These gluten-free chocolate chip muffins are bakery-style, with big domed tops, a crunchy turbinado sugar crust, and mini chocolate chips in every bite. The inside is light and fluffy, and the outside has that crackly sweetness you get from a real bakery muffin.
The batter comes together in about 5 minutes with two bowls and a whisk. No mixer needed. They freeze well too, so I always keep a batch in the freezer for busy mornings.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Gluten Free Baking Flour. Both of these blends already contain xanthan gum and are meant to be a 1-for-1 swap with all-purpose flour.
- Milk – I used whole milk, but 2% works too. For a dairy-free option, almond milk works but the muffins won’t rise quite as much.
- Eggs – I always use large eggs for baking. If you are using medium or jumbo or extra large eggs, you’ll want to adjust the number of eggs you’re using. Large eggs weigh about 50 grams each, so we need 100 grams total for this recipe. If using a different size, weigh out 100 g of whisked egg. You may have extra, so use that for another recipe or make some scrambled eggs on gluten-free toast for a quick snack or breakfast.
- Vegetable Oil – Instead of butter, I like to use oil for my muffins. It gives them a lot of moisture. You can use any neutral oil that you’d like. Canola oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or even a very light olive oil works here.
- Mini Chocolate Chips – I like to use mini chocolate chips in my muffin recipes. The miniature size keeps the chocolate chips from sinking into the bottom of the muffin cup when baking. I also love the ratio of chocolate to muffin you get in each bite with mini chocolate chips. I used semi-sweet, but milk chocolate or dark chocolate work too.
- Turbinado Sugar – This is a coarse raw sugar with large crystals that don’t melt in the oven. You sprinkle it on top before baking for that crunchy bakery muffin crust. If you don’t have it, you can skip it.
Weigh Your Flour for the Best Results
For best results, use a kitchen scale and follow the gram measurements in the recipe card. A food scale is far more accurate for dry ingredients, especially gluten-free flour that can vary a lot depending on how you scoop it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This gluten-free chocolate chip muffin recipe is so easy to make with some simple pantry staples. The photos and matching step-by-step instructions below are to help you see the recipe at various stages and do not have all of the complete steps and ingredient amounts.
For the ingredient list with measurements, full instructions, printable recipe, and additional notes, please scroll down to the recipe card.
Recipe FAQs
I tested this recipe with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure. Both contain xanthan gum and are designed to replace all-purpose flour 1-for-1. If you use a different blend, I can’t guarantee the same results since gluten-free flour blends vary a lot.
The two gluten-free flour blends that I recommend already include xanthan gum in them. If you use a blend other than the two I suggest, you may need to add xanthan gum if the blends do not contain it. I’d recommend using ½ teaspoon. Again, I cannot guarantee that the recipe will turn out if you use a flour blend other than the two that I recommend in the recipe.
You can, but mini chips work better here. Regular-sized chips are heavier and tend to sink to the bottom of the muffin during baking. Mini chips stay suspended throughout the batter so you get chocolate in every bite.
Expert Tips
Storage Instructions
Storage: You can store leftover chocolate chip muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If the muffins start to taste stale after day 2, I’ll typically warm them up briefly in the microwave to make them softer.
Freezer Option: I love to freeze leftover muffins so I can have quick grab-and-go breakfast and snack options. Place gluten-free muffins on a sheet pan or plate and flash freeze for an hour, or until solid. Once frozen, place in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Defrost them at room temperature for about an hour, or until no longer frozen.
Serving Suggestions
I almost always have a batch of these in the freezer for weekday mornings when I don’t have time to cook. If I’m doing a bigger breakfast spread or bringing something to a brunch, I’ll usually bake a couple of different muffins so there are options. My gluten-free chocolate muffins are the richer, more dessert-like option, and my gluten-free mixed berry muffins are a good lighter one to set out next to these. If you want something on the table that isn’t a muffin, my gluten-free coffee cake is one I come back to a lot.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free flour blend
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup (160 g) whole milk
- 2 (100 g) large eggs
- ½ cup (113 g) vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
For Topping:
- ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons (8 g) turbinado sugar - or other coarse sugar
**Use the toggle button above to turn the instruction photos on and off!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups (280 g) gluten-free flour blend, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together ⅔ cup (160 g) whole milk, 2 (100 g) large eggs, ½ cup (113 g) vegetable oil, and ½ tablespoon vanilla extract until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
- Stir in 1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, reserving the rest for later.
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. The batter should come almost to the top of each liner.
- Sprinkle the reserved ½ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and 2 teaspoons (8 g) turbinado sugar over the tops of each muffin.
- Bake at 400°F for 15 to 17 minutes, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
- Flour: Tested with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour. Both contain xanthan gum.
- Measuring: Use the gram weights for best results. If measuring by volume, spoon flour into the cup and level off. Never scoop the cup into the bag, your muffins will be very dense.
- Storage: Airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 to 4 days. Freeze baked muffins for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for about an hour.
I love mini-muffins! Perfect for school lunches and I love to sneak one for an afternoon snack:)