Vegan Chocolate Muffins

This post may feature affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Vegan chocolate muffins are a rich, indulgent, and completely guilt-free dessert! Made with wholesome ingredients and refined sugar-free sweeteners, this recipe is healthy, 100% plant-based, and delicious. Serve them warm with toppings like vegan butter or fresh berries for the perfect treat.

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

• Easy: There is no need to be afraid of vegan baking! This recipe is so simple to put together, especially if it’s your first time utilizing plant-based replacements. 
• Affordable: Vegan cocoa muffins are budget-friendly and incorporate simple-to-find ingredients. Most of them you probably have in your pantry.
• Versatile: Make substitutions to suit your taste preferences. Add different spices, dried berries, chopped nuts, or even white chocolate. This choice is yours! 
• Healthy: This recipe contains whole food ingredients like banana, soy milk, and coconut sugar. It’s much healthier than any version you’ll find at the store.

If you love vegan chocolate muffins, you should really check out our pumpkin banana muffins, banana almond flour muffins, vegan pumpkin bread, and vegan brownies.

🍫 Vegan chocolate muffins

Vegan chocolate muffins transform a classic recipe into a healthier, animal-friendly variation. If you’re a chocolate lover, these muffins are just what you need! They’re decadent without being overly unhealthy. How’s that for a win-win?

We use all-purpose flour and vegan buttermilk to create an ultra-tender crumb. Banana and coconut sugar provide natural sweetness and moisture. And the addition of chocolate chips adds warm, melty, and gooey notes in each bite.

Make vegan cocoa muffins for a quick breakfast, a mid-afternoon snack to satisfy your hunger, or a dessert to impress a crowd! You can also add them to a brunch spread or serve them in the evening for a light dessert.

🌱 Why aren’t muffins vegan?

Traditionally, muffins are made with milk, eggs, and butter, meaning they’re only vegetarian-friendly. By swapping a few of the ingredients, you can easily emulate the textures and flavors you know and love. Here’s how to do it:

• Instead of milk, opt for soy milk.
• Use mashed banana to replace the eggs.
• Coconut oil emulates the texture of butter.
• Dark chocolate chips are often already dairy-free (just double check the package).

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Vegan buttermilk: Made with a mixture of plain soy milk and vinegar, vegan buttermilk reacts with the baking soda and causes the muffins to rise. Soy milk works best, but you can also try pea, sesame, or oat milk.
• Coconut sugar: Sweetens the muffins and adds deep, complex, and caramel notes. Vegan-friendly brown sugar is another great option. 
• Coconut oil: Emulates the richness of egg yolks and butter. If you don’t want a strong coconut taste, try refined coconut oil instead.
• Vanilla extract: Enhances the other ingredients. We always suggest pure vanilla extract for baking as it is much more flavorful than artificial!
• Banana: Mashed ripe bananas add natural sweetness and moisture, reducing the amount of oil and sugar needed. Make sure they are extra spotty!
• All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour provides a tender-yet-sturdy texture, which is perfect for muffins. For a gluten-free option, opt for King Arthur Baking or Bob’s Red Mill. 
• Cocoa powder: Dutch-process cocoa powder adds an intense, rich, and chocolatey flavor. Since there are already a few acidic ingredients, try to stay away from natural cacao powder for this recipe. 
• Leavening agents: We use both baking powder and baking soda for extra tall and fluffy vegan cocoa muffins.
• Salt: Brings out the chocolate flavor exceptionally well! Make sure it’s fine-ground salt so you don’t bite into a chunk of salt.
• Chocolate chips: You can use dark or milk chocolate chips, just make sure they don’t contain dairy products. Our favorite brands include Enjoy Life or Yupik.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 How to make vegan chocolate muffins

Step 1: Curdle the milk

Make a vegan buttermilk mixture by combining soy milk and vinegar together in a medium mixing bowl. For this recipe, we used apple cider vinegar, but you can also use white vinegar, lemon juice, or white wine vinegar.

