Looking for an easy way to add more veggies to your day? These Chocolate Spinach Muffins are the perfect solution — a green smoothie turned into a moist, chocolatey muffin. Ready in minutes and kid-friendly, they taste indulgent while sneaking in extra nutrition.
A simple trick I love: blend spinach into the batter so you get extra greens without any obvious taste. These muffins hide the spinach well while delivering a rich chocolate flavor and tender crumb.
These Chocolate Spinach Muffins are essentially a green smoothie baked into a chocolate treat. They’re soft, moist, and perfect for breakfast, snack time, or lunchboxes.
Why You Will Love These Chocolate Spinach Muffins
- Quick to prepare. The blender does the heavy lifting: blend the spinach with banana and milk, mix the wet and dry ingredients, fold in chips, and bake.
- Kid-friendly. The chocolate flavor masks the spinach, so picky eaters usually don’t notice the greens. These are also fun for kids to help make.
- Great for meal prep. The muffins store well: refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- An easy way to add veggies. If you want a small, practical way to boost daily vegetable intake, these muffins are an enjoyable option.
Ingredients
- Bananas: 3 very ripe bananas (room temperature; if frozen, thaw completely).
- Spinach: 2 large handfuls fresh baby spinach (fresh is recommended over frozen).
- Milk: 3 tablespoons, dairy or unsweetened plant milk (unsweetened vanilla almond milk works well).
- Egg: 1 large, room temperature.
- Greek yogurt: 1/2 cup, plain or vanilla.
- Vanilla: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Sugar: 1/2 cup granulated sugar (adjust slightly if you prefer less sweetness).
- Oil: 3 tablespoons neutral oil (canola or vegetable oil).
- Flour: 1 cup white whole wheat or all-purpose flour.
- Cocoa powder: 2/3 cup (use dark cocoa if you want to minimize any green tint).
- Baking soda: 1 teaspoon (ensure it’s fresh for proper rise).
- Sea salt: 1/4 teaspoon (table salt is fine if that’s what you have).
- Chocolate chips: 1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate chips (optional but recommended).
How to Make These Chocolate Spinach Muffins
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
- In a high-speed blender, combine milk, bananas and spinach; blend until mostly smooth. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Add the egg, sugar, vanilla, oil and Greek yogurt to the blender mixture and whisk to combine. Small lumps from the yogurt are fine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle on top if desired.
- Spoon batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup about three-quarters full.
- Bake 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool briefly before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Use fresh spinach. Frozen spinach can add excess moisture and a stronger flavor, which isn’t ideal for these muffins.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days; at room temperature they keep about 3 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
- Extra mix-ins: Try coconut, chopped nuts, or dried fruit. A drizzle of peanut or almond butter is delicious on top.
Other Muffin Recipes
- Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Mini Muffins
- Maple Bacon French Toast Muffins
- Raspberry White Chocolate Muffins
- Coconut Banana Muffins with Chocolate Chips
- Breakfast Egg Muffins with Spinach and Zucchini
- Pumpkin Carrot Muffins
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Chocolate Spinach Muffins
By: Lorie Yarro
Looking to get some extra veggies in? Sneak some spinach in with these tasty and simple Chocolate Spinach Muffins! 10 minutes to prep, and super kid friendly. Delicious and wholesome, and a green smoothie in every bite but no one will know!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 3 T milk (almond or regular)
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (full fat)
- 3 T oil
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Blend milk, bananas and spinach in a high-powered blender until mostly smooth. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the egg and whisk lightly. Stir in sugar, vanilla, oil and Greek yogurt.
- In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, sea salt and cocoa powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and fold until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Line a 12-muffin tin with liners and spoon batter into each cup about 3/4 full. Top with extra chips if desired.
- Bake 18–22 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for several minutes before serving.
Notes
- Use fresh spinach rather than frozen to avoid excess moisture and a stronger spinach flavor.
- Store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
- Try add-ins like coconut, chopped nuts, or dried fruit. A drizzle of nut butter is tasty on top.
Nutrition
Calories: 192 kcal, Carbohydrates: 31 g, Protein: 4 g, Fat: 7 g, Saturated Fat: 3 g, Cholesterol: 15 mg, Sodium: 159 mg, Potassium: 259 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 15 g, Vitamin A: 60 IU, Vitamin C: 3 mg, Calcium: 47 mg, Iron: 1 mg
Nutrition information is an approximation.
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