These jumbo-sized vegan chocolate beet muffins are such a favourite recipe. The crumb is fudgy yet light and the top is golden and crisp! Beetroot puree keep these muffins moist and adds nutrition, natural sweetness and fiber. This recipe makes 6-8 jumbo sized muffins or 12 standard sized muffins.
This post is sponsored by Paderno Kitchenware however all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that help keep me in the kitchen!
Why beets work with this recipe
While it might seem a bit suspect having beets in chocolate muffins, I can assure you it's not what you think. Beets disguise themselves well in chocolate; my kids never know they are secretly eating a vegetable in their muffin. Beets also add moisture to this recipe which makes the crumb fudgy and decadent tasting, yet also light and spongy. They also add a lovely reddish hue to the muffins.
Moreover, beets are also naturally sweet, nutritious and contain fiber and other healthful nutrients.
Why you will love this recipe
This recipe is:
- Easy to make
- Vegan
- Healthy-ish
- Fudgy yet light
- Not overly sweet
- Dairy-free and egg-free
- Great for a snack or as a simple dessert
- Adaptable for a standard muffin pan
What you will need
To make these jumbo vegan chocolate beet muffins, you will need the following ingredients, most of which you can likely find in your pantry (aside from the beet puree).
- beet puree
- ground flaxseed
- water
- whole wheat flour
- cocoa powder (dutch process)
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- baking soda
- sea salt
- olive oil
- unsweetened almond milk or plant-based milk of choice
- vanilla extract
- chocolate chips (optional, but recommended)
You will also need a jumbo sized muffin pan, however you can also use a standard 12 cup muffin pan (directions for that are below).
How to make this recipe
The most time consuming portion of this recipe is making the beet puree. There are notes in the recipe card to make your own, however, to save on time, I sometimes use store bought cooked and peeled beets—it's simply a matter of pureeing them in a blender.
Once you have your beet puree ready, the next step is to let the ground flaxseed and water gel together for 5 minutes. In the meantime, sift the dry ingredients together.
Next, mix the beet puree with the flax mixture and the remaining wet ingredients. Then, combine the wet and dry ingredients then portion the batter into a prepared muffin pan.
The muffins bake for 25-35 minutes (depending on which sized pan you use) and then cooled for 5 minutes in the pan, then left to cool completely a wire rack.
Can I make puree from fresh beets?
If you want to make your own beet puree, this recipe will take a little bit more time. To make approximately 1 cup of beet puree, peel and quarter 3-4 medium sized beets (approx. 1 pound of beets).
Steam the beets for 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces them. Add the cooked beets to a food processor and blend until pureed. Measure out 1 cup for use.
If you are using fresh beets, it's important to choose beets that are as fresh as possible—the longer beets sit, they more earthy they can taste which will come through in the final recipe.
Why use jumbo muffin pan
While it's not essential to make this recipe in a jumbo pan, the larger size makes these feel like more than just a regular muffin. The sizing of a jumbo muffin tin makes these almost seem like little cakes and, as such, you could easily serve this as a dessert.
However, if you don't have a jumbo pan or prefer a smaller size, this recipe is suitable for a standard 12 cup muffin pan. There are notes below and in the recipe card if you want to go with a standard pan.
The importance of quality bakeware
Baking is a passion of mine and having quality bakeware in my kitchen is essential. The PADERNO Non-stick Jumbo Muffin Pan is a great choice for this recipe. With its PFOA/PTFE-free non-stick interior, there is no need to line or grease this muffin pan, which means one less step and less waste.
This pan is also made of commercial-grade, heavy-gauge aluminized steel which makes it durable and provides even heating—these muffins bake evenly which helps maintain their fudgy yet light crumb and make for the best muffin top. Moreover, it is fully dishwasher safe.
To learn more about the line of professional culinary and baking tools and appliances, visit the PADERNO website or follow along on social media @PadernoKitchenware #itsacookingthing.
Can I use a standard muffin tin?
This recipe is for a jumbo muffin pan, however, it can be made into 12 standard size muffins if you wish. The oven temperature stays the same, however, you will need to reduce the bake time to 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If your muffin pan is not non-stick, you will also need to grease the muffin pan or line it with papers.
Substitutions
- Whole wheat flour can be exchanged for whole spelt flour in a 1:1 ratio.
- Dutch process cocoa powder can be exchanged for regular cocoa powder in equal measure because this recipe uses both baking powder and baking soda.
- Almond milk can be exchanged with any plant based milk you like in a 1:1 ratio.
- Olive oil can be exchanged for any neutral tasting vegetable oil in equal measure.
Storage and make ahead instructions
These jumbo vegan chocolate beet muffins will last covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you wrap them well, you can freeze these for up to 1 month.
While the most time consuming step is making the beet puree, it can definitely be made in advance to save on time. Again, you can also purchase pre-cooked and peeled beets then pop them into a blender to puree them rather than making it with fresh beets. Beet puree will last 2-3 days in the fridge.
More recipes like this
If you enjoy this recipe, you may like these other favourites (which also include hiding vegetables in chocolate):
Double Chocolate Beetroot Cake [vegan]
Vegan Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Vegan triple chocolate sweet potato cupcakes
And don't be shy to tag me on social media if you make this recipe (or any of my recipes for that matter) @the_simple_green! Leave me your feedback below as well.
Jumbo Vegan Chocolate Beet Muffins
These jumbo-sized vegan chocolate beet muffins are such a favourite recipe. The crumb is fudgy yet light and the top is golden and crisp and topped with chocolate pieces. Beetroot puree keep these muffins moist and adds nutrition, natural sweetness and fiber. You would never know there were beets in this recipe! Makes ~6-8 jumbo sized muffins or 12 standard sized muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 cup beet puree see notes
- 2 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 4 tablespoon water
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder dutch process
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or plant-based milk of choice
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
optional
- ¼ cup chocolate chips for topping
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 6 cup jumbo muffin pan (or a 12 cup standard muffin pan) with paper liners and set aside.
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Combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Make a well in the center and set aside.
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In a small bowl, combine the flax mixture, beet puree, olive oil, almond milk and vanilla. Next, pour the beet mixture into the well in the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
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Portion the batter into the prepared muffin pan filling each cup approximately ⅔ full. Top the batter with several chocolate chips then place in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes for the jumbo pan (20-25 minutes for a standard size muffin pan) or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before carefully removing the muffins from the pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
To make you own beet puree: Peel and quarter 3-4 medium sized beets (approx. 1 pound of beets). Steam the beets for 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces them. Add the cooked beets to a food processor and blend until pureed. Measure out 1 cup for use. Alternatively, use pre-cooked and peeled beets and blend them in a food processor until pureed.
Muffins will last for 2-3 days covered at room temperature, or frozen for up to 1 month.
SD says
Love these! Absolutely delicious!!
Heidi Richter says
So glad you like them 🙂
Elana Daley says
I subbed buckwheat flour, coconut sugar, organic cocoa powder, and grape seed oil and they turned out DELICIOUS 😋 At my son’s request I added dark chocolate chips to the top and middle the second batch. Soooo healthy and yummy! Thank you.
Heidi Richter says
That's excellent, thank you! I'm happy to hear they work with buckwheat flour too 🙂