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    Home » Recipes » Muffins

    Sweet Spinach Muffins with Chocolate Chips

    Published: Oct 14, 2019 · Modified: Jun 16, 2021 by Kate Hackworthy · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe
    pinnable image for spinach muffins
    pinnable image for Spinach Muffins
    pinnable image for Spinach Muffins

    Spinach muffins with chocolate are a tasty, easy hidden vegetable recipe! The whole family will love them. You can't taste the spinach but it makes them naturally bright green! Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dessert.

    Side view of a sweet Spinach Muffin.

    These bright green muffins are naturally colored with... spinach!

    The flavor of the spinach fades away, but it leaves green goodness and that awesome color behind.

    The Spinach Muffins taste just like chocolate chip muffins, but they're healthier, so great for snacks, dessert, lunchboxes or breakfast.

    They're also perfect as a healthier Halloween or St Patrick's Day recipe.

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Hidden Vegetable Muffins
    • Cooking Spinach Muffins with kids
    • More Spinach Recipes
    • More Hidden Vegetable Cakes and Desserts
    • Green Muffins
    • Tips and Tricks for Spinach Muffins
    • Storage and Freezing
    • Muffin Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Storage and Freezing
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you'll love this recipe

    Fun naturally green color.

    Lower in sugar.

    Full of spinach and banana.

    A healthier muffin for lunchboxes.

    A great snack, lunch or breakfast.

    Muffin with a bite taken out.

    Hidden Vegetable Muffins

    There's a LOT of spinach in this hidden vegetable spinach banana muffin recipe. But it doesn't leave any taste! The flavor is more like vanilla chocolate chip muffins.

    I’ll freely admit that the addition of chocolate chips in the spinach banana muffin recipe is pure bribery.

    I know that kids (and grown ups!) can be a bit wary of eating green things, so I’ve added chocolate to persuade them.

    A little (literal) sweetener if you will. According to my children, it works.

    The muffins are still rammed full of green goodness, they’re low in sugar and also have nutritious banana, but the flecks of chocolate will likely encourage anyone to tuck in.

    Then I’m sure they’ll be convinced that bright green muffins aren’t anything to be wary of!

    Try these other spinach recipes.

    Two Spinach Muffins with chocolate chips stacked on top of each other on a table.

    Cooking Spinach Muffins with kids

    Besides bribery (through the medium of chocolate chips in a spinach muffin recipe), I also like getting kids involved with cooking as a means to persuade them to be a bit more daring with the foods they want to eat.

    These green muffins are really easy to make together as a fun activity.

    My little ones love pressing the buttons on the blender and watching the machine spring into life, turning the ingredients into a lovely green liquid.

    More Spinach Recipes

    I hope that you'll love these Spinach Muffins as much as we do. Be sure to check out these other tasty spinach recipes!

    Strawberry Spinach Salad
    Spinach Burgers
    Green Spinach Crust Pizza
    Hot Artichoke Spinach Dip

    More Hidden Vegetable Cakes and Desserts

    I started this blog to write about all the crazy vegetable cakes that I love to make! I even wrote a cookbook all about the subject.

    You can check out my cookbook, Veggie Desserts and Cakes on Amazon USA and Amazon UK.

    • Sweet Vanilla Pea Cake with Lemon Frosting
    • Vanilla Spinach Cake
    • Apple Kale Cake with Apple Icing
    • Courgette Cake with Lemon Drizzle
    Overhead shot of a table with muffins, with spinach leaves and chocolate chips scattered around.

    Green Muffins

    I made these many times to get the right balance of maximum spinach and minimum sugar and every time my kids loved them.

    Once kids are used to green muffins, you can even try making them savory.

    Just leave out the sugar, vanilla and chocolate chips, and add in a small handful of grated cheddar cheese or a little sweetcorn.

    It’s baby steps to getting kids to try new foods. 

    Tips and Tricks for Spinach Muffins

    • Turn them into Halloween Monster Muffins with a few candy eyes!
    • Use a really ripe banana. It will be sweeter, so will add a lot of sweetness to this lower sugar muffin recipe.
    • Try adding a little mint extract to make them into naturally green Mint Choc Chip Muffins.
    • Make it vegan: substitute 2 flax 'eggs' (2 tablespoon of flaxmeal/ground flax mixedin 6 tablespoon of water and left to thicken for 5 minutes).
    • Make it gluten free: use gluten free flour and baking powder.

    Storage and Freezing

    Store these muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. 

    These muffins freeze well. Simply wrap them in plastic wrap, place them into a reusable freezer containers or add them to a freezer bag and place in the freezer for up to three months.

    Muffin Recipes

    I hope you'll also love these other tasty muffin recipes!

    • Kale Green Muffins
    • Easy Spiced Persimmon Muffins
    • Chocolate Beet Muffins
    • Vegan Banana Muffins
    A green sweet spinach muffin with chocolate chips.
    Veggie Desserts Cookbook by Kate Hackworthy

    Check out the Veggie Desserts + Cakes cookbook on Amazon

    Veggie Desserts Cookbook by Kate Hackworthy

    Check out the Veggie Desserts + Cakes cookbook on Amazon

    📖 Recipe

    Side view of a sweet Spinach Muffin recipe with chocolate chips, with some chocolate in front

    Sweet Spinach Muffins

    Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts
    These sweet spinach muffins are certainly bright green! They have quite a bit of spinach in them, but the flavour of it fades, so they taste like banana chocolate chip muffins.
    4.95 from 18 votes
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    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 210 kcal

