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Why You’ll Love Hidden Veggie Chocolate Muffins
I love creating recipes with hidden veggies, like my hidden veggie pasta sauce, hidden veggie mac and cheese, and even these eggless pancakes with a hidden veggie option — my kids love them, and I love knowing they’re getting a little more goodness.
These hidden veggie chocolate muffins are a go-to in our house because they taste just like classic chocolate muffins, not “healthy” ones, making them an easy win at breakfast with zero pushback.
They’re the kind of muffins you can bake once and feel good about all week – perfect for busy mornings, lunchboxes, and even the freezer. And if you’ve tried hidden veggie muffins before that turned out dense or oddly textured, this blending method delivers soft, moist results every time!
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Banana: Adds natural sweetness and moisture; you’ll taste a mild banana note in the finished muffins. If you don’t like a slight banana taste, you can use sweet potato puree instead.
- Zucchini: Provides moisture and structure without adding flavor.
- Baby spinach: Boosts nutrients while staying completely undetectable.
- Egg: Binds the batter and supports structure. To make these egg-free, use 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 2½ tablespoons water).
- Milk: Helps loosen the batter for a soft crumb. Use dairy-free milk if needed.
- Butter: Adds richness and improves texture. Use melted coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Gluten-free all-purpose flour or regular all-purpose flour: Either works, depending on dietary needs, making these suitable as gluten-free double chocolate chip muffins when using gluten-free flour.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens without overpowering the chocolate.
- Cocoa powder: Creates a deep, chocolatey base.
- Baking soda: Provides lift.
- Sea salt: Balances sweetness.
- Chocolate chips: Folded into the batter and sprinkled on top, making this double chocolate chip muffins recipe extra rich and chocolate-forward.
If you like baking with sweet potatoes, you have to try my sweet potato muffins, which use a similar approach for moisture and structure.
How to Make These Hidden Veggie Chocolate Muffins
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. Add the banana, zucchini, spinach, egg, milk, butter or coconut oil, and vanilla extract to a high-powered blender. Blend until completely smooth.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt.
Step 3: Pour the blended wet mixture over the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
Step 4: Fold in the chocolate chips.
Step 5: Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups and add extra chocolate chips on top if desired.
Step 6: Bake for 23-26 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs. Cool for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Why Blending the Veggies Works
Blending the wet ingredients breaks down the zucchini and spinach completely, so they disappear into the batter instead of leaving shreds or pockets of moisture. This creates a smoother batter, more even baking, and muffins that stay soft instead of gummy.
Tips for Perfect Muffins
- For younger kids, adding a few extra chocolate chips on top helps make these feel extra special.
- Avoid overmixing the batter – it can lead to dense, chewy muffins. Stir just until everything comes together.
- You can taste a light banana flavor in these muffins. If you’re not a fan, replace the banana with ½ cup sweet potato purée, similar to what I use in my sweet potato brownies. The muffins stay just as moist with a more neutral flavor.
Recipe FAQs
My kids can’t! The zucchini and spinach are fully blended and completely masked by cocoa and chocolate.
No. Blending the wet ingredients takes care of excess moisture.
Yes. Replace the banana with ½ cup sweet potato purée.
Dense muffins are usually caused by overmixing the batter.
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If you make these hidden veggie chocolate muffins, please leave me a star rating and comment below! I love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Follow me on social media Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for even more delicious recipes!
Hidden Veggie Chocolate Muffins (Kid-Approved!)
Ingredients
- 1 banana, ripe with brown spots
- 1 zucchini, cut into 2 inch chunks
- 1 cup baby spinach, packed
- 1 egg, can sub with a flax egg
- 2 tbsp milk, or dairy free milk of your choice
- 2 tbsp butter, or coconut oil – melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup gluten free all-purpose flour, or regular all-purpose flour, if not gluten free
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, plus more to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and grease or line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Place banana, zucchini, spinach, egg, milk, butter, and vanilla extract in a high-powered blender and blend until smooth.1 banana, 1 zucchini, 1 cup baby spinach, 1 egg, 2 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and sea salt.1¼ cup gluten free all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp sea salt
- Pour the blended mixture over the flour mixture, and stir until just combined. Be careful not to overmix.
- Add chocolate chips and fold to combine.1/2 cup chocolate chips
- Divide the batter in the prepared muffin tin. Top with more chocolate chips, if you want. Bake for 23-26 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs.
- Cool for 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the muffin tin to a cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Avoid overmixing the batter – it can lead to dense, chewy muffins. Stir just until everything comes together.
- You can taste a light banana flavor in these muffins. If you’re not a fan, replace the banana with ½ cup sweet potato purée, similar to what I use in my sweet potato brownies. The muffins stay just as moist with a more neutral flavor.
- For younger kids, adding a few extra chocolate chips on top helps make these feel extra special.
Storage and Freezer Tips
- Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week. They stay soft and moist and are easy to grab on busy mornings.
- To freeze, let muffins cool completely, then freeze in a single layer before transferring to a freezer-safe container. They keep well for up to 3 months and thaw quickly at room temperature, making them perfect veggie chocolate muffins for meal prep.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
