Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins

Sneak some spinach into your chocolate muffins! These Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins are made with rolled oats, packed with spinach, and sweetened with bananas and maple syrup for a family friendly make-ahead breakfast or anytime snack!
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Because yes, you did need another way to eat oatmeal for breakfast. Blend it up into flour, add some other ingredients, bake, and poof – Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins that are totally appropriate for breakfast. Pretty sure my breakfast never had this much spinach! 

My favorite thing about this recipe has to be that everything is blended up in the blender – even the oat flour is made in the blender, with no need to clean it out in between blends!

Ingredients in the Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins

I’m happy to share that these Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins are made with no processed sugar!  Plus, the flour is made of blended/processed oats, making these blender muffins both gluten-free and naturally sweetened. Even better, these can be adapted for dairy free diets by using almond milk and vegan chocolate chips.

I don’t think any of these ingredients are too crazy – you may already have them on hand or you can easily find them at the grocery store.

• rolled oats – By blending rolled oats in a high powered blender, you can basically make your own oat flour! It’s quick, easy, and a lot cheaper than buying oat flour from the store. Don’t use steel cut or quick cooking oats here. We want a certain texture that comes from blending rolled oats specifically.
• bananas – Throwing a couple bananas into the mix helps reduce the amount of added sugar in these muffins by a lot! Plus, bananas keep baked goods moist and flavorful.
• egg – Used as a binder and to bring a little lift to the muffins. I’m sure a flax egg would be fine to use if you want to make these muffins full vegan.
• maple syrup – I tested these muffins with honey and the result just wasn’t as good. I recommend pure maple syrup all the way. The taste blends perfectly with the bananas and chocolate.
• natural cocoa powder – Be sure to grab natural cocoa powder instead of Dutch-processed here. We want the naturally acidic cocoa powder to react with the baking soda to give the muffins some rise (more info on cocoa powder from Sally’s Baking Addiction).
• milk – I used almond milk, you can use whatever kind you want.
• spinach leaves – Two biggggg handfuls! Use organic!
• instant espresso powder – Adding a tablespoon of espresso powder to these blender muffins really takes the chocolate flavor up a notch! While it’s totally optional, I think you should give it a try. I use Medaglia D’Oro Instant Espresso Coffee powder (affiliate link!) but any instant espresso powder would work!
• other baking items: coconut oil, vanilla, baking soda, salt, chocolate chips, things that make these chocolate spinach blender muffins delicious

How do you make the Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins?

The first step of this recipe is to blend your rolled oats into oat flour. Add your rolled oats to a high speed blender, place the lid on, and pulse on high until the oats have been processed into a powder. It’s okay if it looks a little clumpy.

Pour the freshly made oat flour from the blender bowl into a medium mixing bowl. Add the natural cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and instant espresso powder to the oat flour and whisk it together. Set aside for now.

To your now empty, oat flour dusted blender, add the wet ingredients: bananas, egg, spinach, vanilla, coconut oil, maple syrup, and milk. Blend these ingredients together on until completely smooth and mixed together. The mixture will be very green! 

On top of the super green smoothie looking mixture in the blender, add the oat flour/cocoa powder mixture. Blend again until smooth and no dry pockets remain. Scrape down the sides if necessary.

Add the chocolate chips and use a rubber spatula or scraper tool to mix. Pour the batter into a greased 12-count muffin tin. Top with additional chocolate chips if desired! Bake in a preheated 350F degree oven for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

What kind of blender do you use?

I use the Vitamix 780 blender (affiliate link!), but any high speed blender would work. Good high speed food processors will also likely work to make these blender muffins.

Why make these muffins in a blender?

Not all muffins are meant to be blender muffins. Here’s what sets these muffins apart and makes the blender a necessary part of the recipe (and title).

• quick homemade oat flour
• no need to clean the blender until the recipe is complete
• makes it a super quick recipe
• no need to mash the bananas
• pour straight from the blender into the muffin tin
• blenders are easy to clean

Can you eat these Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins for breakfast?

Oh yes you can! These Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins are not the worst thing you can eat for breakfast. Some people might even call them healthy because they’re gluten-free, naturally sweetened, and full of spinach and bananas!

How long will these Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins last?

These muffins will last up to 5 days kept in a sealed container at room temperature. They will last up to 3 months in a sealed container in the freezer.

More breakfast ideas from Project Meal Plan:

• Chia Pudding Breakfast Parfaits Four Ways
• Pecan Pie Stuffed Oatmeal Breakfast Cups
• Make-Ahead Bacon Breakfast Sandwich

If you make these Chocolate Spinach Blender Muffins, I want to see them! Breakfast or snack?? You pick! Share with me by tagging @projectmealplan or use the hashtag #projectmealplan! Enjoy!