Healthy chocolate chip muffins are 100% whole grain, low in sugar and can be made dairy-free. They're soft, fluffy and seriously loaded with chocolate chips. They're great for a fun breakfast or lunchbox treat or an afternoon or late-night snack!
Can I just say, we love, love, LOVE these muffins! ❤️
I’ve probably made 50 batches of these in the last few years. Maybe more.
These healthy chocolate chip muffins are on my list of foods to take to new moms because they are great for breakfast, snack, dessert and in the middle of the night when you’re feeding a newborn.
Plus they freeze great so you can stash some away for another time.
It's always nice to have chocolate on hand, right?
(Check out some of our other favorite healthy muffins.)
I take a double batch of these muffins to teacher breakfasts at my kids’ preschool and they are always gone so quickly!
I make these chocolate chip oat muffins for my family on a regular basis, too, and my husband is always asking if we have any extra hiding somewhere in the freezer.
They don’t last long around here. Maybe I should make double batches for us, too.
These whip up so quickly and come out perfect and delicious every time. I seriously can't resist them.
And knowing they are 100% whole grain, with just a small amount of butter and brown sugar, well, I'm completely happy not to resist.
Soft, fluffy and big chocolate flavor in every bite. ❤️
OK, let's get baking!
(You can also check out my Google web story for this chocolate chip muffins recipe.)
Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up below on how to make chocolate chip muffins. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Ingredient Notes:
- Oats: Old fashioned rolled oats are my go-to here, but you could substitute quick oats if that's what you have.
- Milk: I've used skim milk, 2% and soy milk for these muffins and all work great. Unsweetened almond milk should be fine, too.
- Flour: I use white whole wheat flour, which is a little lighter in texture and taste than whole wheat flour, while still being a whole grain. You can substitute whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour if you prefer. Or use a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour.
- Butter: I'm lazy and usually melt my butter in the microwave. Who has time to let it soften? Just don't add it to the egg while it's super hot or you might scramble the egg.
- Chocolate chips: I use regular semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you could also try these with dark chocolate chips if you'd like. The recipe calls for a full cup, and they are chock full, but you can reduce this to ½ cup or ¾ cup if you want.
And while I don't do this, because my kids would balk, I know several readers have made these and added in chopped walnuts. Sounds like a yummy mix-in!
OK, let's talk about making these work for some various dietary needs.
If you need these to be dairy free, use a milk substitute, such as soy milk, and then use oil or applesauce in place of the butter.
You'll also need to make sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
You can also make them vegan!
Substitute a flax egg for the egg, use a milk substitute, oil or applesauce in place of the butter and vegan chocolate chips.
Finally, let's talk about what to do with the leftovers. Because they keep great and it's so wonderful to have some of these chocolate chip muffins tucked away for a rainy day!
How to store muffins:
– These muffins will keep, covered, at room temperature for 3-4 days. After that, you can move them to the refrigerator, where they will keep for another 2-3 days.
– You can also freeze the extras. Let the muffins cool completely. Place them in a freezer-safe ziptop bag (that’s labeled!) and freeze for up to 6 months.
– I like to wrap them individually in aluminum foil before putting them into the bag. It adds an extra layer of protection from freezer burn and ice accumulation.
– To thaw, just place one or more muffins in the refrigerator overnight. Serve cold from the fridge or warm in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds.
– You can also warm a muffin in the microwave straight from the freezer in a pinch. Be sure to unwrap it and remove the foil. Start with 45 seconds and add time (and possibly turn it upside down) as needed.
Alright, I think you are all set! If you do have other questions, as always, let me know in the comments below. I’m happy to help!
Oh, and if you love healthier treats like we do, check out this chocolate chip zucchini bread that's whole wheat and sooo yummy!
I hope you make your first batch of these healthy chocolate chip muffins today. You’ll be coming back for more soon, I just know it.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup oats, I use old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup skim milk, or soy or whatever you have
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour, see notes
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray with cooking spray.
- Combine oats and milk and let those soak while you prepare the rest of the recipe, to soften the oats.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg and brown sugar until smooth and caramel colored.
- Add vanilla and butter and whisk to combine. You may have small pieces of butter in the mixture, which is totally fine. (See notes.)
- Add flour, oat-milk mixture, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir until well combined but don’t over mix.
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Distribute the batter between the muffin tins - they will be about ⅔rds full.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Note: This post was slightly updated in February 2018, however most of the text remains the same as the original April 2015 post.
Dee
This recipe turned out amazing! Delicious and great texture, call me impatient, but I ate one right out if the oven when they were done! I ran out of baking soda so I put a teaspoon of baking powder instead. I also redid the sugar to 1/4 cup and chocolate chips to 3/4 cup. This one is definitely a keeper.
