Although they taste like a rich and fudgy chocolate chip muffin, these healthy muffins for kids and toddlers are filled with healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour, avocado and applesauce. They are also free from nuts and eggs and can also be made dairy free, if needed. Whip up a batch in less than 20 minutes and store them in the freezer for a quick grab-and-go lunchbox treat or tasty afternoon snack! 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe
Kid-approved! Who can resist a chocolate muffin with gooey chocolate chips?! These ones are moist, rich and brownie-like. Perfect for all ages!
Quick and easy. Got some soft avocados sitting in your fruit bowl? All you’ll you need is a handful of easy pantry ingredients and around 20 minutes to throw these together!
Dietary restriction friendly. These muffins are already nut and egg-free. But they can also be adapted to be dairy-free and vegan friendly, if required.
Ingredients you will need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
Ingredient notes
- Plain flour. Either wholemeal (whole wheat), white whole wheat or white flour can be used, depending on what you prefer.
- Avocados help to moisten the muffins. Soft, ripe avocados are best. Unripe and hard avocados will stay lumpy and won’t blend completely into the mixture.
- Maple syrup. Or your preferred sweetener of choice. Brown rice syrup is another good option. As maple syrup is a liquid, it also adds moisture to the muffin batter. I use ½ cup of syrup, but you can use less if you prefer.
- Milk. I used dairy milk to make these muffins. Light milk or full cream is fine. But if required, try soy milk or another milk of choice to keep it dairy-free or nut-free.
- Applesauce. To keep these muffins egg-free, I used apple puree, which is a great egg replacement and natural sweetener in sweet baking recipes. And the muffins turned out incredibly fluffy and dense without the eggs!
- Dark chocolate chips. **To keep this recipe completely dairy-free, simply use a dairy free chocolate. Or keep them out, if you prefer.
Step by step photos
This is such an easy recipe to make. Kids can help too by counting ingredients, measuring quantities, stirring the mixture and spooning the mixture into muffin trays.
Step 1. For the smoothest result, blend the wet ingredients, including the mashed avocado, together in a food processor. Note: if you don’t have a food processor, you can whisk the wet ingredients together in a bowl instead.
Step 2. Combine the dry ingredients together in a bowl and then pour the avocado mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. Note: don’t over-mix the batter. 10-15 strokes is all you need.
Step 3. Using silicone muffin trays, spray the holes with a light coating of oil spray and divide the batter evenly between 14 muffin holes. Bake according to the instructions below and then transfer the finished muffins to a wire rack to cool.
Expert tips
- Be sure to use soft, ripe avocados in this recipe. The avocados are blended into the muffin mixture – hard avocados will stay lumpy and result in an uneven batter texture.
- I recommend using silicone muffin trays for easy removal once the muffins are cooked. If you don’t have any, metal trays will work too, but make sure you grease them first to prevent sticking. I don’t use paper cases, but you can add them if you prefer!
- Keep these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for 7 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- This recipe makes 14 medium sized muffins. I used muffin trays with a ⅓ cup (85 ml) capacity. You can make them larger if you prefer, or even into mini muffins. Keep in mind that the cooking times will vary.
FAQs
While many store-bought muffins (and even homemade muffin recipes) can contain a hefty amount of sugar, saturated fats and calories, muffins can be easily adapted to make them healthier. Healthier swaps like whole wheat flour in place of white flour, applesauce and/or natural sweeteners in place of refined sugars and avocado or olive oil in place of butter can increase their nutritional value and make them a great choice for snacking. Like anything, muffins should be eaten in moderation along with a healthy, balanced diet.
Let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack before placing them in an airtight storage container. Line the bottom of the container with some paper towel and place the muffins on the paper towel in a single layer. Store at room temperature for 3-4 days, or in the fridge for 7 days. To freeze, place the muffins in an airtight container (they can be individually wrapped in baking/parchment paper or covered with a paper towel) and freeze for up to 3 months.
You can check muffins are ready by gently touching the muffin top once they have cooked for the minimum suggested cooking time. When ready, it will spring back and feel spongy. Or, carefully insert a wooden skewer or toothpick into the centre of a muffin. It will be free of wet batter (with maybe a few crumbs sticking) when it is cooked through.
More healthy muffin recipes
For more healthy lunchbox treats, check out these recipes! Or to save time on school lunches with a collection of 60 freezer friendly lunchbox recipes, see my healthy lunchbox e-book here!
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Healthy Muffins for Kids (Chocolate Avocado)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ soft, ripe avocados mashed
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup milk use dairy milk, or swap for your preferred milk of choice
- ½ cup applesauce
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups plain flour white or wholemeal (whole wheat)
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp cinnamon ground
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips dairy free, if required
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 °C/356F and use a light oil spray or patty cases to line silicone muffin trays with ⅓ cup (85ml) capacity (14 holes).
- Place the wet ingredients (mashed avocado, maple syrup, milk, applesauce, olive oil and vanilla in a food processor and blend until completely smooth. **If you don't have a food processor, you can whisk everything together until combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon and chocolate chips) and stir to combine.
- Using a large spoon or spatula, gently fold the avocado mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, evenly divide the muffin mixture into the greased muffin trays. You should get 14 medium muffins.
- Bake the muffins for around 12-15 minutes, or until they are completely cooked through. You can test the muffins by inserting a toothpick into the middle. The muffins will be done when the toothpick comes out with little to no crumbs.
- Place onto a wire rack to cool. Or, eat them warm from the oven like I do! Enjoy.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to use soft, ripe avocados in this recipe. The avocados are blended into the muffin mixture and hard avocados will stay lumpy and result in an uneven batter texture.
- I prefer to use silicone baking trays for easy removal once the muffins are done. But you can also use metal muffin trays if that’s what you have. Make sure you grease the trays with oil spray so that they don’t stick to the bottom of the trays. You can also use paper cases, if preferred.
- Storage: keep these muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days, in the fridge for 7 days or freeze them for up to 3 months.
- This recipe makes 14 medium sized muffins. I used muffin trays with a ⅓ cup (85 ml) capacity. You can make them larger, or even into mini muffins. Keep in mind that the cooking times will vary.
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