1 bowl, 10 ingredients, 30 minutes and you have yourself some warm, fudgy, super chocolatey, tastes like dessert but you get to eat it for breakfast, easy to make vegan double chocolate muffins. Yeah… life is pretty great, isn’t it?
You know what I love about muffins? They’re like cupcakes, but they’re totally acceptable to eat for breakfast. These vegan double chocolate muffins are everything you want in a good muffin- rich, moist, satisfying, and they pair perfectly with coffee or a good cup of tea.
The secret ingredient to these muffins is instant espresso powder. I always have a jar of this stuff in my baking cupboard because adding espresso to chocolate baked goods enhances the chocolate flavour making them taste even richer. You don’t taste the espresso, you just taste gorgeous vegan double chocolate muffin goodness. It’s also handy to have for those mornings when I run out of coffee beans- I know I can get at coffee fix in a jiff if need be! BUT if you aren’t into the idea of espresso powder, you can totally skip it and these muffins will still be gorgeous.
The weird ingredient in these muffins is apple cider vinegar. If you have made some of my other baked good you have seen this used in everything from my chocolate cake, to donuts, to quick bread, and waffles. Apple cider vinegar is a great substitute for eggs as it helps baked goods fluff up when reacting with the baking powder in the recipe. I know it sounds weird, but the flavour cooks right out and you would never know it was there. Trust me on this one. Follow this recipe and homemade vegan chocolate muffins will be coming out of the oven in no time.
To make vegan double chocolate muffins:
For medium-sized muffins, line 12 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease the pan. For larger sized muffins line or grease only 9 wells of a muffin pan.
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant espresso powder and salt.
*Instant espresso powder will enhance the taste of the chocolate making these muffins taste even richer, but if you prefer not to use it or don’t have it on hand you can skip it.
Then add the non-dairy milk, light oil, and apple cider vinegar and stir until just combined. Don’t over mix! Now gently fold in the chocolate chips.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 or 9 wells of the prepared muffin pan. Bake 20 to 26 minutes for until the muffins have cracks on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. *Test several spots with the toothpick as you may hit a melted chocolate chip which could mislead you into thinking they aren’t cooked.
If making 12 muffins the timing will be on the lower side and if making 9 muffins it will be on the higher side. Let the muffins cool in the pan before removing.
These muffins are amazing served still a little warm from the pan but they also keep fresh for several days when kept at room temperature or can be frozen in an air-tight container.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
1 bowl, 10 ingredients, and only 30 minutes to make! So easy with no weird or hard to find ingredients. Moist, chocolatey, and perfect for breakfast or a snack.
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional, see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
- 1/2 cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips or chunks
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Preheat your oven to 400F (200C). For medium-sized muffins, line 12 wells of a muffin pan with paper liners or lightly grease the pan. For larger sized muffins line or grease only 9 wells of a muffin pan.
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In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, instant espresso powder and salt. Then add the non-dairy milk, light oil, and apple cider vinegar and stir until just combined. Don't over mix! Now gently fold in the chocolate chips.
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Divide the batter evenly among the 12 or 9 wells of the prepared muffin pan. Bake 20 to 26 minutes for until the muffins have cracks on the top and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. *Test several spots with the toothpick as you may hit a melted chocolate chip which could mislead you into thinking they aren't cooked. If making 12 muffins the timing will be on the lower side and if making 9 muffins it will be on the higher side. Let the muffins cool in the pan before removing.
- Instant espresso powder will enhance the taste of the chocolate making these muffins taste even richer, but if you prefer not to use it or don't have it on hand you can skip it.
- Apple cider vinegar is used instead of egg to help rise the cupcakes. Although it may seem weird, I promise you can't taste it once they are baked.
- Nutrtion is for 1 medium sized muffin. Recipe makes 12 medium sized muffins.
Nutrition
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I’m planning on doubling the recipe and using large muffin tins, do I need to adjust the temperature what time?
Hi!
I don’t have any apple cider vinegar and I don’t think it’s a very common thing where I live or else I’d buy some.
I have white vinegar or lemon juice on hand, can I use one of those as a substitute?
Thank you!
These are seriously addictive! I cannot stop making them. I haven’t had any espresso powder but do hope to try that in the future. Thank you for this recipe.
So happy you enjoyed, Terri!
Been making this for few times now since I discovered it last month. My family and friends are loving it. The recipe is very simple but great! I’m adding cashew nuts as toppings, it taste really good. Thank you!
These are the best muffins ever. I had to double the batch the second time. Can these be made into a cake too?
These are awesome!
I have one question. Most chocolate recipes have vanilla in them. Why didn’t you use vanilla?
Not a criticism because these are delicious!
