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.
Fluffy, delicious and nutritious! Best part is that my non-food motivated 2 year old is obsessed with them. Big win!
Easy, quick and my grandson said, always make these muffins, okay.
He loved helping too! I added mashed banana because I didn’t have a full cup of yogurt and honey instead of maple syrup. Muffins turned out great in 16 minutes.
Hi Amy,
Was wondering…have you ever sub stituted the eggs in your baked goods with something else?
Couple of family members have an egg allergy.
Thanks and your recipes look very healthy/delicious!
Karen
Hi, there’s an egg-free version in the Notes at the end of the recipe. Hope that helps!
My children love these! All 6 of them!
So yummy and moist!
Hi, absolutely loved them! I would like to try it without cocoa powder, to make normal chocolate chips muffins – would that work too or do I need to use another recipe?? Thanks!!
Hi- You can try this recipe: https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/healthy-chocolate-chip-muffins/
My kids love your chocolate chip muffins but I was looking to add a little variety. I’ve made these a few times now. We make them mini muffin size and I’ve found reducing the flour to 1 1/4 cups yields a more preferable texture for my kids. I also bake them a minute less than the chocolate chip muffins since they have more flour in them and seem to cook faster.
Yum! Saw your little tweak on Instagram to blend spinach into the yoghurt and it’s turned out beautifully, no impact on the colour or texture.
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