Vegan Gluten-Free Cinnamon Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins are SO RICH in flavor and incredibly moist with the most delicious, robust flavor. These muffins are just 8 ingredients, dairy-free, oil-free and ready in 30 minutes!
Does that photo and reading that title get you as excited as it does me? Yes? Good. I don’t know why it has taken me so long to combine these 2 flavors. After all, cinnamon is my #1 flavor of all time and coffee is my favorite all-time ice cream flavor. It was time to bring them together into a baked good. I no longer drink coffee (very seldom) but I LOVE the flavor of coffee in desserts. Typically, coffee is combined in chocolate desserts to enrich the chocolate flavor, but dang, it really enhances cinnamon as well!
If you didn’t know cinnamon goes well with coffee, now you know! These ARE my new favorite vegan muffins. They are simply incredible. The flavors are so strong, robust, perfectly sweet and addictively moist.
The combo of almond flour and tapioca starch makes these beauties sooooo moist that there is no need for oil! Who needs oil?? Nobody. I prefer to use whole foods like nuts/seeds, coconut, applesauce for moisture content. Not only do they lend a better flavor, but they contain other vitamins and nutrients, whereas oil is 100% fat extracted from a whole food. Oils make me feel sick and were extremely dangerous for my hubby’s gout. Not to mention, 1 tablespoon of oil is 14 g of fat, whereas 1 tablespoon of almond butter is 8 g, so it’s nearly half the fat. Those calories and fat add up very quickly. I’m not a fat-free recipe creator (obviously, haha) but I am an oil-free recipe creator. I lost weight that way and my health improved.
Do you think it’s possible to overdose on cinnamon? Because as much as I consume it, I’ve wondered, haha.
Gah, get in my mouth you glorious cinnamon coffee muffins. These flavors are so good together, you will be excited to share with your friends…or maybe not. I left out the vanilla, which I always tend to use in my baked goods, but I really wanted the cinnamon and coffee to be front and center and honestly, they are so strong, vanilla is not needed…you won’t even notice! Make sure to use a quality strong cinnamon…not that cheap, bland stuff. I use Saigon cinnamon for all my recipes. It is super strong, sweet and absolutely amazing in flavor. It is like no other cinnamon out there. Do yourself a favor and get some, you will thank me later, I promise.
I mean, come on, Gluten-free Cinnamon Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins that are just 8 ingredients and ready in 30 minutes! I can’t wait to hear what you think of these. Be sure to leave your review and star rate the recipe below!
Vegan Cinnamon Coffee Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (140g) superfine blanched almond flour (see NOTES)
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (80g) superfine oat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
- 1/4 cup (32g) tapioca starch
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon (use half for a milder cinnamon flavor)
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup (96g-144g) coconut sugar (depending on how sweet you want them, note that using coffee makes things more bitter so if using the coffee I always use 3/4 cup)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90g) dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
- 3/4 cup (180g) strong brewed coffee that has been COOLED (the stronger it is, the stronger the muffins, sub with a light plant-based milk such as almond or rice milk if you don't want to use coffee and add a teaspoon of vanilla extract)
NOTE
- I always recommend a scale for baking for complete accurate results, as we all measure with cups differently. This will help prevent fails. This means you ONLY need a bowl and the scale, you will not need to measure with cups and compare them to weights. That is unnecessary as my recipes are tested using strictly the weights and this is how you will get accurate results. Additionally, even different measuring cups vary, so your weights would be differently likely anyways. Just add the bowl to the scale, hit zero and add the ingredients, hitting zero before each ingredient addition.
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and place 8 liners in a muffin pan. I always use Reynolds Stay-Brite interior foil lined because they never stick and perform perfect every time.
- Brew your coffee. Place in the fridge or let it come to room temperature before making the muffins or it will melt the chocolate chips.
- Add the almond flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt to a large bowl and whisk together until there are no lumps remaining. When measuring the almond flour, make sure to use a scale for accurate weight measurements. Otherwise, using a measuring cup, scoop out the almond flour with it and lightly pat down and then level off with your finger. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the coffee (or plant milk if not using coffee) into the dry ingredients and stir until it is well mixed and smooth.
- Pour the batter evenly among 8 liners, they should be basically full. Top with a few extra chocolate chips on the tops for presentation, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and the tops are firm to the touch, slightly cracked and a toothpick is completely clean. Let them cool 15-20 minutes before eating, as they will finish cooking and firming up. These are just as incredible the next day too. I keep them stored in a tight container at room temperature so they stay soft.
