Our mini chocolate chip muffins bake up tall, fluffy, and full of mini chocolate chips in every bite. This recipe is exactly what a mini chocolate chip muffin recipe should be. The combination of Greek yogurt and buttermilk gives them a soft, cake-like crumb, and a short rest in the refrigerator before baking gives you that nice round top. They are everything I want in a recipe - easy to make, easy to eat, and reliable every single time. If you love a mini muffin, our mini blueberry muffins use the same approach, and you can find more muffin recipes on the blog.
This is an easy recipe to make ahead - simply mix up the batter the night before and leave it to chill overnight. In the morning, you can go from the oven to cooling rack in about 15 minutes. I'll walk you through exactly how long to bake mini muffins, why I like to start baking at a higher temperature, and how to tell when they're done. Whether you are filling a lunchbox, packing snacks for the track team, or just want something small and filled with chocolate with your coffee, this is the one.
Quick Look: Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Ready In: 45 minutes (including 15 minutes of chill time)
- Serves: makes 32 mini muffins or 12 regular-sized muffins
- Calories: 145 kcal per muffin
- Add to Your Shopping List: mini chocolate chips and vanilla Greek yogurt
- Dietary Info: contains gluten, dairy, and eggs
- Baker's Note: Don't skip the refrigerator rest for the batter. It's what helps give these muffins their light and fluffy texture and their height.
Summarize and Save This Content
Jump to:
- Quick Look: Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Ingredients for Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- How To Make Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Notes From My Test Kitchen
- Substitutions and Variations for Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- How Long to Bake Mini Muffins
- Storing Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins FAQs
- More Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients for Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- mini chocolate chips - mini chocolate chips works best for these muffins due to the overall finished size of the mini muffin
- vanilla greek yogurt - using vanilla yogurt adds to both the overall flavor and moisture of the muffin recipe
- unsalted butter - adds moisture and flavor to the muffins
- canola oil - helps to create muffins that are very light and fluffy
- buttermilk - helps to create the best flavor and moisture in this mini muffin recipe
How To Make Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Be sure to see the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and detailed recipe instructions.
Combine the sugar with the liquid ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together until they are just combined.
Fold the mini chocolate chips into the muffins batter.
Chill muffin batter in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Use a cookie scoop to fill the mini muffin tin. Sprinkle each muffin with a few mini chocolate chips.
Bake mini muffins at 425° for the first five minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350° and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Move baked muffins to a wire rack. Let your mini muffins cool slightly before popping one (or two) into your mouth for a taste test
Hint: Want tall muffins that don't sink down in the middle? Bake muffins at a higher temperature (425°) for the first five minutes of baking. After five minutes, lower the oven temperature and finish baking at 350°.
Notes From My Test Kitchen
When I tested this recipe, I tried three different options for the yogurt - sour cream, plain Greek yogurt and vanilla Greek yogurt. All three create a tender muffin filled with flavor and moisture. Vanilla Greek yogurt is my preference - it adds a nice layer of flavor.
I also tested baking with and without muffin liners. For the mini muffins, I prefer skipping the paper liners altogether. It's a lot of work to line the pan with them and you miss out on those golden brown edges on the muffins. Just be sure to grease your pan well and let the muffins cool completely in the pan - the mini chocolate chips have a tendency to stick to the sides of the pan.
About the chocolate chips: I tested both mini and regular sized chocolate chips and mini is the way to go. Regular chips stay soft when the muffins are fresh out of the oven, but they firm up as the muffins cool and become big, harder bites of chocolate. Mini chips stay tender throughout and you get plenty of chocolate in each bite.
Substitutions and Variations for Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Substitutions
vanilla greek yogurt - you can use any regular yogurt in it's place - sour cream works well too
mini chocolate chips - if you don't have mini chocolate chips, use 1 cup of regular chocolate chips instead
Variations
banana chocolate chip mini muffins - omit the butter from the recipe and add 1 cup of mashed banana to the muffin batter along with the wet ingredients
white chocolate chip muffins - swap the dark chocolate chips for 1 cup of mini white chocolate chips
mini blueberry chocolate chip muffins - add 1 cup of fresh blueberries to the muffin batter along with the mini chocolate chips - or check out our recipe for Mini Blueberry Muffins.
