Double Chocolate Muffins – Vegan, super moist, & fluffy

Today, I’m sharing what I genuinely believe are THE BEST vegan double chocolate chip muffins ever. Honestly, they are so good. They have that perfect texture everyone is looking for in muffins: super moist yet incredibly soft and fluffy, packed with rich chocolate flavour and crunchy choc chips. It’s like the fudgy decadence of a chocolate brownie met the light, moist crumb of a classic chocolate cake, all in a muffin form.

They also make a perfect breakfast. Seriously delicious and energising, they’re a brilliant substitute for store-bought bakery muffins. And the best part is you can bake a batch at home, freeze them, and have a couple of weeks’ worth of ready-to-go morning treats. How amazing does that sound? Good? Good!

Also, if you haven’t, be sure to check out my Ultimate Guide to Vegan Muffins for all my best tips and tricks before you start!

Main ingredients and substitutions

Plain flour: The base of this recipe is plain flour. I like the soft and fluffy texture plain flour gives to baked goods. You can also use 1:1 gluten-free flour for gluten-free muffins.

Brown sugar: I used two types of sugar. The main sugar is brown sugar. It gives a lovely, more moist texture to baked goods than white sugar, which is why I use it when I want that moist or chewy result. You can substitute it with coconut sugar if you want a more wholesome choice. You can also use all regular caster sugar, though the final texture may be slightly less moist.

Caster sugar: I used caster sugar as well to sweeten up the muffins. It helps create a nice little slight crunch on top and balances the sweetness with the bitterness of the cocoa powder. You can use brown sugar in place of caster sugar and just use all brown sugar if you don’t have any caster sugar, or would like a moister texture.

Vegan butter: I like using melted vegan butter in muffins for its lovely buttery flavour. It pairs so well with chocolate too! My current favourite brand is Flora. It’s salted vegan butter, and it works amazingly for my recipes. Feel free to use any other vegan block butter if you can’t find Flora. Oil won’t work, unfortunately, as it will make the muffins too wet and oily.

Soy milk: I used soy milk in this recipe because I find that soy milk gives a rich texture to baked goods and it creates a lovely vegan buttermilk. You can also use almond milk, oat milk, or any other plant milk of your choice in place of soy milk if you want!

Soy yoghurt: Soy yoghurt plays a very important role in making these muffins so nice and moist! Its slight sourness is also perfect with the sweetness. I usually use Alpro Greek style, but it can be substituted with coconut yoghurt for an even more moist texture or almond yoghurt for a lighter texture.

Cacao powder: I used pure 100% cacao powder (with no added sugar) for a rich chocolate flavour. Make sure your cacao powder is not a sweetened “cocoa powder,” as that will alter the taste massively!

Vegan chocolate chips: Vegan chocolate chips are a must for that double chocolate experience, so don’t skip on them! You can find them easily in shops and online now like Amazon or Tesco. You can also use chocolate chunks by chopping up your favourite vegan chocolate bar – it will be more chucky and melty, which I quite like!

Other ingredients: Apple cider vinegar, tapioca flour, baking soda, and baking powder.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Muffin tin: I used to use a muffin tray that bakes 9 muffins at a time, but I upgraded to one that bakes 12 muffins! Just use one that fits the size of your oven and you will be fine.

Muffin cups: I prefer to bake muffins in muffin cups rather than directly in the muffin tray. I find it makes them look prettier, first of all, and also it’s much easier to take them out of the tray afterwards. If you don’t have muffin cups though, you can bake directly in the greased tray. Just be careful not to rip those lovely tops off when removing them!

Silicone spatula or wooden spoon: I like using a silicone spatula or a large wooden spoon to mix the batter. It’s more gentle than a whisk and helps prevent overmixing, which can develop too much gluten and ruin the texture. If you only have a whisk, use it gently.

Ice cream scoop: An Ice cream scoop comes in very handy for portioning the batter evenly into the muffin cups.

How to make vegan double chocolate muffins

Step1: Make vegan buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Let’s start by making our vegan buttermilk! Simply mix your room-temperature soy milk with the apple cider vinegar and give it a quick stir. This little magic trick creates the perfect acidic base to help our muffins rise up lovely and tall.

Step 2: Mix the wet ingredients

Next, gently melt your vegan butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat. Go ahead and pour it into a mixing bowl or a jug with your room-temperature soy yoghurt and that vegan buttermilk we just made.

Whisk it all together until it’s smooth and well combined. (A quick tip: using room-temperature ingredients here is important to stop the melted butter from seizing up.)

Step 3: Mix the batter

Now, in a large bowl, whisk together all of your dry ingredients – the flour, both sugars, cacao powder, and raising agents. Then make a well in the centre and pour in your wet mixture. Grab your wooden spoon or spatula and gently fold everything together until everything is just combined. Remember, we’re being gentle here. A few little lumps are absolutely fine! Finally, tenderly fold in vegan chocolate chips. There we have our muffin batter!

