Best Bakery-Style Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

These amazing gluten-free chocolate muffins use gluten-free flour, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips for a double chocolate punch! Recently, I made a deep-dive into recipe trials to find the perfect bakery-style muffins with excellent rise and a moist texture.

This post includes a summary of all the best gluten-free muffin making secrets I discovered to give you a perfect treat every time. They were tested with and without dairy, and while we usually make them dairy-free in my house, no one can tell the difference!

Why you'll love these gluten-free chocolate muffins

• using just a little apple cider vinegar helps get that sky-high rise
• You get sky-high tops that won't fall back on you after baking 
• Your friends will never know they are gluten free!

So let's take a deep-dive into the world of gluten-free muffin baking shall we?

How do you make gluten-free muffins from scratch?

Making gluten free muffins from scratch is the same as making traditional muffins with a few exceptions:

1. Use a gluten-free one-to-one flour 
2. Double-check all other ingredients are gluten-free (no hidden additives)
3. Mix the batter more thoroughly -- This creates elasticity, which is missing in gluten-free baked goods. 

If you need help searching for hidden gluten in your ingredients, use our printable list of gluten ingredients to avoid. 

How do you make gluten free muffins rise?

Follow these tips to get the BEST gluten-free muffin rise:

• Wait for the oven to fully preheat. The first 5-10 minutes of baking is where most of the rise happens and high heat is needed for maximum rise!
• Bake at a higher temperature at the beginning for a rapid rise cycle. More heat at the beginning creates more rise. And turning the heat down after keeps the centers soft.
• Measure ingredients carefully. An extra tablespoon or two of flour can make the difference between rising successfully or collapsing after you take them out of the oven.
• Use a gluten-free flour with xanthan or guar gum. These gums help the dough stick together, which means they play the role of gluten in gluten-free flours.

Mixing the ingredients really well helps create elasticity in the dough so tops rise vertically rather than spread horizontally. This is different from general muffin making because most instructions suggest barely mixing the ingredients for a crumbly texture.

For these muffins, because that smooth texture makes them ultra fudgy and delicious, we mix the batter really well until it's smooth and almost creamy. This increases the surface tension (holds your muffin top together) to get that beautiful rise.

Why do muffins rise and then fall?

Muffins rise in the oven and then fall after removing them when there is too much baking soda or baking powder (leavening) compared to flour. Reduce the amount of leavening or increase the amount of flour to fix this.

If you follow this recipe exactly, the tops of your muffins will stay nice and high after baking. 

Since this recipe is measured in cups of flour, it's best practice to spoon the flour into the cup rather than making one big scoop in the bag. This ensures the flour is not too packed and matches the amount in this recipe exactly.

Is dark chocolate gluten free and dairy free?

While cocoa powder is naturally gluten-free, not all dark chocolate is gluten free and dairy free. You will need to check the ingredients to look for any additives that could contain gluten and dairy. In general, dairy is more common in dark chocolate than gluten.

I recommend Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips for this recipe. They are gluten and dairy free.

If you are concerned about your chocolate ingredients, check out our free printable list of hidden gluten ingredients. 

What gluten-free flour is best for muffins?

To get a traditional muffin texture, the best gluten free flour blend for muffins is one made with gluten-free grains. Pamela's all-purpose flour blend is the best in terms of taste and texture. Bob's Red Mill one-to-one gluten free flour is also very good for muffins.

If you choose to make your gluten free chocolate muffins paleo, I recommend using cassava flour. Otto’s Cassava Flour has tips for substituting in this post.

Does baking powder have gluten?

Most baking powders contain only gluten-free ingredients. Sodium bicarbonate and cream of tartar are gluten-free. The starch in baking powder is usually corn starch, which is also gluten free.

Since there can be cross-contact with gluten in corn starch, it's always best to choose a well-known gluten-free brand like Rumford or Clabber Girl. 

Let's make Gluten Free Chocolate Muffins

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease six cups of a muffin pan.

Mix vegan buttermilk ingredients and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients and whisk together until well mixed.

Add vegan buttermilk and wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix together thoroughly with a wooden spoon. The batter should be smooth and wet with some elasticity.

Spoon the batter evenly into the 6 muffin cups. Sprinkle with extra chocolate chips if you like.

Now you'll bake at two temperatures - 425 degrees F for 7 minutes for a rapid rise cycle and 375 degrees F for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

How long do gluten free muffins last?

Gluten-free muffins can last up to two days if left on the counter or five days if kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They can also be frozen for up to six months and thawed at room temperature when ready to eat. 

Once you taste these beauties, the real question will be how do you keep them around longer... because they are just too good to let sit!

Other Gluten Free Treats You'll love:

• Vegan Blueberry Lemon Muffins
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
• Gluten Free Mango Muffins
• Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Donuts

Gluten Free Chocolate Muffin Recipe

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Enjoy the chocolatey goodness, and save me one too <3

xo, Jamie