Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins Recipe (Dairy Free)
Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins: rich, deep dark vegan chocolate muffins with a beautiful rise. Dairy-Free.
Okay, so who’s excited for the new year? I mean, we could totally use a fresh start, amiright?? Are you already crossing ALL the new year’s resolutions off of your list (woah) or, like me, still letting a few percolate, while the others are pretty much lost causes?
A few years back, one of my new year’s resolutions was to share more tasty and secretly healthy muffins with you. And guess what? Today’s gluten free chocolate muffins fit the bill, like woah!
Today’s recipe not only qualifies as vegan chocolate muffins, but also as gluten free dairy free muffins. Yaaaaaas! These chocolate muffins are refined sugar-free, and made with whole ingredients. Plus, they’re downright tasty.
Are you ready to bake this? Let’s do it!
How to Make Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins
Preheat
First things first, make sure to preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, drop a muffin liner into each cup of your 12-cup muffin pan.
Sift the Dry Ingredients
Using a large bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients: oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
Heat
Because we’re working with coconut oil, we gotta make sure that we don’t expose it to anything cold—here’s looking at you, milk + water! So let’s heat our dairy-free milk and water together until just warm.
Whisk the Wet Ingredients
Now, let’s add the warm milk + water and the rest of the wet ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk it altogether until well incorporated. Congrats! You just made your gluten free chocolate muffin batter. So easy, right?
Pour Batter
Pour your vegan chocolate muffins batter into the muffin pan you prepared earlier. Fill each cup up about ¾ of the way for a higher quantity of smaller muffins, or all the way for a lower quantity of large muffins!
Bake, Cool, and Enjoy!
Bake vegan chocolate muffins for about 30 minutes. Cool and enjoy the best gluten free chocolate muffins ever!
More Muffins We Love: Vegan Pumpkin Muffins | Vegan Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins | Gluten Free Banana Oat Muffins (Vegan) | Best Ever Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Storing and Freezing Vegan Chocolate Muffins
Room Temperature
After completely cooling your vegan chocolate muffins, place them into an airtight container and store them in a cool, dark environment. You can keep your vegan chocolate muffins for up to 1 week.
Freezer
These gluten free chocolate muffins freeze well. Just remember to cool your muffins completely, then tuck them into a freezer-friendly container. Keep dairy free muffins for 1-2 months.
Testimonials
Jo says, “I have tried so many healthy recipes from different blogs over the past 2-3 years (banana bread, vegan cheesecake, muffins of all sorts), but this recipe has got to be one of my best baking adventures. The muffins are moist, dark, fudgy, and delicious. I did use olive oil instead of coconut oil, and it still worked. Thank you, queen.”
Jaclyn says, “Delicious!!!!! Fluffy and a hint of sweet! These will be going in my muffin rotation!!”
Pashlee says, “My kids loved these! I swapped some of the cocoa powder for protein powder and used monk fruit instead of coconut sugar.”
Mel says, “I just baked these for the 2nd time and they are delicious! I’m looking for a coconut cream frosting to make for the top this time. Last time we just drizzled a bit of maple syrup on top–yummy! Thank you!!”
Jen says, “Great recipe! Subbed out the oil for applesauce. Doubled the recipe & it made 20. Thank you for a quick & easy recipe.”
An easy recipe for deep, dark vegan chocolate muffins made with gluten free, dairy free ingredients.
Great Tools for the Best Vegan Chocolate Muffins
- Raw Cacao Powder – my favorite, nutritent-rich cacao powder. It works just like the traditional unsweetened cocoa powder you know, but it’s packed with nutrients. This raw cacao powder is so high-quality and boasts deep, rich chocolate flavor.
- Unbleached Muffin Liners – my go-to muffin liners. These guys stick just the right amount to your muffins so they stay on while the muffins cool. Bonus? They’re unbleached!
- Coconut Sugar – a staple in my gluten free vegan baking pantry. I use coconut sugar to keep the recipe refined sugar-free.
