana Coconut Muffins
- Crumb Top Blueberry Muffins
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup milk
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup shredded zucchini
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with cooking spray or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
- In a small bowl combine milk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and stir together quickly with a rubber scraper. Its ok if there are still a few dry spots.
- Gently fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips, if desired, until everything is combined.
- Divide evenly amongst the muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool briefly in the pan before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.
dana says
These look awesome, friend! Glad I found you through my comments section. What a beautiful blog!
Lindsay Moe says
Thank you!