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Chocolate Beet Muffins

January 9, 2021 by Alexandra Daum
Lightly sweet vegan chocolate beet muffins with plenty of dark chocolate flavour. Even if you’re not a fan of beets, you’ll probably like these dark chocolate muffins, made with whole grain flour. 
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A chocolate muffin with a bite taken out on the muffin liner.

We’re all pretty familiar with chocolate cake with hidden vegetables, but not zucchini this time – beets are a little more mysterious. I guarantee that all but the very pickiest of eaters won’t notice any hidden vegetables, especially since beets do hide a bit better than zucchini does.

Despite being made with whole grain spelt flour and a pile of veggies, these are definitely chocolate muffins and they don’t taste nearly as healthy as they are. The chocolate chunks help, but we all know dark chocolate is good for you, right?

If you have a sad lonely beet sitting in the fridge, shred it up and make these chocolate beet muffins, then feed the muffins to your children and laugh at fooling them into eating beets. They’ll just see chocolate on top of more chocolate and never think to look for sneaky vegetables.

Muffins on a metal cooling rack.

Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom of the post or click “skip to recipe” above to see the recipe card with full ingredient measurements and instructions.

Chocolate beet muffin ingredients.

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) and grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin.

Add the flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla powder, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chunks.

Dry ingredients with chocolate in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk and coconut oil until combined. Mix in the grated beet (it will turn bright pink).

Beet and milk mixture.

Add the beet mixture to the large bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until just combined.

  • Beet mixture added to dry ingredients.
  • Mixed muffin batter.

Measure approximately equal amounts of the batter into each muffin cup of the prepared tin, filling about three-quarters full. Top the muffins with the extra chocolate pieces.

Muffins before baking.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for ten minutes before removing and cooling fully on a rack.

Muffins after baking.

Tips and Notes

Don’t worry about peeling the beets, especially if they’re organic. The skin won’t be noticeable in the final product and it’s a bit of a time saver. This isn’t the case if you use a very large, older beet – in that case, especially if the skin is very thick, you may want to peel it.

Although dark and natural cocoa can be used interchangeably (see below), I recommend using dark for the best colour and flavour. This can be Dutch process or regular (they aren’t usually demarcated here in Holland anyway) as both baking powder and soda are used in the recipe.

There are a couple of things that will be different here for European and North American readers. I use vanilla powder and chocolate drops because extract and chips are prohibitively expensive, but note that extract can be used and in what amount in the recipe card. Chocolate chips or chunks are listed in the recipe card for the same reason.

These must be made with raw beetroot, not the type that comes pre-cooked, or any that you’ve baked/steamed/roasted. I have no idea how mashed cooked beets would do here and I don’t know the quantities in which they should be used.

If the milk is cold when the coconut oil is stirred in, the oil will solidify very quickly. You whisk it in to reduce the size of the pieces – to prevent this further, use room temperature oat milk.

Close up of a muffin with more in background.

Substitutions

Use any kind of cocoa you have on hand. Raw cacao can be used, but it will make for a slightly bitter muffin, and is rather more expensive than regular cocoa powder. Don’t mix up baking cocoa, which is pure cocoa, with cocoa mix for drinking – if there are added ingredients like sugar, milk powder, etc., it’s not for baking.

Light spelt flour, regular whole wheat flour, or white flour can all be substituted for the whole spelt in this recipe. I haven’t tried making these gluten-free.

Any kind of oil can be substituted for the coconut oil, but will change the texture slightly. I most often use olive oil as a sub but an oil that is liquid at room temperature will reduce the denser, hearty texture of the muffins slightly. If you prefer a lighter, slightly crumbly muffin, use a liquid oil.

Chopped dark chocolate can be used in the place of the chocolate chips/chunks, but note that regular chocolate will likely burn while baking. If you use a bar of chocolate, you may want to exclude it from topping the muffins as a result. This doesn’t apply if you’re using the baking chocolate in bar form. I top with chopped baking chocolate but mix chocolate drops into the muffins.

Muffins on a wire cooling rack.

More Beet Recipes

Winter Salad with Beets, Orange, and Pomegranate
Beet Tart
Vegetarian Borscht
Pumpkin Salad
Double Chocolate Beetroot Cake

A chocolate muffin with a bite taken out on the muffin liner.

Let’s connect! For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email. If you make this recipe, I’d love to see! Tag your instagram versions with @occasionallyeggs.

