Healthy double chocolate zucchini muffins for easy keto breakfast! Make a big batch of these dairy-free keto muffins for busy mornings.
And so we continue with the keto zucchini recipes. It’s that time of year again when zucchini plants goes crazy and it’s all I can do to find enough recipes to keep up.
Today we will use up some of this delicious low carb vegetable in a tasty and easy muffin recipe. Double chocolate keto muffins are a great way to start your day, and great for meal planning. They freeze like a dream and appeal to all ages.
Well of course they appeal to everyone, silly. Who doesn’t want to eat chocolate for breakfast?
Why this recipe is so awesome
Reader Reviews
“These are by far the best keto muffins I have ever had. so many keto muffins are dry or fall apart easily, these are firm and super moist. I made these to take to a quilt retreat where there will be loads of non-keto items, but these will do triple duty as breakfast, a snack or dessert!” — Bonnie B.
“These were amazing! Only trouble is, they’re TOO good – Be careful not to eat them all in one sitting 🙂” — Gail
“My son said he wouldn’t have guessed they were keto. My “anti-keto” husband has been eating them without complaint!! And my picky daughter packs one every day in her school lunch. I normally don’t like keto baked goods made with almond flour because of the texture, but the texture of these muffins is really good! I did process the dry ingredients together in my blender, just to make sure the almond flour was very finely ground. Another winner from Carolyn, my favorite keto food blogger!” — Becky
Ingredients needed:
- Zucchini: This is a wonderful recipe to use up some fresh zucchini. You can grate it with a box grater or a food processor.
- Almond flour: These are almond flour zucchini muffins and they won’t work with coconut flour. For a nut-free option, you can substitute with sunflower seed flour.
- Sweetener: I like Swerve Granular in these keto blueberry muffins but any sweetener should work. The consistency does not rely on using a particular brand or kind. But allulose will likely make the tops brown a little more quickly.
- Cocoa powder: I prefer Dutch process cocoa for its deeper chocolate flavor.
- Protein powder: Like many of my other keto cake recipes, I use unflavored whey protein to help it rise and be more fluffy. You can also use egg white protein powder or pea protein powder. Do not use collagen as it will make things gummy and hard to bake through.
- Cold coffee: Coffee enhances and deepens the chocolate flavor of baked goods, so I recommend it for these keto chocolate donuts. You can replace it with plain water if you prefer.
- Dark chocolate chips: You will need sugar-free chocolate chips for this recipe. I like to use ChocZero. You can also use homemade sugar-free chocolate chips.
- Kitchen staples: Eggs, vanilla extract, avocado oil, baking powder and salt.
Step-by-step directions
- Grate the zucchini and place in a sieve in the sink. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and toss to combine. Let drain 1 hour, then squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and the remaining salt.
- Stir in the eggs, oil and zucchini until well combined. Stir in the coffee or water, and stir until well mixed. If your batter is very thick, add a little more liquid, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a thick pourable consistency.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and ⅓ cup of the chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly among two muffin pans with 16 silicone or parchment paper liners. (If you do not have two muffin pans, you can do this in batches, or you can bake the remaining muffin batter in greased ramekins).
- Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins have risen and the tops are firm to the touch. Remove and let cool complete in the pan.
Expert tips
These delicious keto dairy-free muffins are super easy to make. Be sure to check out the video in the recipe card! Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Take the time to drain your zucchini very well. I show you in the video how much moisture I manage to squeeze out of mine. It’s a surprising amount!
- How much liquid you need to add to the recipe depends on a number of factors: your almond flour, your cocoa powder, and how well you managed to drain your zucchini. You want a batter that resembles cake batter.
- This recipe makes more than the standard 12 muffins. You may even get as many as 18 muffins. If you don’t have a second muffin tin, you can work in batches. Or you can put the batter into greased ramekins or mini loaf pans.
- Always save some keto chocolate chips for the tops of the muffins, as it makes them look more inviting. I used ChocZero for mine.
Baking with zucchini
Zucchini really is a wonderful addition to so many baked goods. Even if you don’t like zucchini on its own, chances are that you will enjoy it in muffins, cakes, and other treats.
You can see how I used it here in this Keto Lemon Blueberry Cake, as well as in some delicious Keto Zucchini Bread. It’s even delicious in these Zucchini Spice Waffles!
Because zucchini doesn’t have a strong flavor on its own, it lends itself well to being a “hidden” vegetable. It adds moisture and increases the nutrition of baked goods, but it doesn’t take over.
The best way to prep zucchini for baking is to grate it. You can do this in a food processor with a specialized blade, or you can simply grab a box cheese grater and do it by hand.
Zucchini also needs to be salted and drained, and then squeezed out. This helps to reduce the excess moisture so that your baked goods aren’t soggy. There’s no need rinse your zucchini after this, as the amount of salt is insufficient to make your cake or muffins salty.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! These keto muffins can easily be made ahead and stored in the fridge or the freezer. For the fridge, I recommend just using a large resealable container. They will keep for up to a week.
Absolutely! To freeze, place the keto muffins in a resealable container or in a large freezer bag. They can be frozen for 2 to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature. You can also warm them gently in the microwave.
This keto chocolate zucchini muffin recipe has 7.3g of carbs and 4.3g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.0g net carbs per muffin.
More delicious keto muffin recipes
- Keto Banana Muffins – Nut-Free!