Notes
- ALMOND FLOUR: For the almond flour, make sure to use a superfine one or the muffins will be more gritty/dense and verging on too moist. I recommend King Arthur, Honeyville, Wellbees or the HEB brands.
- Adapted from my popular Best Vegan Blueberry Muffins
These are the BEST muffins I’ve ever baked. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. PERFECT!! I’m not gluten-intolerant but I’m beginning to love all these gluten-free recipes!
Thank you very much Brandi!
Thank you so much Nora! I’m so ecstatic that these are the best muffins you’ve ever had, they are my favorite too, thank you so much for the feedback!
Hi Brandi!
I recently came across your site and I was so excited to try all your recipes because – NO OIL, almond flour, and oat flour are your most commonly used recipes (I’m assuming, from all the recipes I bookmarked!). I made this bread yesterday night and it turned out quite grainy (as in when I ate it, it wasn’t light and fluffy unlike other non-vegan cakes I’ve tried). The flavor was there, but the texture wasn’t! I substituted coconut sugar with maple syrup, but most of the time I never had a problem with that substitution in my other baking. I’m retrying this recipe with the swapped ratio of oat flour and almond flour, because I believe my almond flour may be the culprit of the graininess I’m experiencing! So, in other words – not your fault that my bread didn’t come out too great! Maybe my almond flour brand isn’t so great :/ I’ll let you know how my new bread turns out though (and if it doesn’t turn out well, I’ll redo it with an equal ratio of oat and almond flour haha). I swear, I’m not giving up!!
Hi Cindy! Yes, please understand if you make substitutions, you will get different results. I test my recipes multiple times to ensure they work out well and this is actually one of my most popular recipes, as you can see from the comments above! 🙂 Also, since I only use 8 ingredients, changing one of those will likely fail the recipe. When you say grainy, do you mean bits of almond throughout? What type of almond flour did you buy? Also, part of your issue is the fact that you subbed the dry sugar for the syrup, that is giving the batter a 1/2 cup more liquid, that will make the muffins MUCH less light and fluffy…which you even stated. All that extra liquid will produce the opposite of light and fluffy. That is the biggest issue, not your almond flour, so I wouldn’t suggest swapping out the oat flour and almond flour ratios, or you will get a drier, more dense muffin. With that said, I’d make sure you are using a blanched almond flour (as noted), blanched yields lighter results. Bob’s Red Mill works great, but there are several brands that should work. This is what I almost always use in baking. Please make the recipe as is and you will see the results are much better! No need to try and switch around the ingredients, just make it as listed, the recipe WORKS. I hope that helps!
Just made these and WOW! Hubby ate one and came back right away for another. I would take a pic but it was my first time using tapioca starch and let’s just say the kitchen (and myself) are a mess! Ha! Another winner!
Haha, no problem! Thank you so much Linda! I’m so happy to hear these were such a hit! They are my absolute favorite muffin!
Hi, what a fantastically delicious looking recipe! I am a chocolate muffin addict so I am seriously looking forward to giving it a go! But I am just curious, besides the excellent binding qualities of tapioca starch, was else exactly amongst the other ingredients that makes it all cling together so well. For example, in most other similar recipes, egg-replacer, or ground chia seed, flax seed or pureed banana have been included. Not trying to pick apart your awesome creation, just keen on knowing how the magic happens lol 🙂
Oh, and do you think I would successfully be able to substitute the oat flour for brown rice flour? Thanks 🙂
Hi Shelli! Thank you! I hardly ever use chia seed or flaxseed and never banana for binding, as I almost always use tapioca or aquafaba (chickpea brine) for binding. Tapioca is better than chia or flax in binding when the right amount is used. I rarely use flax or chia, as I don’t like the flavor of them, as it can stand out. Sometimes I will use it, but not often and it just depends on the recipe. Oat flour helps tremendously as well with binding. Also, the fat content in these from the almond flour also contributes to binding, since fat is a great source for binding too. All of these combined helped them stay together. Hope that helps 🙂
The oat flour helps a ton with both the taste and texture of these muffins and brown rice flour will make them much more dense and flatter, so I wouldn’t suggest it. I haven’t tested it either, so it’s hard to say you’d be successful, but usually brown rice flour leaves somewhat of a sandy texture. I guess you could try it and let me know how they turn out! But if you can use the oat, that will be best.
