Can we just talk for a moment about how delicious cherries are right now? They are a more expensive fruit at our markets in Kansas but once I eyed them and snagged a sample to test for ripeness/flavor, I knew it was on. To the kitchen I went, with chocolate and cherries in hand.
Chocolate-cherry muffins, that are vegan! Oh boy. I know chocolate-covered cherries are a thing – my mom LOVES them – but I’ve always thought they were kinda gross. Something about the slimy texture, weird flavor. BUT, when the cherries are fresh and the chocolate is dark and chopped in thick chunks, you know I’m all about it.
These muffins are so simple to throw together, requiring a limited number of ingredients and just one mixing bowl. Plus, they’re considerably healthy as far as muffins go.
Whole wheat pastry flour mixed with oat flour provides a hearty, whole-grain base; a touch of brown sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness; dark chocolate delivers plenty of antioxidants; and cherries provide fiber, vitamin C, and immune-supporting flavonoids. Yep and yep.
Also, did I mention they’re delicious?
These muffins may be vegan but they don’t lack in flavor or texture. The’re cakey and light with a sweet, nutty flavor from the brown sugar and almond extract. The cherries are abundant and bursting with flavor, and the chocolate peeks through to give just the touch of decadence you crave.
Breakfast, dessert, snack time, we’ve got you covered with this one simple treat. Enjoy!
Vegan Cherry Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/3 heaping cup oat flour (ground from rolled oats)
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or unbleached all purpose
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (or sub honey*)
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil (or sub olive/avocado)
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 heaping cup fresh cherries (pitted and lightly chopped)
- 1/4 cup chopped dairy-free dark chocolate (divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
- Combine flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar in a mixing bowl.
- Measure out almond milk in a liquid measuring cup. Then add melted coconut oil and almond extract and stir. If coconut oil clots up, simply microwave the liquid ingredients for 20-30 seconds until melted again.
- Add wet to dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. Fold in cherries and 3/4 of the dark chocolate until just combined.
- Spoon into 9 greased or paper-lined muffin tins and top with remaining chocolate (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). They will be full; just the way I like them.
- Bake for 23-25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Serve warm with a little non-dairy butter or plain. Store in an airtight container to keep fresh – transfer to freezer after a couple days.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Macaela Harris says
I made these with frozen cherries that I thawed and drained- very flavorful and the texture is cake like and perfect. Will definitely make these again soon!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Macaela! xo
Christine says
I made these using honey for the sweetener, as you suggested, and they were delicious! I just now saw the note where you said using honey will make the batter thinner & to compensate by using less almond milk or more flour. So my batter was very thin but the muffins turned out perfect! I am going to make a batch for a friend, while the fresh cherries are still in the store.
We’re glad you enjoyed the muffins, Christine! Thank you for sharing! xo
Alisha Yoder says
So good!!I want to try them with different fruit now! Will definitely make again.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed the muffins, Alisha. Thank you for sharing! xo
Dorota says
Hi Dana, do you use sweet or sour cherries?
Hi Dorota, we used sweet cherries for this recipe. With sour cherries, you might want to add more sweetener. We hope you enjoy the muffins! xo
Judy says
The recipe says 1/4 c chocolate and the instructions say 3/4 c. Which is correct?
Hi Judy, sorry for any confusion! The ingredients call for 1/4 cup and the instructions call for 3/4 of that amount. The rest is added to the top of the muffins in step 5. So you’ll add 3 Tbsp chopped chocolate to the batter and 1 Tbsp on top. Hope that helps!
April says
I can’t have but flours such as almond or gluten flours. Any suggestion?
More oat?
Hi April, they will turn out more dense, but you could try more oats + a GF blend if you can have that. Hope that helps!
Gg says
Can I make this recipe with dried tart cherries instead of fresh?
That could work! You might a little more liquid. Let us know if you try it!
