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
I don’t have flax seed. Can I omit or use chia seeds instead?
Chia seeds should be fine, Erin.
My husband is allergic to bananas, is there a purpose for them as far as consistency or are they for sweetness? I was trying to think of a possible substitute, I really want to make these :0)
Thanks
Could I use a frozen banana, thawed?
That shouldn’t be a problem, Teri.
Just made these. So good! But I cant eat just one. Do you have a calorie count in them?
I don’t calculate the nutritional info in my recipes, Jennifer, but you can plug the ingredients into a calculator like this one to figure it out — http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
Ok so you can’t taste the zucchini but can taste the banana!? :/
Not really. The chocolate does a good job at overpowering all the other tastes.
I agree, you can’t taste the banana either. I ate a second one just to make sure. So good. Thinking about adding a little coconut or almond extract.
I LOVE how CAMO that zucchini is!!!
I love how much passion there is for your DISLIKE of squishy squash haha. I’ve always been embarrassed I’m not a huge fan of squash because everyone dies over the stuff. Your plan of shoving it into a chocolatey muffin sounds like a good one to me! 😉
i just made these and honestly i think it’d be more accurate to call them brownies 😮 they are so fudgey and amazing. i’m gonna try to make them again soon subbing the banana for yogurt so they have less of a banana flavor (i love banana but some of my friends don’t and I want them to try these!)
Hehe yeah they’re kind of somewhere in the middle as far as texture goes. But I’m glad you liked them, Katie!
Hi! How much yogurt would you use or did you use? I’m not a fan of bananas. Thank you!!!
1 banana is about 1/2 cup, so I’d probably go with that, Bethany.
I haven’t made zucchini anything in so long and have a few in my fridge just waiting to be used!!! I think I know where they are going 😉
trying these ASAP, yum!!
I actually love zucchini – zoodles, zucchini chips, in soups, in baked goods. These sound good – I’m sure my veggie hating husband will love them when I get around to baking them (maybe today, but then there was the muffin recipe with beets I was gonna try . . . ).
So much to bake, so little time, right? The struggle is real!
You definitely have inspired me to bake with some zucchini now.. I never have tried to before. These muffins look great!
I have never made a chocolate zucchini anything before! That will change this weekend? These look awesome!
YES. Way to go sneaking some cheeky greens in here even though your not a fan- I wonder if Peanut Butter might be next… 😉
😆 Can you imagine if I started baking with PB? Or accepting the review opportunities that companies send my way? 😉
The only way I eat zucchini is breaded and fried. Yummm!
So basically, now whenever I look at a zucchini all I’m going to be able to think is “squishy squash”. That’s hilarious.
As for veggie on my hit list: EGGPLANT. I loooooooooathe it. Chef-friend has promised me an eggplant parmesan that will change my mind, but I’m not getting my hopes up for that one.
That’s another one on my hit list! And I’ve tried it in parmesan and it didn’t sway me. But maybe Chef-friend has mad skillz.
Ummm I find great joy from not telling people when veggies are in my treats. Not even sorry. These look fantastic.
I am not a fan of radishes and lately I have lost interest in all sorts of peppers! Random…yes! These obviously look DELISH…Thanks for sharing friend and have a beautiful weekend! xoxo
That’s funny because I’ve just been getting back into peppers after giving them up for a while. We must have swapped 😛
This looks HEAVENLY!!! I’m a huge fan of zucchini – honestly, I go throug way to much (mostly in smoothies)! I am not a fan of tomatoes though. Never been ma thing! 😉
Don’t ever try to sneak beets into my food! I can’t think of another vegetable I dislike that much. Or well, most of the time. I had it as part of a salad at a restaurant once and was able to eat it. But anything else? No way. Still, I let another blogger convine me to try beet brownies once. Yeah … just don’t ask …
Zucchini in baked goods definitely works great – especially in chocolatey ones and your muffins are no exception (judging by looks only but I trust you). If Arman is the No-bake Boy you’re the Blender Muffin Girl 🙂 .
I’m glad you decided to give zucchini a second chance, especially because I plan to sneak it into everything when you’re in town. I kid, sort of. 😉
These muffins look stunning and I’m digging all the chocolate goodness. I can’t wait to get zucchini in my garden now.
If you do, just don’t tell me. Ignorance is bliss 😛
These look amazing. I have actually never tried baking a bread or muffins with zucchini. Nice way to sneak in a veggie!
I actually love zucchini! I eat then very very often however I haver had one for a few days now which is a long time for me. I can’t believe these muffins are compel flourless! I thought they’re made with oats like your other flourless recipes. It sounds really really good!
I can say I love all veggies. The one I never eat is radish only because it’s flavor is so BAM you barely taste anything else!! I love zucchini muffins and breads! SO SOFT AND SQUISHY! Now I’m salivating and wishing I had a zucchini. I’m not a huge fan of it raw, but it’s not tooooo bad. Did you ever have it sautéed?!
Confession: I’ve actually never eaten a radish. Which is crazy considering that both of my parents love them. And I’m not sure about the sautéed zucchini… I’m going to go with no because of how much I usually avoid them.
Have you tried cooking radishes? I find the raw flavor seriously overpowering as well, but roasting/sauteeing/grilling/boiling/etc. completely breaks down that stroooong flavor and leaves you with a beautiful, mild one – definitely worth a try!
try roasting radishes with a pan of other root vegetables. the taste is wonderful when roasted!
i was literally just thinking about what i wanted to make with the 2 zucchini in my fridge and this. is. it.
thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ll excuse your dislike for zucchini if you excuse mine for cantaloupe, deal? 😉
I love any recipe that sneaks veggies in, especially when it’s in the form of a chocolate muffin!! Pinned! Oh, and happy weekend! xo
Can’t wait to make these. Is it 1 cup of zucchini pre or post squeeze?
