Indulge guilt-free in the heavenly delight of vegan rocky road muffins! These delectable treats offer a symphony of flavours and textures, combining rich chocolate and fluffy marshmallows in every bite. Made with simple, plant-based ingredients, these muffins are not only incredibly easy to whip up but also promise to satisfy your sweet cravings. Treat yourself and your loved ones to a small batch of these irresistible vegan rocky road muffins today!
This recipe was originally published in January 2022 and has been updated to include new photos and more helpful tips.
Why I Made This Recipe
When I was planning my first blog post in 2022, I wanted something easy that is a family favourite. Chocolate has always been a weakness of mine and since developing my dairy intolerance a few years ago, it has been one of those comfort foods that I have continued to crave, especially when I am baking. With a multitude of vegan alternatives available, I couldn’t wait to put two of my favourites together with vegan marshmallows to make some rocky road muffins.
Why You Need These Muffins
These easy vegan rocky road muffins are light, fluffy, gooey, and satisfying. The perfect allergy friendly treat to kick-start your day or enjoy as an afternoon treat. They are also quick and easy to make taking less than 35 minutes from prep to plate!
Ingredients and Substitutions
To ensure that this recipe is allergen-friendly, I am using a couple of substitutions in place of egg and butter. I am also using two types of vegan chocolate chips and vegan marshmallows. Keep reading for my top recommendations if you are not vegan or have other dietary requirements.
Dry Ingredients
Main ingredients: I’m using all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. A lot of muffin recipes use self-raising flour which is often hard to find in Canada. I have added extra baking powder and salt to all-purpose flour to give the muffins that extra rise. Remember that baking powder adds PUFF to a recipe which is exactly what we want here. For gluten-free muffins, I recommend using a 1-to-1 GF flour substitute such as Bob’s Red Mill.
Cocoa Powder: I am using dutch processed cocoa powder. Regular cocoa powder will work just as well if you can’t find dutch processed.
Sugar: Ok so I’m a sucker for brown sugar and use it in as many recipes as I can. I love the caramelly undertone that it adds to baked goods. If you don’t have any brown sugar on hand, use 100 grams of regular white sugar (granulated or fine but not powdered). You can also substitute with coconut sugar.
Wet Ingredients
Apple sauce: To keep the muffins nice and moist, I am using 100g of apple sauce. This is a great egg substitute in muffins as it adds sweetness and extra moisture. Using cocoa powder in the batter can cause it to dry out so the addition of the apple sauce will keep everything nice and moist. You can replace it with a mashed banana if you prefer. If you are not vegan and wish to use eggs, sub the apple sauce with 2 large eggs.
Plant-Based Milk: Dairy milk is often used in muffins to add richness and moisture. My preference is to use almond milk as I like the creaminess that it adds to my batter. I also find that it reacts very similarly to dairy milk. If you prefer to use nut-free milk, you can go ahead and substitute it with your preferred non-dairy alternative (150 ml). I even think using chocolate plant-based milk would be amazing in this recipe.
Canola oil: The oil is used to add fat to the muffins. You can substitute with melted plant-based butter (50 ml).
Flavourings
Chocolate: I love the combination of two types of chocolate chips in this recipe. You can substitute with chocolate chunks or even cut up your favourite chocolate bars if you prefer. Just use the same quantity (100 grams in total).
Marshmallows: I used vegan mini marshmallows in this recipe. If you can’t find the mini ones, just cut up the larger ones or you can omit them from the recipe entirely. I do highly recommend for that ooey-gooey texture though.
How to Make Rocky Road Muffins
Did I mention how easy these are to make? Start by preheating your oven to 325°F (160°C) and gather all of your ingredients. I like to make sure I have everything ready as this mixture comes together really quickly. Read on for my step by step guide to making these gorgeous muffins or skip ahead to the recipe if you can’t wait to bake. Have more questions? Check out my FAQ section.
Making the Muffins
You can make these muffins either in a stand mixer or in a mixing bowl and mix by hand. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Add the brown sugar and combine, ensuring any lumps are broken down with a spatula.
Next, let’s add in our wet ingredients. Add your plant based milk, oil and apple sauce and mix everything together with a hand mixer until just combined.
Then fold in your chocolate and marshmallows with a spatula.
Let’s Bake
This muffin batter is quite thick so I love using my trusty ice cream scoop to evenly fill my muffin cases without getting in a huge mess. Fill the muffins cases about halfway.
You should end up with 6 large muffins. Bang your muffin pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 20-25 minutes until the muffins are firm to the touch.
Allow to cool and then enjoy!
This is such a versatile recipe so play around with the ingredients and have fun with it. You could add nuts, dried fruit, and even sprinkle extra brown sugar on top for a crunchy topping.
Muffin Questions
This is a small batch recipe which makes 6 large rocky road muffins. If you want to bake more, use the recipe card to double or triple the ingredients.
