If you love zucchini, but are looking for a lighter zucchini recipe, you'll love these Chocolate Weight Watchers Zucchini Muffins! At only 3 points each, with no artificial sweeteners, they make a great dessert, breakfast, or mid-morning snack! And you don't need to be following the Weight Watchers program to love these muffins...
Zucchini muffins are especially popular in July and August, but these can be made with frozen zucchini any time of the year! This recipe was inspired by my WW Rhurbarb Muffins and my Chocolate Blender Zucchini Bread on this site. These muffins are so rich, moist, chocolatey, and yummy that no one will ever suspect they are Weight Watchers friendly!
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It's not always easy to find healthy zucchini recipes and that's why I also created these Healthy Zucchini Bars! Loaded with wholesome ingredients, they are a unique and delicious guilt-free treat!
And if you're looking for additional ww friendly and delicious muffins, try my Healthy Morning Glory Muffins! They are naturally dairy-free amd loaded with wholesome ingredients like carrots, sunflower seeds, and applesauce to start your day right!
🥘Ingredient Notes
As far as I’m concerned, chocolate is a necessity, whether or not you’re following the WW program! Chocolate and zucchini are the perfect combination!
You will need the following ingredients for this recipe:
- Non-fat plain Greek yogurt 0%. Non-fat Greek yogurt adds protein and creaminess to these muffins, also replacing some of the fat.
- Oil and Unsweetened Applesauce. I use a combination of applesauce and canola oil, as too much applesauce can make baked goods chewy.
- Brown sugar. Make sure the brown sugar is tightly packed into the measuring cup.
- Shredded Zucchini. Make sure you are using finely shredded zucchini or it will affect the texture of the muffins. You will also want to pack the zucchini tightly into the measuring cup.
- All-purpose flour. I use AP flour to keep the crumb light, as whole wheat flour can make muffins too dense. AP and Whole wheat flour have the same ww points value.
- Cocoa. Make sure it's unsweetened! This lends a rich chocolatey taste without the calories or fat!
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Brown sugar- you can use monk fruit instead of sugar but only use ⅓ cup and increase unsweetened cocoa by ¼ cup
- Oil - you can use canola, olive oil, or any vegetable oil.
- Increase Fiber - add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal to the dry ingredients to increase fiber content.
🔪How to Make WW Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Prep:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/ 204 degrees C. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
Shred zucchini with a food processor or box grater. There is no need to peel it first.
*If you are using frozen zucchini, defrost it, drain it, then squeeze out excess moisture. Be sure to measure it AFTER you do this.
- Step 1: In a large bowl beat eggs until fluffy with an electric mixer. Then beat in oil.
- Step 2: Whisk in yogurt, sugar, applesauce and vanilla, preferably with a whisk (or a spoon).
- Step 3: Stir in shredded zucchini.
- Step 4: In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Step 5: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Step 6: Pour muffin batter into lined muffin tins to about ¾ full, dividing batter evenly by all 16.
- Step 7: Bake 400 degrees F/204 degrees C for 5 minutes. Turn down to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. for the remainder of time. *approximately 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. *Turn halfway through for even baking. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes
- Step 8: Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Wait until they are completely cooled (they taste best this way) and they won't stick to the muffin liners.
Top tip
Fill empty muffin cups with ⅔ water for even baking. Filling empty muffin cups with water helps distribute heat evenly in the oven, especially when you're not filling all the muffin cups.
Be sure to turn the pan halfway through the cooking process to ensure even baking!
Expert Recipe Tips
- Shred Zucchini finely: Using a box grater’s fine side or a food processor with a fine grating blade ensures a smoother texture. Large shreds can make the muffins too chunky. *There is no need to peel it first!
- Drain properly: and squeeze excess moisture. If you are using frozen zucchini, fully defrost it, then drain it and squeeze out excess moisture from shredded zucchini using a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. This will avoid overly wet batter and gummy muffins. Measure after excess moisture is removed.
- Boosting Chocolate Flavor -add espresso powder: A small amount (½ tsp) intensifies the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
- Room temp ingredients: Let eggs and Greek yogurt reach room temperature before mixing. This helps create a lighter, fluffier texture.
- Do not overmix: Stir the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to dense muffins.
- Oven temp trick: Start baking at 400°F (204°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) for the remainder. This helps the muffins rise higher.
- Fill muffin liners correctly: Fill ¾ full for a good rise without overflowing.
- Even baking: Rotate the muffin pan halfway through baking.
- Use high-quality liners: Cheap liners tend to stick. Parchment paper liners work best.
- Let them cool fully: Muffins release easier from liners when fully cooled.
Troubleshooting:
- If Muffins are Dry: Reduce baking time slightly and ensure you're not overmeasuring the flour.
