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    Home » Recipes » Desserts & Sweet Treats

    Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

    Published: Feb 7, 2017 · Modified: Aug 28, 2020 by Jenn Sebestyen

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    recipe image for Pinterest

    These Chocolate Chip Cupcakes w/ Cocoa & Tahini are adorable little mini cupcakes perfect for Valentine’s Day. Treat your sweetie…or your kids…or yourself…to some chocolate indulgence made healthier with no dairy, no eggs, no oil, and no refined sugar.

    Overhead view of a stack of Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes drizzled with pink hued icing.

    We’re only a week away from Valentine’s Day. While I’m not big on a showy celebration, I do enjoy eating sweets!

    It doesn’t have to be a holiday for me to indulge in some decadent chocolate, but it is probably the only time you’ll see me busting out the heart shaped cupcake pan. And who can resist little chocolate heart shaped cupcakes? Not my kids, that’s for sure. I lost count of how many they have eaten.

    Ok, I’ll admit, I lost count on how many I have eaten! And you will too!

    Heart shaped cupcake pan filled with chocolate cupcakes. One cavity has fresh strawberries in it instead of a cupcake.

    As far as cupcakes go, these Chocolate Chip Cupcakes are pretty healthy. You don’t need eggs, dairy, oil, or refined sugar to make a delicious, melt in your mouth treat. And there’s only ½ cup of flour in the whole recipe too. What you will find is:

    • luscious deep chocolate flavor
    • vitamin and mineral rich tahini, which balances out the sweetness perfectly
    • little bites of chocolate chips – heaven!
    • healthy plant protein
    • healthy unsaturated fats
    Overhead view of a Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcake drizzled in pink icing. Fresh strawberries and chocolate chips nearby.

    Icing

    I drizzled on some lightly hued pink icing, mostly for my girls’ benefit.

    I had a bottle of cran-apple juice in the fridge and used that instead of non-dairy milk to mix with the powdered sugar.

    You can use anything red – beet juice would make a gorgeous color.

    As much as we loved the addition of the icing, it’s absolutely not necessary.

    One Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcake with a bite taken out. Stack of cupcakes behind and chocolate chips scattered about.

    Check out the soft, fluffy texture of the inside of the cupcake above. These mini Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes are so light and moist. No one will know these are dairy free, oil free, egg free, and refined sugar free!

    Bonus – they are nut free too, so feel free to pack one in your kids’ lunch to show them how much you love them!

    Happy Valentine’s Day!

    A small pink cup of fresh strawberries, with a Happy Valentine's Day cupcake topper sticking out of the top, surrounded by tahini chocolate chip cupcakes. Pink flowers in the background.

    I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.

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    For even more easy family recipes, be sure to check out my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook!

    Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

    Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Vegan, Oil Free)

    These adorable little mini cupcakes are perfect for Valentine's Day. Treat your sweetie…or your kids…or yourself…to some chocolate indulgence made healthier with no dairy, no eggs, no oil, and no refined sugar.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Rate
    Course: Desserts & Sweet Treats
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes
    Servings: 12 people
    Calories: 136kcal
    Author: Jenn Sebestyen

    Recommended Equipment

    • 12-cavity hearty shaped mini muffin pan

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup white whole wheat flour
    • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ¾ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar or organic cane sugar)
    • ½ cup tahini
    • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
    • ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or plant milk of choice)
    • ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips

    Icing, optional

    • â…“ cup organic powdered sugar
    • 1 ½ tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or red juice if you want a pink hue; I used Cran-Apple juice I happened to have in the fridge)

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
    • Lightly spray a 12-cavity heart shaped mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
    • In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
    • In a medium mxing bowl, whisk together the tahini, vanilla, and non-dairy milk.
    • Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined.
    • Mix in the chocolate chips.
    • Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling each cavity no more than half way.
    • Bake 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    • Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20-30 minutes** before removing from the pan.
    • Drizzle icing, if using, over the top of the cupcakes before serving.

    Notes

    *If you don’t have a heart shaped mini muffin pan, a regular mini muffin pan will work just fine, you just obviously won’t have heart shaped cupcakes. Alternately, a regular size muffin pan may be used. Fill each cavity about ¾ of the way full. Bake 25-28 minutes. You should get about 8 cupcakes.
    **These cupcakes are soft, fluffy and delicate. Make sure you let them cool in the pan before removing them or you may have cupcake crumbles instead.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 50IU | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 0.9mg

    Nutrition values are calculated using online calculators and are estimates only. Please verify using your own data.

    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Veggie_Inspired or tag #VeggieInspired!

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    Comments

    1. Sue H. says

      December 15, 2022 at 12:43 pm

      Do you think I could make a good non-chocolate/chocolate chip cupcake by replacing the cocoa powder with an equal amount of additional white whole wheat flour, maybe changing the baking soda to baking powder, and omitting the chocolate chips? I was thinking of flavoring the glaze with pomegranate juice.

      Reply
      • Jenn Sebestyen says

        December 15, 2022 at 4:31 pm

        That’s a lot of changes. I would suggest looking for a vanilla cupcake recipe as written.

        Reply
    2. robin m says

      April 02, 2017 at 7:09 am

      Hi Jenn S.
      Do you mean to use 1 1/2 cups flour? The recipe calls for 1/2 c and that doesn’t seem like enough for all the cupcakes the recipe makes.
      Thanks….robin m

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        April 02, 2017 at 9:26 am

        No, the measurements are correct. The cocoa powder and arrowroot powder contribute to the dry ingredients too. And keep in mind, they are mini cupcakes (the recipe will make about 8 regular size cupcakes if you only have a regular muffin pan). Hope you like them! Let me know how they turn out!

