These one-bowl vegan chocolate muffins taste like dessert but are wholesome enough for breakfast! They’re moist, fudgy, ultra-chocolatey, gluten-free, oil-free, and optionally refined sugar-free!
Transforming empty-calorie treats into more wholesome versions is kind of an obsession of mine (like my vegan zucchini brownies, healthy chocolate mousse, and no-bake cinnamon rolls). So, when you’re craving vegan chocolate muffins that are decadently chocolatey, rich, moist, and fudgy yet healthier than traditional muffins, look no further!
Made with oat flour, applesauce, nut/seed butter, cocoa, and unrefined sugar, these one-bowl double chocolate vegan muffins are naturally gluten-free, oil-free, egg-free, dairy-free, and optionally refined sugar-free, with a moist, brownie-like texture I adore. They’re also easy, customizable, meal-prep and freezer-friendly, and kid-approved—perfect for breakfast, lunchboxes, snacks, or dessert.
Want more vegan and gluten-free muffins? Try my chocolate chip sweet potato muffins, healthy carrot muffins, or vegan banana chocolate chip muffins.
The Ingredients
The Dry Ingredients
- Oat flour: Gluten-free certified if necessary. Buy it or make it yourself (see FAQs). Buckwheat or millet flour also works (spelt/ all-purpose flour if not gluten-free).
- Sugar: I used unrefined coconut sugar, though brown sugar, white sugar, date sugar, or sugar-free erythritol all work, though. I also tried maple syrup which works as well. Adjust the amount accordingly.
- Cocoa powder: Use high-quality, unsweetened cocoa powder for a rich chocolatey flavor.
- Leavening agents: Baking powder and baking soda are combined to provide lift for fluffier vegan gluten-free chocolate muffins.
- Salt: This enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Dairy-free chocolate chips: Use your favorite chocolate chips/chunks (semi-sweet or bittersweet, regular or sugar-free).
The Wet Ingredients
- Dairy-free milk: I used almond milk, though any should work. High protein/fat options like soy milk or canned coconut milk yield the moistest, richest dairy-free chocolate muffins.
- Unsweetened applesauce: To bind and add moisture for fudgier egg-free chocolate muffins. Mashed overripe banana works, too, but has a stronger flavor.
- Nut butter: To replace oil, adding moisture, richness, and fats in these healthy vegan chocolate muffins. Use almond, cashew, or peanut butter, or nut-free sunflower seed butter/ tahini. Alternatively, 1/8-1/4 cup neutral oil will work.
- Apple cider vinegar: To activate the baking soda. White vinegar/ Lemon juice work, too.
- Vanilla extract: (or vanilla paste) Use natural vanilla for the best flavor.
Please read the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, measurements, complete recipe method, and nutritional information.
Recipe Variations
- Espresso/coffee powder: Add 1–2 tsp to enhance the chocolate flavor. More makes mocha muffins.
- Stuffed muffins: Add a chocolate square to the middle of each for a molten center.
- Spices: Like cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder/cayenne, etc.
- Orange zest: For subtle citrus flavor and brightness.
- Berries: Add ½ cup fresh/frozen raspberries, cherries, or chopped strawberries.
- Nuts: Add raw or toasted, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, etc.
How To Make Vegan Chocolate Muffins?
- First, preheat the oven to 360°F/180°C and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- Whisk the dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) in a large bowl.
- Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups (or make 6 muffins and save two muffins’ worth of batter for a mug cake to bake alongside them).
- Bake for 24-27 minutes, or until the tops crack, and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean (moist crumbs/ slight stickiness is fine).
- Let the vegan double chocolate muffins cool and enjoy!
Storage Instructions
Store: Store the fully cooled chocolate oat flour muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Flash-freeze until solid, then transfer to a Ziplock bag for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for several hours at room temperature, or use the microwave’s defrost function.
FAQs
Can I use Dutch-processed cocoa powder?
Yes, it works fine.
Can I make oat flour?
Yes! Process rolled oats in a high-speed blender or spice/coffee grinder into a fine flour. Sift it and weigh it after grinding.
Why are my chocolate oat flour muffins gummy?
Too much liquid/applesauce, underbaking, or cutting them while hot can make them gummy.
Can I make mini vegan chocolate muffins with the batter?