Absolutely. Simply swap the all purpose flour for a 1-to-1 gluten free baking blend. I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill and often use this when I want to remove the gluten from my recipes.
Of course. If you like the sound of this recipe but prefer to use eggs in your muffins, sub the apple sauce with 2 large eggs and continue with the recipe as per the instructions. Ensure the eggs are at room temperature before starting the recipe.
This is a small batch recipe which is best enjoyed on the day of baking but if you have more willpower than me, cover the remaining muffins and store them at room temperature for 2 days. Prefer warm muffins? You can warm them back up in the microwave once you’re ready to eat them. I recommend 15-second increments to reheat the muffins.
Yes, this batter can be stored for up to 24 hours in the fridge before baking. Letting the batter rest for a while before baking can help enhance the flavours and moisture in the muffins. Whilst I don’t tend to do this, it will not negatively affect your batter if you need to leave it for a while before baking.
Let’s take one more look at these gorgeous muffins. I love how the marshmallows are slightly toasted and melty, along with the chocolate chips. So good!
Craving More Treats?
Love individual mini cakes? Indulge in our tempting muffin and cupcake recipes. And if you are craving more chocolate recipes, why not make these:
- My mini chocolate donuts take less than 10 minutes from prep to plate (Vegan with easy GF option)
- Treat yourself to a slice (or two) of my decadent chocolate fudge cake (DF and GF)
- Our copycat Disney chocolate chip cookies will bring the magic to your kitchen (DF)
Easy Vegan Rocky Road Muffins
Equipment
- Hand Mixer (You can use a stand mixer)
Ingredients
- 200 grams All Purpose Flour (1 & 2/3 US Cups)
- 50 grams Cocoa Powder (1/2 US Cup)
- 10 grams Baking Powder (2 tsp)
- 2 grams Salt (1/2 tsp)
- 100 grams Brown Sugar (1/2 US Cup)
- 150 mililitres Plant Based Milk (2/3 US Cup – see recipe note)
- 50 mililitres Canola Oil (just under 1/4 US Cup)
- 100 grams Apple Sauce (1/2 US Cup)
- 50 grams Vegan Chocolate Chips (1/3 US Cup)
- 50 grams Vegan White Chocolate Chips (1/3 US Cup)
- 50 grams Vegan Mini Marshmallows (1 US Cup)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C) and gather all of your ingredients.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.200 grams All Purpose Flour, 50 grams Cocoa Powder, 10 grams Baking Powder, 2 grams Salt
- Add the brown sugar and combine, ensuring any lumps are broken down with a spatula.100 grams Brown Sugar
- Add the plant-based milk, oil, and apple sauce and stir to combine.150 mililitres Plant Based Milk, 50 mililitres Canola Oil, 100 grams Apple Sauce
- Stir in half of the chocolate chips and marshmallows (25g of each) with a spatula.50 grams Vegan Chocolate Chips, 50 grams Vegan White Chocolate Chips, 50 grams Vegan Mini Marshmallows
- Fold in the remaining chocolate chips and marshmallows.
- Using a large ice cream scoop, fill the muffin cases about halfway. Bang your muffin pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 20-25 minutes until muffins are firm to the touch.
- Allow to cool slightly before eating.
Video
Notes
- This recipe makes 6 large muffins. Use the ingredients multiplier to double or triple the batch.
- My preferred plant-based milk is almond milk but you can substitute with any plant-based milk such as oat or soy milk if you are nut-free. Just use the same amount.
- If you wish to omit the oil, use 50 ml melted butter to add fat to the muffins. See my substitution guide for more ingredient recommendations.
- Mashed banana can be used instead of apple sauce.
- Best enjoyed on the day of baking but if you have more willpower than me, cover the remaining muffins and store them at room temperature for 2 days. Prefer warm muffins? You can warm them back up in the microwave once you’re ready to eat them. I recommend 15-second increments to reheat the muffins.
- For more muffin recipes, check out our muffins and cupcakes recipe collection.
- Nutrition information is based on 1 muffin serving size. Please note that nutrition information is calculated based on the ingredients I used in this recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
These look heavenly! Can’t wait to bake them.
These muffins look amazingly delicious. Thanks alot for the recipe.
You’re so welcome. I hope you enjoy them!
Whipped up a batch of these for an afternoon treat, and they do not disappoint! Turned out light, fluffy and delicious; exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth!
So glad they helped you sugar craving.
These rocky road muffins are the perfect dessert! We put in some extra marshmallows because we love them – and these muffins came out amazing!
Happy to hear that and yay for extra marshmallows.
So excited that you made muffins from my favorite cookie recipe! I can’t wait to try these, what a brilliant idea!
Thanks Paula – we love them as much as the cookies!
I made these muffins for breakfast this morning and they were incredible! Like having dessert for breakfast!
Dessert for breakfast – I love that! Glad you enjoyed them.