Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins

The best recipe for Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins is here! These eggless & dairy-free muffins are so moist (thanks to a secret ingredient!) and contain easy to find & simple ingredients. Plus, who doesn't want a small-batch recipe that makes 4-5 perfect muffins?!

The best part of muffins is that, somehow, they make eating dessert for breakfast TOTALLY acceptable!

Okay, let's be honest, I don't eat muffins for breakfast every day. Most of the time you can find me drinking my Green Breakfast Smoothie or downing an Açai Bowl, but sometimes I just need a (sweeter) change of pace.

In those moments- I want a small batch recipe that makes me just enough double chocolate chip muffins for one week.

The first small batch muffin recipe I made for SGTO was my fave Vegan Banana Nut Muffins, but now it was time to introduce some chocolate to the mix. These vegan chocolate muffins are not too sweet and can easily be made refined sugar-free too. 

Ingredients:

I wanted to keep this recipe super easy- so here is a quick breakdown of the easy-to-find ingredients!

• Oat Milk (While I chose to use oat milk to keep these muffins nut-free, any plant-based milk works like rice, soy, or almond milk)
• Olive Oil (Olive oil is my preferred oil for baking because I love the flavor it gives, however, any liquid oil works such as avocado or grapeseed oil)
• Organic white sugar
• Organic brown sugar 
• Applesauce (applesauce is the SECRET ingredient to get these chocolate muffins SUPER moist. It can be replaced 1:1 with yogurt or mashed bananas)
• All-purpose flour
• Cocoa powder (I used Zint Cocoa Powder)
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Vegan chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life, but you can make these healthier and with less sugar if you use Lily's Chocolate Chips- another fave of mine!)

Vegan chocolate muffin tips & tricks:

I tested these muffins several times to get them perfectly fluffy while still being moist and delicious. Here are a few tips & tricks to follow for the perfect vegan muffins every time.

Always sift cocoa powder

While I have made past muffin & cupcake recipes in one bowl, I like to use two bowls when making anything with cocoa powder. That is because it's especially important to sift cocoa powder before adding it to the batter!

Otherwise, you might end up with chunks of bitter cocoa throughout the muffins. Let's be honest, no one wants that. Here is a great flour sifter if you do not have one yet.

Don't overmix muffin batter

One of the KEY steps to the right muffin texture is to not overmix the batter. If you overmix the batter, the chocolate muffins may end up dense and gummy. The trick is to mix the batter JUST until all the large streaks of flour are gone.

Fill muffin liners to the top for high domes

Unlike my cupcake recipes, I fill my muffins to the top for those high domed muffins! If you use this batter to make 5 muffins it may not entirely reach the top (see pictures above), but if you use it to make 4 it for sure will. Plus, as you let the chocolate muffin batter rest it will expand to the top before baking.

PS- I like to use If You Care Unbleached Cupcake Liners since they are compostable!

Let muffin batter rest at least 30 minutes

During this rest period, the starch in the muffin batter will absorb the liquid in the batter and this will make the batter more thick and dense. Try it out and see what your muffin batter looks like before and after letting it rest. It will be thicker and will lead to more "bakery-style" muffins.

It also helps to give any gluten that may have formed during the mixing time to relax for the best tender muffin texture.

These are tips I learned from my friend Lori at The Kitchen Whisperer and are the same tips I use in my Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffins. 

Don't open the oven while baking

Instead, just use an oven light. Opening the door while the vegan chocolate muffins are baking could lead to them deflating from the change in temperature if they are not cooked through yet.

FAQ & Substitutions:

Can I make these vegan muffins refines sugar-free?

Yes! I tested these muffins with a mix of coconut sugar and maple sugar. While they were less sweet, they were just as delicious!

You'll need to use granulated sugar in this recipe for any substitutions- NOT liquid sweeteners. I don't recommend reducing the total sugar quantity in grams as this may affect the end texture of the muffin.

Can I make these chocolate muffins gluten-free?

I haven't personally tried it, but I've heard great things from you all about using a Gluten-Free 1:1 Flour replacement like Bob's Red Mill. I don't recommend subbing almond flour, coconut flour, or anything else as it's not a 1:1 substitution.

What about an oil-free muffin recipe?

Yes! To make these vegan chocolate muffins oil-free just replace the oil with more applesauce 1:1 in volume. Do keep in mind, this does make muffins a bit denser, but it still works great!

What cocoa powder works best in chocolate muffins?

It's important to use regular cocoa powder in this recipe as it is needed to interact with the baking soda and provide the acidic component to lift the batter.

However, the brand of cocoa powder you use is up to you! Please do not use dutch-processed cocoa in this recipe.

How do I store double chocolate muffins?

The best part about this recipe is it creates the perfect amount of muffins to have every day of the workweek! Well, at least for one person :).

Double Chocolate Muffins will keep at room temperature in a closed container or wrapped in tin foil on a counter for 2-3 days.

They can also also be stored in a closed container in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you do refrigerate them, they are best after being warmed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If frozen, let defrost on the counter and either eat at room temperature or reheat in the microwave until warm.

I truly hope you love these Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins! I am obsessed with how moist they are because of the secret ingredient of applesauce and they have the perfect amount of sweetness with a rich chocolate flavor. Enjoy!

More vegan chocolate dessert recipes you will love:

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Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins

Moist, dairy-free, & DELICIOUS Double Chocolate Muffins! The secret ingredient to these perfectly sweet muffins? Applesauce!

4.74 from 23 votes

Print Pin

Course: Breakfast + Brunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

Servings: 5 muffins

Author: Megan Horowitch

Ingredients 

US Customary - Metric

• ▢ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅓ cup oat milk or any plant-based milk
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil or any liquid oil
• ▢ ¼ cup organic white sugar
• ▢ 2 Tablespoons dark brown sugar light brown sugar also okay
• ▢ ¼ cup applesauce
• ▢ ¼- ½ cup vegan chocolate chips use more if you want!

Instructions

• Begin my sifting the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl including the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside for later.
• In a separate mixing bowl add in the oat milk, olive oil, white sugar, brown sugar, and applesauce. Gently mix together to combine. Then, add in the sifted dry ingredients and mix together just until any large streaks of flour are gone. DO NOT overmix.
• Lastly, add in the chocolate chips and fold them in with a spatula or very gently mix them in. I like to set aside a few chocolate chips to put on top of my batter, but that is optional.
• Fill a muffin pan with 4-5 cupcake liners and fill them to the very top with batter. Sprinkle on any chocolate chips you set aside at this time. Then, let the muffin batter rest for 30 minutes- 1 hour before baking. While letting the batter rest isn't 100% necessary, it will allow the batter to rise more and lead to more "bakery-style" muffins. If you want to skip this the muffins will still taste great.
• Towards the end of letting the batter rest, preheat the oven to 375F. Then, add the muffins to the oven and bake for 16-18 minutes until cooked through. Try not to open the oven door to check on the muffins or they may deflate and just check them with an oven light.
• Remove and serve warm!

Notes

• To make refined sugar free coconut sugar can be subbed for the sugar 1:1. It will lead to less sweet muffins, but still tastes great.
• Muffins will keep at room temperature in a closed container or wrapped in tin foil on a counter for 2-3 days.
• They can also also be stored in a closed container in the fridge up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 1 month. If you do refrigerate them, they are best after being warmed in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If frozen, let defrost on the counter and either eat at room temperature or reheat in the microwave until warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 377kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 4mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @shortgirltallorder or tag #sgtoeats!