How Long to Bake Mini Muffins
The bake time for mini muffins is quick - most batches are done in 10 to 12 minutes total. Standard muffins take a bit longer but the method stays the same. The trick is using two temperatures - a blast of high heat at the start sets the muffins and creates those nice round tops. Then a lower temperature guarantees the centers finish baking without getting too dark on the tops. I use this same two-temperature baking method in all of my muffin recipes regardless of size.
Here is exactly how long to bake mini muffins and standard muffins using this recipe:
| Muffin Size | Pan | Start Temp | Final Temp | Total Time | Makes |
| Mini | Mini muffin pan | 425°F for 5 min | 350°F for 5-7 min | 10-12 min | 32 muffins |
| Standard | 12-cup muffin tin | 425°F for 5 min | 350°F for 13-17 min | 18-22 min | 12 muffins |
How to tell when mini muffins are done - The tops should be golden brown and spring back lightly when you press the center with your fingertip. A toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean or with a just few sticky crumbs - no wet batter. Mini muffins can overbake quickly, so start checking 5 minutes after you lower the temperature to 350°F.
Why the two-temperature baking method? Starting at 425°F makes the batter rise quickly and gives the muffins their tall, domed tops. Dropping the heat to 350°F after the first five minutes gives the centers time to finish baking without burning the chocolate chips or drying out. Skipping the high-heat start is one of the most common reasons that mini muffins come out flat.
Storing Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Room Temperature: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Transfer muffins to an airtight container or bag and refrigerate for 3-5 days. Let them come to room temperature or give them a quick 5-10 seconds the microwave to warm them up.
Freezer: Chocolate chip mini muffins freeze well for up to 3 months. Place cooled muffins in a freezer bag and lay the bag flat in the freezer until the muffins are frozen solid. If using a container, place a layer of parchment paper between each layer of muffins. To thaw, transfer to the refrigerator overnight or let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins FAQs
Mini chocolate chip muffins bake for a total of 10 to 12 minutes. Start at 425°F for five minutes, then lower the temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes.
Greek yogurt gives these muffins a soft, cake-like crumb and adds moisture without thinning the batter the way milk would. If you don't have Greek yogurt, sour cream is a great substitute.
Yes and this is actually one of my favorite things to do! You can mix the batter up the night before, cover and store in the refrigerator. In the morning, scoop the batter and bake fresh muffins. No need to bring the batter back to room temperature. The chill time actually helps the muffins rise taller.
You can! Regular chocolate chips will work for this recipe. I do find that as they solidify, they create bites of chocolate that are harder to chew and they don't disperse through the muffins as the mini chocolate chips do.
Yes - mini chocolate chip muffins freeze well for up to three months. Let them cool completely, then transfer to a freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer until frozen solid. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
More Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipes
If you love chocolate in your muffins, be sure to check out more of our muffin recipes.
- Blueberry Chocolate Chip Muffins
- White Chocolate Blueberry Muffins
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Lemon Chocolate Chip Muffins
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Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vanilla greek yogurt at room temperature
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- ½ cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon vanilla at room temperature
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips + 3 tablespoon for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the sugars with the canola oil, melted butter, eggs, yogurt, buttermilk and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup canola oil, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, ⅔ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup vanilla greek yogurt, 2 eggs, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Combine the flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large mixing bowl.2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix together until they are just combined.
- Fold the mini chocolate chips into the muffins batter.1 cup mini chocolate chips
- Cover the batter with plastic wrap. Chill the muffin batter in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°.
- Use paper liners or cooking spray to prepare your mini muffin pan.
- Use a cookie scoop to fill the mini-muffin pan - fill each cup to the top.
- Sprinkle each mini muffin with a few mini chocolate chips.
- Bake the mini muffins at 425° for the first five minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350° and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the muffins are golden brown on the top.
- Move baked muffins to a wire rack. Let your mini muffins cool slightly before popping one (or two) into your mouth for a taste test
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