Thanks so much for replying so quickly Brandi. Now I have a bit more understanding of the binding qualities of some of the ingredients. I can also understand your reluctance to incorporate chia or flaxseed, they do add a slightly unusual flavour to most recipes and are a somewhat aquired taste. I would really love to use oat flour but I seem to be intolerant to it, hence why I was looking for an alternative. I am also wheat intolerant and sensitive to corn.. (Yes, a bit of a problem child haha) Anyway, thanks again for your advice and knowledge. I will continue to experiment, taste and create. Happy cooking 🙂
Oh ok, I see! Ok, then I would go ahead and try the rice flour, but do you have white rice flour? That will yield a softer, fluffier result and no gritty texture the way brown rice flour can. Instead of oat flour, I would maybe try 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons instead, since it’s much more finely ground than oat flour. Let me know if you try it. That would be my best guess at this point!
These sound amazing!
Just wondering – if I were to make mini muffins instead of full-sized muffins, do you know how much the bake-time should be shortened?
Hi Kristy! I would just start checking them 3-5 minutes earlier for a clean toothpick. A few dry crumbs are ok, but you don’t want wet batter. I’ve never made mini muffins, so I’m not sure how much it would change the time precisely, but checking them a bit earlier should work. Let me know!
Hi Diana! That’s very strange, these muffins are extremely moist. Did you sub a flour, because they should not be dry even in the slightest, with all the almond flour in the recipe, it makes them super moist. If you used the correct weight amounts, they should look just like the photos, I make them all the time and they always turn out moist and soft 🙂
And yes, I would cool the coffee some before adding to the batter, updated that part, thank you!
Hi, can I use psyllium husk instead of tapioca starch?
Hi there! No, it needs to be a starch because that is what makes the muffins fluffy. You can sub with cornstarch if you can’t find tapioca. It will make them a tad more delicate, but should still be delicious.
Brandi, thank you for this awesome recipe! I didn’t use coffee this time because I made them for my toddler, but next time I will for sure. They turned out so soft, chocolatey and delicious! I love the combination of almonds, cinnamon and coconut sugar. It tastes absolutely divine and the house smells amazingly. Thank YOU!
Thank you so very much Lana for taking the time to leave such awesome feedback and for making them on IG! I always love seeing your remakes!
Do you think I could make these in a cake pan, maybe 8×8? Thanks!
Hi Tricia, I’m not too sure how this would work out as a cake, to be honest. These muffins are very moist and tender so I’m not sure of how the structure would hold up since it was written to be a muffin recipe and not a cake, they don’t always transfer over well. I just can’t say since I’ve only ever made it as muffins, sorry!
Amazing! All of my favorite ingredients. I ate them all! I can’t wait for you to make a dessert only cookbook!
Yay! Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear you say that, because that is what I really want to do but not sure if enough people would want ONLY desserts, lol!
These are incredible!! I’ve made 2 batches in the last 2 weeks as I can’t get enough of them. Any issues with doubling the recipe? You make the best desserts, so can’t wait for your next cookbook.
Yay, thrilled to hear this Nicola! Thank you so much for the amazing review! I think you should be fine doubling the recipe!
Absolutely delicious!! The combination of flavors are amazing! Definitely the best muffins I’ve ever had!
Yay Allison, really happy to hear this amazing feedback!
These came out wonderful and didn’t fall flat as I usually have that problem with my baking techniques. I didn’t use coffee so that I could serve them to my children, but I can only imagine how the flavor would be enhanced with coffee. I used unsweetened almond milk in its place and ground my own oat flour.
So happy to hear you loved these Susanne!! Yay!
WOWZA WOWZA WOWZA!!! These muffins are the BOMB!!! 💣💥😃 So incredibly moist! And you can totally taste the coffee and the cinnamon! 😄 They are amazing! 🙌 Hubby wanted something a little different and these did not disappoint! 👌 Another winner from The Vegan 8!
Yay Cat! So very happy these were such an incredible hit!!
Anyone try tripling the recipe? 2 12 cup tins would be great to use and then store in the freezer. Just wondering if it’s been tried! Sounds Delish.
Hi Anna, no I have never tried tripling. Sometimes doing that with baking could get a bit off. You could try doubling, just make sure to use a scale so you don’t get measurements off.
