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    Home >> Recipes >> Vegan Snack Recipes

    Vegan Chocolate Muffins

    Updated Jul 11, 2022 by Lori · This post contains affiliate links.

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    These vegan chocolate muffins are lightly sweetened, rich with cocoa and chocolate, and made with oat flour. They're tender, oil-free, and a welcome treat any time of day, from breakfast to dessert!

    Dark chocolate muffins on a cutting board.

    Adapted from my vegan pumpkin muffin recipe, these healthy vegan chocolate muffins are also made with oat flour and use pumpkin to replace oil and eggs.

    Pumpkin puree also helps bind these naturally gluten-free muffins that would otherwise be a bit crumbly.

    And of course cocoa powder and chocolate chips replace pumpkin spice!

    We love that these aren't a cloyingly sweet, heavy muffin. The fiber in the oat flour and healthy fats from almond butter make them satisfying yet light enough to enjoy for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

    They're easy, too! You'll need just 13 ingredients and 30 minutes to make a batch.

    Ingredient Notes

    a labeled photo of the 14 ingredients needed to make vegan chocolate muffins.
    • Oat flour - you can buy oat flour online and in many stores, or make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats until they're the consistency of coarse flour.
    • Nut butter - I used raw almond butter but any other runny nut or seed butter you like is fine. Try sunbutter for a nut-free option.
    • Canned pumpkin - works as a binder and adds moisture.
    • Maple syrup - I can't recommend any substitutions. Maple syrup sweetens the muffins, adds flavor, and contributes moisture.
    • Cocoa - look for regular, unsweetened cocoa powder for the best flavor. Unlike Dutch process cocoa, it is naturally acidic and reacts with baking soda to help the muffins rise.
    • Coffee - hopefully you have some cold brew or strong brewed coffee on hand because they're great at enhancing the chocolate flavor. If not, a splash of good quality balsamic vinegar is nice, too.

    See the recipe card below for amounts and full instructions.

    How to Make Vegan Chocolate Muffins

    a 3-photo collage showing the steps of making the batter and filling muffin tin.
    1. In a small bowl combine the wet ingredients. In a mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
    2. Pour wet into dry and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips.
    3. Divide the batter among a standard 12-cup muffin pan. Add a few chocolate chips on top of each one. Bake for 19 to 21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

    Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer the muffins to a cooling rack.

    A muffin cut in half to show texture and chocolate chips inside.

    Variations

    • Spiced - similar to this chocolate zucchini bread, try the Mexican-chocolate inspired spices - cinnamon, chile powder, and cayenne. Or skip the chile and cayenne and pair cinnamon with ground ginger. Delicious!
    • With nuts- we always enjoy a little extra crunch in our muffins. Chopped walnuts and pecans are great.
    • Refined sugar-free - for a fully WFPB muffin (whole-food plant-based), instead of sugar-sweetened chocolate chips, use grain-sweetened carob or sugar-free chocolate. There are more varieties of sugar-free chocolate out there than ever!

    Storage

    Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerated for up to 6 days.

    Oat flour chocolate muffins freeze very well. Make sure they are protected from air in a freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

    Related: if you enjoy healthier chocolate treats, don't miss these oil-free banana brownies!

    More vegan muffin recipes:

    • close up of muffins lined up on a cooling rack with icing on top.
      Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
    • blueberry muffin on a board with more muffins in background.
      Vegan Blueberry Muffins (Gluten-Free Option)
    • Healthy Vegan Pistachio Muffins
    • close up of a muffin with a bite taken out of one showing cranberry sauce inside.
      Vegan Cranberry Cornbread Muffins

    I hope you enjoy these healthy vegan chocolate muffins. If you try the recipe be sure to give it a star rating and comment below to let us know!

    close up of vegan chocolate muffin with other muffins in background.

    Vegan Chocolate Muffins (Oil-Free)

    Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen
    These vegan chocolate muffins are lightly sweetened, rich with cocoa and chocolate chips, and made with whole-grain oat flour. They're oil-free and delicious any time of day, from breakfast to dessert!
    Servings: 12 muffins
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time: 15 mins
    Cook Time: 19 mins
    Total Time: 34 mins

    Equipment

    • standard muffin pan

    Ingredients 

    Dry ingredients:

    • 205 grams oat flour - (2 cups)
    • 45 grams unsweetened cocoa powder - (scant ½ cup)
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon baking soda
    • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

    Wet ingredients:

    • ¾ cup canned pumpkin
    • ½ cup applesauce
    • ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon maple syrup
    • ⅓ cup non-dairy milk
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar - I used coconut sugar
    • ¼ cup runny almond butter or other nut/seed butter
    • 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • ½ cup non-dairy chocolate chips - plus more for tops
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    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, and locate a standard muffin pan.
    • In a mixing bowl whisk together all dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl stir together the wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, and stir until a thick batter forms. Fold in the chocolate chips.
    • Divide the batter evenly among the muffin pan. Sprinkle a few more chocolate chips on top of each muffin.
    • Transfer the pan to the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 355 degrees. Bake for 19 to 21 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

    Notes

    Storage
    Once muffins are cool, transfer to an airtight container. Store at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerated for 5 or 6 days. They can also be frozen. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

    Estimated Nutrition (per serving)

    Serving: 1muffinCalories: 218kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 5gFat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 102mgFiber: 4gSugar: 20g

    Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.

    Tried the recipe?I love hearing from you! Share your feedback below!

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    Lori Rasmussen, Owner/Creator

    Hi, I'm Lori. Welcome to My Quiet Kitchen where I share easy vegan recipes with a healthier twist. Many are special diet-friendly or easily adapted. I also have a passion for veganizing classic desserts, and sometimes even those get a healthy-ish makeover.

    Learn more about me →

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