        Reply
        • robin m says

          April 03, 2017 at 12:55 pm

          Thanks for your prompt reply. The heart shaped muffins are in the oven as i write! The batter was very thick so i added a bit more milk. I am thinking these will be delicious. I had tasters of the batter so know they will.
          Thanks for your amazing recipes.
          xoxo robin m

        • Jenn S. says

          April 03, 2017 at 4:21 pm

          The best thing about plant based baking – licking the batter!! 🙂 Enjoy, Robin! Let me know how they turn out.

        • robin m says

          April 08, 2017 at 7:49 pm

          Jenn S. Hello,
          I thought I wrote to tell you that I love the cupcakes and will definitely be making them again.
          Here’s to yummy healthy good food….robin m

        • Jenn S. says

          April 09, 2017 at 8:59 pm

          Thank you, Robin! So happy you loved them!

    3. Laura Buckholz says

      March 01, 2017 at 9:54 pm

      These are fantastic! The tahini / cacoa combination is divine. Usually I can see the calorie, fat, protien I could have missed it somewhere above however could you pls let me know. thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        March 02, 2017 at 7:41 am

        Thanks, Laura. Glad you like them. I don’t have the calorie counts on the blog because every program will give you slightly different results (though I have recently been looking into my options for getting them on here – so stay tuned). There are several free online sites you can plug in the info into (nutritiondata.com and myfitnesspal.com are examples). If you have one you trust, use that one.

        Reply
    4. Alisa Fleming says

      February 20, 2017 at 11:02 am

      Tahini is one of those ingredients that approach cautiously, because I can’t stand the bitterness (yes, I’ve tried all of the “good” brands), but recipes like this make me think I just need to branch out in how I use it!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 20, 2017 at 11:24 am

        Well, I think the sweetness of the cupcakes balances out the bitterness of the tahini really well. BUT, I DO really LOVE tahini, so take that into consideration. You could always add a bit more sugar for your tastes! Thanks, Alisa!

        Reply
    5. Mel says

      February 15, 2017 at 12:41 am

      I love chocolate and tahini together and baked up into a heart shaped cupcake sounds perfect!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 15, 2017 at 2:59 pm

        Thanks!The heart shaped pan makes it easy to turn everyday goodies into holiday treats!

        Reply
    6. Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite says

      February 14, 2017 at 12:29 am

      What a cute little heart shaped tin! So many things you can do. Love the brownies! I use tahini in mine too. Such great flavor.

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 14, 2017 at 7:13 am

        Ah, great minds think alike! I love the chocolate/tahini combo! Thanks, Sophia!

        Reply
    7. Vegan Heaven says

      February 13, 2017 at 9:55 am

      These look so delicious, Jenn, and they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day tomorrow. What a great idea to use tahini! 🙂

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 13, 2017 at 4:03 pm

        Thank you, Sina! It’s a great combo! Happy Valentine’s Day!

        Reply
    8. Sarah says

      February 13, 2017 at 12:24 am

      Chocolate and tahini are the best combination! These look delicious!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 13, 2017 at 8:16 am

        Thank you, Sarah! I agree!

        Reply
    9. Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day says

      February 12, 2017 at 1:18 pm

      Jenn, these are simply the cutest little cupcakes!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 12, 2017 at 4:14 pm

        Aw, thanks, Amy!

        Reply
    10. Theresa says

      February 11, 2017 at 8:06 pm

      Hi Jenn, I made these tonight for my twin grandsons, 4 yrs old, and my daughters & family. Most of us are Df/ gf , for the boys it’s a newer adjustment due to allergies! I made these gf too! I couldn’t wait for them to cool & ate one from a hot pan! They are very good. Hoping the little ones enjoy them as well, for a Valentine’s treat! Thanks for sharing 🙂
      Nani of 3 🤗💕

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 12, 2017 at 7:53 am

        Hi, Theresa. I have twins too – they just turned 5 last month. I’m so glad to hear you loved them. What kind of flour did you use? Fingers crossed all the little ones love them too! Thanks for stopping by to let me know!

        Reply
    11. The Vegan 8 says

      February 11, 2017 at 1:30 pm

      These look so good Jenn! I love chocolate and tahini together, it’s one of my favorite combos! I’ve been working on a dark chocolate tahini bread this month and then you post these and I’m like, droooool, lol! I love that you made them with a heart shape. I have a wheat chocolate muffin recipe on my blog in the shape of hearts too, hahaha! Great minds think alike. I’m loving that you added a glaze on top, that definitely would not be optional for me, haha!

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 11, 2017 at 4:49 pm

        Thanks, Brandi! I have dark chocolate tahini granola bars on the blog, too – I definitely love the combo! Looking forward to your bread recipe!

        Reply
    12. Nicole Dawson says

      February 11, 2017 at 12:19 pm

      Those are super cute and I love how you used tahini.

      Reply
      • Jenn S. says

        February 11, 2017 at 4:47 pm

        Thanks, Nicole! I love chocolate and tahini together!

        Reply
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    Jenn Sebestyen of Veggie Inspired

    Hi, I'm Jenn! This is where I share delicious plant based recipes for the whole family. I love to cook; I can read cookbooks like novels; and I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen by making standard American favorites healthier.

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