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.
Love it. So moist and not too sweet. I forgot the chocolate chips but I think that ended up being better since I was a little worried giving my little one too much chocolate!
My son and I adore these muffins. I swapped King Arthur with whole wheat flour for the AP today with no issues. But I converted all the measurements to grams. I used a 1/2 cup measuring cup to start with the flour and could tell I would have had too much if I had just used 3 of them. Instead, I used 180 grams of flour. It’s also a much easier way to deal with ingredients like yogurt and maple syrup, too.
I thought I’d mention that for the few folks who said these came out too dry and dense!
If I added protein powder, do you know if I would need to alter amounts of other things?
I might add an extra splash of milk just to make sure they don’t turn out dry
Made these today, my son loved them!
Oof. These were a big flop for me.
Something must have been off but I used the recipe and followed the ingredients to a T. The batter was gummy and heavy and when they baked they were a gummy dense blob.
Usually love YTF recipes but this one and the pumpkin muffins super failed me this week.
Oh no, that’s unusual and I wish I know what went wrong!
This happened to me too! I’m wondering if it was over stiring. But I didn’t stir for too long, and very gently
Theses are soooo yummy as mini muffins. Just pop them in my mouth like popcorn lol! My son doesn’t really like muffins 🙄 he’s extremely picky though he loves making them with me! They were exactly what I was craving anyways. Thanks!
Wow! I love how forgiving this recipe is!! I’m a terrible baker and forgot to add the baking powder in (did remember all the other ingredients, thankfully). It still turned out perfectly. 5 stars. Definitely recommend
Adults and children approved. My youngest kept running his belly saying “yummy”.
In case these last more than a day – 15 seconds in our microwave warmed these up nicely.
Just made these with 1 cup 2% greek yogurt and they are a huge hit! I did add a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out because I used greek yogurt. The recipe made 37 mini muffins which probably won’t last the week between the toddler and the parents! YTF is always my go to when looking for a new muffin recipe, another hit for the books.
These fluffy chocolate muffins were a huge hit in our house! They were so yummy, and all three of my kids absolutely loved them. I sent them as school snacks this week, and they were a perfect treat. I made the full-size muffins this time, but I can’t wait to try mini muffins next! I also appreciated that the recipe made a manageable amount—just enough to last us through the week without any going to waste. This recipe is definitely going into our regular rotation!
Can I use this recipe to make a cake?
Sure! The timing will depend on the size of the pan you plan to use.
I made this with gluten free flour and it was great! Very nice balance of cocoa and a springy muffins. Love it!
Hi! Can I make these the day before a party?
Sure!
These are so delicious! No surprise since your stuff always is so good! My daughter has a dairy allergy so I used substitutes for all of the dairy things but still came out perfect! Thank you!
I’ve made these muffins countless times and they have become a family staple. I’ve even used it as cupcakes for a birthday! Perfect amount of sweetness. 20/10 would recommend!