Sure! Divide the batter into mini muffin pans and bake the mini dairy-free chocolate muffins for 12-15 minutes.
Recipe Notes
- Measure the flour properly: I recommend measuring all the ingredients in grams. However, if you’re using cup measurements, fluff the flour in its bag, spoon it into the cup, then level it with the back of a knife to avoid dense, dry muffins.
- Use fine oat flour: Coarse oat flour makes grainier, more crumbly muffins.
- Adjust sweetness: I use ⅓ cup coconut sugar for mildly sweet muffins or ½ cup for sweeter results. Adjust according to the sweetener used.
- Leave to cool: They’re delicate (and likely to stick to the liners) hot from the oven.
- Yield: This recipe yields 7-8 muffins or 6 muffins and one mug cake.
Delicious Vegan Chocolate Recipes
- Vegan chocolate lava cake
- Avocado chocolate cake
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Sweet Potato Brownies
- Chocolate banana bread
- Vegan peanut butter chocolate cake
- Vegan chocolate mug cake
If you try this easy gluten-free vegan chocolate muffins recipe, I’d love a comment and ★★★★★ recipe rating below. Also, please don’t forget to tag me in recreations on Instagram or Facebook with @elavegan #elavegan—I love seeing them.
Vegan Chocolate Muffins
Video
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 ⅓ cup (120 g) oat flour gluten-free if needed (see notes)
- ⅓ to ½ cup (70-100 g) coconut sugar (see notes)
- ½ cup (50 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ cup (90 g) chocolate chips (dairy-free) + more for the top
Wet ingredients:
- ¾ cup (180 ml) almond milk
- ⅔ cup (160 g) applesauce unsweetened (see notes)
- ¼ cup (65 g) nut butter (see notes)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- I recommend measuring the ingredients in grams using a kitchen scale. You can watch the video for visual instructions.
- Line a muffin pan with paper liners (or grease the pan) and preheat oven to 360 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
- Add all dry ingredients (except the chocolate chips) to a large mixing bowl and stir with a whisk.
- Now add the wet ingredients and stir to combine. You can also use a hand mixer.
- Finally, stir in the vegan chocolate chips.
- Divide the batter among the wells of the muffin pan. I had enough batter to make 8 muffins.
- Bake for 24 to 27 minutes or until you spot cracks on top of the muffins. I also recommend making a toothpick test. Insert the toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out almost clean (it's ok if the toothpick is crumbly/slightly sticky but it shouldn't come out wet).
- Let the muffins cool and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Oat flour: If you don't have oat flour, simply process oats (regular or certified gluten-free oats) in a blender or electric spice/coffee grinder.
- Other flours: Buckwheat flour or millet flour works too. You can use regular all-purpose flour or spelt flour if you aren’t gluten-free.
- Sweetener: Any granulated sweetener can be used. Some examples are coconut sugar, Erythritol, regular sugar, or date sugar. I used 1/3 cup, however, if you have a sweet tooth, I recommend using 1/2 cup.
- Applesauce: You can use mashed banana instead.
- Nut butter: You can use almond butter, cashew butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free version. If you don't have nut butter, you could use oil instead. Please note that I never made this recipe with oil, however, I would suggest about 1/8 to 1/4 of a cup (please report back if you give it a try).
- Recipe makes 7-8 muffins (depending on muffin size). Nutrition facts are for one muffin.
- Do you want to make cupcakes? Try out this sweet potato frosting!
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
„Simple and Delicious Vegan“ Cookbook by ElaVeganCLICK HERE to order!If you are using Pinterest, feel free to pin the following photo:
Thank you so much! These are absolutely delicious!
I am so glad you love them! 🙂
Thank you so much ! They are absolutely delicious!
I love this recipe and have made it again and again with flour made from whole oat groats! It’s perfect with chocolate chips, but for a healthier alternative during cold and flu season I used cacao nibs
and dried cherries instead. Thank you! 😊
That sounds amazing, Janaea! 😍
Using flour from whole oat groats is such a great idea, and the cacao nibs + dried cherries combo sounds perfect — cozy and nutritious! Thanks so much for sharing your variation, love it! 💛
Super easy and delicious,
So happy you enjoyed it! 😊 Thanks for the lovely feedback! 💛
Absolutely the best chocolate muffins I have ever made! I followed the recipe and any substitutions I used came from the Notes. So so good! The only downside was that I used cheap liners so some of the muffin sticks to the paper. They are so good that my family was literally eating the liner to savor every last bite 😉
Haha, that’s the best kind of problem to have! I’m so glad you and your family loved them — sounds like they didn’t let a single crumb go to waste! 😀
These are fantastic!
