Healthy sourdough chocolate zucchini muffins are a rich, moist, and delicious way to enjoy the summer bounty. Chocolate sourdough batter is mixed with chocolate chips, shredded zucchini, and hints of orange to make the best sourdough muffins.
Every year, I plant a lot of zucchini, forgetting how prolific zucchini truly is.
You know the saying, “I’ve got corn coming out of my ears”? Well, that is truly how zucchini grows.
So, what is one to do when life gives you tons of zucchini? Make double chocolate zucchini muffins, of course!
All summer long, you will find me in the kitchen baking delicious sourdough fruit desserts like blueberry, peach, and even strawberry cream cheese cobbler.
It’s time to create a veggie dessert!
I love this recipe. It contains healthy fats, unrefined coconut sugar, and even has the added benefit of vegetables. This is the kind of chocolate you can eat at any point through the day with rock solid justification.
Why you will love this recipe:
- So much delicious flavor. Chocolate sourdough muffin batter, with chocolate chips and a hint of orange, truly is a wonderful combination.
- Adding zucchini not only adds moisture, but it is also a great way to get picky kids to eat their veggies. While my kids will usually eat just about anything, I know many moms that struggle with getting their kids to eat any type of veggie. Putting it in muffins and covering it with chocolate batter and chocolate chips is sure to help.
- It’s a great way to use up all that extra squash from your summer harvest or maybe that one squash that accidentally got away from you (aka it is huge and not good for sautéing). You could even make multiple batches and freeze them so you can enjoy them long after the summer is over.
Tips For Making Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Bake the muffins in the upper third of the oven for a better rise.
- No need to peel the zucchini. Just shred it on a box grater. You also don’t need to drain any water off the zucchini. You want the extra moisture in these muffins.
- Make sure not to over-mix the batter, otherwise they will be dense and tough.
- Let the batter rest in the fridge for at least an hour, if you have time, as this will really help in getting domed muffin tops.
- Turn your oven light on and watch as the muffins rise. Once you have beautiful, domed tops, turn the temperature down to 350 degrees.
- If you forgot to take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you can bring them up to room temperature quickly by setting them in a bowl of very warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- If you prefer chocolate muffins with no orange flavor, you can omit the orange zest and juice and just increase the amount of buttermilk by two tablespoons.
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Tools you may need:
Muffin tin – I love this cast iron one.
Silicon muffin liners
Measuring cups and spoons
Large bowl
How To Make Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin tins well or line with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil and coconut sugar, then incorporate one room temperature egg at a time.
- Stir in grated zucchini (no need to peel it or drain any water from it), orange zest, orange juice, sourdough starter, and buttermilk.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- If you have time, allow mixture to rest in the fridge for one hour, as this will give the muffins a better rise.
- Distribute batter into the prepared muffin wells. If desired, top muffins with a few chocolate chips.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 5-6 minutes, then drop the oven temperature to 350 (no need to open the oven door) and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes (total approx bake time is 20 minutes).
- Test muffins with a cake tester or knife.
- Allow to cool.
Do zucchini muffins need to be refrigerated?
No. They will last about three days in an airtight container at room temperature. They will also freeze well for months.
How do you grate zucchini?
Take the box grater and gently press the zucchini down the medium-sized grates. Bring the zucchini back up to the top, pushing against and down the grates. Keep repeating until there is just a little bit of the zucchini left or until the desired amount is achieved.
Can this recipe be long fermented?
Normally, I always long ferment any sourdough recipe. This recipe is more of a quick bread and isn’t fermented. I have not personally tried it, but you could try to long-ferment these muffins two ways:
Mix the recipe together (omitting the leaveners and zucchini) and store it in the fridge for 1-3 days (the latter if you have a more difficult time digesting grains). After fermentation, add leaveners and shredded zucchini (I recommend doing this in a stand mixer). Bake as directed.
You may also be able to mix together flour, sugar, sourdough starter, melted coconut oil, buttermilk, orange juice, and cocoa powder together. Cover and allow to ferment for 8-24 hours. The next day, add shredded zucchini, salt, and leaveners and mix until combined well (I recommend using a stand mixer). Bake as directed the next day.
Find More Of Our Favorite Sourdough Recipes:
- Sourdough Banana Bread
- Easy Artisan Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Chocolate Rolls
- Gluten Free Sourdough Buckwheat Pancakes
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Topping
If you make this recipe and love it, I would love if you gave it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone with your delicious creation.
Sourdough Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups spelt flour
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Wet Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 150g
- Zest from 1 large orange
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 cup sourdough starter
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup heaping chocolate chip , (plus extra to top the muffins if desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease muffin tins well or line with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the spelt flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil and coconut sugar and then incorporate one room temperature egg at a time.
- Stir in grated zucchini, orange zest, orange juice, sourdough starter, and buttermilk.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Allow mixture to rest in the fridge for one hour, as this will give the muffins a better rise (optional.
- Distribute batter into the prepared muffin wells. If desired, top muffins with a few chocolate chips.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 425 for 5-6 minutes, then drop the oven temperature to 350, and continue to bake for 13-15 minutes (total approx bake time is 20 minutes).
- Test muffins with a cake tester or knife.
- Allow to cool.
Notes
- No need to peel the zucchini. Just shred it on a box grater. You also don’t need to drain any water off the zucchini. You want the extra moisture in these muffins.
- Make sure not to over-mix the batter, otherwise they will be dense and tough.
- Let the batter rest in the fridge for at least an hour, if you have time, as this will really help in getting domed muffin tops.
- If you forgot to take the eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you can bring them up to room temperature quickly by setting them in a bowl of very warm water for 5-10 minutes.
- If you prefer chocolate muffins with no orange flavor, you can omit the orange zest and juice and just increase the amount of buttermilk by two tablespoons.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Do I need to use active sourdough starter for this recipe or will discard work?
Thanks
Thank you for this recipe—it was a HIGE hit with my family & a great way to use my starter discard. Also a great way to sneak in some veggies. Quite a simple recipe & I appreciate I can do it all quickly by hand. Followed recipe including the refrigeration & the result was lovely. May try it in a bread pan to make a loaf next time. Thank you!!
Ugh, HUGE hit, not HIGE! 😂
Made a bunch and froze them for breakfasts for my girls going to preschool! One of them is super picky but will chow down on these no problem! A great way to use up my frozen zucchini from the summer harvest
When you long ferment these for 24hrs does it need to be refrigerated? Or would you just leave it on the counter overnight?
These are SOOO good, Lisa!! Our new fav muffin. Thank you!!
Would a nondairy yogurt work in place of the buttermilk? Or do you recommend another nondairy option? These look amazing!
If I use a pan instead of making muffins, what size pan would you recommend and how should I modify baking instructions?
I just left a glowing review after the 24 hr ferment. Forgot to say I didn’t add the orange components, since didn’t have it on hand. But it was still a huge success!!
These are amazing. Brownies are my favorite dessert, but now I don’t know. I ate 2 fresh out of the oven. 5 stars!
I have not braved the sourdough world yet. Can these be made without it?
I’d recommend finding a similar non-sourdough recipe online. Leaving out the sourdough starter in this recipe will change the final product.
I cannot wait to try this recipe, Lisa!! Looks delicious. Do you know if I can modify to bake in a bread pan as well?