- If Muffins are Gummy: Squeeze out more moisture from the zucchini.
- If Muffins are Flat: Ensure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. Also, be sure to get them into the oven right after mixing - don't let them sit, as the leaveners lose potency the longer they sit.
🌡️Storage
Store these healthy zucchini muffins at room temperature in a sealed container for 2 days.
These muffins freeze really well for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 16 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
According to my ww app, these healthy chocolate zucchini muffins are Weight Watchers friendly @ 3 WW points each. You can use monk fruit (but only use half the amount - ⅓ cup and also be sure to increase unsweetened cocoa powder by ¼ cup ). This will bring down the points to 2 Weight Watchers points per muffin.
🥗 What to serve with Weight Watchers Muffins
Classic Fruit salad goes well with these zucchini muffins, as do eggs. My Microwave Omelette in a Mug or my Roasted Red Pepper Egg White Bites (shown) pair perfectly with this muffin! But if you're looking for something even lighter, try my Healthy Apple Pie Smoothie!
❔Recipe FAQ's
Muffins are a great way to use up zucchini! Zucchini is very healthy, low in saturated fat and sodium, very low in cholesterol, a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamine, niacin, phosphorus, and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, riboflavin, vitamin B6, folate, magnesium, potassium, and manganese.
Zucchini adds moisture and volume to baking, and serves as a wet ingredient because it's 95% water. However, it doesn't necessarily replace any binders (such as eggs) or fat (such as oil).
Yes, you can use frozen zucchini. Make sure to defrost it completely, drain it well, and squeeze out any excess moisture before measuring. This is important to prevent the muffins from becoming soggy.
Make sure the muffins are completely cooled before removing them from the pan and liners. They taste better that way too!
If you're looking for a rich, moist, and chocolatey zucchini muffin that won't break the calorie bank, you'll love this one! And be sure to try my healthy Chocolate Zucchini Biscotti!
More Healthy & WW Friendly Zucchini Recipes
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📋Weight Watchers Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Equipment
- food processor *or box grater
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup non- fat plain Greek yogurt 0%
- 1 ½ tablespoons oil * I use canola oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini (packed tightly)
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/204 degrees C. Line muffin pans with paper muffin liners.Shred zucchini with food processor or box grater. There is no need to peel it first. *If you are using frozen zucchini, defrost it, drain it, then squeeze out excess moisture. Be sure to measure it AFTER you do this.
- In a large mixing bowl beat eggs until fluffy.2 large eggs
- Beat in oil.1 ½ tablespoons oil
- Then whisk in yogurt, sugar, applesauce and vanilla.¾ cup non- fat plain Greek yogurt, ½ cup unsweetened applesauce, ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract, ⅔ cup packed brown sugar (tightly packed)
- Stir in shredded zucchini.1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini (packed tightly)
- In a separate medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and baking powder.1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture.
- Spoon batter into lined muffin tins to about ¾ full, dividing batter evenly by all 16.
- Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees F/204 degrees C for ONLY 5 minutes, then turn down to 350 degrees F/174 degrees C for approximately 20 -25 minutes or until a toothpick or cake tester inserted comes out clean.*Turn halfway through for even baking**Fill empty muffin cups with ⅔ water for even baking (see Top Tip)
- Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.
- ***Wait until they are completely cooled (they taste best this way) and they won't stick to the muffin liners.
Notes
-
- Shred Zucchini finely: Using a box grater’s fine side or a food processor with a fine grating blade ensures a smoother texture. Large shreds can make the muffins too chunky.
-
- Drain properly: Squeeze excess moisture from shredded zucchini using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to avoid overly wet batter and gummy muffins.
-
- Boosting Chocolate Flavor -add espresso powder: A small amount (½ tsp) intensifies the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
-
- Room temp ingredients: Let eggs and Greek yogurt reach room temperature before mixing. This helps create a lighter, fluffier texture.
-
- Do not overmix: Stir the dry and wet ingredients until just combined. Overmixing develops gluten, leading to dense muffins.
-
- Oven temp trick: Start baking at 400°F (204°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) for the remainder. This helps the muffins rise higher.
-
- Fill muffin liners correctly: Fill ¾ full for a good rise without overflowing.
-
- Even baking: Rotate the muffin pan halfway through baking.
-
- Use high-quality liners: Cheap liners tend to stick. Parchment paper liners work best.
-
- Let them cool fully: Muffins release easier from liners when fully cooled.
Terri Gilson
These Chocolate Zucchini Muffins are seriously awesome! They are super rich and chocolatey, even at just 3 WW points each. No fake sweeteners here - just real, delicious ingredients that make these perfect for breakfast, snack time, or when you need a chocolate fix. No one will guess these are Weight Watchers friendly!