Where do I find storage info in your recipes? This is the 2nd one I’ve used where I can’t find it.
Hi Joelene, you can find the “how to store” section in the blog post. I will again copy and paste it for you:
these are the absolut best chocolate muffins in the world. my whole family loves them. so easy to make and with ingredients that I always have at home. I love them sooooo much. thank you for this outstanding recipe. I always use bananas cause I dont have apple sauce, works perfect.
Ahh, thank you so much for your lovely comment, Salome! 🥹❤️ I’m so happy to hear that you and your family love the muffins, that truly makes my day! And yes, mashed banana is such a perfect swap for applesauce! Thanks again for the sweet feedback! 🙂
Easy to make, delicious and healthy ingredients, what more can you ask for?!
Hi Christine, so glad you liked the muffins! Thanks for the lovely feedback 💛
I really enjoyed making these! I think next time I will add maybe a little maple syrup? My kids wanted it to be a bit sweeter (but I loved them as they are). Thank you for this! Will definitely make these again.
So glad you enjoyed them, Josephine! A touch of maple syrup sounds like a lovely idea — it’s great when you can adjust to suit everyone’s tastes. Thanks for the kind words, and I’m happy you’ll be making them again! 🙂
Hi! If I dont want them vegan, Can I add eggs? if so, could you please let me know how many? Thank you!
Hi, since I am vegan, I don’t bake with eggs, so I can only guess… 2-3 should probably work.
Why would you want to? Vegan or not, these are soooooo delicious!
I was wondering the same, why add eggs to a vegan recipe 😂 these are the most indulgent muffins ever. Don’t ruin them by adding eggs!
Haha, exactly! 😂 These muffins are perfectly rich and indulgent just as they are—no eggs needed! So glad you loved them! 💕
Mais uma de suas receitas incríveis!! Muito obrigada por compartilhar!!
Amei!!
Muito obrigada! Fico muito feliz que tenha gostado! 💕
Easy to make and delicious!
Hey Sylvie, I am glad you liked the muffins. Thanks for your comment. 🙂
These are really good!
Hi Erin, I am so glad you like them! Thank you very much for your feedback. 🙂
I just made these twice and I love them! I did use a kitchen scale to measure in grams as I am from the states. I made several substitutions and they turned out great: mashed banana instead of applesauce, lemon juice instead of vinegar, and 1/4 cup chocolate flavored olive oil instead of nut butter. I baked them a little bit longer, for 29 minutes, and I made 12 regular sizes muffins. This is one of several recipes of yours that I have used.
I am so glad they turned out yummy! Thanks for your feedback, Gini. 🙂
Hi Eva, I measured with my kitchen scale all ingredients. After 27 min the toothpick came completely wet. I added 5 min the toothpick came completely wet, then 5 more and 5 more and 5 more. In total 25 min more. What can be the reason for that?
I baked your carrot muffins. I love them, however I had to add around 10 more min.as well. I am baking in convection oven and I always reduce the temperature to 25 degree.
Please any suggestions?
These are delicious! I pressed some walnuts into the top and sprinkled the top with some unsweetened cocoa nibs. I used granulated maple sugar instead of coconut. They are decadent and definitely satisfying a chocolate craving
Hi, ii I am making them with regular all purpose flour,should I keep thé mesure of 120g because 1 1/3 cour of regular flour is more than 120g?
Thanks you!
Yes, please use 120 grams of AP flour.
Hi 👋. I made these with buckwheat flour and they are yummy and they freeze well. Thank you for a great gluten free recipe.
Hi! Can I use only millet flour for this recipe? Or should I mix it with oat flour?
Thanks 🙂
Hey, millet flour works. 🙂
Excellent. My batch made 8 which I had hoped to eat over a few days but my kids ate them all in one sitting!
Would chickpea flour (Besan) work for this recipe?
I never tried it, but it might work. The texture could be different, though.