Robin says
Has anyone tried this with frozen cherries and chocolate chips? Just curious if the outcome would be the same. :)
Hi Robin, Yes! Another reader mentioned using frozen cherries with success. Chocolate chips would work beautifully – use dark chocolate chips for a similar sweetness or semi-sweet if you want them to be sweeter. Enjoy! xo
Karen Ann Levine says
I can’t wait to make these, and I read the comments of the ones who made them and substituted different flours and sugars and applesauce in lieu of the oil. I will incorporate some of these ideas, especially the ones from Laura. Thank you for posting this recipe since I was looking for a muffin that is healthy without all the sugar and oils to cut back on the calories. And I will try making them with the almond flour and then with the oat flour. I’m going to substitute the suggestions with monk fruit sweetner to limit the sugar bcz the cherries 🍒 have enough sugar.
Thank you for this recipe and all the suggestions by the others who made these muffins. When I make them, I’ll give my review on how they turned out.
Thank you for sharing, Karen! We hope you love the muffins! xo
Baiba says
Dear MB Team,
The best muffins I have ever tasted. A+.
Cheers :)
Whoop! Thanks so much, Baiba! We’re so glad you enjoyed them. xo
Lura says
I was looking for a recipe using fresh cherries and chocolate and this recipe is perfect. Because I was looking to make chocolate muffins, I added 2 heaping tablespoons of cacoa powder, two flax eggs and substituted applesauce for the oil. They are decadent. Thanks for a great recipe.
Wonderful! Love the chocolate addition, Lura. Thank you so much for sharing! xo
Ellie says
Absolutely delicious! Followed it to the letter.
Yay! Thanks for sharing, Ellie! xo
Olivia says
I have made these three times now, But with some improvements below because the recipe above came out very dense. I make them gluten-free (1/3 cup oat flour, 2/3 cups Bob’s GF flour, 1/3 cup almond flour) and add a flax egg in replace of 2 tablespoons of the milk. I also add some cinnamon and black pepper for flavor. They are fluffy delicious perfection and a great way to get through cherries! Declared ‘best muffins’ by my partner.
Thanks for sharing, Olivia!
Jordan Garcia says
YUM! My coworker has a cherry tree in her backyard and I have been trying to make ALL the cherry recipes. These. Are. Amazing. Not too sweet, packed with flavor. Highly recommended!!
Ooh, so lucky! Thanks so much for the lovely review, Jordan! xo
Ingrid says
I replaced the whole wheat pastry flour with gluten-free flour, had to use tinned cherries (drained well) instead of fresh, and sadly had no chocolate at hand. And they came out beautifully! Moist, fluffy and ever so slightly crispy at the edges… Just had my third in a row and will be baking these again soon – can’t wait to taste them with the dark choc added!
We’re so glad they turned out well! Thanks so much for sharing, Ingrid!
Chris says
Both baking powder and soda are listed in the ingredients; only the powder is mentioned in the directions. I added both to dry mix. Is that correct?
Thanks for letting us know! Yes, that was correct!
Von says
I made these yesterday but I used blueberries instead of cherries. And vanilla extract instead of almond… they came out really good! We are them. Lol but now i wanna try it wouldn’t fruit and maybe do a mint chip with nuts muffin.
Thanks for sharing, Von!
J Guynn says
These. Are. Delicious.
I used almond flour instead of oat flower and coconut sugar instead of brown sugar and they still turned out AMAZING. These will stay in my rotation!
Whoop!
Liz says
Such a beautiful recipe! Holds together amazing and taste divine. I doubled it and used a jar of drained cherries, and used all white flour instead of oat and whole grain. Thank you! Our new favourite muffin ?
Thanks for sharing, Liz! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xo
Karissa says
Hi, I was wondering if I could you only almond flour?
We haven’t tried that and aren’t sure if it would work, but it might! If you give it a try, we would love to hear how it goes!
Laura Sullivan-King says
Love this recipe. I made the plain flour version and used frozen raspberries instead of cherries. They were delicious – moist, flavoursome and held together really well for a vegan muffin. Also they are not too sweet. I just wish the recipe made 12!
Millie says
I made these and made a few subs:
Stoneground whole grain spelt flour instead of all purpose/bakers,
Blitzed rolled oats down into a fine-ish meal,
Coconut sugar instead of brown sugar,
Vanilla essence instead of almond,
I also added 2x chia eggs (just in case).
As another user pointed out, baking soda was left out of the method accidentally by the author and was meant to be included with the other dry ingredients. I didn’t realise until I’d completed the mixture that it hadn’t been added yet so I added it last, potentially a reason why mine didn’t rise a lot!