    Equipment

    • Blender
    • mixing bowl
    • 12-hole muffin pan

    Ingredients
     

    • 2½ cups raw spinach (125g)
    • ¼ cup oil (60 ml)
    • 1 ripe banana
    • ½ cup sugar (100g)
    • 2 free range eggs
    • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 ½ cups all purpose (plain) flour (200g)
    • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ cup chocolate chips (75g)

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 325°F/170°C. Line or grease a muffin tray.
    • Wilt the spinach by putting into a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes, then drain and rinse briefly under cold water.
    • Gently squeeze out the excess moisture from the spinach, then chop it up a bit and add it to a blender along with the oil, banana, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whiz until it’s smooth.
    • Pour it into a bowl, then sift in the flour, baking powder and salt. Gently stir to combine, then fold the chocolate chips. Take care not to overmix, but ensure no streaks of flour are showing.
    • Fill the muffin cups ¾ full and bake for 15-20 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tray for 10 minutes then remove and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

    Notes

    • Make it vegan: substitute 2 flax 'eggs' (2 tablespoon of flaxmeal/ground flax mixedin 6 tablespoon of water and left to thicken for 5 minutes).
    • Make it gluten free: use gluten free flour and baking powder.
    • Turn them into Halloween Monster Muffins with a few candy eyes!
    • Use a really ripe banana. It will be sweeter, so will add a lot of sweetness to this lower sugar muffin recipe.

      Storage and Freezing

    • Store these muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. 
    • These muffins freeze well. Simply wrap them in plastic wrap, place them into a reusable freezer containers or add them to a freezer bag and place in the freezer for up to three months.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 121mgPotassium: 160mgFiber: 1gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 657IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg

    The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.

    More Muffin Recipes

    • Peach Muffins with Vanilla Glaze
    • Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
    • Ginger and Rhubarb Muffins
    • Carrot Muffins with Raisins
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Maria

      December 12, 2022 at 2:03 pm

      5 stars
      My son absolutely adores these and calls them “chameleon muffins.” He’s now known for having them in his school snack almost every day 🙂

      Reply
    2. Stephanie

      November 09, 2022 at 9:14 pm

      Can I replace chocolate chip with walnut?

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        November 10, 2022 at 3:58 pm

        Absolutely!

        Reply
    3. Jennifer

      October 26, 2022 at 12:07 am

      5 stars
      Our son is extremely picky and has severe food texture issues. He only eats about 10 different foods. He has eaten PB&j sandwiches every school day for the last 3 years and go to where he won't eat them now. I was determined to get some nutrition in him so I made these muffins. I swapped out the refined sugar for honey & called them "green monster muffins" since it's a week before Halloween. He said they are DELICIOUS! A muffin, Greek yogurt and fruit is his new school lunch. Thanks for the great recipe.

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        October 27, 2022 at 12:58 pm

        I'm so pleased he liked them!

        Reply
    4. Kerry

      August 29, 2022 at 4:35 am

      4 stars
      I decided to not blanch the spinach. I just put them in the blender completely raw. Blanching takes away too much of the nutrients. I even added more spinach than the recipe asked for. They turned out great. Can’t even tell that you’re eating spinach. I also added an extra banana. I think next time I will make them without the chocolate chips.

      Reply
    5. Mairéad

      February 21, 2021 at 10:58 am

      5 stars
      Fabulous recipe, very tasty and enjoyed by everyone that tried!

      Reply
    6. Christina

      July 04, 2020 at 3:43 am

      5 stars
      I made these today with my 5 year old! They were so yummy! I’m glad I made them. I blended everything into the Vitamix (except the chocolate chips). I used avocado instead of banana because I can’t eat them. They still had enough sweetness and were very moist. We will definitely be making these again!

      Reply
    7. Kate

      December 16, 2019 at 8:28 pm

      Hi! My batter wasn’t smooth 🙁 How did you blended your spinach?

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        December 17, 2019 at 3:07 pm

        Hi, I use a handheld immersion blender. If it's not smooth, then just blend a little longer. I hope that helps!

        Reply
    8. Shadi Hasanzadenemati

      October 20, 2019 at 3:59 pm

      5 stars
      I made your recipe for a gathering and everyone kept asking for the recipe. It was totally a hit!

      Reply
    9. Danie

      October 19, 2019 at 8:43 am

      what kinda of oil do you recommend using?

      Reply
      • Kate Hackworthy

        October 21, 2019 at 11:04 am

        Hi, any vegetable or even melted coconut oil are all fine!

        Reply
        • Seete Sharp

          April 29, 2021 at 10:45 pm

          5 stars
          My whole family loves them! Thank you for sharing!
          I used avacado oil. The idea of blanching the spinach is brilliant. It makes the spinach flavor mallow, even my extremely picky grandson loved them! 🤗🥰

          Reply
    10. Jessica Formicola

      October 14, 2019 at 3:09 pm

      5 stars
      What a great way to add some nutrients to breakfast while tasting great too! Definitely making a batch of these this week!

      Reply

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    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

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    My cookbook

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    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

    Kate Hackworthy in the kitchen

    Hi, I'm Kate, a journalist, author and multi-award-winning food blogger. I hope you enjoy my vegetarian and vegan recipes. About Me

    Collage of press logos.

    Popular recipes

    • The BEST Easy Red Lentil Dahl
    • Easy Naan Bread Recipe (yeast-free)
    • Mini Baked Potatoes
    • Easy Lentil Soup

    Healthy Recipes

    • Butternut Squash Salad
    • Easy Healthy Cabbage Soup
    • Easy Vegan Ramen (15 minutes)
    • Rajma Masala (Kidney Bean Curry)

    My cookbook

    Veggie Desserts and Cakes Cookbook cover.

    Check out my Veggie Desserts Cookbook, full of tasty desserts with vegetables!

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