These flourless chocolate zucchini muffins are gluten-free, grain-free, oil-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free, but so soft and chocoately that you’d never be able to tell they’re healthy! Whipped up in the blender in under 5 minutes flat, they make a delicious breakfast or snack!
This probably isn’t the best time to admit that I’m not a fan of zucchini.
And when I say “not a fan,” what I really mean is that I hate it with a vengeance. As in… it’s on my hit list, and you will be too if you try to feed it to me. So please don’t.
I have a feeling that my disdain for the squishy summer squash has something to do with the handful of really bad experiences I had with things like zucchini noodles and soggy baked zucchini “fries” that I experimented with back in the day before I had any sort of idea as to what I was doing in the kitchen. Those recipes should come with warning labels. Seriously.
Needless to say, zucchini and I didn’t start off on the right foot and I’ve been giving it the stank eye ever since.
That’s why I’ve never been able to understand why people would put it in things like loaves and muffins. Never. Like… why on earth would you ruin a perfectly good dessert by lacing it with a squishy squash?
Well, friends, I think I’ve figured out why…
Say hello to the newest batch of flourless muffins to grace my kitchen counters — flourless chocolate zucchini muffins. Yes, zucchini.
I can’t really tell you what prompted me to throw a zucchini into these guys, other than the fact that: a) I believe in second chances, b) we’re going into summer and zucchini is in season, and c) I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.
Well… I get it. I do. And I’m, quite literally, eating my own words…
These may just be some of the softest muffins I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.
And the best part is that they’re loaded with chocolate flavour without even a hint of zucchini. Trust me. I was looking for it. I wanted to be all “HAHAHAHA! I knew it! It tastes like squishy squash!” But nope. Not a trace. Heck, I couldn’t even see it in there, which means you could easily sneak some extra veggies into someone’s diet by feeding them some of these delicious muffins…
That being said, I don’t recommend being sneaky. I mean, you’re looking at a girl who still has trust issues stemming from the fact that the cookies her mom told her were chocolate chip actually turned out to be raisin. Mmm hmm. Like I wasn’t supposed to notice that one… I know it’s hard to get kids to eat healthier and all, but you don’t lie about chocolate. You just don’t.
Then again, I’m probably not one to talk, seeing as I may have omitted the ‘zucchini’ part when I told my taste-testers what I was giving them, but that’s only because I wanted to see if it really was as undetectable as I thought. And it was.
These muffins are super soft and super chocolatey. They’re a little denser and fudgier than your average muffin because of the fact that they don’t have any flour to fluff them up, but that just puts them somewhere between a muffin and a brownie, which is never a bad thing in my books.
They’re gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and 100% crazy delicious. And the best part is that you only need about 5 minutes and a blender/food processor to whip them up, followed by 20 minutes of delicious smells wafting out of your kitchen.
So whether you’re looking to get some more veggies into your diet, or you’re just in desperate need of a soft and chocolatey muffin, then I definitely recommend giving these flourless chocolate zucchini muffins a try!
I’d love to know if you make this recipe! Leave a comment and rating down below to let me know what you think, and subscribe to our mailing list to receive new recipes in your inbox!
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Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Total Time: 25 mins
- Yield: 9 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (128 g) almond butter*
- 1 ripe medium-sized banana (100 g or 1/2 cup mashed)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup (80 g) honey
- 1/4 cup (20 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbsp (14 g) ground flaxseed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup (100 g) zucchini, shredded and squeezed of excess liquid
- 1/4 cup (60 g) chocolate chips, plus more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and prepare a muffin pan by spraying 9 cavities with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Add all ingredients except for zucchini and chocolate chips to a blender and blend on high until batter is smooth and creamy. Stir in shredded zucchini and chocolate chips by hand.
- Pour batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cavity until it is about ¾ full. Sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the tops of your muffins are set and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for ~10 minutes before removing. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.
Notes
* You can sub almond for your favourite nut butter, OR use a sunflower seed or soy nut butter to make these nut-free.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Looking for more flourless muffin recipes? Try one of these!
Flourless Banana Bread Muffins
Flourless Double Chocolate Chip Muffins
Flourless Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Flourless Vegan Banana Muffins
Banana Oat Greek Yogurt Muffins
BEST …MUFFINS…EVER!!! Thank you so much for all of your recipes! I have such a sweet tooth but try to stay away from processed foods. Your recipes are the perfect clean eating treat!
I’m so glad that you like them, Lori! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 😀
I am absolutely in love! Still has to be eaten in moderation as all things, but it definitely helped curve my sugar craving this afternoon and everyone else in my household loved them, including my 4 year old (she hates green vegetables).
