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Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Loaded with shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, these zucchini muffins make a wholesome on-the-go breakfast or after school snack.
When it comes to before-school breakfasts for the kids, I know how easy it is to fall back on sugary cereals and processed foods (guilty!), so I’m always trying to come up with new ideas that are a little more wholesome. These zucchini muffins are a new fave. With two bowls and a muffin tin, you can whip them up in just 35 minutes. What’s more, kids love them and they’re a great way to sneak in a little extra protein and vegetables. Feel free to replace half of the all-purpose flour with whole-wheat flour, or swap out the chocolate chips and nuts for your favorite add-ins.
What you’ll need To Make Zucchini Muffins
To Make Zucchini Muffins
Begin by shredding the zucchini. I use a food processor — makes it easy — but it’s fine to grate by hand. There is no need to wring out the shredded zucchini.
Next, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Stir to combine, then set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract.
Whisk until evenly combined.
Then stir in the zucchini.
Add the dry ingredients to zucchini mixture.
Stir until just combined, then add 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and all of the nuts (if using).
Mix until just combined.
Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the muffin wells, filling each almost completely.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips onto the muffins, pressing them in lightly so they adhere.
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or room temperature and enjoy!
You may also like
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Morning Glory Muffins
- Zucchini Bread
- Banana Nut Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Loaded with shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, these zucchini muffins make a wholesome on-the-go breakfast or after school snack.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 medium (9 oz) zucchini, grated (no need to wring dry)
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set rack in the middle position. Generously coat a muffin pan generously with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and whisk to combine. Stir in the zucchini.
- Add the dry ingredients to the zucchini mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and all of the nuts (if using).
- Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, divide the batter into the muffin wells, filling each almost completely. Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips onto the muffins, pressing them in lightly so they adhere. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or room temperature.
- The muffins are best served on the same day they are made, but will keep, wrapped in foil, at room temperature for 2 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 – 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 muffin (with nuts)
- Calories: 337
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Sugar: 27 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 193 mg
- Cholesterol: 53 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reviews & Comments
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Hi Jenn
Can I substitute 18% cream for the butter? Thank you.
I don’t think that will work here — sorry!
These turned out so good! I added two tablespoons cocoa powder and reduced the flour accordingly. I also reduced the sugar a bit and it didn’t impair the flavour at all. I’ve now made these muffins and your chocolate chip muffins in the space of a week to send to my daughter at Uni. She loved the choc chip, let’s see what she thinks of these. Thanks for two fantastic recipes! 😀
Hi there the recipe instructions don’t appear anywhere for some reason.
Hi Sheryl, It sounds like you are just looking at the portion of the page that has the pictures with some instructions underneath. If you scroll down a bit to under the pictures, you’ll find the full recipe. Alternatively, at the very top of the page, under the recipe name, you’ll see an orange/red button that says Jump to Recipe – if you click on that, it will take you directly to the recipe. Hope that clarifies!
I make these muffins regularly! My grandsons love them and so does my husband! They are moist and tasty with the addition of vege’s and chocolate chips. Yum!
I make double batches of these and add extra zucchini since I omit the pecans due to a a nut allergy. I made one dozen with no chocolate chips and added chocolate chips the rest of the batter (made 18 more!). I’ve made this several times and the recipe works really well even when using half whole wheat flour and reducing the sugar. It was a big hit in my family. We freeze them and heat them up in the microwave!
I’ve tried many of your recipes and they all turned out perfect. my cooking has definitely improved thanks to you.
I’m going to make this one soon. just wondering what the cooking time will be if I’m using the mini muffin tin?
thanks!
So glad you’ve had success with the recipes! For minis, I’d start checking for doneness at 11 to 12 minutes. Enjoy!
This looks great. Can I substitute the butter using unsweetened applesauce? How many cups of applesauce I should use? I can’t have chocolate and I have to omit that as well, should I add more zucchini or just leave it as the same? Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Hi Aileen, I’d suggest replacing half the butter with applesauce. If you do that, you’ll need 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup butter. If you don’t mind denser, more moist muffins, you could try replacing all the butter. And you can omit the chocolate chips without increasing the zucchini. Please LMK how they turn out!
Looks delicious – quick question — does 9 oz of zucchini equal about 1 cup.? Just don’t want to mess this up! Thanks so much!
Hi Elisha, I’d guesstimate you’ll need about 1 & 1/3 cups.
