Moist, chocolatey, and full of hidden veg, these chocolate courgette muffins are the perfect way to use up a glut of courgettes from your garden or allotment. Ready in under 30 minutes, they're ideal for breakfast, a quick snack, or an easy dessert that everyone will love.
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A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Chocolate Courgette Muffins
🕒 Ready In: Prep Time - 12 minutes , Cook Time - 18 minutes
👪 Serves: 12
🍽 Calories: 190
🥣 Main Ingredients: Plain flour, caster sugar, butter, yogurt, cocoa, courgette (zucchini)
📖 Dietary Info: Vegetarian, fibre-boosted, freezer-friendly
👌 Difficulty: Easy
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A touch of magic happens when courgettes make their way into baked treats (see my fudgy courgette brownies for proof!). They keep these chocolate muffins unbelievably moist, rich, and utterly moreish - one bite and I promise you won't stop at just one.
Chocolate muffin fan? You're in luck! Find more delicious variations on the blog, including chocolate orange, chocolate Nutella, and chocolate banana muffins.
Amazing recipe, my husband just said 'the lightest sponge he's ever had' didn't have any chocolate chips so just added some chopped squares of chocolate. Easiest recipe and hardly any washing up. 10/10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Ellie
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✔️ Why should you try it?
- Hidden veg magic: A clever way to get kids (and adults!) eating more vegetables.
- Anytime treat: Perfect for breakfast on the go, a mid-morning snack, or an easy pudding.
- Use up garden surplus: A tasty solution for a glut of courgettes from your allotment or garden.
🥘 Ingredients
Caster Sugar -you can also use light brown sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup (reduce other liquids slightly).
Plain Flour - swap for gluten-free flour, or wholemeal.
Cocoa Powder - adds a chocolate flavour and colour.
Bicarbonate of Soda - helps muffins rise. Can replace with baking powder.
Natural Yogurt - adds moisture and slight tang. Swap for Greek yogurt, kefir, plant-based yogurt, or buttermilk.
Eggs - large eggs at room temperature.
Butter, melted - Adds richness. Swap for a light olive oil or coconut oil.
Courgette (Zucchini) - Keeps muffins moist and adds hidden veg. You could also try grated carrot, or apple.
Milk Chocolate Chips - or swap for dark, white chocolate, or raisins.
Need to substitute an ingredient?
Have an allergy or dietary preference? Let AI customise the recipe for you.
📖 Variations
- Add citrus or extracts: orange zest or vanilla to enhance the chocolate.
- Mix in nuts: walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts for crunch.
- Try different chocolate: milk, white, or dark chocolate chips.
- Include dried fruit: cranberries, raisins, or sultanas for a fruity note.
- Add warm spices: cinnamon, nutmeg, or cardamom for depth of flavour.
- Experiment with hidden veg and fruit combos: grated carrot or apple adds moisture and nutrients.
🔪 Instructions
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
Prep: Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan / 375°F / Gas 5) and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
One: In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, natural yogurt, and melted butter until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, and bicarbonate of soda. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.
Two: Fold in the grated courgette (make sure any excess water has been squeezed out) and the milk chocolate chips, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.
Three: Mix gently - overmixing can develop the flour's gluten, making the muffins dense rather than light and tender.
Four: Spoon the batter evenly into the lined muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for around 18 minutes, or until the muffins have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly in the tin before transferring to a wire rack.
Top Tips
- Grate the courgettes finely - They blend into the batter smoothly, adding moisture without leaving chunks.
- Remove excess moisture - Squeeze the grated courgette with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper to prevent a watery batter.
- Mix gently - Combine ingredients until just mixed. Overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins tough.
- Use good-quality cocoa and chocolate chips - This gives a deeper, richer chocolate flavour.
- Preheat the oven properly - Ensures the muffins rise evenly and cook through.
- Check for doneness - Insert a skewer or toothpick into the centre; it should come out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Evenly fill muffin cases - For uniform baking, fill each paper case about two-thirds full.
🍴 Serving suggestions
These delicious sweet courgette muffins make a great after-school snack for kids.
You can also serve the muffins as a quick and easy dessert straight from the oven with a scoop of honeycomb ice cream.
Storage
Store - Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Freeze - Freeze fully cooled muffins for up to 3 months and defrost (thaw) before serving.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Typically, the taste of courgette is very subtle and is usually not distinguishable, especially with the dominant flavour of chocolate in these muffins.
Yes, yellow courgettes can be used in place of green ones. The taste and texture are similar, so it won't affect your muffins significantly.
Peeling is not necessary. The skin of courgettes is soft and adds extra fibre to your muffins.
Absolutely - "zucchini" is just the US name for courgette, and it works the same way in this recipe.