I only have olive oil at home, will that be okay for the muffins?
I only have EVOO as well but am going to lessen the amount and see how it works.
I bake with EVOO all the time, never been an issue
You might taste the olive flavour which might be kind of weird! Haha
Made this today – had no plain flour or white sugar due to stockpiling but had a bit of self raising flour and golden caster sugar and it worked perfectly! (left out the baking soda) It’s great to have a recipe that’s so adaptable.
Also had a jar of Vego chocolate spread so before putting the muffins in the oven, I warmed the spread a little in a microwave and swirled it through the muffins with a cocktail stick…
This one is definitely for the home recipe book!
Perfect 🙂
I got this recipe yesterday in my in box. I had to wait till this morning to make them 🙁
I made them gluten free with my AP flour blend I mix up and store. I also use my own baking powder recipe because almost all store bought has cornstarch and I can’t tolerate corn(Bye, bye high fructose/glucose, yuck!). I used 1/2 c sugar and didn’t have espresso powder. Next time, and there WILL be a next time, I’ll save a couple of teaspoons of my one-a-day coffee to put into the wet ingredients. I also always put the cider vinegar right into my milk because I find it makes for a nicer flavor. 21 minutes seems the magic number for baking and too many minutes of waiting to eat one:)
We all need this muffin treat in these crazy times and it IS the weekend!
I’ll eat only one(yeah, right! lies we tell ourselves) and the rest will go in the freezer. Quick tip: put one in the freezer to cool down so you can eat it right away, tee hee.
Fantastic recipe!!! Thanks!
I just thought you should know that my carnivore husband has deemed these “the BEST chocolate muffins ever.” Heck, he even thought I made them from a boxed mix. Thanks again!
Wonderful!! SO happy you loved them 🙂
Heya Sam,
Thank you I absolutely adore this muffin recipe; it satisfies my chocoholism in the best way and I got absurd praise for them at a bake sale recently.
My son asked me if I could try making these exact muffins with some cherries in them, do you think it’d still work so beautifully or would I have to lessen/omit the chips or change bake time?
P.S I just grabbed your cookbook and I love love love it!
SO happy to hear they are a hit, Cale 🙂 Yes I think you can add cherries, just make sure you’re not adding too much more liquid and they should turn out fine. EnjoY!
These are really good. I made them as mini muffins in my countertop convection oven. I found 375F at 18 minutes to be sufficient.
Wonderful!
These were so easy to make, super moist, and DELICIOUS! Thanks for another hit recipe, will definitely be adding these to my baked goods rotation at home along with the amazing blueberry muffins in your cookbook!!
Wonderful!! Thrilled you enjoyed, Adi 🙂
I was worried for a moment, because the batter didn’t taste as good as I wanted it to (I admit, I’m a bowl/spoon licker). However while baking they started to smell like chocolate brownies. As they say, the proof is in the pudding. These are delicious and easy to make. Even better, I always hated cracking eggs because I hated the slimy feel and I was always worried that a rogue piece of shell would make it into my baking. I no longer have that worry. Thanks for another great recipe Sam!!!!!
You’re most welcome, Theresa 🙂
Could I sub melted coconut oil for the canola?
It might make the muffins more dense as coconut oil is solid at room temp. Stick to a flavourless liquid oil such as canola or vegetable.
Oh my god, these muffins are heaven. I have made six batches within a month and I have been feeding my friends these. they absolutely love them! they can’t believe they are vegan! Do yourself a favor and try out this recipe, so simple to follow. I don’t know how I was living without these muffins….
Haha that’s so amazing!! Thrilled you love them so much 🙂
My second time making these and I was surprised to see them come out of the oven fairly flat. Thought I had overmixed then realized I forgot the baking powder. Hubby had one anyways and said “wow, these taste like brownies!”. Even when you forget an ingredient, your recipes are still a success. 🙂
Hahahaha!! I love that! thrilled they were delicious anyways!
made 12 and my boyfriend ate all 12.. in one sitting, thumbs up here !!!
Baha! That’s amazing 🙂
This was so good! I meant to post a picture, but we ate them all instead. I brought these to a potluck and they were a hit.
Haha! Amazing 🙂
Just made these, so good! Left out espresso powder. Thanks for another great recipe!
You’re welcome!
Can I use monk fruit and stevia blend sugar instead of white sugar? Or any other sugar instead of white?
Baking with alternative sweeteners is not my expertise. I would recommend checking out a guide such as this one.
Another five-star recipe! These are easy to make, rich, moist, incredibly chocolatey and just plain delicious! My whole family loves them. Highly recommended.
YAY!! Very happy everyone loved them, JP 🙂
Hi Sam,
The photos and description of this recipe make me want to lick. the. computer. screen! OMG.
