Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Muffins

These Dairy Free Chocolate Chip Muffins are soft, fluffy, and the perfect level of sweetness! They're loaded with chocolate chips, topped with sparkling sugar, and ready in 25 minutes - no mixer required!

I am a MAJOR muffin fan. I mean - what's not to love? Muffins are basically cake except more socially acceptable to eat for breakfast or a snack and that is something I can get behind.

I went through a phase where I ate one of my Strawberry Banana Muffins literally every day for 2 months straight. And now I have a strong feeling that I'm about to be doing the same with these dairy free chocolate chip muffins...

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN BUTTERMILK

One of the key things that makes these muffins so fluffy is that the recipe uses vegan buttermilk! If you've never heard of this before, it's a game changer!

You can make it in 1 minute at home, and you can make vegan buttermilk with oat milk, almond milk, or any other plant based milk. You can even do this with regular milk if you aren't dairy free!

Buttermilk is essentially just curdled milk, and all you need to curdle milk is a couple tablespoons of white vinegar (alternatively, you can use lemon juice).

To make dairy free buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to a 1 cup measuring cup or liquid measuring cup. Fill the rest of the cup up with your dairy free milk of choice.

Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it has curdled (it will look separated or even a bit lumpy). That's it! Easy, right?!

HOW TO MAKE DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

Alright, now this is not one of those things where I tell you this recipe is easy when it actually isn't. I promise I'll always keep it real with you my friend! I mean, you don't even need a mixer for this recipe! So let's do this.

STEP ONE: The first thing you're going to do is make the vegan buttermilk using the instructions above. Once you've finished, let it sit while you complete the next steps. Preheat the oven and either grease a cupcake tray or use muffin liners.

STEP TWO: Add the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder to a medium bowl and whisk them together. Set it aside for later.

STEP THREE: Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl (or in a small pan over the stove, then transfer to a large bowl). Pour the sugar and oil into the bowl then whisk it all together. Whisk in the eggs, vanilla extract, and buttermilk.

STEP FOUR: Mix in the dry ingredients slowly until just combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.

STEP FIVE: Use a laddle or measuring cup to scoop the batter into the cupcake tin, filling them all the way to the top! Sprinkle coarse or raw sugar on top and add a few more chocolate chips if you'd like!

STEP SIX: Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a high temperature of 425°F to help them rise quickly. Without removing the muffins from the oven, lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for 10-16 minutes more. A toothpick inserted in the middle of the muffins should come out clean!

Once the muffins are done, you can sprinkle more raw sugar on top if you want them to be more sparkly or if it appears that the sugar has sunken into the muffin tops!

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS WITH NO MILK

The ingredients in this recipe are pretty basic kitchen staples, but I've noted a few things below:

Oil: I typically use vegetable/canola oil because it's pretty neutral in flavor, but you can also use grapeseed oil. Olive oil will also work but it has quite a strong flavour.

Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. I haven't tried it with whole wheat but it should work fine at a 1:1 ratio. It will change the texture of the muffins though.

Chocolate chips: I used semisweet vegan chocolate chips but you can also use milk chocolate, mini chocolate chips, or even chopped chocolate.

Raw Sugar: Raw/coarse sugar is used only for sprinkling on top of the muffins! You can use cane sugar or turbinado sugar - it adds a delicious sweet crunch to the tops.

Tip: add more sugar than you think you need because some of it will sink into the muffins or add extra right when they come out of the oven! You can also leave it out completely.

HOW TO STORE DAIRY FREE CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

These muffins can be stored in an airtight container or ziploc bag at room temperature for up to 5 days days. I don't recommend refrigerating them as it can dry out them out.

You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag for up to 3 months! When you're ready to eat them, simply thaw them at room temperature or pop one in the microwave for 30 - 45 seconds. If you're microwaving, be sure to eat them right away or they will harden quickly!

MORE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE

• Strawberry Banana Muffins
• Blackberry Mango Scones
• Pumpkin Banana Muffins

If you make this recipe, let me know how it went in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!