So whaddya say, wanna join me in new year’s reso-luting the fudge out of homemade vegan chocolate muffins this year? 🙂 I’m so grateful to share in these joyful kitchen adventures with you and your loved ones. ‘Til the next one…
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
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📸 Did you make this gluten free vegan chocolate muffins recipe? Take a pic and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #beamingbaker & tag @beamingbaker. I’d love to see it! 📸
Gluten Free Muffins & Vegan Muffins We Love
- Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins (Vegan, Gluten Free)
- Easy Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
- Paleo Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins (Grain Free)
- Vegan Healthy Banana Blueberry Muffins
- Gluten Free Banana Muffins
- 25+ Absolute BEST Vegan Muffins
- Chocolate Orange Muffins (Vegan)
- …and Chocolate Espresso Martini, just for fun
Gluten Free Vegan Dark Chocolate Muffins Recipe (Dairy Free)
- Total Time: 43 minutes
- Yield: 9-12 muffins 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins: rich, deep dark vegan chocolate muffins with a beautiful rise. Dairy-Free.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups gluten free oat flour – if using homemade, make sure it’s very finely ground (not coarse)*
- 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not dutch processed)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup non-dairy milk
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add water and milk to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 10-second increments until just warm. This will prevent the melted coconut oil from solidifying once mixed with these liquids.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients: water, milk, coconut oil, sugar, maple syrup and extract. Whisk until well incorporated.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Whisk until just incorporated, making sure no flour patches remain.
- Pour batter evenly into prepared muffin pan—fill ¾ of the way for about 12 smaller muffins; fill all the way for 9-10 larger muffins with big, high tops.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes. Mine took 18 minutes. Place muffin pan on a cooling rack to cool for 30 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin pan and continue cooling on rack until completely cool, 1-3 hours. Enjoy! Storing instructions below.
More Gluten Free Vegan Muffins
Notes
*If using homemade oat flour, make sure to sift the flour to remove coarse bits of oats that could create grainy, overly moist muffins without domed tops.
Storing Instructions: Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Freezer Instructions: These chocolate muffins freeze well. Cool muffins completely, then store in a freezer-friendly container. Keep muffins for 1-2 months.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 18 mins
- Category: Dessert, Breakfast, Snacks
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
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I just baked these for the 2nd time and they are delicious! I’m looking for a coconut cream frosting to make for the top this time. Last time we just drizzled a bit of maple syrup on top–yummy! Thank you!!
Woohoo! I’m so glad to hear that you’re enjoying them Mel! . Here’s my recipe for chocolate coconut cream frosting, which I think you’ll enjoy. . https://beamingbaker.com/make-homemade-chocolate-frosting-vegan-paleo-gluten-free-dairy-free-refined-sugar-free/
Can I add raspberries? I really like muffins with berries but I don’t want to ruin the recipe.
Hi Natasha! That should be fine. Happy baking! .
Help! I made them but the batter came out super thick so I added more almond milk and they came out almost like an egg cake texture. I used gluten free flour is that why they came out different?
Hi Chantel, hmm… did you make any substitutions at all? The batter is definitely not supposed to be thick. It should be more liquidy, like a thicker version of chocolate cake batter. Try making it again and don’t add extra almond milk. Lastly: my recent foray into testing how recipes work with different GF flours showed me that they all work differently. Like drastically differently. So that could definitely be it. Good luck! P.S. What GF flour brand did you use?
Why did my mix come out crumbly…. I followed all the instructions and it did NOT come out as a liquid…. is it supposed to be crumbly???!?! Please help
Hi Kali. Hard to say what happened from here, but if you used homemade oat flour make sure it’s very finely ground. If it’s too coarse the muffins will fall apart. Also, did you make any ingredient substitutions?
These sound so tasty. Do they freeze well?
Hi Lindsay! Yes they do! 🙂 Just make sure to let them thaw a bit before eating, or heat them in the microwave for a few second. Hope you enjoy!
These were great. I made a couple of changes based on personal preference, but I don’t think they changed anything but flavor. I used regular raw sugar instead of coconut sugar, only 2 Tbsp of maple syrup and subbed the remaining 2 Tbsp with milk. I added 1 tsp of instant coffee dissolved in 1 tsp of hot water, and I used 1/2 c of mini chocolate chips. I think they would have been great without the changes (except for the coconut sugar, which I know I don’t like in chocolate muffins), but I also loved them as I made them. Thanks for this great recipe!