- Keto Coffee Cake Muffins
- Keto Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Ricotta Muffins
- Maple Walnut Muffins
- Fresh Strawberry Muffins
Keto Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini (about 200g)
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
- 2 cups almond flour (use sunflower seed flour for nut-free)
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ cup egg white protein powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup avocado oil
- ¼ cup cold coffee or water (more if needed)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, sugar-free divided
Instructions
- Grate the zucchini and place in a sieve in the sink. Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and toss to combine. Let drain 1 hour, then squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
- Preheat the oven 350F and line two muffin pans with 16 silicone or parchment paper liners. (If you do not have two muffin pans, you can do this in batches, or you can bake the remaining muffin batter in greased ramekins).
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cocoa powder, protein powder, baking powder, and the remaining salt.
- Stir in the eggs, oil and zucchini until well combined. Stir in the coffee or water, and stir until well mixed. If your batter is very thick, add a little more liquid, one tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a thick pourable consistency.
- Stir in the vanilla extract and ⅓ cup of the chocolate chips. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, and sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the muffins have risen and the tops are firm to the touch. Remove and let cool complete in the pan.
Cheri Mello says
Thank You FOR Sharing ❗️ they Look GREAT And I DO Have Sugar free choc Chips 👍🏼♥️ Good Snack 😋THANKS 👍🏼G-d♥️Bless
Marla Baker says
do you peel the skin off the zucchini before you grate it?
Marla Henrichsen says
I have one metal muffin tin and one silicone muffin pan. I also have silicone muffin liners to put into the metal muffin tin. Because the base muffin tin is metal, would those bake at a different rate than the ones in an all silicone muffin tin? Just wondering, if this recipe makes more than 12 muffins, should I use both tins at once or will they bake unevenly? or would I be better off just using the metal tin with the silicone liners and just do two separate batches?
Michele D says
The muffins were so delicious and moist. I only had monkfruit so I used it. They made beautiful muffins. Worth grating all that zucchini!
Maggie says
I’ve been craving chocolate lately. I decided to try these muffins and they didn’t disappoint! They are so moist and delicious. I added coffee as you suggested in your video and it really does enhance the chocolate flavor! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Marla says
can u taste coffee flavor?
June Spadafora says
can I use whey protein powder to replace the egg white protein powder?
Carolyn says
Yep, that works!
Becky says
My son said he wouldn’t have guessed they were keto. My “anti-keto” husband has been eating them without complaint!! And my picky daughter packs one every day in her school lunch. I normally don’t like keto baked goods made with almond flour because of the texture, but the texture of these muffins is really good! I did process the dry ingredients together in my blender, just to make sure the almond flour was very finely ground. Another winner from Carolyn, my favorite keto food blogger!
Carolyn says
Great to hear!
Julianne says
Excellent recipe. Followed as written. Great texture which is difficult for keto baked goods.
Barb says
English please.
200 mg is how many cups shredded
Carolyn says
200 grams is English. 🙂
Karen says
Hahahahah good one
Cheryl says
????????????????????
Brenda says
200g came out to 2 cups before draining
Bobbie says
Hi there m, what can I sub the egg white powder with? Can I use my vanilla or chocolate protein powder or a regular egg white? Thanks. ????
Brenda says
Hi, I was just wondering if there is a substitute for the egg white protein powder? I’d love to make these today, but if not I’ll have to wait a few days for Amazon.
Carolyn says
Whey protein powder works.
Carma says
Just what I needed to bring along on a kayak/ camping trip this weekend. I’m putting these babies in the fridge, not before I eat a warm one of course! I added some espresso powder and used the sugar free Russell Stover chocolate chips and chopped pecans. Soooo amazing! Thanks for all the great recipes that help me stay on a keto diet.
Kimberly says
I was worried because the batter was really soupy even though my zucchini was very dry. But the muffins turned out beautifully! Thanks for another terrific recipe!
Den says
Is there a low carb alternative to the zucchini? It doesn’t grow well in my area. Would carrots be too high in carbs?
Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you post for us!
Carolyn says
Carrots would be relatively high carb, yes. Try just skipping it and adding maybe another tablespoon of liquid?
Wendy says
Again, another fabulous muffin recipe! Will definitely make again..and again!
Thank you so much!
Susan says
These are really nice muffins. I made them with water and whey protein, and they came out perfect. I had exactly 200g of grated zucchini, but I think that after squeezing, the amount was more like one cup than 1.5 cups. That said, I came out with exactly 16 muffins. This is a definite keeper recipe.
Nini says
I rarely comment on recipes but this one is definitely a keeper! They are delicious, just made them and tried, my favorite muffins now. 🙂 Can’t wait for rest of the family to try them! I did substitute avocado oil with coconut oil and sweetener with monkfruit sweetener one and they turned out great!
Joyce says
The hardest part is the waiting for them to cool so we can eat them. They look and smell amazing. I need to get additional silicone liners as I only had twelve. So I over-filled these a bit and ended up with twelve. Too bad! Kidding! Could share, but what’s a few additional carbs, cause I don’t share well. This is the second zucchini recipe I have made this week. The lemon glazed cake was great. Thanks for another winner!
Rebecca says
I finally got around to making this, and LOVE it. I could not find any Lily’s chocolate chips in my stash, so I took a Lily’s dark chocolate bar with almonds, and chopped it lightly with my nut chopper. I didn’t use coffee, just water. Otherwise, I followed the recipe perfectly. One warning, I should have mixed it better, because toward the end of scooping in the batter, it had gotten pretty liquidy. Those muffins turned out a bit weird, separated, but still quite tasty. The others were nicely blended and sticky throughout.
Carolyn says
Good to know about the separating. It’s a big batch so yes, if not mixed well and thoroughly, you can get some weird batter at the bottom.
Mindy says
Does whey protein powder sub for the egg white protein powder?
Carolyn says
Yes, you can do that.
vanessa says
What oil do you recommend to substitute the avacado oil? I can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂
Carolyn says
Any oil works.