Struggle with getting dinner on the table? Grab our 5 easy family meal recipes!

If you’re dealing with a picky eater in your house, these chocolate veggie muffins are for you! You wouldn’t even know these hidden veggie muffins have spinach, zucchini and beans in them. Ready in under 35 minutes, hidden veggie chocolate muffins are great for the school lunch box, an after school snack or on the go!

this Post!

As an Amazon Associate, I may earn from qualifying purchases. You can read more here about our Disclaimer and Privacy Page.

Muffins are always some of my favorite healthy snacks for picky eaters. And these chocolate veggie muffins…oh my goodness.

They’re your hail mary when you can’t seem to get any other nutrition into your kiddos, or yourself (yes…if you’re pregnant and can’t eat veggies, you need these)!

My kids absolutely love the Veggies Made Great Chocolate Muffins so I know I had to experiment in the kitchen to make my own version.

I can confirm that your kids (and you!) won’t be able to put these hidden veggie chocolate muffins down.

And I’m happy to say that healthy chocolate muffins with veggies are totally adaptable with substitutions too (make sure to scroll down to see my testing methods and recommendations)!

Plus, these chocolate hidden veggie muffins are packed with nutritional goodness – Beans, zucchini, spinach, oat flour and plain greek yogurt are some of the key ingredients. I love greek yogurt in muffins – make a note to try these blueberry banana yogurt muffins next!

Wholesome ingredients that come together to form a masterpiece in these gluten free chocolate veggie muffins.

Why The Dietitian Loves Chocolate Hidden Veggie Muffins

All kids go through picky eating phases, and that’s when these chocolate veggie muffins are the most valuable! They’re full of fiber, healthy fats, protein and veggies, and are a healthy and balanced snack for kiddos.

Why You’ll Love Chocolate Veggie Muffins

• High protein and fiber – The dynamic duo for fullness. Each veggie chocolate muffin has 3 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein. Zucchini adds a nice moistness to muffins, like in these sweet potato zucchini muffins – another favorite!
• Family friendly meal prep snack – This is my favorite meal prep snack that doubles as an after school snack! You can even throw it in your kiddo’s lunchbox.
• Nut-free and gluten-free – If you have a food allergen or intolerance in your close circle, these veggie chocolate muffins are a safe option! The muffins do have dairy and eggs, but scroll down to the substitutions to see what you can swap.
• Three different veggies – Zucchini, spinach and beans round out these hidden veggie chocolate muffins – you would never know! This is one of my favorite bean recipes for toddlers because the beans blend so seamlessly. Our Hidden Veggie Mac and Cheese is another great way to get more veggies in.

What You Need

Here are the ingredients you need for these healthy chocolate muffins.

• oat flour – I love oat flour in baked goods because it’s light and fluffy. All purpose flour also works, but they won’t be gluten-free.
• cocoa powder
• baking soda
• salt
• zucchini
• spinach
• chickpeas – Just simple canned chickpeas!
• eggs
• plain greek yogurt
• oil of choice – I’ve used both olive oil and coconut oil, since those tend to be the two oils I use most in baking. However, canola oil and avocado oil are other options.
• maple syrup
• chocolate chips

How to Make Hidden Veggie Chocolate Muffins

This recipe comes together pretty quickly with your food processor. First, mix your dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Then, mix your wet ingredients in a food processor and process until the spinach leaves are completely blended.

Then, add your dry ingredients to the mixture.

Once you have your wet and dry ingredients mixed into one bowl, take your cookie scooper and scoop the batter into a greased muffin tin, or line with muffin liners.

I like to add extra chocolate chips on top!

Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Want some more fun kid-friendly recipe ideas for snacks and meal prep? Check out our dietitian-approved 30 healthy recipes for toddlers and kids!

I want healthy recipes to help my picky eater!

Tips for Success

Here are some tips that I recommend for the best outcome:

• I do recommend removing some of the moisture from the grated zucchini. You can do this by wringing out a paper towel or dish towel. This helps the muffins bake quicker. If you don’t remove the extra moisture, they may need a little longer to bake.
• Once the muffins have been in the oven for 20 minutes, I recommend watching them carefully. Oat flour is light, which can lead to these muffins overbrowning if cooked too long.
• I love using the fork test to see if the muffins are done. Stick a fork in to the muffin and if it comes out clean, they’re done!
• I loved full-fat greek yogurt when testing these chocolate veggie muffins several different ways. The extra fat does something to the flavor!
• We love adding extra chocolate chips on top and small flakes of sea salt.
• Make sure to drain your chickpeas before adding them in.

Servings 12 muffins

Easy Chocolate Veggie Muffins (High Protein)

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

You wouldn't even know these hidden veggie muffins have spinach, zucchini and beans in them. Ready in under 35 minutes, hidden veggie chocolate muffins are great for the school lunch box, an after school snack or on the go!

5 from 1 rating

Print Pin

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 22 minutes mins

Total Time 32 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

Dry Ingredients

• 1.5 cups oat flour
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅓ cup chocolate chips plus some for topping

Wet ingredients

• ½ cup grated zucchini
• 1 cup spinach
• 1 cup chickpeas drained
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• ⅓ cup olive oil or avocado oil
• ½ cup plain greek yogurt

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin or line with muffin liners.
2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour through salt; omit the chocolate chips for now).
3. In a high speed blender or food processor, combine the wet ingredients (grated zucchini, spinach, chickpeas, maple syrup, eggs, oil and greek yogurt). Blend until it forms a uniform consistency and the spinach leaves are completely blended.
4. Combine the wet mixture from the food processor into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Gently mix, adding in the chocolate chips.
5. Scoop the batter evenly into a muffin tin and top with chocolate chips and a pinch of sea salt, if desired.
6. Bake for 20-24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (Mine were perfect at 20 minutes).
7. Notes: Depending how much moisture you have from your zucchini, your muffins may be on the longer side for baking. Oat flour is very light and airy, so try not to overbake these!

Notes

Notes: Depending how much moisture you have from your zucchini, your muffins may be on the longer side for baking.

Oat flour is very light and airy, so try not to overbake these!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 6gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 227mgPotassium: 216mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 288IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!