So happy to hear you enjoyed them Karis! Love the added mini chips. .
This looks amazing! Do I have to use gf oat flour, or could I use a gf flour blend? Both my sister and boyfriend are severely allergic, and haven’t been able to find something that doesn’t bother one of them. Thanks!
Hi Taysha! I’ve had readers use a GF all purpose blend at a 1:1 ratio and reported back good results. Hope this helps, and that your sister and BF enjoy the muffins! ☺️
Hi Demeter! I found this recipe today and got so excited when I saw it was both gluten free and vegan ( I have coeliac disease and I’m also allergic to eggs and milk) but it was short lived because I’m also allergic to the protein avenin which is in oats 🙁 I was wondering as you know how these are meant to taste, if you could help me out by finding a substitute for the oat flour (but not almond flour because I’m allergic to that as well 🙂 ) I would do trial and error myself but I’m studying for my English GCSE and we’re also moving house so everything is everywhere and there’s just no time 🙁 I did have a look at some substitutions but I’ve never been great at baking and I know it’s not as simple as just a straight swap. I would love this recipe to work because my 18th birthday is soon and I would like them to be my birthday muffins so to speak 🙂 My birthday cake was so bad last year we burnt it on the fire 😉 🙂 which although amusing, was a bit of a damp sock. If you could please find the time in your busy schedule to help me I would be so incredibly grateful 🙂 thank you so much 🙂
Jayla
Hi Jayla! You could try GF all purpose flour using the same measurements. I haven’t tried it myself in this recipe, so let me know how to turns out! Also, happy early birthday and best of luck on the GCSE! ☺️
Oh, ok thank you. I’ll let you know how they are when I get the chance.
Jayla
Oh ok, thank you. I’ll let you know how it goes when I get the chance. I had a look at your recipes and noticed you use oat flour in a lot of them. Have you ever considered using buckwheat flour as a substitute? Despite its name, it’s not actually a grain but a seed, so it’s naturally gluten free and more people with coeliac or any sensitivities can tolerate it compared to oats. It’s also really good for you, however you would have to play around with the ratios a bit. Buckwheat flakes can be used as a substitute for oats themselves; they are quite similar in size and texture. I would be most grateful if you could try this out! You are the expert baker after all 🙂
Jayla
Sorghum would be a much better alternative to oat. Maybe even a combination of sorghum and brown rice. Sorghum has nice flavor and texture. Oat is a bit more moist, I think, but I don’t think that the difference would be much.
I made a batch of these and they’re the best gluten free baked good I have made yet! The only problem was that I couldn’t tell when they were ready to come out of the oven. I used the toothpick test and it kept coming out with dough on it, so I left them in the oven until they were so done on the outside that I was afraid they’d burn, so they ended up overcooked and a bit dry. They were still great, a not too sweet and very chocolatey muffin that rose beautifully, but any tips on how to know when they are thoroughly cooked?
Hi Elaine! Next time, try lightly pressing your finger onto the top of one muffin. If it springs back, it’s probably done. Allow them to cool completely before trying one (sometimes when they’re warm, they appear to be too moist or undercooked). Enjoy!
Thanks Demeter! I’ll definitely be making these again, probably with chocolate chips this time (I like that the sweetness in these over the top, and I can decide if I want more!) and I’m happy there’s another way to test for done-ness! : )
These are scrumptious! I added dairy free chocolate chips and about 1/2 cup of chia seeds, and they are so yummy! I also used cacao powder instead of cocoa powder. I know refined sugar isn’t great, but I did do 1/2 cup of that instead of the coconut sugar and maple syrup because it’s what I had on hand. My only question is… they’re very crumbly and fall apart easily. Is that because I didn’t use maple syrup? What would you recommend for a binding agent? Since I’m not vegan, could I use an egg? Do you think it would change anything. These totally got the beautiful rounded top you wrote about. And are deliciously chocolatey! Yum 🙂 I will definitely make again. Thanks!