I also opted for 12 muffins instead of the original 9, however, my mixture only yielded enough for 6 muffins? Unsure if the muffin tray sizes/ diameter that the author used were very different to mine?
Regardless! Enjoyable recipe :)
Jacqueline Oscvirk says
These turned out great! My boys said they tasted “healthy” … so I probably could have added some more sweetener to it to make them “love” them … but I loved them!!
Hah! Now you know for next time ;)
SBaker says
I loved this recipe–it was the perfect use for some overly ripe cherries I needed to use up. Muffins were fluffy, not too sweet, totally delicious.
Edith-Nicole says
These are great! I used frozen cherries, unchopped, tossed with some extra oat flour, and it worked beautifully – the cherries ended up jammy, I suspect less firm than fresh ones but no less tasty. (I also added 2 tablespoons flaxmeal because I’ve been burned too many times making vegan muffins without a binder.)
Thank you for sharing your recipe changes! We are glad you enjoyed these muffins!
Susan Visser says
These are delicious! I made them with dried cherries and they taste so good. Also have a nut allergy, so I used imitation almond flavoring and coconut milk.
Jojo says
These are absolutely amazing!!! I didn’t have any fresh cherries on hand so I drained and rinsed some maraschino cherries. And I actually added about 2 tbsp of the syrup to the batter. They’re lightly sweet and freaking rad with and without butter. 10/10 would make again.
Studio3536 says
I made these and they were excellent. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Such a delicious recipe Dana, thank you so much :)
Ja-Shin says
Hi! Excited to make these! I’m assuming that in Step 2, the baking soda is also supposed to be mixed in? Thx!
Hi! Yes, mix it in with step 2!
Ja-Shin says
Thx! I did that, and the muffins turned out wonderfully! They’re so tasty! And it was quick and easy to make. :oD
Caroline Siegrist says
These were yummy, but I couldn’t get much of the cherry flavor! Any idea where I went wrong? The ones I used were fairly ripe–so mild and sweet versus tart–and I’m wondering if that was the problem. Or maybe I should have used tarter cherries; I used Washington Sweet Cherries.
Hmm it may have been the cherries, Caroline! Better luck next time!
Donat Plotkin says
I made a very slightly modified version of this recipe and it was just what I wanted, absolutely delicious. Thanks!!!
Carly says
These look delicious! I only have dried cherries in the pantry. Do you think if I rehydrate them it will turn out close enough, or should I add a little more liquid to the batter, as well?
Hi! I am not sure! You could definitely try rehydrating the cherries and if you do, let me know how it goes! Good luck!
michelle says
OMG, this looks fabulous!
can i use frozen cherries instead of fresh one because sometime it’s difficult to get the fresh one from local market?
michelle says
hello, can i use frozen cherries instead of fresh one because its kind of hard to find fresh one from the local market that i staying.
Lauren says
Love these! Made them twice now and my husband loves them too! I think I will try with another fruit when cherries are out of season. Also we are using ghiradelli semi sweet choc chips instead of dark chocolate but it is super tasty! I wonder if I could sib all oat flour or sub coconut flour foe the regular wheat flour to make them gluten free…
Jade says
AMAZING! These are my new favorite muffins :)
Joan Chan says
I had a batch of sour cherries and came upon this recipe. Was a bit wary on how it’ll taste…but once the muffins were cooled and I popped one in my mouth, OMG…sooo GOOD!!! Such a dark festive flavour and the texture was incredibly moist – total winner!
Arina says
Tell me please, is it important to use fresh berries or I can use frozen? Thank you
Mindy says
Absolutely love these! I made a batch two days ago and am already planning to make a double batch tomorrow. Awesome for breakfast or dessert
Crystal says
These look amazing! Do you think it will do well as cupcakes with a cherry chocolate chip buttercream? Love your site!
I do!
Emma says
I need to dive back into vegan baking and tackle the difficulties I had, I just need to buy the right ingredients to start off with!! Very inspiring blog!! I’m glad I found you :)
Valentina says
Hi Dana! Your recipe sounds great but cherries are not in season now… Can I use unsweetened dried cherries?
Mura Wehi says
Very niice. I’m no vegan, but these look awesome. I’m just a dude looking for a recipe that DOESN’T use maraschino cherries.
