These gluten-free Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins are fluffy, tender, and made with wholesome ingredients! They're simple to prepare and so delicious. Great for breakfast, snacks, or a healthy dessert! (Vegan, gluten-free, refined oil-free.)
These marvelous muffins are fluffy, tender, and moist! They have a cake-like texture, and velvety chocolate chips in every bite.
Best of all, they're easy to prepare with wholesome ingredients. (No butter, eggs, dairy, refined oil, or refined sugar needed!) Instead, we naturally sweeten them with applesauce and pure maple syrup.
The result feels indulgent yet healthy. These chocolate-speckled treats are great for breakfast, energizing snacks, lunchboxes, or a healthier dessert. Let's get baking!
Ingredients for Chocolate Chip Muffins
For this recipe, you'll stir together in a bowl then bake in the oven:
- Dairy-free milk: I use homemade cashew milk, but soy milk, almond milk, oat milk, or other non-dairy milk will work.
- Pure maple syrup
- Applesauce: I use unsweetened, organic applesauce for this recipe.
- Almond butter: This helps add richness and body. I like almond butter best for its neutral flavor. But you can try substituting another nut or seed butter of choice. Just be aware this will alter the taste - especially peanut butter.
- Pure vanilla extract
- Apple cider vinegar: Or white vinegar. This brightens the flavor and also reacts with the baking soda to give the muffins a fluffy texture and lift. (The flavor bakes off and you won't be able to taste it.)
- Ground flax seed: Also called flaxseed meal. We'll whisk it with warm water to create a thickened "flax egg" which is a great egg replacement in baking dishes.
- Gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour: I use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour blend (in the blue bag). You could substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour if that's what you have on hand, but I prefer the texture with the 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Oat flour: Be sure to use certified gluten-free if needed. You'll also want to weigh the two flours with a kitchen scale if you can, because they can vary a lot by volume. (Find my precise measurements by gram in the "metric" tab in the recipe card.)
- Baking powder & baking soda: Be sure your baking powder is fresh and not expired for optimum effectiveness.
- Ground cinnamon: This adds just a touch of warmth, and enhances the chocolate flavor.
- Salt: I use fine grain salt.
- Mini vegan chocolate chips: Either dairy-free semisweet or dark chocolate chips work great. Carob chips can also be used for a caffeine-free alternative. I enjoy mini chocolate chips in this recipe, but regular-sized could work too. (To keep this recipe completely oil-free, ensure your chocolate chips don't contain oil.)
Customizing
Spices: Feel free to include a pinch of nutmeg to the mixture if desired. A very tiny splash of almond extract can be added to the wet ingredients batter as well. Just be careful as this can quickly overpower the flavors.
Muffin size: These are small/medium muffins. I use a standard sized muffin tin which yields a dozen. But you could try this recipe with mini muffins as well. Just be sure to adjust the baking time as needed.
Storing
Let your muffins cool completely for at least an hour before enjoying or storing. (The texture will be very soft when they come out of the oven, but gradually firm up as they cool.) Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 2 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days. (I like the texture better when they're stored at room temperature.)
Freezing: These freeze great. Just be sure they're fully cooled before storing in a freezer-safe container. Then freeze for 1-2 months. When ready to enjoy, I thaw them overnight in the fridge. Enjoy as is, or reheat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds.
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan breakfast recipes.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins (Gluten-Free!)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 3 Tbsp. dairy-free milk
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup almond butter, drippy
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. ground flax + 1/3 cup water
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour*
- 1/2 cup oat flour (GF if needed)
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Stir in:
- 1/2 cup vegan mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Flax egg: Make a flax egg by stirring together the 2 Tbsp. ground flax and 1/3 cup warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for 5-8 minutes to thicken. I give it another stir halfway through. (If using cool water, it takes about 15 minutes to gel, and hot water takes about 2-3 minutes.)
- Wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add all wet ingredients. Whisk to combine. Add the thickened flax egg and whisk again.
- Dry ingredients & rest: Add all dry ingredients to a separate bowl and stir to combine. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir with a spatula until just combined and no dry pockets remain. (Try to avoid over-mixing; the batter should be thick and lumpy.) Set aside and let the batter rest for 10-15 minutes. This allows the oat flour to absorb moisture which creates a softer, less-crumbly texture.
- Oven: While the batter rests, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with parchment baking liners.
- Chocolate chips & transfer: After the batter rests, gently fold in the mini chocolate chips with a spatula. Then portion the batter evenly throughout the lined cavities. (I use an ice cream scoop with thumb press for easy transferring.) The muffins are smaller in size, so you won't need to completely fill each cavity. Add a sprinkle of additional chocolate chips to the tops if desired.
- Bake: Place in oven and bake for about 21-23 minutes (or until the tops are lightly golden and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbles).
- Cool: Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack and cool for about 60-90 minutes. (This is an important step because they're very soft when hot, but firm up as they cool. They also need to be completely cool before storing.)
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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Jennifer says
Hi Kaitlin! Just made these yesterday, and they are fantastic! We love the simple ingredients and the fact that they are oil-free and gluten-free. Your recipes are always so accessible, with no over-the-top fancy ingredients - just simple pantry staples that come together to make a healthy, guilt-free snack. Thanks so much!
Kaitlin says
So thrilled you enjoyed them, Jennifer! And I couldn't be happier to hear you find the recipes simple & accessible. That's exactly what I strive for, so I'm grateful it's translating for you. Thank you as always for sharing your thoughtful feedback!
Jennifer says
Do you suppose the chocolate chips could be swapped out for blueberries without altering anything else? Or is that recipe in the works? 😉
Kaitlin says
You read my mind! I was thinking about a blueberry muffin recipe with lemon & poppy seeds as well. (Although I also think blueberries could be swapped into this recipe as is, but haven't tested it yet.) Would love to hear if you give it a try!