A bakery-style crumb and beautiful round tops await you with this Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe. This is a small batch, one bowl muffin recipe that is ready in under 30 minutes! This recipe is also dairy-free and you can substitute dairy milk if you like.
These chocolate chip muffins are best enjoyed for breakfast, brunch, or a snack. We love them topped with a little bit of dairy-free butter. This recipe tastes just like the traditional version you remember!
Gluten-free chocolate chip muffins can be enjoyed year round, and it's just one of the many things we love about them! They are perfect for everyday occasions like lunch treats or after-school snacks, and also for Sunday brunches and holidays.
If you enjoy muffins, then you also must try our Gluten-Free Strawberry Muffins with chocolate chips, Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins, and Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins.
And if you're Holiday baking, don't miss our Gluten Free Gingerbread Loaf Cake and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins with almond flour!
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Why this recipe works
Gluten-free baking requires a few small but important adjustments to get perfect copycats of your gluten-filled favorites. Here are a few features that make this recipe great:
- Adding apple cider vinegar - By making a buttermilk substitute with a milk of your choosing and apple cider vinegar, you get bakery-style round tops on these delicious muffins! Vinegar interacts with the baking soda to help your baked goods rise more.
- Baking at two temperatures - For this recipe, we bake at a higher temperature for the first 8 minutes and then adjust to a slightly lower temp for the remaining time. Using this two-temperature baking method makes sure the muffin tops are delightfully high and round.
Ingredients Notes
You need 10 simple, everyday ingredients to make these perfect gluten-free chocolate chip muffins!
- Gluten-free flour - Choose a 1-to-1 style flour, such as Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Sugar - I prefer using coconut sugar for its rich taste and low glycemic index that's less likely to cause a notable blood sugar spike after indulging. But regular white sugar also works perfectly in this recipe.
- Milk - Any plant-based milk will work perfectly in this recipe. If you would like to use dairy milk, please read our substitutions section below.
- Vegan butter - Use melted butter, but not hot. If it is too warm, allow it to cool before continuing with the recipe so it doesn't cook the egg. You can use regular dairy butter as a substitute. I used these vegan buttery sticks.
- Chocolate chips - I love using mini chocolate chips but feel free to use regular-sized chocolate chips. The Enjoy Life brand makes gluten, dairy, and top 8 allergen-free chocolate chips.
See the recipe card for complete details on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
Follow these instructions to substitute regular dairy for our dairy-free substitutions:
- Butter - You can substitute real butter for our vegan butter with excellent results.
- Milk - Substitute regular dairy milk for the plant-based milk in this recipe. Skim, 1%, 2%, and whole milk all work well. You will still want to include the apple cider vinegar in this case.
- Real Buttermilk - If using real dairy buttermilk, omit the vinegar in this recipe. Buttermilk has enough acidity by itself.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This one-bowl muffin recipe is super simple and comes together in just minutes!
Step 1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees F) and grease or line 6 cups of a standard muffin pan.
Step 2. Buttermilk: Combine the buttermilk ingredients. I do this in a liquid measuring cup so the recipe needs only one mixing bowl. Set aside.
Step 3. Dry Ingredients: Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
Step 4. Wet Ingredients: Add wet ingredients and vegan buttermilk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until just combined but do not over mix -- there will still be some small flour lumps in the batter and that's okay.
Step 5. Chocolate Chips: Add chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
Step 6. Prep for Baking: Portion the batter into the 6 greased or lined muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. Then sprinkle any extra chocolate chips on top for decoration.
Step 7. Bake: Bake at 425 degrees F (218 degrees F) for 7 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees F) for 8 minutes. At this point, the muffins should be perfectly cooked. To double-check, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. When fully cooked, the toothpick should come out dry.
Step 8. Cool: Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan. Then gently remove the muffins and set on a wire cooling rack for an additional 10 minutes before eating.
Hint: Using an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin tin helps prevent mess and makes the process go faster.
Expert Tips
- Follow the baking instructions carefully. The instructions for this gluten free baking recipe has two temperatures: 425 degrees F for 7 minutes followed by 400 degrees for 8 minutes. This high temperature for the first half of the baking time helps to get a nice rise and fluffy muffins!
- Preheat the oven. Since the most important rise happens right at the start of baking, you need a fully preheated oven to get these round tops.
- Serve them with butter or vegan butter. These muffins are incredible on their own, but just a little bit of butter takes them to a whole new level!
Recipe FAQs
Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days, or up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and bring back to room temperature for the best texture.
Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then warm to room temperature before eating.
To make muffins moist, use plenty of butter and milk or cream in the recipe. You also want to bake for a short period of time but at a high temperature for excellent rise without drying out the crumb.
Butter is better than oil for muffins. Oil creates a soft and smooth texture like a cupcake. Butter offers more crumb and a buttery taste that mimics bakery-style muffins!
The most important rule for making muffins is to fully preheat the oven and to not over-mix the batter.
Your gluten free muffins could have been dry in the past for one of these reasons: 1) they were baked too long or at a lower temperature 2) there was not enough liquid 3) a coarser, dryer gluten-free flour was used. Use a rice flour blend for moist muffins that are just like the traditional texture!
Other Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes to consider...
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & if you really like it, consider a comment in the field further down. Thank you!
PrintGluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins
Achieve a bakery crumb and beautiful round tops with this gluten-free chocolate chip muffins recipe. This is a small batch, one bowl muffin recipe that uses my two-step baking method and is ready in under 30 minutes!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 muffins 1x
- Category: Baking, Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Dairy Free Buttermilk
- ½ cup + 1 tablespoon (133 ml) almond milk
- ½ tablespoon (7 ml) apple cider vinegar
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (155 grams) gluten-free 1-to-1 style flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (50 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (40 grams) vegan butter, melted but not hot
- 1 egg
Mix-Ins
- ½ cup (80 grams) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, plus some extras to sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 degrees F) and grease or line 6 cups of a standard muffin pan.
- Buttermilk: Combine the buttermilk ingredients. I do this in a liquid measuring cup so the recipe needs only one mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Dry Ingredients: Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
- Wet Ingredients: Add wet ingredients and vegan buttermilk to the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir until just combined but do not over mix -- there will still be some small flour lumps in the batter and that's okay.
- Chocolate Chips: Add chocolate chips and mix until just combined.
- Prep for Baking: Portion the batter into the 6 greased or lined muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this. Then sprinkle any extra chocolate chips on top for decoration.
- Bake: Bake at 425 degrees F (218 degrees F) for 7 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 400 degrees F. Bake at 400 degrees F (205 degrees F) for 8 minutes. At this point, the muffins should be perfectly cooked. To double-check, insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. When fully cooked, the toothpick should come out dry.
- Cool: Cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan. Then gently remove the muffins and set on a wire cooling rack for an additional 10 minutes before eating.
Notes
Storage: Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2 days, or up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Remove from the refrigerator and bring back to room temperature for the best texture. Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then warm to room temperature before eating.
Substitutions:
Follow these instructions to substitute regular dairy for our dairy-free substitutions:
- Butter - You can substitute real butter in for our vegan butter.
- Milk - Substitute regular dairy milk for the plant-based milk in this recipe. Skim, 1%, 2%, and whole milk all work well. You will still want to include the apple cider vinegar in this case.
- Real Buttermilk - If using real dairy buttermilk, omit the vinegar in the recipe. Buttermilk has enough acidity by itself.
Keywords: gluten free muffins, gluten free baking, dairy free chocolate chip muffins
Melinda
I'll admit it's been a while, but the texture of these muffins tastes exactly like a gluten muffin recipe my mom used to make. I know this blog is big on recipe testing and it shows. Thank you for making quality gluten-free recipes.
★★★★★
Jamie
Hi Melinda! I really appreciate your kind words -- thank you for trusting us and I am so glad you loved the recipe.
Jackie
Can you use maple syrup instead of sugar ?
Jamie
Hi Jackie! I have not tried swapping maple syrup or other liquid sweetener for sugar in this recipe, so I cannot guarantee that the result will be similar to the original recipe. Our Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins with Almond Flour use maple syrup if you're looking for a similar recipe. They are also great with chocolate chips.
If you decide to try maple syrup in this recipe, King Arthur Baking offered this advice in a post they had about liquid sweeteners:
"Maple syrup for sugar
Maple syrup is about as sweet as sugar, so you can replace it using an equal amount of syrup (e.g., for 1 cup of sugar, use 1 cup of maple syrup). Decrease the liquid by 3 to 4 tablespoons per 1 cup substitution. The same rule applies here if there’s no liquid called for in the recipe: add about 1 tablespoon of additional flour for every 1/4 cup of maple syrup used.
Tip: Make sure you use room temperature maple syrup, especially if baking with butter. Cold syrup can cause the other ingredients to clump."
Let me know how it turns out if you do some experimenting!