Troubleshooting Guide
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Muffins didn't rise or are flat | Ensure your bicarbonate of soda is fresh, as old leavening won't give enough rise. Preheat the oven properly and avoid overmixing the batter, which can make muffins dense. |
| Dense or heavy texture | Don't overmix once wet and dry ingredients are combined - too much mixing develops gluten and makes muffins heavy. |
| Dry, crumbly or tough muffins | Take the muffins out as soon as a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean or with a few crumbs - overbaking dries them out. |
More muffin recipes
More courgette recipes
Tried it? Let me know what you think and rate it ⭐️ below. Tag me @effortlessf00d-I'd love to see! Don't forget to subscribe for more recipes.
Recipe
Easy Chocolate Courgette Muffins
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 140 g Caster Sugar
- 180 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour)
- 20 g Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- 100 ml Natural Yogurt
- 2 Eggs
- 140 g Butter melted and cooled
- 250 g Courgette grated and excess water squeezed out (ungrated weight)
- 100 g Milk Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (170°C fan / 375°F / Gas 5) and line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, natural yogurt, and melted butter until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, and bicarbonate of soda. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until just combined.140 g Caster Sugar, 180 g Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour), 20 g Cocoa Powder, 1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda, 100 ml Natural Yogurt, 2 Eggs, 140 g Butter
- Fold in the grated courgette (make sure any excess water has been squeezed out) and the milk chocolate chips, distributing them evenly throughout the batter.250 g Courgette, 100 g Milk Chocolate Chips
- Spoon the mixture evenly into 12 muffin cases.
- Bake in the preheated oven for around 18 minutes, or until the muffins have risen and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly in the tin before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Please note the weight of courgettes (zucchini) stated in the ingredients list is the ungrated, un-squeezed weight. It will equate to roughly 2 medium courgettes.
- Grate and drain courgettes: Finely grate and squeeze out excess water to keep muffins moist without making the batter too wet.
- Mix gently: Fold ingredients just until combined - overmixing can make muffins dense or tough.
- Oven prep: Preheat the oven fully and line your muffin tin to ensure even rise and prevent sticking.
- Check doneness: Insert a toothpick into the centre; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Paula says
Sorry if this seems a silly question or has already been clarified but is the courgette weight before or after grating?
Thanks
Beth Sachs says
Hi Paula. Not a silly question. This is the weight before they are grated.
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
I love using courgettes in baking. These muffins look delicious!
Midge @ Peachicks' Bakery says
Oooh these look like a fab way to use up courgettes! Definitely pinning it to make a peachick safe version! Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare 🙂
Tracy says
They came out of the oven looking lovely with domed tops, but after cooling down they really sank in the middle. Any idea what I did wrong? I have a circotherm oven so it's definitely hot enough.
They still taste delicious though and my kids loved them!
Beth Sachs says
Hi Tracy. Was it a really hot day when you baked them? It might pay you to chill the batter for 20 minutes on really warm days. Also check you used the correct amount of bicarb. Did you measure it using measuring spoons and not just a teaspoon. It has to be really accurate. Hope that helps.
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
What tasty looking muffins!
Emily Liao says
These chocolate muffins were so fluffy and delicious! Not to mention, pretty easy to make - so will definitely come to this for when I have a chocolate craving.
Mindy Fewless says
These turned out beautifully!! Thank you!
Becky says
I have tried baking these buns and they are amazing. I used 200g of choc chips instead of 100g but everything else I kept the same. Xx
Beth Sachs says
So glad you enjoyed them Becky! The extra choc chips sound like a good idea.
Jessica Formicola says
Chocolate for breakfast sounds like a great idea to me, so I can't wait to try these muffins!
Jill says
Great way to use up the abundance of zucchini from my garden. These muffins look scrumptious.
Julie says
Such a good way to get that green veggie in there. The muffins look delish too.
Carrie Robinson says
I so wish that I had a couple of these for breakfast this morning! They look perfect. 🙂
Alisa Infanti says
I have never heard a zucchini called that before so was intrigued. They are delish!
Sue says
These muffins look delicious and a truly great way to sneak some veggies into the family!
Beth Sachs says
I didn't tell my kids there were courgettes in them...until after they had eaten them and proclaimed them the BEST chocolate muffins ever!
Steph Tombs says
Made these today with some courgettes from a friend's garden 😊 Easy to make and delicious 🙂
Beth Sachs says
Glad you enjoyed them Steph!
Janelle says
I am a massive fan of zucchini in cake. Thanks for a great recipe
Gina says
These look so lovely! I wish I had a glut this year but my zucchini plants are male flower dominated and so far I've only gotten one!
Beth Sachs says
Oh no! I always seem to end up with way too many.
Susan Lowe says
Is it just me? I can’t find how much courgette is used or how much plain flour is substituted with cocoa powder. I’ve got everything ready, just can’t find the quantities needed. Sue x
Beth Sachs says
Hi Susan. The recipe card is at the bottom of the post.
Susan says
😊 Thank you. Didn’t read it properly☺️ All made now, look and taste lovely! Sue x