Thanks Jenn! Much appreciated. :)))
These were excellent and scarfed down quickly by family before I could capture a picture. 🙂
Super yummy. Used mostly white whole wheat flour and halved the butter, using applesauce for the other 1/2. And since applesauce is sweet, I reduced the sugar a bit. I quadrupled the recipe to make us 4 dozen for the freezer. Thanks for a recipe that doesn’t require squeezing the zucchini.
These were fantastic! I loved the cinnamon and nutmeg flavor in them. Will definitely make again!
I’m just sampling my first muffin and absolutely delicious! I used 2 cups of zucchini and instead of chocolate chips, I used raisins dusted in flour (plus walnuts). This one is a keeper! Thanks Jenn!
So delicious! Originally made for family but I couldn’t stop myself from eating them, I had to make another batch for everyone.
Best muffins I’ve ever made…delicious! You are my go to for all recipes.
Made my first batch today … so easy and delicious l have batch #2 in now the oven now! So simple to make but so full of yumminess! I used dark chocolate chips and pecans… It’s definitely a keeper!
hi there. I love your recipes and own your cookbook so I am looking forward to your new one. Just wondering of you can substitute olive oil for the butter in this recipe?
Hi Eileen, So glad you enjoy the recipes! Since the butter is melted, it’s fine to substitute olive oil. 🙂
Delicious & moist muffins. Everbody loved them. 🙂
is the 9 oz of zucchini grated or 9 0z before grating
Hi Lucilla, It’s 9 ounces before grating.
Make these! I’ve used the regular and mini muffin tin. Both worked well. My family and I love these. My almost 4 year old calls them chocolate chip muffins. Fine by me! Next time I’m going to double the batch. These don’t last long! Will put this one the list for a grab and go breakfast/snack option for busy days or road trips. Thanks Jenn!
Delicious! I used 2 cups of shredded zucchini. Also dark chocolate chips. Love the texture.
Thank you Jenn!
My daughter recently ate zucchini muffins at a friend’s house, and asked me to make them. I didn’t have a recipe, so I crossed my fingers and hoped that Jenn would have one. I agree with the other reviewers that the taste and texture of this muffin is perfect. I usually feel the need to tweak recipes but that almost never happens with recipes on this site. Thank you, Jenn!
Zucchini muffins turned out great!
Another delicious recipe by Jenn.
Jenn, you did it again…these are delicious. The walnuts are a must. Made them in cute tulip muffin liners that I ordered from Amazon. Only problem, am trying to diet and these are too tempting. My neighbors will benefit. Another winner!!!
Hi, can this batter be used to make cookies instead of muffins?
I don’t think this batter would be appropriate for cookies — sorry!
Okay, thanks! Appreciate the response and will stick with muffins for this recipe!
I made these muffins for the first time and they were amazing! My husband is devouring them. Thank you for helping build my baking confidence!
Warm regards and stay safe,
Beverlye
I roasted my pecans. I wasn’t sure how it would all taste- with nutmeg and pecans, but they turned out great I thought. I added a little less batter Per muffin to make slightly smaller muffins producing 27 muffins. I’ll definitely make these again!
This was a wonderful breakfast treat! They turned out wonderful and my whole family enjoyed it. These are delicious!
Just made these cuz I wanted a healthy treat for my kids. My 4 year old took a bite and said “oh my god”. He ate the whole thing and when I turned around he had another in his hand. Of course it was 5:45pm just before supper. My husband said “mmm”. Muffins were soft and moist and fluffy. I didn’t weigh my zucchini but I used 4 little ones to get the batter moist enough. They look exactly like the picture and taste perfect. This recipe is s keeper! Thank you.
Really delicious especially warm from the oven. I used slightly less sugar and changed the butter to sunflower oil.
Hi, can these be heated from frozen? Thanks
Sure!
Tasty muffins. I cut back the sugar very slightly but otherwise followed the recipe. I had a large zucchini so I cut off about a 4 inch chunk and shredded it for about 2 cups (didn’t measure). Added chopped walnuts. Didn’t have nutmeg. Will cut the cinnamon down to 1tsp next time. Tip: don’t put the choc chips on top, makes it hard to eat without getting melted chocolate everywhere.
Made for after school for my grandkids. Wonderful and love all the zucchini. Huge hit and easy. Will make again!
Could I substitute a neutral oil for the butter?
Sure, Jean – that will work. 🙂
My kids loved these muffins! Even my high schooler gave them high praise and asked me to make them again soon. I will for sure. I added unsweetened coconut flakes, which gave additional texture and a subtle flavor. Thanks for another great recipe!