Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Tender, hearty and studded with chocolate chips—these muffins have it all. They're vegan and gluten-free, too!

By
Megan Gordon
Megan Gordon
Megan Gordon
Since 2010, Megan has been active in the food media world. She's a marketer and brand consultant, food writer, culinary teacher, and cookbook author.
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Updated November 03, 2022
Megan Gordon
Chocolate Chip Muffins Gluten-Free
Megan Gordon

There’s a coffee shop by our house in Seattle that makes a great, substantial chocolate chip muffin with a nice crusty top that isn’t at all too sweet. I’m quite smitten with it.

Recently, I decided to recreate them at home, only making them gluten-free and dairy-free so we could share them with our extended family and friends, many of whom have food sensitivities and allergies.

What Makes a Great Gluten-Free Muffin

These muffins are moist with a tight, dense crumb. They feel much heartier than a super fluffy muffin. They’re also studded generously with dark chocolate but aren’t too sweet.

And they couldn’t be easier to make: two bowls, no mixer, and the muffins are ready in under an hour.

We have a number of friends who have had babies recently, so I’ve been baking off multiple batches of these muffins for our family and then freezing some to gift to the new parents when we have a chance to bring something by.

Megan Gordon

Pick a Good Gluten-Free Flour Blend

A few things to know before you get started with this recipe:

Choose a good gluten-free flour blend. There are dozens of gluten-free flour blends to choose from these days and many are great. I happen to like Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour blend. It’s a great all-purpose choice and doesn’t contain chickpea or legume flours, which often impart a savory flavor to baked goods that I don’t always love.

Make sure it has xanthan gum. This blend from Bob’s contains xanthan gum, which acts as a binder in gluten-free baking recipes like this one. Before baking, check the ingredients in your own gluten-free flour blend and if it doesn’t contain xanthan gum (or another binding ingredient like guar gum or psyllium husks), I recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of xanthan gum to ensure success.

How to Make These Gluten-Free Muffins

As with most baked goods, there’s definitely some science involved in making a great muffin.

I like to bake these at a slightly higher temperature than is typical for muffins since I feel this helps with the rise.

You also don’t need a mixer, here—in fact it's best to mix these (and most) muffins by hand since you want to be careful not to over-mix or overwork your dough. Otherwise, you could get rather tough baked goods.

Some muffin recipes instruct you to fill your cups only 2/3 of the way full, but you can go all the way to the top with this dough: it doesn’t expand or rise dramatically.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins
Megan Gordon

Enjoy Your Chocolate Chip Muffins!

And now it’s time to invite a few friends over, start the coffee pot, and look forward to a warm, decadent, and satisfying muffin that everyone can enjoy.

More Allergy-Friendly Recipes

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 22 mins
Total Time 37 mins
Servings 12 servings
Yield 12 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon flax meal

  • 2 cups (296g) gluten-free flour blend, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour

  • 1/2 cup (105g) granulated sugar

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk, such as soy milk or oat milk

  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  •  1 cup (165g) dairy-free chocolate chips, such as Enjoy Life brand

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F:

    Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.

  2. Prepare the flax "egg":

    Combine the flax meal with 2 1/2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Let stand for 7 to 10 minutes to thicken. (This will be used as an egg replacer in this recipe.)

  3. Mix the dry ingredients:

    In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

  4. Mix the wet ingredients:

    In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, nondairy milk, flax egg, and vanilla extract.

  5. Make the batter:

    Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and, using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir thoroughly to combine (but be careful not to overmix or overwork the batter). The texture will be much more like a dough than a loose batter: thick and sticky.

    Fold the chocolate chips into the dough.

  6. Portion out the batter:

    Fill the muffin liners with the batter using a scoop or ladle, filling each almost to the top.

  7. Bake muffins:

    Bake for 21 to 23 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden and they spring back ever so slightly when pressed in the center. (If you use the toothpick doneness test, it may be misleading—chances are, you'll hit a chocolate chip!)

  8. Cool:

    Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

  9. Serve and store:

    Muffins are best enjoyed the same day they’re baked. Store leftover muffins covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
250 Calories
13g Fat
31g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 250
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 16%
Saturated Fat 2g 11%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 198mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 1mg 3%
Calcium 100mg 8%
Iron 1mg 8%
Potassium 107mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.