Once you bite into these Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins, I promise you’ll never want to buy a coffee shop muffin again! Made with simple, wholesome ingredients, these are the type of muffin you’ll come back to time and time again. Enjoy!
Jump to:
- Why you Need to Make these Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
- What you need to make this Homemade Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe
- How to Make Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Recipe Notes + Expert Tips
- FAQs for this Easy Healthy Breakfast Muffin Recipe
- Other Muffin Recipes You May Enjoy
- Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins
Why you Need to Make these Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
I’m a fan of muffins (I’ve made them with sweet potato, blueberries (also gluten free), pumpkin, banana, and more!). There’s a bit of nostalgia I have with them and it stems from those GIANT Costco muffins my mom used to buy as a kid.
As much as I loved them, I don’t love how they make me feel a hour or two later (read sugar crash!)
These Healthy Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins are the answer to my childhood dreams but meet my adult health standards lol!
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
What you need to make this Homemade Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe
Ingredient Tips
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce as the fruit itself is sweet enough!
- Chocolate: Depending on what type of chocolate you like, chop up your favorite bar or use chocolate chips. Feel free to mix and match!
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt was used when developing this recipe. If you have a flavor like vanilla on hand, you can use it, however, note that there are added sugars. To compensate for this, remove a tablespoon of granulated sugar and either reduce the vanilla extract by half or remove.
- White whole wheat flour: A different variety of wheat is used to produce a lighter colored flour and keep your muffins brighter, but still remain whole wheat! Regular whole wheat flour can be used here, just note the color will be darker.
Ingredient Swaps
- Gluten Free: Swap gluten-free flour (like a one-to-one baking blend) in place of the white whole wheat flour.
- Vegan: Use a plant-based yogurt and milk with dairy-free chocolate chips to keep them dairy-free, and add organic sugar and a flax egg to make your muffins vegan friendly!
How to Make Chocolate Chip Muffins
(1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Start by whisking your flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
(2 + 3) Whisk the egg in large bowl, then stir in the yogurt, applesauce, vanilla, sugar, and milk.
(4 + 5 + 6) Mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
(7 + 8) Stir in the chocolate pieces until uniformly mixed.
(9) Line a muffin tin with muffin liners then evenly fill them with the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 18 to 22 minutes (tops should be golden brown.)
When muffins are done baking, if desired, melt additional chocolate and drizzle over the top!
Recipe Notes + Expert Tips
- To make mini muffins, use a mini ice cream scoop or rounded tablespoon to drop batter into a silicon mini muffin tray like this. (Not sponsored, just allows for super easy clean up!) Bake at the same temperature for 10-14 minutes.
- Using this Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffin base, feel free to switch up the add-ins! Recreate your favorite bakery muffin at home by:
- Cinnamon Raisin: Add 2 tsp ground cinnamon to the flour and swap 1/3 cup raisins for the chocolate. You can also use an unsweetened cinnamon applesauce!
- Pumpkin Spice: Stir in 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the flour. Then swap pumpkin puree for the applesauce (feel free to keep the chocolate chips!)
- Lemon Poppy Seed: Stir in 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp lemon zest, and 2 Tbsp poppy seeds to the wet ingredients.
- Serve these with a cup of coffee for the perfect morning pick me up!
FAQs for this Easy Healthy Breakfast Muffin Recipe
There are a few “healthy upgrades” made in this recipe which make them better for you! They include: using whole wheat flour, subbing Greek yogurt for butter/oil, and lowering the refined sugar by subbing in applesauce.
Compared to a traditional chocolate chip muffin recipe, this one contains about one third less calories, twice as much fiber, one third less sugar, and only one gram of fat compared to over 10 grams/serving!
With all of the above mentioned, whole heartedly, yes! These muffins are great for children as part of a well balanced, wholesome diet!
Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days on the counter, 10 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer for best quality.
There is so much chocolate out there these days! There are many brands that are vegan and/or dairy free, soy free, and lower in sugar (see dark chocolate varieties), as well as fair trade, sustainable, and non GMO.
What really matters when making a decision in the seemingly endless baking isle, is following what you feel is best for you and your family! I won’t list all of the different brands here but if it means a lot to you, take a few minutes to visit a few of the brand websites and see what they’re all about! Ultimately, when you feel you’re making the most informed decision, that will make the end product that much more delicious!
Other Muffin Recipes You May Enjoy
If you try this recipe, would you please do me a favor and leave a star rating in the recipe box and/or comment below! This helps immensely in Google to continue delivering high quality content to you. And please be sure to tag and share what you made with me on social, I love seeing your creations! You can find me here: Instagram – Facebook – Pinterest!
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
- 1/2 cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup chopped chocolate pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- To a large bowl, whisk the egg. Mix in the sugar, milk, Greek yogurt, applesauce and vanilla extract. Set aside.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring until all is well combined.
- Add in the chocolate pieces.
- Line a muffin tin with 12 liners and portion batter evenly amongst them. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes until lightly browned.
