Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Recipes

Learn how to make healthy chocolate zucchini muffins with this easy recipe.  It’s a gluten free and flourless chocolate zucchini muffins recipe that’s delicious for breakfast or dessert.  It uses raw honey or maple syrup for a sweetener, so it’s naturally sweetened with no refined sugar.

Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

We plant a lot of zucchini each year, so I’m always looking for creative ways to use zucchini to make new recipes.  

Of course, zucchini bread is my favorite.  I use my grandmother’s recipe, and it’s unique and delicious.

It also has flour and sugar, so it’s a sometimes treat.  I do swap some of the flour for whole wheat flour or zucchini flour and cut the sugar with Splenda or stevia though.

However, these healthy zucchini muffins are gluten free, flourless, and made without refined sugar.  We like to eat them as a healthy dessert, but you can also have them for breakfast.  

For more muffin and bread recipes, check out these posts:

• Peanut Butter Bread Recipe
• Fruity Pebbles Bread Recipe
• Easy Apple Bread Recipe With Cake Mix
• Spice Cake Pumpkin Muffins
• Cake Mix Pumpkin Bread
• Starbucks Blueberry Muffins Recipe
• Healthy Blueberry Muffins Recipe
• Healthy Strawberry Muffins Recipe

How to Prepare Zucchini for Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

You can use any size zucchini to make gluten free chocolate zucchini muffins.  I like to use overgrown zucchini that I missed to make breads and muffins.

However, you will want to cut the zucchini in half and scrape out the seeds.  The seeds are fine to eat, but they grow with the plant and can be too large for these gluten free zucchini muffins.

The peel of the zucchini has a lot of antioxidants and other nutrients in it, so I don’t peel my zucchini.  The peel can get bitter on large zucchini, so you can peel large zucchini if you’d like.

I squeeze out the excess water when I make healthy chocolate zucchini muffins.  Zucchini is high in water, so this flourless chocolate zucchini muffins recipe can get too moist if you don’t squeeze out the excess water.

How to Shred Zucchini for Chocolate Zucchini Muffins Recipe

First, wash and dry the zucchini.  Then cut off both ends of the vegetable.  You can peel the zucchini if desired, but I don’t peel unless it is very large.  

Then use a box grater to shred the zucchini for gluten free zucchini muffins.  

When I make bread or flourless chocolate zucchini muffins, I just use my box grater.  For larger amounts, you can use a food processor.  

Zucchini Health Benefits

Zucchini is a versatile vegetable, so many people use it for cooking.  It has a mild flavor, so it’s perfect for making healthy chocolate zucchini muffins.

Zucchini is a great addition to your diet.  Here are some of the benefits:

• Zucchini has antioxidants to support your eyes, skin, and heart.
• Zucchini has both soluble and insoluble fiber to support your digestive system.
• The fiber in zucchini may also help stabilize blood sugar levels.
• The natural pectin in zucchini can help reduce total cholesterol levels and LDL cholesterol levels.
• Zucchini is high in vitamin C and beta-carotene.

How Many Cups of Shredded Zucchini Does 1 Medium Zucchini Make?

This chocolate zucchini muffins recipe calls for 1 ½ cups of shredded zucchini.  One medium zucchini is about ⅔ cup shredded zucchini.  

So you will need approximately 3 medium sized zucchini to make gluten free zucchini muffins.

How Long Do Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins Last?

These flourless chocolate zucchini muffins will last about three days after you make them.  You can also freeze them for up to three months.  

I store them in these reusable freeze bags.  They are perfect for nonmessy foods.

How to Store Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Let the gluten free zucchini muffins cool completely.  Then store in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days.

Tips for Making Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Here are some tips for making healthy chocolate zucchini muffins:

• Spray the muffin muffin tin or use liners for a mini muffin tin.
• These gluten free zucchini muffins don’t rise a lot, so you can fill the muffin tins almost full.
• I’ve only made these flourless chocolate zucchini muffins in a mini muffin tin.  For regular sized muffins, you will need to increase the baking time.  Check on them at 20 minutes, but it might take 22 to 23 minutes to bake.
• I use chocolate chips for convenience, but you can use carob chips if you want to avoid all refined sugar.
• You can swap the sunflower seed butter for natural peanut butter or any spreadable nut butter.
• Avoid overbaking.  The tops will look done and a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean when they are done.

More Zucchini Recipes

For more ways to use extra zucchini, check out these recipes:

• 54 Healthy Zucchini Recipes
• 19 of the Best Zucchini Bread Recipes
• 43 Zucchini Dinner Recipes
• How to Make Zucchini Fritters
• 15 Zucchini Dessert Recipes
• 29 Vegetarian Zucchini Recipes
• 19 Zucchini Noodles Recipes
• Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe
• Easy Zucchini Bites
• Faux Zucchini Pineapple
• Chocolate Zucchini Bread
• Zucchini Bread Recipe With Applesauce
• Zucchini Bread Jam Recipe

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffins Ingredients

You will need the following to make gluten free zucchini muffins:

• Sunflower seed butter -  You can also use a natural peanut butter or a spreadable nut butter.
• Banana 
• Egg
• Raw honey or maple syrup - I prefer raw honey because the maple syrup gives it a maple taste.
• Cocoa powder
• Coconut oil - I like to use refined coconut oil for baking, but you can use unrefined coconut oil.
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla extract - Learn how to make vanilla extract from vanilla beans or make Instant Pot vanilla extract.
• Salt
• Baking soda 
• Shredded zucchini
• Chocolate chips or carob chips - Chocolate chips will have some refined sugar in them.  Carob chips are sweet and not bitter.

How to Make Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Recipe

STEP #1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Grease or line a mini-muffin tin.

STEP #2

Add all of the ingredients except the zucchini and chocolate chips to high-speed blender  Blend until well combined and the batter is smooth.  I use a Ninja blender on 2 speed for 5 seconds.

STEP #3

Add the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips to blender and whirl for 3 to 5 seconds.

STEP #4

Pour into prepared muffin cups and fill each cup almost to the top.  The chocolate chips tend to sink, so stir often to bring them back to the top.

STEP #5

Bake for 15 minutes, or until tops of muffins are set and a toothpick comes out clean.

STEP #6

Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before removing.

I hope your family loves this healthy chocolate zucchini muffin recipe as much as we do!

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