Yield: 12

Chocolate Beet Muffins

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Total Time 32 minutes
4.6 from 25 votes

Ingredients

Metric – American
  • 225 grams whole spelt flour
  • 50 grams cocoa powder
  • 80 grams coconut sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla powder*
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 375 ml non-dairy milk**
  • 60 grams coconut oil, melted***
  • 130 grams grated, raw red beet, packed
  • 100 grams dark chocolate chunks or chips, plus extra for topping

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease or line a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, baking soda, vanilla powder, and salt to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Stir in the chocolate chunks.
  • In a smaller bowl, whisk together the milk and coconut oil until combined. Mix in the grated beet (it will turn bright pink).
  • Add the beet mixture to the large bowl and use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix until just combined.
  • Measure approximately equal amounts of the batter into each muffin cup of the prepared tin, filling about three-quarters full. Top the muffins with the extra chocolate pieces.
  • Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for ten minutes before removing and cooling fully on a rack.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to three days, or freeze for up to a month.

Notes

* To use vanilla extract, use one teaspoon and add it to the milk mixture.
** I use oat milk. Any kind of milk will work here.
*** You can substitute an oil that is liquid at room temperature, like olive oil, but the muffins will be less cake-like.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g Calories: 232kcal Carbohydrates: 32g Protein: 5g Fat: 10g Saturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 3mg Sodium: 220mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 15g
© Alexandra Daum
Course: Snacks
Cuisine: North American
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This post was originally published in March 2017. It has been updated with changes to the text and new step-by-step photos as of January 2020, with no changes to the recipe.

More Snacks:

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Comments

  1. Aimee Mars says

    March 10, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    Yes! Another way to sneak veggies into my kids. I love this recipe and I love beets so this sounds like a heavenly mixture.

    Reply
  2. cakespy says

    March 10, 2017 at 3:19 pm

    Deep, dark, and delicious! These muffins look perfect.

    Reply
  3. Julia says

    March 10, 2017 at 7:04 pm

    I love the photos – amazing! They look so rich like paintings! And you are right chocolate and beets is an awesome combination. I am surprised it's not as popular as it should be!

    Reply
  4. Marie says

    March 10, 2017 at 7:04 pm

    I can relate so much to your "schokolade" mistake. I'm living in Spain (from Canada) and often write stuff in Spanish… even when i reread my posts I sometimes don't even realise it… Your muffins are looking divine! I love that you add the beets in there! Nothing like a good chocolate muffin! Great post!

    Reply
  5. Shantae Daniels says

    March 11, 2017 at 8:54 am

    What is oat or nut milk? Or what's a good substitute?

    Reply
  6. Alexandra Daum says

    March 11, 2017 at 8:56 am

    Hi Shantae! It's just non dairy milk, like almond or soy milk. You can use regular dairy milk too if you don't have any sensitivities to it 🙂

    Reply
  7. Alexandra Daum says

    March 12, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Thank you! We love them 🙂

    Reply
  8. Alexandra Daum says

    March 12, 2017 at 1:08 pm

    Hah, exactly! My boyfriend doesn't really like beets at all and he's demolished these muffins every time I've made them.

    Reply
  9. Alexandra Daum says

    March 12, 2017 at 1:09 pm

    Thanks Julia, that's so sweet! Exactly! Beets are so versatile as a sweet vegetable, and I think they're so beautiful.

    Reply
  10. Alexandra Daum says

    March 12, 2017 at 1:10 pm

    All the time, my goodness! I've gotten to the point that when I talk to my (Canadian) boyfriend I forget some words in english and only remember the German! Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  11. Erika says

    June 7, 2017 at 7:02 am

    AHHH YUM BOOKMARKING THESE SO HARD. My boyfriend is from Australia and has strangely very fond memories of a chocolate beetroot cake his mom used to make, so I want to try these for him!! That last photo is PURE MONEY $$

    Reply
  12. Alexandra Daum says

    September 12, 2017 at 5:04 pm

    Hah, thanks Erika!

    Reply
  13. Gabrielle says

    February 27, 2018 at 8:14 am

    What tin containers did you use?

    Reply
  14. Alexandra Daum says

    February 27, 2018 at 8:15 am

    Hi Gabrielle, if you mean the muffin tin, it's just a standard one. You can see it in the third photo.

    Reply
  15. Vanessa says

    December 15, 2018 at 2:40 am

    I am gluten free – is there a particular type of gf flour that could be substituted in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      January 2, 2019 at 6:39 pm

      Hi Vanessa, I haven’t tried to make these gluten free, so I can’t give a definite answer. I’m sure a standard GF blend would work, and I imagine buckwheat would as well, but I’m not 100% on that.

      Reply
  16. Jill says

    February 7, 2019 at 2:29 pm

    These are so moist!! I love them and can’t wait to have my grandkids try them this weekend! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      February 12, 2019 at 3:09 pm

      So happy to hear that, and I hope your grandkids loved them! Thanks Jill 🙂

      Reply
  17. Frances says

    April 28, 2019 at 12:44 am

    Made these today, substituted in white flour and regular cocoa. They also worked great in the donut tin. Delicious. I just need a good icing recipe.

