Wholesome, decadent-tasting healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes with fudgy date frosting: These are the perfect healthier sweet treat to whip up and enjoy for dessert!
Remember last Sunday, when I said that I was looking forward to sharing a few new recipes this past week and getting back into my posting groove?

Me too. Let me tell you, I am still trying to figure out how anyone who works full-time and blogs regularly does it! I am so sorry for the lack of posts this past week and the accompanying radio silence. Between marathon training, work, and trying to make time for family and friends, it’s been tough to muster up the energy at night to edit my growing backlog of food photos and actually write my posts. But believe me, the intention has been there. And I am going to try my very best to get caught back up this week!
First order of business: this delicious chocolate zucchini cupcake recipe! Do you still have zucchini in your garden or at your farmer’s market? These would be a great way to use up the last of it! And if not, grab a zucchini at the grocery store and give this recipe a try. Trust me, these cupcakes are delicious. Not too sweet, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and coconut sugar, and more wholesome than your average chocolate cupcake thanks to ingredients like eggs, Greek yogurt, light spelt flour, cacao, and, of course, zucchini.

why you’ll love these healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes
They’re:
- Easy to make
- Refined sugar-free
- Moist
- Oh so chocolatey
- Kid-friendly

ingredients in these wholesome chocolate cupcakes
For the cupcakes:
- Eggs (If you don’t eat eggs, you can try flax eggs. To make a flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax with 2.5 tablespoons of water.)
- Butter
- Greek yogurt
- Maple syrup
- Coconut sugar
- Milk or almond milk
- Vanilla
- Light spelt flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Cacao or cocoa
- Chocolate chips
- Zucchini
For the chocolate date frosting:
- Medjool dates
- Almond butter
- Cacao powder
- Sea salt
- Vanilla extract
- Almond milk

step by step instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, yogurt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cacao. Mix well until incorporated.
Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Evenly the batter between the muffin cups.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
Next, make the icing: In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, combine the dates, almond butter, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Process until the dates are broken down into a fine consistency. Add the almond milk and continue to blend until a very smooth consistency is achieved. This will take a couple of minutes.
Once the cupcakes have cooled fully, frost and top with sprinkles, if desired.






storage instructions
Store these cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for three days. They can also be stored in the fridge for a week. I have not tried freezing them yet.
more cupcake recipes
- Vegan Banana Spice Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
- Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes (Maple Sweetened)
- Vegan Maple Vanilla Cupcakes


Finally, I hope that you love these healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes with fudgy date frosting! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below.
If you enjoy these recipes and want to see more, be sure to subscribe to my email list. You can also follow Up Beet Kitchen on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
Enjoy!
Print
Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Fudgy Date Frosting
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes 1x
Description
Wholesome, decadent-tasting healthy chocolate zucchini cupcakes with fudgy date frosting: These are the perfect healthier sweet treat to whip up and enjoy for dessert!
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup salted butter, melted
- ¾ cup Greek yogurt, at room temperature (use 2% milk fat or higher)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut sugar or cane sugar
- ¼ cup milk or almond milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups light spelt flour (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
- ½ cup chocolate chips
- 1 cup grated zucchini
fudgy chocolate date icing
- 1 cup pitted Medjool dates (must be fresh and soft)
- ⅓ cup almond butter or cashew butter
- ¼ cup raw cacao or cocoa powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons almond milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter, yogurt, maple syrup, coconut sugar, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cacao. Mix well until incorporated.
- Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips. Evenly the batter between the muffin cups.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Next, make the icing: In a food processor fitted with the ‘S’ blade, combine the dates, almond butter, cocoa, salt, and vanilla. Process until the dates are broken down into a fine consistency. Add the almond milk and continue to blend until a very smooth consistency is achieved. This will take a couple of minutes.
- Once the cupcakes have cooled fully, frost and top with sprinkles, if desired.
Notes
If you can’t find light spelt flour, you may use 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 cup of whole spelt or whole wheat flour instead.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
Shannon says
My family loves cupcakes, and these are fabulous! My boys devoured them and asked me to make another batch!
Jackie says
This is a perfect cup cake!