Do you think subbing half the sugar for applesauce would work?
Thanks!
Hi Kris! No, I’m sorry, applesauce would not work here, as applesauce adds a ton of moisture and adding that would make the muffins way too moist and dense. They already have the right moisture level. These will be on the bitter side without the sugar. You can try reducing some if you like, but I’d just keep that in mind.
Hi Brandi I don’t have oat flour. Handy and really want to make this tonight . Can I blend some oats to make oat flour? thanks
Hi! Do you have a Vitamix so you can get the oat flour superfine? Otherwise your muffins will be more dense, so you may need to add a couple more tablespoons of oat flour.
Wow, what an amazing recipe! Most coffee-inspired baked goods do not actually taste like coffee. These muffins have such a deep flavor profile! Strong coffee flavor with cinnamon as a kicker! I used Lily’s dark chocolate baking chips and these were the perfect level of sweetness! My non-vegan, non-gluten free husband loved these and said they reminded him of a pumpkin spice latte. Will definitely be making these again!
Thank you so very much Megan for the amazing review! I’m so happy these met your desire for strong coffee flavors!
These have become a Friday morning tradition, as well as my “thank you” gift muffins because I think it would be impossible not to love them!
Only subs were all purpose flour instead of oat flour & half coconut sugar/half white sugar ( total 120g). For coffee I took 3/4 cup of water and added 1 tbsp instant coffee.
Easily top 3 favorite muffins ever, thank you so much for such a delicious and easy recipe. Make them, you won’t regret it!
So very amazing to hear how much you love these! Yes, all purpose flour works well in place of oat flour! Thanks for the awesome feedback!
I love love love these muffins! You totally nailed it on the coffee and chocolate balance of flavors! I made these in bakery style size muffin pans and they didn’t rise how I wanted them to. Any suggestions?
Yum yum yum ! Absolutely delicious and filling muffins ! They are a bit moist, a bit light, and have a whole lot of flavour!! I can’t wait to make them again when the weather gets colder and I can enjoy these warm while cuddled up and watching the rain fall.
I used half brown sugar and half white sugar (I tried to be fancy) although next time I’d use all white or try to find some coocnut sugar cuz I think the brown sugar made the muffins a bit too moist, but they’re were still amazing.
I used the full 144g of sugar and it wasn’t too much at all. I don’t recommend reducing the amount if you’re using coffe. Trust Brandi!
I made my own oat and almond flour. No one sells almond flour here, so what I did is combine the oats, blanched almonds, and starch (I used corn) in a spice grinder until fine. The oats and starch help the almonds not turn into butter.
Halfway through making the recipe I realized I didn’t have any chocolate, so I actually toasted and chopped some pecans ! The flavour turned out really really well! I was very happy with it, and I can’t wait to try it with chocolate chips for that spicy mocha flavour.
I used instant coffe for this.
For me it ended up making 9 muffins. I think my cupcake holders were small. Make sure you fill them almost fully just like the recipe states. Mine rose exactly like the recipe (minus the chocolate chips :(( )
Fantastic recipe and I can’t wait to play around with it in the future !!
I made this recipe as an 8×8 cake and it was INCREDIBLE. A perfect morning treat! Thank you for your amazing, thoughtful, and inspired recipes. I always learn something!
Woohoo that is so awesome to hear it worked out as a cake Jen!! Thank you for your kind words!
I love the flavor of these muffins and I use a scale. IS the batter supposed to be pretty runny? I get 11 muffins, use a silicone pan, but they don’t come out very well-crumbly. I let them cool the 15 minutes in the pan. IS this correct? Any suggestions for getting a more perfect muffin? I live at a higher elevation and cooked them about 18 minutes. Thanks for having oil free baking!
Sounds like due to a higher altitude of baking, that is the issue. It can really change the moisture of batters and how they bake. I would try adding a little bit more oat flour next time. Just start with a couple of tablespoons or so. You don’t want the batter too thick but it shouldn’t be real runny either. Thicker but smooth. That should help!
thank you! What about the cooling time in the silicone pans?
Oh man, I’ve made these muffins so often now. I. Love. Them.
The family loves them too.
I’ve switched up the cinnamon for lavender at times, and it’s been equally exquisite.
Thank you for this recipe!!
So happy to hear that! Lavender sounds amazing!