    Thank you so much for sharing.

    Reply
  18. Lavinia says

    June 5, 2019 at 7:19 am

    Hi there, these look delicious. Is it possible to make this with canned coconut milk?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      June 5, 2019 at 8:42 am

      Absolutely! If anything it’ll make them even richer and extra nice : )

      Reply
      • Lou says

        August 2, 2019 at 2:13 pm

        There is an ** next to coconut oil but nothing in the notes. Is it ok to leave the coconut oil out? Or will this ruin the recipe? But looks delicious and will attempt either way!

        Reply
        • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

          August 2, 2019 at 2:17 pm

          Hi Lou! This must be something that was missed when I switched recipe cards recently. It’s that you can sub another oil (I usually choose olive) instead of coconut, but they’ll be a bit less cake-like then. I’ve updated the card to reflect that, thank you!

          Reply
  19. Dan says

    October 12, 2019 at 7:50 am

    Hey – really grateful for you taking the time to post this and your other recipes – thanks : )

    Reply
  20. Megan says

    May 28, 2020 at 2:31 pm

    5 stars
    Wow, just what I was looking for! Sometimes I crave chocolate beet cupcakes, but wanted something with less processed sugar. This hit the spot for the whole family! I made some buttercream frosting with cocoa powder added in to go with it, and it was absolutely delicious! Thank you for sharing!!

    Reply
  21. Leen says

    June 2, 2020 at 7:25 am

    Hi there! I had to try out your recipe and the cupcakes are in the oven right now!! Smells good, but they are showing a very high dome! What could go wrong? Temperature at 190 C as what you’ve said.

    Reply
    • Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says

      June 2, 2020 at 7:39 am

      Hi Leen, I’m not sure a high dome is a bad thing? Did they go over the edges of your tin?

      Reply
  22. Laura says

    September 13, 2020 at 9:28 pm

    Made these using homemade oat milk and the leftover pulp as a substitute for some of the flour, and they’re delicious! also added coffee and a tonka bean for flavour. I do wish I had had dark cocoa powder as you recommend, because that must be even nicer 🙂

    Thank you for the recipe and the tip on not peeling the beets, I’ve been eating the rest of what I’ve grated raw and wondering why I ever bothered taking the skin off beetroots haha

    Reply
  23. Cheryl says

    September 29, 2020 at 12:17 am

    can you use cooked beets? I have some precooked peeled beets from Costco.

    Reply
    • Alexandra says

      September 29, 2020 at 7:39 am

      I haven’t tried with cooked beets as they’d add quite a bit more liquid and can’t be grated. If you want to use them, I’d recommend pureeing the beets and reducing the milk by about 1/4 cup.

      Reply
  24. Nienke says

    October 27, 2020 at 8:48 am

    This recipe looks amazing! Can I use these quantities and bake the mixture in a loaf tin? What would you recommend in terms of oven temperature and baking time?

    Reply
    • Alexandra says

      October 27, 2020 at 12:13 pm

      I think so, but I’ve never tried it – I’d say 180C (350F) and 45-55 minutes. Definitely do a toothpick test to make sure it’s done though (sorry it’s a big range, just because I haven’t tested). But it should work!

      Reply
  25. Silia says

    November 16, 2020 at 8:05 am

    5 stars
    Came out better than I expected! I used the recipe to make a cake
    Wonderful! Thank you for sharing

    Reply
  26. Katie says

    January 11, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    5 stars
    Oh man, I just made these for breakfast this morning and they were so good!!! I don’t really like beets, but my husband does, so I thought this would be a good compromise. I didn’t have spelt flour, so I just used whole wheat. I also used applesauce instead of coconut oil and vanilla extract instead of powder. Even with all of those changes, they were seriously delicious. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  27. Cecile says

    December 5, 2021 at 9:51 pm

    So I made it and feel it is no sweet enough

    Reply
    • Alexandra Daum says

      December 6, 2021 at 10:36 am

      Hi Cecile, these are muffins, not cupcakes, so they’re not meant to be so sweet. You could try adding more sugar.

      Reply
  28. Amanda says

    January 23, 2022 at 3:27 pm

    I was a little curious / nervous about how these would turn out without any egg remplacement (flax or chia) but the texture was just perfect!

    I personally used beet pulp that I save from juicing and a GF flour mix and they turned out amazing.

    Definitely going to make again

    Reply
  29. Tami says

    March 25, 2022 at 3:51 pm

    5 stars
    I made these for a picnic lunch with my grandkids. They all loved them. They were moist and perfectly sweet. I used AP flour as that’s what I had. I also used already cooked beets from Costco. I blended them, measured according to recipe, and simply decreased my almond milk by 1/4C. What a fabulous way to add in some nutrition to a treat. I will definitely make these again.

    Reply

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