Kathryn
Oh I'm so happy to hear you loved them!! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Brittany
These turned out great! I used 1/2 c white flour, 1/2 c whole wheat, coconut sugar in place of brown sugar, 2 Tb of applesauce + 2 Tb of coconut oil, and only 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips. With my substitutions I calculated it to be about 11 grams of added sugar per muffin. Will definitely make again!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you enjoyed these Brittany! And thanks so much for sharing your subs - that's really helpful! 😊
Amy
Just made a second batch of these over the weekend, and I have to say, the recipe as it's written is a good start, but needs some tweaks. I added more spices because it tasted like it was missing something. I added allspice, cloves and nutmeg, along with the cinnamon. I also doubled the recipe, because honestly, I eat 2 at a time for breakfast and a single batch/recipe goes fast. Another change I made was I didn't soak the oats in the milk, instead, I mixed everything together and let it all soak together for at least 30 minutes. The last two things I changed, I used mini chocolate chips (since I used a cupcake pan, the regular sized chocolate chips seemed to be too much for the smaller sized muffins), and I added walnuts. Which after my first batch I realized I needed to toast them first.
I may bump up the amount of spices I add next time I make these, while the additional spices helped, I feel like I could double the amounts that I added, to give more flavor. The nutmeg was the one that stood out to me, which was freshly grated.
Kathryn Doherty
Thanks for sharing your substitutions! Love the sound of those extra spices for the holiday season (though I'm not sure my kids would enjoy them as much that way)!
Amy
You're welcome! Honestly, the extra spices just add to the flavor. If you make sweet potatoes for the holidays, maybe give them a dusting with the spices I mentioned, get the family used to the flavors. That might help them get used to the flavors.
Lee
Delicious!! I used 1/2c of chocolate chips and swerve brown sugar. These remind me of chocolate chip pancakes. Five stars!!!
Kathryn Doherty
Yay! I'm so glad you loved these muffins! 🙂
Susan
Delicious! Followed recipe exactly. My husband who hates oatmeal loved them. I would change a thing. Love soaking the oats. Will be one of our favourites.
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so happy to hear that Susan! They have LONG been a favorite in our house as well! : )
Adam
Says baking soda in written instructions and baking powder in video?
Kathryn Doherty
Yes, sorry about that, it should be baking soda, as in the written instructions. I hope you enjoy them!!
Krista
These are good. Quite light and fluffy. I used vanilla oat milk that was slightly sweetened and 1/3 c of brown sugar. I used a cup of dark chocolate chips. I used instant steel cut oats that I soaked in the oat milk. I found them sweet enough, but my teens did not. Next time, I will bump up the brown sugar to half a cup.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad you liked them! Dark chocolate chips are a fun substitution, but yes, I could see needing extra sweetness to balance those.
En
Hi i found your recipe and decided it was the best suited for my picky 2yr old. They came out just as described but i soon discovered that the baking soda was very strong flavored and smelled was overwhelming. Is that normal? Sadly, I had to throw them out.
Kathryn Doherty
Hi there, no, you shouldn't be able to taste or smell the baking soda after these have baked in the oven. I would check that your baking soda hasn't expired (or maybe just replace it) and also that you used just the 1 teaspoon called for. Hope they turn out better next time!
Jill
Just took your muffin recipe out of the oven. It reminded me of an old Betty Crocker one I have. So I made your recipe exactly and I made their recipe. The only difference is baking powder and baking soda. Betty's made with 1 tsp of baking powder came out 1/3 higher. So if cooks are having a rising issue it may be the baking soda? All my ingredients are fresh. Good muffins. Cut the amount of chocolate chips in half! Cooked at 425F for 25 minutes. Baker for 50+ years.
Additions of walnuts or pecans good or variation-make with diced apples instead of chocolate chips. Wish I could post photos.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy you enjoyed them and they brought back memories! Love your substitution and add-in ideas! 😊
Krista
I noticed there was no baking powder. I think next time I would add a tsp of powder and cut the soda to half a tsp.
Christine
I tried these today with instant oats (without soaking first) and these muffins turned out great! Thank you for such an easy yet delicious recipe.
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them! And great to know that sub worked well - thanks for sharing! 😊
Maggie
I plan to try these with a flax egg to make them vegan.
Kathryn Doherty
I hope they turned out well Maggie! 😊
Victoria
Five stars!
This recipe is amazing! I switched some things up a smidge.
I used unsweetened almond vanilla milk and skipped the vanilla extract.
They turned out so yummy and moist! Hands down my favourite oatmeal/chocolate chip muffins.
Thanks for sharing this.