Hey, can I use frozen cherries that have been thawed, pitted and drained?
Natalie says
This looks absolutely amazing!!! Cherries are my absolute favorite fruit!!
kelly says
I made these earlier and they went down so well!! Instead of mixing in the dark chocolate tho, I just put a square in the middle of each muffin and topped it with a bit of mixture before baking, as I thought I wouldn’t have enough chocolate. Came out great !
Nisha says
Hi, these look amazing and I’m planning to try them tomorrow. Just wanted to know if the dark chocolate you used was sweetened or unsweetened? I don’t want to end up with too-sweet muffins! Thanks!
unsweetened :D
Bobbi says
LOVE! Made them a few weeks ago and going to make them this morning for house guests! YUM!
Melissa says
I accidentally splashed in too much extract, but wow! If I didn’t need the batter, I would have licked the whole bowl clean! I didn’t have cherries, so I subbed some other fruits. Thanks for sharing!
Saxby says
DELICIOUS! You could really use any fruit and it would definitely work. I love that its vegan, and it was a hit with everyone in a family :)
maureen says
I am gluten free and what would be a sub for whole wheat pastry ?
I have printed out a few recipes to try, they all look so delicious.
Look forward to hearing from you .
Kindest regards
katie says
I’ve made these twice thus far. We love them! I’ve made more vegan muffin recipes then I care to admit and I must say I love the texture of these the best! Yes they were crumbly but we were OK with that! I didn’t have cherries or dark chocolate on hand so I used strawberries and ghiridelli semisweet chips first time and I used blueberries and chocolate chips the second. Both were awesome. I preferred the blueberry. Also I had to double recipe to get 12 full cups. If I can locate organic cherries I will eventually try it as intended!
hannah says
Wooow. Your photography is positively stunning! That bowl of cherries looks just unworldly.
thanks Hannah! You’re too sweet.
hannah says
I saw these while I was on vacation and when I came home and found that I had all of the ingredients I was so happy. They turned out sooo tasty. Although I noticed that there is no eggs (or rather, flax eggs since its a vegan recipe)., and they were a bit less structural than other muffins I’ve made.
Hannah! I tried these without a flax egg or chicken egg to see how they’d turn out. I agree they weren’t as “firm” as other muffins I made but that was OK with me. If you try them with an egg (flax or chicken) at some point, let me know how they turn out!
Larissa says
I made these with spelt flour and coconut sugar and they turned out so delicious!
Florence says
Made these muffins this weekend and they are delicious! I love that they’re not too sweet so you don’t feel guilty eating one (or three) with your morning coffee.
whoop! thanks for sharing!
Marjory @ Dinner-Mom says
What a lovely combination of flavors. Love that it is vegan too!
Sarah says
These look totally delicious! Your photos are amazeballz as always.
Jess says
Oh how I miss cherries, Dana. That photo at the top makes me want to grab a handfull! I can’t believe these are vegan – the inside looks tender – I may have to give these a shot with some sort of cherry substitute….mango, rambutan, papaya perhaps? ;) Or maybe I’ll just double the chocolate.
Kiran @ KiranTarun.com says
There’s something so magical with the combo of chocolate and cherries. This is a great recipe to showcase the deliciousness of that combo :)
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
i made something very similar and its the best thing I have ever made :) Im loving your oat flour version :)
Jennifer says
I said “Yessss” outload when I read this recipe title haha
xo Jennifer
haha, love it. Thanks Jennifer!
Savannah says
OH MY GOOOOOODDDDDDD these look and sound amazing.
Bridgitte Raven says
i am DEFINITELY MAKING THESE CAN HARDLY WAIT!!!!! Thanks for the recpe and gorgeous pics i think i gained weight just looking at them, but theyre healthy ok gotta go get my cherries!
Joy // For the Love of Leaves says
I totally agree with you about the chocolate covered cherries. I always thought cherries were disgusting until I tried a fresh one and ended up eating almost the entire bag! These muffins look fantastic! I love the dark chocolate, cherry, almond combination. Can’t wait to try it!
Tieghan says
I have just recently got into cherries. I know crazy, right? Anyway these look awesome!! I love the dark chocolate!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
These sound unreal!! LOVE!
Kathryn says
I totally love the chocolate/cherry combination. Want these muffins so much!