Looking forward to trying these soon.
I made your banana chocolate chip bars for our Labor Day cookout at work recently, and they were one of the first desserts to disappear. Most folks even knew they were vegan, and still they vanished. Win! 🙂
Haha! That’s awesome, Karen!! I hope you love these muffins too 🙂
These double chocolate muffins were a big hit at my house! I did sub instant decaf for the espresso powder. (Next time I’ll double the decaf just for kicks.) I made 12 muffins and baked 22 minutes. This is a seriously easy recipe. Just try it!
Yay!! Thrilled you loved them so much, Sue 🙂
In the comments you mention using baking soda but the recipe calls for baking powder – is baking powder correct?
Ah yes, apologies for that it was a typo. Baking powder is correct 🙂
I love you and miss seeing you on YouTube. Why aren’t you on YouTube anymore? Your spunk and energy is missed
And I’ll be making these soon.
Aww thanks, Jennifer! I plan to film a new video this week 🙂
Can anyone help? Wondering if instant coffee is the same thing as espresso powder? I assume not?
Hi Sarah, espresso powder is more intense and usually a finer powder than instant coffee. But you could sub instant coffee if needed, you may just need to add a little more. Enjoy!
I just picked up the espresso powder to make these today. This recipe looks delicious Sam. Thanks for sharing!
Yay!! I hope you love them Kristi! You can also use the espresso powder in my chocolate donuts, chocolate pudding cake, and mocha smoothie. 🙂
I want to make these but I just want regular chocolate chip muffins, without the cocoa powder. Can I omit it and still get good results?
No, I recommend using my vegan berry muffin recipe instead and subbing the berries for chocolate chips.
Excellent recipe Sam! I just made these this morning and boy are they awesome! Very rich and deep in chocolate flavor very moist, an absolute hit!
I made a few adjustments though, I used one medium mashed banana and 1/4 cup of avocado oil instead of 1/2 cup of oil. Also, I do not use white sugar at all because white sugar that is on the market is refined using bone char, which is processed with animal bones. So I only use turbinado sugar or coconut sugar or maple syrup for my baking recipes, today are used turbinado sugar. And I added in a half a cup of chopped walnuts. Holy smokes, everybody in the house loved, loved, loved them! Thanks for sharing Sam!
Oh when I forgot to mention, I love your cookbook! I have made many of your recipes and they never fail to please! Also, your recipes for the nacho cheese and mozzarella cheese are perfect! They are in constant rotation in our house! I love your creativity in your recipe making and sharing them all with those of us who choose to be vegans! Rock on girl!
So happy you are enjoying my recipes so very much including these muffins 🙂 As Kristi said, using bone char in sugar isn’t very common anywhere other than the US. Always good to double check with the brand you are purchasing. I use Redpath here in Canada and they say on their site that it’s vegan-friendly. A good tip is that organic sugar is always vegan. Of course, use what you prefer, I just want to make sure that’s clear as to not confuse anyone else. 🙂
Hi Janine! There are actually lots of companies that make vegan sugar, so they don’t use bone char to whiten. I have at least 2-3 options at all the grocery stores I shop at. 🙂
Hi there Kristi,
I am aware that there are several companies that do not use the bone char to refine the process of the sugarcane. However the grocery store chains near me, they only carry two or three, the majority of what they stock are The brands that use the bone char in the refinement process of the sugarcane. For me and my family, I prefer using turbinado or coconut sugar, or maple syrup, because they aren’t as refined or processed and to me that’s all worth it!
Has anyone made this gluten-free?
I haven’t but I have heard that Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 works pretty well 🙂
We are trying to eliminate oil from our diet. Can anything else be substituted ?
Usually apple sauce works perfect–get unsweetened, You could replace at least have the amount of oil.
Would something work with replacing all the all? I too am trying to eliminate oil.
Oil
I’ve done muffin recipes that call for 1/3 cup oil with equal amount of applesauce, but this recipe calls for a cup of milk, I think the best you should do is 1/2 and 1/2. Another option is mashed banana. 1/2 cup of banana might be good. I’ve used it also in a 1/2 oil to 1/2 cup banana, but may work well as a total substitute. If you try, I’d be interested in knowing. Could do just half the recipe to try it.
I haven’t tested it myself, but as Debbie suggested, apple sauce is often a good sub. Enjoy!
Thank you so, so, so much for not making one of the ingredients black beans
Haha, this comment made me smile. I never “sneak” vegetables or beans into baked goods anymore. My kids started to view all “chocolate” cakes and muffins with suspicion.
That’s hilarious, Paige! 🙂
Bahahaha! You’re welcome, Rose!
They taste great but fell apart as I tried to get them out of the muffin pan!