Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Chocolate zucchini muffins are so rich and delicious, no one will ever guess they have zucchini in them! Enjoy them for breakfast all week long or bake them up for an afternoon snack.

Folks, I feel like we’ve FINALLY made it to summer in Ohio. And get this, we’ve had about 5 days straight without rain!

We took advantage of the gorgeous weather this weekend and set Elle and her friend up with a lemonade and cupcake stand.

I mean, who can refuse a couple of cute kiddos selling adorably packaged chocolate cupcakes with delicious buttercream frosting and lemonade? Clearly, no one because the girls sold out in less than 2 hours.

She earned $20 and I’m pretty sure we’ve ignited her entrepreneurial spirit because we’re already prepping for her next dessert sale! We’re thinking mini cheesecakes and my favorite chocolate chip cookies along with these chocolate zucchini muffins.

Tips for baking with zucchini

As soon as the weather warms up, I get way into zucchini. From Lemon Zucchini Cake to Zucchini Cookies, I fully believe zucchini belongs in allllllll the baked goods.

Zucchini is perfect for adding to baked goods because the delicate flavor allows it to blend in perfectly with sweet cake or bread batters. It also keeps baked goods moist without having to add a lot of extra oil or fat to the recipe.

Everyone has come across a giant zucchini or two during the summer. You know what I’m talking about – zucchini that got left a bit too long on the vine and are a little too fibrous to enjoy on their own.

Those big zucchini are perfect for baking!

Whenever I bake with zucchini, whether it be in a cake or in zucchini muffins, I always grate it super fine because it practically disappears into the batter. Most of the time, you probably wouldn’t even know it’s there if you can’t see it!

My dad, who is not fond of the green squash, noshed down a couple of these chocolate zucchini muffins in a matter minutes, and proclaimed them freaking delicious.

And I have to say, I totally agree with him.

The best double-chocolate zucchini muffins

So let’s talk about these muffins. They’re honestly one of the best muffin recipes that I’ve ever made. And that’s a tall order, given I run a baking website.

These could easily be called “Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins” because the chocolate batter is packed with chocolate chips.

You read that right! They are full of chocolate flavor from using cocoa powder and two types of chocolate chips, and the texture is simply amazing thanks to the zucchini.

They’re absolutely perfect for sneaking some veggies into a chocolate lover.

How to make chocolate zucchini muffins

This recipe is so easy to make—which is a good thing, because I know your family is gonna be asking for them over and over again!

Ingredients you’ll need

To make these muffins, you will need:

• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 cups finely grated zucchini, slightly drained
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• ½ cup mini milk chocolate chips (optional)

Before you start baking, make sure you know how to measure flour correctly. This will help your chocolate zucchini muffins turn out perfect every time. 

I like using a combination of granulated sugar and brown sugar in this recipe. If you are out of brown sugar, whip up a simple brown sugar substitute. You can also try my tricks for softening brown sugar if yours hardened in the pantry.

The batter for these muffins uses unsweetened cocoa powder, also called natural cocoa powder. If you aren’t familiar with the types of cocoa powder, check out my cocoa powder 101 post.

After grating the zucchini, let some of the excess moisture drain out. Don’t press all of the liquid out of it, though; you want some moisture to give the muffins their perfect texture.

I like putting semi sweet chocolate chips inside the muffins and sprinkling mini milk chocolate chips on the top. Feel free to skip the mini chocolate chips if you don’t have any on hand or if you need these muffins to be dairy free.

Making these muffins

This recipe makes about 20 chocolate zucchini muffins. Line the wells in 2 standard muffin tins with cupcake liners or spray with nonstick spray.

In a large bowl, beat together both sugars with the oil, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Slowly add this mixture to the wet ingredients until just combined.

Fold in the zucchini followed by the semisweet chocolate chips.

I like to use a large (3 tablespoon) cookie scoop to easily divide the batter between the prepared muffin wells. If your’e using the mini chocolate chips, sprinkle them over the tops of the muffins now.

Bake the muffins at 350°F for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy them for breakfast, dessert, or as an afternoon snack with a maple sweet cream cold brew.