Easy & delicious chocolate butternut squash muffins! These healthy chocolate muffins are made entirely from ingredients you probably already have kicking around your pantry and kitchen! Kid-approved, egg-free, dairy-free, vegan and made from wholegrain ingredients, the muffins are going to be a new family favorite!
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Egg-free Chocolate Butternut Squash muffins
Sometimes when you get the baking bug.
Yeah, that was me last week. End of the week. I was jonesing to bake my Healthy Chocolate Butternut Squash Muffins, but as luck would have it, I was out of nut butter and my fridge was empty of eggs (and I have learned that flax “eggs” and chia “eggs” don’t work well in that recipe). But, damnit, I had a can of butternut squash puree and I wanted to bake something.
So I hit my pantry for inspiration and found oodles of shelf-stable pantry items that came together into some pretty fabulous healthy chocolate muffins that my family went utterly nuts over.
Seriously so good, surprisingly egg-free and made from all pantry staple ingredients!
Why these healthy chocolate muffins are awesome!
- These muffins are a delicious way to get veggies in at breakfast or snack in a kid-approved way!
- They are easy to make.
- Nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free…so many people with allergies to these typical baking ingredients can enjoy these chocolate butternut squash muffins!
- Made from shelf stable ingredients you might already have! So perfect for making in a pinch!
- They are made from good-for-you ingredient
Where to find butternut squash puree
Year round, I can easily find butternut squash puree in most grocery stores here in the States in the following spots:
- with the canned vegetables
- baking aisle
- with canned pumpkin in the fall
Every store keeps it in a different place, so don’t be afraid to ask an associate if you can’t find it!
You can also buy it online and have it show up at your doorstep!
However, if you can’t find butternut squash puree or just prefer to make your own, you can simple do so by cooking a butternut squash in your preferred way. Drain off any cooking liquid and use a potato masher to mash the fresh or put the cooked butternut squash flesh into a blender and puree!
Suggested Adaptations for Chocolate Butternut Squash Muffins
- Make them gluten free. Either sub the whole wheat flour in this recipe with 1:1 gluten free flour blend (I like this one) or use gluten free oat flour (this post tells you how to make your own)
- Sub the butternut squash with pumpkin or sweet potato puree!
- Bake it as a loaf! Same temperature for for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean!
- Reduce the sweetener. You can reduce the honey/maple syrup in this to 1/4 cup, but I also suggest reducing the cocoa powder as well so that your muffins do not come out too bitter.
- Use homemade butternut squash puree. See above
Looking for other healthy egg-free muffins?
Do you have the baking bug too but using eggs is out of the question, check out these other delicious and kid-loved egg-free muffin recipes
Egg-Free Chocolate Butternut Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce or you can sub with equal parts mashed banana
- 1 1/2 cups canned butternut squash puree
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or melted coconut oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour can sub gluten free 1:1 flour blend
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips optional + extra for topping if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and line a 12 hole muffin tin with liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine applesauce, canned butternut squash puree, maple syrup/honey, and oil. Mix.
- Add remaining ingredients except chocolate chips (if using) to the bowl and mix until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Fold in chocolate chips, if using.
- Portion out the batter into the prepared muffin tin and top with extra chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the a muffin comes out clean. Remove muffins from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before enjoying. Once completely cool, store muffins in an airtight container.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Really good! I baked it as a loaf like you suggested and the whole family enjoyed it
Yummy! Made these, but had a couple adjustments due to supplies on hand. Used the suggested substitution of sweet potatoes. Had some in the freezer, so made a puree. I was a little short on mashed banana due to only having two smaller bananas, and didn’t have applesauce. Being mindful of sweetness for my tastes, I did use half the honey, and eyeballed using less cocoa powder. If you prefer sweeter muffins, use the full honey/syrup in my opinion. I liked these however as they had more of a touch of sweetness to them. I’ll definitely make again!
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed them!
These are delicious thank you! I love all your recipes
How long these last out? Or refrigerated? Can they be frozen?
I’m so glad you enjoyed! I find they last longer in the fridge and are usually awesome for 5ish days. And yes, they can be frozen!
I don’t understand the. Instructions. Do I use applesauce and banana? How much? Thnx.
I use 1 cup applesauce. But if you don’t have applesauce, you can substitute 1 cup of mashed banana