Orange Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten-free & paleo)

These are the best gluten-free orange chocolate chip muffins! The combination of orange and dark chocolate is just perfect and they have the most incredible light and fluffy texture. These muffins are so easy to make and make a healthy breakfast or snack.

Table of Contents

• Why you will love this recipe:
• Ingredients and substitutions:
• How to make (step-by-step): 
• Top tip:
• Variations and add ins:
• How to store:
• Frequently asked questions:
• Other recipes you will love:
• Recipe

Why you will love this recipe:

• These healthy orange chocolate chip muffins taste amazing! The combination of orange and dark chocolate is just perfect. Have you ever had a Terry's chocolate orange? If so you will love these muffins! The taste is very similar.
• They are really simple and easy to make and the clean up is so fast, just like my grain free banana chocolate chip muffins and paleo blueberry muffins.
• You would never guess that these muffins are grain free, gluten free, refined sugar free and dairy free. They have the most incredible texture.
• They store well and freeze really well so are great for meal prep.
• These muffins make a healthy breakfast or snack. They are higher in protein than most muffins with 6 grams of protein per muffin.

If you love orange chocolate you will also love my orange chocolate brownies, chocolate orange overnight oats and orange chocolate fudge recipe!

Ingredients and substitutions:

• Almond flour - Almond flour is one of my favourite gluten-free flours to bake with. It has the perfect texture and a nice sweet flavour. Instead of almond flour you can use cashew flour.  
• Coconut flour - Coconut flour blends perfectly with the almond flour to give these grain free muffins the best texture with nice firm muffin tops. 
• Tapioca flour - Tapioca flour helps to give these muffins a light and fluffy texture. Do not confuse this with cassava flour as they are not the same thing. 
• Fresh orange juice - to give these muffins the perfect orange flavour plus it helps add moisture to this recipe. 
• Orange zest - to help give these muffins an even stronger orange flavour.
• Eggs - these help bind the muffins together and help them rise when they bake. Note that I have not tried making these muffins without eggs or with any egg replacements.
• Baking soda - to help these muffins rise and make them extra light and fluffy.
• Coconut oil - this helps add moisture to the muffins and helps give them the best texture!
• Coconut milk - to add even more moisture to these muffins, but don't worry, it doesn't make them taste like coconut. I recommend using full fat coconut milk for the best results.
• Honey - this natural sweetener helps give these muffins the best sweet flavour while keeping them refined sugar free.
• Dark chocolate -  To make these muffins you can use dark chocolate chunks or dark chocolate chips. If you are following the paleo diet just make sure the chocolate you get is dairy free and soy free. To keep these muffins refined sugar free be sure to use chocolate sweetened with coconut sugar.

How to make (step-by-step): 

Step one:

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Step two:

Next, add all the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips, into the bowl of your standing mixer and blend well until smooth.

Step three:

Then stir in the chocolate chips or chocolate chunks by hand. 

Step four:

Lastly, line a muffin pan with parchment paper muffin cups and transfer the batter to the cups. Bake the muffins for 22-24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted inside comes out clean. Let the muffins cool and then enjoy!

Top tip:

• Use room temperature eggs for best results. 

Variations and add ins:

• If you can’t have almond flour I would recommend using cashew flour instead – do not try substituting any other flours! These muffins will not work out if you do.
• Instead of chocolate chips you could also use broken dark chocolate bars or chocolate chunks.
• These muffins freeze really well so feel free to make a double or triple batch to save some for later. 
• Feel free to drizzle a little melted chocolate onto the tops of the muffins like I did for the photos for even more chocolate flavour! 

How to store:

Store these muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

These muffins also freeze really well for up to 3 months.

Frequently asked questions:

Other recipes you will love:

• The Best Paleo Bagels
• Paleo Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate
• Paleo Lemon Blueberry Muffins
• Gluten Free Apple Pie Bars
• Paleo Turtle Cookie Bars

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Recipe