Step 2: Sift the dry ingredients

Sift the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Sifting helps remove clumps and aerate the ingredients, resulting in a perfectly fluffy and tender muffin.

Step 3: Mix the wet ingredients

Add the coconut sugar, melted coconut oil, vanilla extract, and mashed banana to the buttermilk mixture. Keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is uniformly combined.

Step 4: Combine the wet and dry

Transfer the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, then mix everything until there are no flour streaks. Be careful not to over-mix the batter as it forms gluten bonds, leading to dense and tough muffins. And don’t forget to fold in the chocolate chips!

Step 5: Bake the muffins

Evenly divide the batter between the muffin cups, but don’t overfill them. You should only go up to about ¾ of the way full. For extra chocolatey vegan cocoa muffins, sprinkle a few mini chips on top of each one. It makes them warm, melty, and irresistible!

Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Step 6: Let them cool

Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Happy eating!

If you have questions about baking vegan chocolate banana muffins, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

☕️ What to serve with vegan chocolate muffins

There is nothing better than freshly baked vegan chocolate muffins. Make an even more decadent treat by pairing them with toppings and sides like these:

• Vegan whipped cream
• A slather of vegan butter
• Fresh strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
• Strawberry compote
• A dusting of powdered sugar
• Some vegan chocolate or vanilla icing
• A drizzle of vegan chocolate or caramel sauce
• Dirty chai latte
• Chocomil

🌡️ Storage & reheating

If you plan to make them ahead of time or store them for later, don’t miss these simple instructions:

• Room temperature: For the best preservation of flavor and texture, keep them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. 
• Fridge: We don’t recommend storing them in the fridge as it will alter the flavor and texture. Go straight to freezing if you won’t eat them within the week. 
• Freezer: Allow the muffins to cool completely, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container or bag and store them for 3 months. 
• Reheating: Let your vegan cocoa muffins thaw on the counter for about 30 minutes to bring them to room temperature. If you want them warm, heat them in the oven for about 5 minutes of 350 degrees F, or until warmed through. 
• Prep ahead: To save time on the day of baking, mix the dry and wet ingredients and store them in separate containers in the fridge. You can do this about a day ahead of time and mix them together when you’re ready.

♻️ Variations

• Chocolate chips: Swap the dark chocolate chips for vegan white chocolate, milk chocolate, or mint-flavored chips.
• Cinnamon: Add a touch of ground cinnamon to bring some warmth to your vegan cocoa muffins. 
• Gluten-free: Opt for a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make these gluten-free. 
• Espresso: If you’re a coffee fan, try adding ¼ cup of espresso or strong-brewed coffee to the batter.
• Nuts: Add in chopped nuts like almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, or pistachios for a change in texture.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Mash: Make sure you mash the banana until it’s completely smooth for the best texture and even distribution of sweetness.
• Sift: Sift the dry ingredients to avoid dense and tough vegan cocoa muffins.
• Avoid over-mixing: Mix the wet and dry until they’re just incorporated. This will result in a light, airy texture rather than dense. 
• Line the muffin tin: Grease or line the muffin tin with paper cups to prevent the batter from sticking.
• Don’t overfill: Fill each muffin tin about ¾ of the way full so it doesn’t overflow during baking.
• Test for doneness: To ensure they’re fully baked, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. It should come out almost clean.
• Cool first: Let your vegan chocolate muffins cool for about 10 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin.

💬 FAQ

🍴 More vegan desserts

If you enjoyed these vegan chocolate banana muffins, check out more egg and dairy-free desserts like these:

• Vegan Banana Bread: The perfect balance of sweet, moist, and tender.
• Blueberry Donuts: Baked cake donuts without the need for eggs or dairy.
• Gluten-Free Mug Cake: Chocolate cake in a mug made in under 5 minutes.
• Chocolate Chip Mug Cake: Another simple mug cake packed with chocolate chips.
• Vegan Fudge: 2-ingredient chocolate and peanut butter fudge.
• Crazy Cake: An incredibly moist and dense chocolate cake recipe.

Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.