Chocolate Spinach Muffins (No Eggs, No Refined Sugar)

These Chocolate Spinach Muffins are soft, healthy kid muffins for lunchbox, breakfast, or snack. They are vegan kids muffins which means they don’t contain eggs, or dairy. Plus, the recipe is refined-sugar-free.

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I love using spinach to turn my classic recipes into healthier treats, like my Spinach Tortillas, Vegan Spinach Muffins, or Spinach Banana Pancakes.

Chocolate Spinach Muffins

These Chocolate Spinach Muffins are soft, healthy kid muffins for lunchbox, breakfast, or snack. They are vegan kids muffins which means they don't contain eggs, or dairy. Plus, the recipe is refined-sugar-free.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 24 minutes mins

Total Time: 34 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 30 mini muffins

Calories: 55.9 kcal

Author: Carine Claudepierre

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Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• ▢ ½ cup Almond Milk - (note 1)
• ▢ ¼ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 2.5 oz Fresh Baby Spinach Leaves - (note 3)
• ▢ 2 medium Ripe Bananas - (note 4)
• ▢ 7 tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - (note 5)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats - (note 6)
• ▢ ¼ cup Mild-Flavor Olive Oil - (note 7)
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt - (note 8)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line three 12-hole mini muffin trays with a mini muffin paper liner. Spray cooking oil in each of the muffin paper liners to prevent the muffins to stick. Set aside.
• If unsure about the size of your bananas, peel, mash with a fork into a puree, and pack into a 1-cup measuring cup and fill it up to the top. If you mash too much of it, freeze it for later, and use it in a smoothie
• Place all the ingredients in the jug of a high-speed blender.
• Blend on medium-high speed and use the tamper attachment of the blender to push the food down to the blade, increasing blending speed as you go, to form a smooth, thick chocolate batter. You may have to stop the blender and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stop when the batter is smooth and consistent. There are still a few grainy bits of oats, but that's ok. It takes about 90 seconds max to blend into this texture. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes in the jug to thicken.
• Use a small cookie dough scoop to grab the batter from the jug and fill the mini muffin cups up to 3/4 of their level. I filled 30 mini muffins.
• Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes at 350°F (180°C) until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean or with just a few crumbs on it. You can place two pans on the middle rack, one pan in the bottom rack, or, if not enough space in your oven, keep the pan on the kitchen counter. No need to refrigerate.
• Cool down in the pan for 10 minutes at room temeprature before transfering to a cooling rack.

Notes

Note 1: Any milk work, use soy milk to increase the protein per serving.

Note 2: Any liquid sweetener, like agave syrup or coconut nectar, works as well.

Note 3: This is equivalent to about 3 cups unpacked baby spinach. I do recommend the weight for this recipe, or you will add too much and taste the veggie. It means weight 2.5 oz (70 grams) of baby spinach leaves. For the best result, weigh the uncooked baby spinach. You can’t use frozen, thawed spinach.

Note 4: Equivalent to 1 cup of mashed banana. If unsure of your banana size, and you worry about the muffin not firming up because your bananas look too big, mash them first, measure in measuring cups, then add to the blender.

Note 5: 7 tablespoons are equivalent to 1/4 cup + 3 tablespoons or half a cup minus 1 tablespoon. You can swap for cacao powder, but the muffins will be slightly bitter.

Note 6: Quick oats work as well. Use gluten-free certified oats if you need.

Note 7: Or any low-flavor oil you love

Note 8: Optional. It enhances the chocolate flavor, but you can skip it if preferred.

Add-ons: if you want to stir in chocolate chips, or finely chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts. Add 1/2 cup to the blended batter and use a silicone spatula to evenly incorporate. 

Storage: Store the muffins in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Oven Mode: I use the fan-forced (convection) mode. If you have to use conventional mode, I recommend increasing the temperature by 25°F (15 °C). The baking time should be the same, but it might take a few more minutes.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1mini muffin | Calories: 55.9kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.7g | Protein: 1.4g | Fat: 2.6g | Saturated Fat: 0.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.6g | Sodium: 75.1mg | Potassium: 121mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2.7g | Vitamin A: 286.3IU | Vitamin C: 1.5mg | Calcium: 33.8mg | Iron: 0.8mg | Magnesium: 28.8mg | Phosphorus: 52.2mg | Zinc: 0.4mg

Ingredients and Substitutions

All you need to make these easy kid muffins are:

• Non-Dairy Milk of Choice – I used calcium-fortified soy milk or almond milk. Any milk works fine.
• Mild-Flavor Olive Oil or any low-flavor oil you have in the pantry. Note that coconut oil solidifies under 73°F (23°C), so if it gets in contact with cold milk from the fridge, it forms oil lumps. It is preferable to add a layer of dry ingredients to avoid any oil lumps in the muffins, if you use coconut oil.
• Maple Syrup or any liquid sweetener like agave syrup or rice syrup. Maple syrup is safe to eat for toddlers as long as they are ready for solid food. So this recipe can be used for baby-led weaning snacks. Note that maple syrup counts as added sugar in kids’ snacks. That’s why the recipe uses a tiny amount to keep the muffins healthy for kids.
• Vanilla Extract – for flavor.
• Spinach – you can use fresh baby spinach, fresh regular spinach trimming the leaves first, or frozen spinach. For frozen spinach, thaw and pat dry to remove excess water before adding to the blender.
• Ripe Bananas – this is the key ingredient to add natural sweetness, hide the spinach flavor and avoid adding more liquid sweetener to limit added sugar.
• Cocoa Powder – I prefer to use unsweetened cocoa powder to make it easier to manage sweetness.
• Rolled Oats or instant oats both work well, but I prefer instant oats. It blends faster and won’t leave a gritty texture in muffins.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda – for a small rise and a fluffy texture.
• Salt – optional. For toddlers or baby-led weaning, you can skip.

How To Make Spinach Chocolate Muffins

To make these spinach chocolate muffins, you need a high-speed blender and a few simple, wholesome ingredients.

More Healthy Kid Recipes

I love to make healthy baked goods for my vegan kid’s lunch boxes or breakfast. Below I listed my best vegan muffin recipes for you to try with kids.

3-Ingredient Banana Cookies

Vegan Banana Muffins

Spinach Tortillas