I’m so glad you and your family like them, Jessie! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 😀
This is what I’m looking to do. I’ve given up sugar and am trying to find recipes that will curb the cravings. It’s pretty tough!
This flourless chocolate zucchini muffins look absolutely fantastic. Beautiful photos, too. I look forward to trying this. I found your post from Pinterest! I’m also gonna pin this post on my Pinterest board my followers will love it. Thx Amanda!
Is there a good substitute for the ground flaxseed?
These muffins are delicious – they taste more like brownies!! I will be sharing them on my page this week. http://www.D6Content.com
Thanks for a recipe that everyone in my house loves 🙂
These muffins are really great! I had to cook them a few extra minutes and after tasting the first one I sprinkled some fresh mint leaf on it and it was extraordinary! I’ll definitely make these again!
Mine came out very runny… I used margarine instead of almond butter. Is that my issue? 8 I also used cupcake wrappers so it didn’t stick to my pan…. I’m unsure where t went wrong
Margarine was definitely the issue, Leesa. A nut or seed butter is a little more solid and bulky, while margarine/butter melt and end up being really liquidy. The only replacement for the almond butter would be something like peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or soy nut butter.
These look scrumptious – could I make them into cookies?
These look delicious and I’m really wanting to try them. Has anyone tried swapping honey for Stevia?
No but I do that often in many other recipes. It works perfectly in my opinion. But for this recipe I added a dropper of stevia but it didn’t need it
For the honey, cocoa powder and chocolate chips the measurement in cups is all 1/4 of a cup, but for the grams there all different. I don’t know whether this is a mistake but it is really confusing! The honey is 80g, the cocoa powder is 20g and the chic chips are 60g, however their measurements in cups are all the same!!
Those muffins look so good! Once the muffins are cooked are there bits of shredded zucchini in? Or does it kind of melt… i have no idea… :/
I Just made them yesterday and it is so good. So cholatey, moist and just really good. Do you have the calories per muffin?
These are so delicious! My 3 year old loves them! Thanks for the awesome recipe. I’ll be trying other recipes from your blog soon!
I’m so glad you and your family like them, Jennifer! Thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
These look delicious! One question–I follow a FODMAP diet for health reasons–this recipe is actually perfect for FODMAPS except for the honey. Could I replace the honey with maple syrup? And if so, would you modify the amount?
It would be totally fine to swap maple syrup in, Ellen. And the amount would stay the same.
Hi Amanda! I have made these muffins numerous times, and they are absolutely delicious. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Linda! I’m not sure if you saw, but I actually have a cookbook coming out soon that’s packed with healthy flourless muffin recipes — http://www.runningwithspoons.com/2017/01/30/cookbook-details-preorder/
WOW!
I don;t often comment on blog posts, but I made these for the first time today and just NEEDED to write and say how much I LOVE them! MY little boy adores them too and keeps demanding more!
I substituted half of the almond butter for Tahini as we were running low on almond butter, and it still worked like a dream.
I had one warm with a small dollop of 0% creme fraiche and some orange zest as a special treat, then have had another cold. Both were delicious. Thank you SO MUCH for sharing this recipe – it’s already a staple here foe sure 🙂
I’m so glad that you and your family enjoyed them, Vicki! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know 🙂
I made these today. SO DARN GOOD. My 3.5 yr old who eats barely anything, certainly no veg, LOVED them. My 7 yr old asked for me to put it in her lunch tomorrow, and my husband just scowled at me as he ate his third 😉 I will be doubling the batch next time I make them! Thanks for a great recipe and getting something green in my little.
Hi! Do you think these will work with all zucchini and no banana? I’ve made them with banana and they’re super good but I try to eat pretty low carb. I subbed vitafiber for the honey and it worked great. Than you for all your recipes!
I was looking for a chocolate zucchini recipe (childhood memories) and found this, my one year old is wheat free so thought I’ll give it a try. Thsee are soo good, dad eats the ones with flour and I steal the babies, next time this recipe x4 (they freeze well) and the whole family can go wheat free for this. Thank you I’m looking forward to following you for more great recipe ideas!
I’m so glad you liked them, Mandy! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Is there a sugar free substitute for the honey please?
Sorry Susan but I’ve never tried it with anything else so I’m not 100% sure what would work.
Just wanted to thank you for a delicious recipe! I made them for my daughter for her lunches (she’s not a zucchini fan – big understatement) and she loves them. 🙂
That’s so great to hear, Molly. I felt the same way about zucchini until I started hiding it in chocolate 😛