Fluffy, tender, and just sweet enough, these easy Chocolate Muffins are a favorite breakfast and snack to share with the kids. Bonus: They bake up in less than 20 minutes and store so well!
We’ve long made our Chocolate Protein Muffins, Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins, and Chocolate Banana Muffins, but I had a craving for a straight-up Chocolate Muffin…so here we are.
This Chocolate Muffin recipe, which is the chocolate version of my popular Yogurt Muffins, is both easy to make and super delicious.
They’re great on their own served warm or cold and pair nicely with diced berries or banana as an easy meal or snack.
Why this Recipe Works
We love these healthy muffins for their chocolate flavor but also because they are satisfying with lower added sugars and the inclusion of yogurt and eggs for protein.
Table of Contents
Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this muffin recipe, including dry ingredients and wet ingredients.
- Whole-milk plain yogurt: Full fat yogurt is best if possible. This helps the muffins be super moist and super tender.
- Eggs: Large eggs help the muffins cook through and stay moist. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for the egg-free options.
- Vanilla extract: Adding vanilla extract balances the flavor of the cocoa powder nicely.
- Maple syrup: Or you can use honey for kids over age 1 or sugar to save a little money on groceries.
- Unsalted butter: This needs to be melted and cooled, slightly so we can stir it into the batter. I prefer unsalted butter so I can decide how much salt to add.
- All-purpose flour: This helps the muffins stay tender and light.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder: I typically use SACO, Hershey’s Special Dark, or Trader Joe’s brand.
- Baking powder and baking soda: A combination of these helps the muffins rise nicely and bake through properly.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: You can use full size or mini chocolate chips. You could even use chocolate chunks. We stir these into the batter for extra chocolate flavor to make double chocolate muffins. (You can also use berries or diced fruit instead if you prefer.)
Featured Review⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I make these Muffins in 2 big batches at least twice a month and half get eaten before I can freeze. The egg free version is definitely a staple in my house.” Taira
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at how to make this Chocolate Muffin recipe so you know what to expect. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe, including the amounts and timing.
Step 1. Stir together the yogurt, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla in a large bowl.
Step 2. Add dry ingredients to a medium bowl. Gently stir or whisk the mixture together.
Step 3. Divide batter among the muffin tin. Add chocolate chips on top if desired.
Step 4. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool fully.
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Frequently Asked Questions
My muffins typically do not have enough fat to easily come off of paper liners. I prefer a nonstick pan and nonstick spray or parchment paper liners.
You can omit the chocolate chips and trade in 1 cup of diced strawberries or bananas, or blueberries, to add more flavor in place of it if you prefer.
Follow the recipe and simply reduce the baking time to about 12 minutes.
How to Store
Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge (they firm up a bit when they’re cold so warming slightly returns them to their softer texture).
You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15-second increments in the microwave.
Best Tips for Success
- I prefer dutch process cocoa powder from brands including SACO, Hershey’s Special Dark, and Trader Joes.
- Coat nonstick pans with nonstick spray (I use classic Pam) to ensure they don’t stick.
- If your kids love chocolate as much as mine do, you might also like my Chocolate Covered Bananas, Chocolate Snack Cake, Chocolate Chia Pudding, Chocolate Pancakes, or my Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes.
I’d love to hear your feedback on this post, so please rate and comment below!
Fluffy Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (sifted if at all lumpy)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (or honey for kids over age 1)
- 2 eggs (large)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled, slightly)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chocolate chips (I prefer mini or to chop up full-size to evenly distribute the chocolate)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the yogurt, maple syrup, eggs, butter, and vanilla.
- Gently stir or whisk together.
- Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin, using a heaping ¼ cup batter in each cup.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Remove from oven, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool fully.
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge (they firm up a bit when they’re cold so warming slightly returns them to their softer texture).
- You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15-second increments in the microwave.
- To make as mini muffins, divide batter in a greased 24-cup mini muffin pan and bake for 12-14 minutes.
- Dairy-free: Use a nondairy Greek-style yogurt, like the plant-based options from Siggi’s, and a neutral oil, like canola, in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flours.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Reduce the yogurt to ¾ cup. Add ¼ cup additional milk. Proceed with the recipe.
- Feel free to replace the chocolate chips with diced berries or other fruit, or to increase the amount of chocolate chips to 1 cup. Up to you!
Nutrition
This post was first published October 2022.
Can I use 0% Greek yogurt in this recipe??
Sure
my almost 3 year old loves these! he calls them birthday cake ha ha. I’m glad he can get some chocolate without being loaded in sugar. do you think they would work in a waffle iron?
I ended up making half the recipe to try it in the waffl iron. They came out great! beautifully moist and soft.
Another great recipe! I used 1/4 cup sugar in place of the maple syrup and the dough was a touch dry so I added a splash of milk (maybe 2Tbsp) to get the consistency of your other yogurt mini muffin recipes. It made 34 mini muffins for me. They came out perfect and fluffy and delicious!
Amazing recipe. My whole family lives these. Especially my husband. We enjoy them as mini muffins. I easily made them vegan when breastfeeding and avoiding dairy for my daughter’s sensitivities. This is a staple!
Can we substitute flour to almond flour ??
No, almond flour is not a good 1:1 substitute for wheat flour. You can use an all purpose gluten-free flour though.
These came out lovely. Wonderfully balanced and soft in both flavor and texture with a gentle chocolate aroma and subtle sweetness. They’re fluffy without being too airy and moist without being too dense. I wouldn’t say they’re indulgent, so don’t skip on the chocolate chips unless you and/or your littles don’t have much of a sweet tooth and want a very light snack 😉
We usually have plain low fat Greek yogurt in the house. Could I use that instead?
Sure
These were a total hit for a 4yo old that used to eat everything, a super picky mom, and a GF dad. I subbed King Arthur’s 1:1 GF flour, and you’d never know! They were delicious and didn’t last 2 days in our house. Yum! There’s been a request to have these weekly. Thank you for this yumminess!
These are so so tasty and quick to put together. I used King Arthur 1:1 gluten free flour, and has some extra ripe bananas waiting to be used so swapped those for the yogurt (per Amy’s recommendation on IG) and they turned out perfect. Will make these regularly!
Another 5 star special! I make this to recipe, but just halve the choc chips (it feels a tad too much otherwise). Also when it’s a tight week I halve the amount of maple with sugar… Because cost of living 😂 but also when I can make it full maple syrup you don’t taste it. Which is wild to me! Great recipe. Thanks, Boss Amy
These were a big hit this week. To get a nice muffin top, I preheat the oven to 450 and drop to 375 when I put in the muffins.
This is one of our favorite recipes! It turns out perfect every time and is always so light and fluffy. This time we used peanut butter chips and baked in a 9×9 to make “cake”!
These muffins were enjoyed by myself, my husband, and my 4-year-old. Highly recommend as they are so easy, made with pantry staples, and are delicious. I like to use muffin liners in my muffin tins but know that these types of muffins tend to stick to the liners so I sprayed my liners with nonstick spray and that worked like a charm.
Loved these! Subbed for gluten free flour and used mini choc chips. Super fluffy and moist, tasted like Costco muffin but better! Most importantly my two girls (3 & 1) ate them which means it’s a success ☺️
Do you think whole wheat flour would work ok?
I would reduce the amount to 1 1/4 cup if using whole wheat flour (and you may get one less muffin)