Step 4: Pour into muffin cups and bake

Almost there! Line your muffin tray with muffin cups and, using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter evenly. You want to fill each case full to get that tall domed muffin top! Pop them in the oven for 23 to 25 minutes. They’re ready when a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean. If it comes out with wet batter, bake for another 3 to 5 mins. Let them cool in the tray forabout 5 to 10 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Expert tips and tricks

The golden rule: no overmixing

Muffins are super easy to bake if you know how to bake them. Here’s one of the most important tips I can share: don’t overmix your batter. It’s the secret to perfect muffins! Overmixing develops too much gluten, which can give your muffins a rubbery and tough texture and, sadly, flat muffin tops that just won’t rise.

I always swap my whisk for a large wooden spoon or silicone spatula. I use a gentle “cut-and-fold” motion. Bring the spoon from the top of the bowl down to the bottom and across, until the wet and dry mixture is just combined. If your muffins haven’t been as soft and fluffy as you’d like, try this gentle mixing trick – it makes all the difference!

Use room temperature ingredients

Remember to let your soy milk and yoghurt come to room temperature before you start baking. Why? Because we’re mixing them with melted butter, which is still warm and can solidify if mixed with cold ingredients.

If they’re too cold, they’ll turn the butter into little lumps when you combine them. If this happens though, don’t worry! Just pop the mixture in the microwave for 10-20 seconds and give it a quick whisk until it’s smooth again.

Add the chocolate chips at the very end

For those lovely, distinct chocolate chips in every bite, always fold them in last. If you add them to the dry ingredients, the warm, melted butter in the wet mix can start to melt them. By adding them at the final stage, you keep their perfect shape for those glorious pockets of melty chocolate.

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• Add the zest of one orange to the wet ingredients for a bright, citrusy twist! Chocolate and orange always go hand in hand!
• Feeling choc minty? Stir 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract into the wet mixture for a festive, refreshing flavour. Perfect for Christmas!
• Swap the vegan chocolate chips for peanut butter chips or salted caramel chips for the ultimate sweet-and-salty combo. Mmmm, yummy.

How to store

• Room temperature: For enjoying within 1-2 days, store your completely cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. A bread box or a tin works perfectly too. This keeps them soft and moist without drying out. If you live in a warm climate or are baking in the summer and your kitchen is hot, do not leave the muffins out at room temperature, as they can spoil quickly.

• Refrigerator: If you’d like to keep them for up to 3 days, you can store them in the fridge. Place them in an airtight container to prevent them from absorbing any odour in the fridge. Let them come to room temperature or warm them in the microwave or oven before eating for the best texture and flavour.

• Freezer: These muffins freeze great for up to 2-3 months. First, let the muffins cool completely. Then, wrap each one individually in cling film. Finally, place all the wrapped muffins inside a large, freezer-safe bag or airtight container to prevent freezer burn and store in teh freezer. To thaw, take out as many as you need and let them thaw at room temperature for a few hours, or overnight in the fridge. For a quick warm-up, pop a thawed muffin in the microwave.

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

You will LOVE these vegan double chocolate muffins because they are:

• easy to make
• super moist, soft and fluffy
• chocolaty
• great breakfast and snack

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious cake recipes you might enjoy!

• Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
• Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Visit the muffins page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe in the comment section below if you like this recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

Recipe Card

Vegan Double Chocolate Muffins

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5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 9 reviews

• Author: Maiko
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

These are the best vegan double chocolate muffins ever! They are exceptionally good – incredibly soft and moist, yet so fluffy with rich and decadent chocolate flavour and chocolate chips. They are very easy to make and perfect for breakfast, lunch and even bringing to home parties. 

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Ingredients

• 2&1/2 cups (300g) plain flour
• 3/4 cup (110g) brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (105g) caster sugar
• 1/2 cup (35g) cacao powder
• 1/2~1 cup (80~160g) vegan chocolate chips
• 3/4 cup (180ml) melted vegan butter
• 1/2 cup (120ml) soy milk (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup (130g) soy yogurt
• 1 tbsp tapioca flour
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C(350°F).
2. In a small bowl, mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make vegan buttermilk. Set aside.
3. Melt the vegan butter over low to medium heat in a small saucepan, or on a double boiler, or in a microwave.
4. Add the vegan buttermilk and soy yoghurt to melted vegan butter and mix well. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, mix well the flour, sugars, cacao powder, tapioca flour, baking powder and baking soda with a whisk.
6. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix gently with a large wooden spoon or a spatula until they are just combined. Don’t overmix the batter!
7. Fold the vegan chocolate chips into the batter.
8. Scoop the batter into a muffin tray lined with muffin cups until about 3/4. Sprinkle some more vegan chocolate chips on top.
9. Bake for 25 mins or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
10. Let the muffins cool down, take them out and transfer them onto a cooling rack to cool further.
11. Enjoy! 

Equipment

Mixing bowls

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Muffin cups

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Muffin tray

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silicone spatula

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wooden spoon

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Notes

Be careful not to overmix the batter.

Use muffin cups to prevent them from sticking to the tray.

• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 25 mins
• Category: Muffins
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 298
• Sugar: 21g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Fat: 13g
• Carbohydrates: 41g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 5g