Thanks for a delicious looking recipe that’s paleo friendly.
Mine was a cup pre-squeeze, Sue. But it’s really just a rough estimate with the zucchini, so you don’t have to worry about being too exact with it.
Definitely going to make these! I like sneaking foods in my baked goods and I have yet to bake with zucchini. I don’t love zucchini unless its grilled really nice by someone else lol. It’s pretty good in zucchini marinara too but sometimes, I really dislike the vegetable.
It’s a sad sad fact, but I just cannot eat tomatoes, they’re just too acidic for me. Eggplant and mushrooms are also a no go. I can’t handle them. It’s a texture thing. Sometimes I put protein powder into my baked goods and just never end up telling anyone. If they can’t taste it and it’s good for them, why not! Same with substituting apple sauce for oil. : ) I can’t wait to make these now that I have a blender that can handle this recipe !! Thanks so much for sharing! Hope you have a fabulous day!
I can have issues with tomatoes sometimes too, especially in things like salsas and sauces… which sucks because I really do love them 🙁
I have been trying to find a way to make my own zucchini muffins that taste like chocolate since I tried the Garden Lites version…and these seem like they’ll be AH-MAZING!
This looks really good. My mom makes a mean chocolate zucchini bread. We used to enjoy it as kids. I haven’t had it in years though!
YUM! You can’t even tell there is zucchini in there girl!
Whooboy I did not see this one coming! Say what *jaw hanging* ? You’ve turned rogue on us. Actually I kid…that was my first thought however. And then I read on…do you have any idea how positively persuasive you are? Because I completely hundred percent believe you 😀 .
Lol right?!? I’m definitely not one to gravitate towards throwing zucchini into things, but it’s amazing how much having a food blog will force you to expand your horizons…
Amanda – WOW – just Wow! These look fabulous – and they are flourless???? Dang!
I hate to say this, but I adore all veggies – but, not everyone does, so that’s why I am a huge fan of sneaking veggies into treats – that’s why I sneak beets into brownies, cookies, cakes… 😉
Oh, btw, I sent you an email – I hope you don’t mind me “beetifying” your banana bread recipe? With links back to your original?
I don’t mins, Shashi! You’re definitely the queen of sneaking in the beets 😀
Love your muffin recipes! I make them for my 3 year old all the time and he loves them. Can’t wait for him to try these.
Aww I’m glad your little guy loves them, Teresa!
Your confession is way too timely because Adam just admitted the same thing to me the other night, I guess the zucchini “fries” came out a bit too soggy and he just couldn’t take it anymore 🙂 Zucchini is not my favorite but it’s good once in a while, I do think it’s better for baking than by itself! These look too good!
ha! been there. slimy zucchini and squash is never fun. But thank goodness for this recipe, now we can eat our squash with chocolate! or vice versa really. LOL!
I have recently gone GF DF and LOVE my double chocolate zucchini muffin recipe (which I can no longer eat!) These muffins look delicious. I can’t wait to try them. Side note* The key to baking zucchini fries (and other zucchini recipes) is to salt them first and let them sit upside down on some paper towels for about an hour before coating them in crumbs (or flour). They won’t be quite as crispy as “fried”, but definitely not soggy.
These look SO good!! I love zucchini, I love chocolate.. win-win in my book.
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is exactly what I’ve been looking for. If I don’t have something baked and chocolate with my coffee in the morning, I spend the day overeating, looking for that, and I was gaining weight from the gluten free oat flour banana muffins I’ve been making. This has no grains, which is perfect because I try to limit phytic acid, and aside from the fructose in the honey and the sugar in the chocolate chips, it’s a very healthy recipe. Yesterday I used honey and today I used maple syrup and they both turned out well (I think I preferred the maple syrup version). Today I also added two pretty generous scoops (over 1 tbsp each) of pea protein powder, which I find works well in baked goods and does not leave a weird taste. I’m going to keep doing that as it helps with the moisture and adds protein. And you’re right, the secret is to let them cool off, they are so much better cool. I think you could also bake this in a pan and call it cake or even brownies, depending on your need: )
I’m trying to click on 5 stars but only 2 stars are showing, if my rating ends up with 2 stars, that is incorrect. This is an awesome recipe!
It did post with 2 stars ~ if you’d like me to redo my reply, please let me know how. This is 5 stars, seriously!
I made these a third time. I didn’t have quite enough zucchini so I added a grated (peeled) apple as well as the banana. They didn’t look as perfect as they did yesterday and I should have left them in for 30 minutes rather than 25, but they were still very good. I again added 2 scoops (maybe about 4 level tbsp of pea protein powder and could probably up it a little more. I’ve used Now pea protein and Source Naturals in baking and they’re both great.
I also forgot to mention I have been using natural peanut butter rather than almond butter.
I’m going to try your pumpkin muffins soon. This recipe is awesome! Thank you so much.
Made these a fourth time to console myself after the devastating election results. I used more zucchini, a medium banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, oh and I’ve been adding a pinch of salt. I actually forgot the pea protein powder and they were awesome. I kind of eyeball everything rather than measuring and today they turned out the best of all, even warm.
I’m just so pleased to have found a recipe that works with absolutely no flour or grains of any kind.
And as a Canadian, I extend my condolences to your country on this very sad day.
Thank you so much for sharing your review and substitutions, Marilyn! I’m so glad you like the muffins and that you found something that woks well for your dietary needs 🙂
Can you taste the peanut butter at all?
I tried it with a scoop of peanut butter on top flax seed and instead of banana I had gluten free flour. Best thing ever
Can you taste the peanut butter at all?