- Remove and let cool slightly before eating.
- Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days on the counter, 10 days in the fridge, or 3 months in the freezer for best quality.
Notes
- Applesauce: Use unsweetened applesauce as the fruit itself is sweet enough!
- Chocolate: Depending on what type of chocolate you like, chop up your favorite bar or use chocolate chips. Feel free to mix and match!
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt was used when developing this recipe. If you have a flavor like vanilla on hand, you can use it, however, note that there are added sugars. To compensate for this, remove a tablespoon of granulated sugar and either reduce the vanilla extract by half or remove.
- White whole wheat flour: A different variety of wheat is used to produce a lighter colored flour and keep your muffins brighter, but still remain whole wheat! Regular whole wheat flour can be used here, just note the color will be darker.
- Gluten Free: Swap gluten-free flour (like a one-to-one baking blend) in place of the white whole wheat flour.
- Vegan: Use a plant-based yogurt and milk with dairy-free chocolate chips to keep them dairy-free, and add organic sugar and a flax egg to make your muffins vegan friendly!
- To make mini muffins, use a mini ice cream scoop or rounded tablespoon to drop batter into a silicon mini muffin tray like this (not sponsored, just allows for super easy clean up!) Bake at the same temperature for 10-14 minutes.
- Using this Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Muffin base, feel free to switch up the add-ins and recreate your favorite bakery muffin at home:
- Cinnamon Raisin: Add 2 tsp ground cinnamon to the flour (you can also use an unsweetened cinnamon applesauce), and swap 1/3 cup raisins for the chocolate.
- Pumpkin Spice: Stir in 2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to the flour, then swap pumpkin puree for the applesauce (feel free to keep the chocolate chips!)
- Lemon Poppy Seed: Stir in 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, 1 Tbsp lemon zest, and 2 Tbsp poppy seeds to the wet ingredients.
- Serve these with a cup of coffee for the perfect morning pick me up!
These sound delicious and how cute are those little cases?!
Thanks so much! 🙂 Very kind of you!
Yay! I knew this, but exciting that it’s live and finally “out there”. So excited for you both! Now, hand me a muffin 🙂
Thank you Alex 🙂 Done- sent to SLU for you!
Congratulations on your book! That’s awesome and so needed!! (And these muffins looks fantastic!)
THanks Marisa! I was eyeing your three ingredient cookies this morning, perhaps we can swap?!
I’m so excited for you and Sara! Congratulations, and thank you for all the work you’re doing !
These muffins are a perfect way to celebrate Christmas in July! Now if all the cheesy Hallmark movies would come on, I’d be one happy girl! 😉
If I already didn’t like you enough Melanie, you said Hallmark movies and you sealed the deal. It’s official, we just became best friends! My husband pretty much disowns me from the time Thanksgiving hits through Christmas with the TV movies, I am obsessed. And, the real big kicker, so many of those movies are filmed in my hometown! Apparently one of the directors lives there! A recent one actually was filmed in the church we got married in!! HAH, I felt famous 🙂
Kicking back with you, these muffins and an iced coffee would be so much fun! Someday we’ll make it happen. And it goes without saying, I’m SO excited for you and Sara!!
YAAAS! I am hoping we can make it happen soon, I’ve been brainstorming a BIG idea!! Stay tuned, as soon as I can get it out on paper, it’s coming your way!
Yay! So excited for you and Sara! Such amazing news and so well deserved. Also these muffins look awesome! Saving this recipe now!
Thanks Jessica! And, as I echo what I said to Amber, it’s you ladies who keep my flame alive! So, thank you, thank you, thank you! I know I can always count on “Nutritioulicious” to pop up in my email and remind me why I do what I do! You rock!
Congrats on the cookbook! And I wish I could reach through the photo for a muffin 🙂
Ah, thanks Dianna! I am virtually sending you one right now!
Congratulations, Liz!
Thanks so much Tina! You are so kind to follow my blog still, I think of my UCSD family often! Many big <3 go out to you all!
I am so happy for you! Your website, blog, and positive energy are an inspiration to me! I hope to write a cookbook someday too. Maybe when the kids go to college, ha! Good luck with the cookbook writing! Oh, and we are on the same page with both posting whole grain muffin recipes today. 🙂
Thank you so much Maria- that is so kind of you to say! I saw your zucchini muffins this am too, and, OMG, please save me one!
SO excited for you Liz, and Sara too!! Also, I think you were reading my mind about pumpkin right now! I was planning to break out my last can of pumpkin this week to use for something since it’s “Christmas in July” lol! Now I know what to make with part of that pumpkin, these look really yummy! 🙂
Thank you Amber! It’s people like you who’ve inspired us to keep going on this ride, so thank you so much for your continued support! One day we will meet, eat, and share many laughs in person! Until then, let’s continue to indulge in these muffins, okay 🙂
That would be absolutely fabulous! But yes, until then….more muffins 🙂