Kathryn Doherty
Yay, I'm so happy to hear you loved them Victoria! Thanks so much for sharing! 😊
Carolyn
I normally make my muffins with yogurt or bananas. I had neither so searched and found this recipe. Just took them out of the oven and having with a cup of tea! They are delicious! I followed recipe exactly and used white and milk chocolate chips. So good! Will definitely be making again as I usually have all of these ingredient on hand. Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so, so happy you loved these muffins! They've been a favorite of ours for over a decade! 😊
Elle
I have made this recipe like 2x a month for a year—I get slightly obsessed with certain foods. One time I didn’t have unsalted butter and I was going to go to the store to get some but mindlessly just started making the recipe, my husband ate the entire batch… I had 1 muffin. My only suggestion is to use salted butter and on the very top some coconut or turbinado Sugar after 8 min of baking. But totally yummy without too!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you love this recipe, Elle! It has long been a favorite in our house, as well! Thanks so much for sharing those substitutions and suggestions - so helpful! 😊
Yocheved
this is a winner in my home! i used whole sprouted spelt flour and almond milk. i also often just mix all in one bowl, first all dry ingredients, then i simply add the wet and mix. i triple the recipe each time. my kiddies love them too!
Kathryn Doherty
I'm so glad to hear you all love these muffins! And thanks for sharing your subs - so helpful! 😊
Kristin
These are delicious! Like most, I used what I had. I used half Einkorn flour and half oat flour, and a mixture of semi sweet and white chocolate chips. I also made a triple batch. All my boys love them!
Thank you!!
Kathryn Doherty
Thank you so much for sharing! It's so helpful to see what other people have tried subbing in. And I love hearing that your family loves them! 😊
Stéphanie
I tried this recipe since I had a craving specifically for oatmeal chocolate chip muffins. Once I started eating one, I noticed an overwhelming taste and it took me a few seconds to find out it was the baking soda!
I checked the spoon I had used to mesure it and it was 1 teaspoon, like the recipe said. I read the comments and found out it happened to someone else. I read your reply and can confirm that my baking soda is not expired. I don't know what happened, I'll have to throw them out.
Do you think the next time I could replace the baking soda with baking powder?
Kathryn Doherty
Oh that stinks Stephanie, I'm so sorry. I'm not sure why your baking soda gave a flavor to the muffins. I've made these probably 50-60 times at least, in different ovens, with different boxes of baking soda, and have never had a problem. Most readers haven't either. Baking soda and baking powder aren't exactly interchangeable- it's a chemistry thing - but the rule of thumb is that if you are going to substitute, to use triple the amount of baking powder as is called for with baking soda. So that would be 3 teaspoons of baking powder for this recipe. One other note: I always sift my baking powder because it can otherwise have little clumps that cause sour spots. I don't have this problem with baking soda but I wonder if there's a similar issue and that's what you experienced? Anyway, hope that helps!
Gabrielle
Made these the other day as mini muffins and my kids loved them! Perfect for on the go snacks. But today I was going to make another batch and the recipe isn't showing on the page? I can see all the tips/suggestions and comments, but the actual recipe is MIA 😭
Rebecca
I made a batch Saturday evening, it's now Monday morning and they're all gone, safe to say these muffins were a hit, I should've made a double batch. I veganized (used soy milk, vegan butter, and chickpea brine for the egg), halved the brown sugar, and doubled the cinnamon. Definitely adding this to my collection of winning recipes, thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
Oh I'm so happy to hear you loved these muffins! And thank you for sharing those substitutions - so helpful!
Karen
Do you think maple syrup would work instead of the brown sugar?
Kathryn Doherty
I haven't tried that, so I'm not sure. You would need to adjust the amount of the maple syrup in place of the sugar (it's not often a 1:1 swap) as well as the amount of other liquids in the recipe. Here's a good article though with some tips that are relevant for either honey or maple syrup: https://www.thekitchn.com/4-rules-for-successfully-swapping-honey-for-sugar-in-any-baked-goods-230156
I hope that helps!
Jessica Jackson
The closest thing I have to whole wheat is oat flour which is still whole grain. Will that work if I mix in some all purpose flour too? Thank you! And can’t wait to try. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Kathryn Doherty
I'd recommend to substitute all all purpose flour in place of the whole wheat flour; I've done that before and it works great. I hope you love them!
Nina
These are a family favorite. We bake mini muffins for 10 minutes. We use 3/4 cup mini choc chips and 1/4 cup sprinkles. My kiddos call them “Champion-chip Muffins” and they gobble them up! Thank you!
Kathryn Doherty
That is the absolute cutest! I'm so happy to hear you all love these muffins - thank you for sharing! (And what a fun twist with the sprinkles!) : )