Rating 5 for flavor, 4 because of crumbling
Hi Peri! Glad you enjoyed these. 🙂 I think the issue might be with the 1/2 cup of chia seeds. Chia seeds are super absorbent, so I suspect they sucked up a lot of the moisture in the muffins, leading them to be crumbly. Try another batch without the chia seeds! 🙂
Wow! I had no idea. Thank you for that info! I will certainly try without the seeds. Thanks again. Delicious! I look forward to trying many of your other recipes .
You’re very welcome Peri! Happy baking!
This was amazing!!!!!!!!!!! Not too sweet and my favorite thing about dark chocolate in muffin form .
Woohooooo!!!!!! I’m SO happy you enjoyed them, Boola. ☺️ Dark Chocolate is the BEST!
i use stevia for everything since i bake for diabetics. any any ideas what to sub in the recipe considering i cant use maple or coconut sugar? increase the othe liquids perhaps?
For sure you’ll have to reduce the oil, to get a similar texture. Fat and sugar “balance” one another.
I made these today. Mine dough made 9 muffins, not 12, and they weren’t overly big so I don’t think I filled the muffin liner too much. Haven’t tried them yet as they’re still cooling so will report back once I’ve taste tested. They do smell nice and chocolatey though 🙂
How’d they turn out, Jade? 🙂
Oh I forgot to get back on the result. If u like strong chocolate taste then these are great. My husband said I should use less cacao next time but I didn’t mind the chocolate taste. I could have added more sweetener because thy aren’t real sweet but overall a good healthy muffin!
Great! Yep, these are definitely for dark chocolate lovers. 🙂 Maybe try adding in some chocolate chips next time. Enjoy!
Recipe looks delicious and no eggs–for those of us with egg allergy. Can I substitute water for all non-dairy milk and would I still add the extra 2 tbsp of liquid ?
Hi Catherine, you can probably do that (while keeping the same amount of liquid), but I’d recommend following the recipe as written— I know for sure that will work. The texture & taste will be diff with your adjustments. Good luck!
These muffins look delicious! My only question is, how do the muffins rise without an acid like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to activate the baking soda? I’ve read that baking soda needs an acid to actually work. Do you think adding an acid would help these muffins rose even more?
Hi Haley-Jo, good question! Natural cocoa powder serves as the acid in this recipe. 🙂 That’s why they come out with such a fantastically round top! Enjoy.
Wow! That’s so interesting. I tried out the recipe and they rose beautifully. I never knew that about cocoa powder before. Thank you for the info 🙂
Do you have a GF lemon poppyseed muffin recipe? I’ve tried some but they are always dry! Thanks!
Hi Jane, so funny that you should ask! I just completed recipe testing for one! It’s coming out next month. Thanks for your patience. 🙂
This is a stunning chocolate muffin recipe! I can´t believe these are vegan and you did not use regular flour…wow..I´m blown away, they look amazing
Thanks so much, Albert! 🙂 They’re one of my family’s faves! Enjoy. 🙂
I do not have a microwave. Could I heat milk and coconut oil in a saucepan? Thanks!
Hi Maria! Yes, but be careful not to overheat the milk. If you let it steam, a crucial amount of the moisture might dissipate. Just heat it until it’s warm to the touch. As for the coconut oil, no need to worry there. Just heat until melted and make sure it all gets in the bowl! 🙂 Enjoy!
What brand of cocoa powder do you use? I know this can make a huge difference.
I’m celiac and anaphylactic when it comes to oats. Any suggestions on flour substitutes?
Thanks!
Hi Sharon, I know a few readers have used gluten free all purpose flour with success! Try that and let me know how it turns out. 🙂
Used gf Pillsbury flour and coconut milk. Had regular cane sugar. Taste almost like a brownie. Not as sweet. Thinking a dusting of powdered sugar after they cool. Mine didn’t come out as fluffy looking on top, but I was in a rush…maybe I didn’t measure flor or cocoa quite right.
Oh the powdered sugar would totally make these look so pretty! Enjoy! 🙂
It might be better to dust on the powdered sugar before they cool: it’ll stick better, and then you can even use a lacey napkin or some other cut-out for super pretty. Or for kids, a teddy-bear or dinosaur cutout, for example.
Try subbing strong coffee for the water
SUCH a tasty idea, Saudie! I love how coffee truly brings out the flavors of chocolate. 🙂