Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Tender, moist muffins loaded with grated zucchini and chocolate chips. The vegetable keeps these muffins soft and fudgy while the chocolate chips add bursts of sweetness. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or lunchbox treats.
Steps
Before you start
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease the cups
- Grate zucchini and squeeze out excess moisture in a clean kitchen towel (this prevents wet, dense muffins)
- Bring eggs to room temperature (30 minutes)
Mix dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Ingredients are evenly combined with no lumps
Tip: Whisking the dry ingredients ensures even distribution of leavening agents
Combine wet ingredients
- In another large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined and slightly pale, about 2 minutes.
- Fold in the squeezed zucchini until evenly distributed.
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Ready when: Zucchini is evenly distributed throughout the wet mixture
Tip: Don't overmix or you'll develop gluten, which makes tough muffins
Combine wet and dry
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined.
- Some lumps are fine—do not overmix.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
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Ready when: Dry ingredients are no longer visible, with some flour streaks remaining
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes dense, tough muffins—fold just until combined
Fill muffin cups
- Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- If using paper liners, fill them directly; if baking in greased cups, distribute the batter evenly.
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Ready when: All cups are filled evenly with batter
Tip: Fill muffin cups evenly so all muffins bake at the same rate
Bake muffinsOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 22–26 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).
- The tops should be golden brown and a cake tester should meet slight resistance.
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Ready when: Toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs; tops are golden brown
Tip: Don't overbake or the muffins will be dry. Slightly underdone is better than overbaked
Cool and serve
- Let muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely (about 5 minutes more for warm muffins, or 10 minutes for fully cooled).
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Ready when: Muffins have cooled enough to hold their shape but are still warm
Tip: A short cooling period in the tin prevents muffins from breaking apart when removed
Good to know
Tips
- Squeeze the grated zucchini thoroughly to remove excess moisture—this prevents dense, wet muffins. Use a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth.
- Room-temperature eggs incorporate more easily and create a lighter crumb structure than cold eggs.
- Don't overmix the batter once you combine wet and dry ingredients. Lumps are fine; they'll disappear during baking.
- For chocolate-forward muffins, use 2 cups (350 g) chocolate chips; for subtler chocolate flavor, use 1 cup (175 g).
Make ahead
Batter can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Bring to room temperature and stir gently before filling muffin cups. Baked muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Storage & reheating
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freeze individually wrapped muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 1–2 hours or warm in a 300°F oven for 10 minutes.
Substitutions
- vegetable oil → melted coconut oil or unsalted butter (melted and cooled). Use the same amount. Coconut oil adds subtle flavor; butter creates slightly richer muffins
- semi-sweet chocolate chips → chopped dark chocolate, white chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips. Use the same amount. Adjust sweetness to preference—dark chocolate is less sweet
- all-purpose flour → whole wheat flour (use 1½ cups / 190 g flour and ¼ cup / 30 g all-purpose flour). Whole wheat flour makes denser, nuttier muffins; mix with some all-purpose flour for better texture
- ground cinnamon → ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg plus ½ teaspoon ground ginger. Creates a warm spice profile with slightly less cinnamon sweetness
