These healthy zucchini muffins are moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced with cinnamon. They're an easy, delicious way to use up summer zucchini!
Let’s make zucchini muffins! They’re moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced with cinnamon. Plus, just like my zucchini bread, they’re a great way to use up an abundance of summer zucchini.
I’m a fan of pretty much any muffin recipe, but these zucchini muffins are some of my favorites. I love how easy they are to make—you don’t need any special equipment, and you can whip them up in about 30 minutes.
They’re also fairly healthy. Whole wheat flour gives them a nice whole grain punch, and olive oil adds good-for-you fats. Of course, the zucchini sneaks in some extra nutrition too!
Healthy Zucchini Muffins Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this zucchini muffin recipe:
- Zucchini, of course! It makes these muffins amazingly moist and tender. Don’t worry—you can’t taste it!
- All-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and almond flour – This wholesome combination of flours makes the muffins moist, tender, and fluffy. If you’d like to simplify, you can replace the whole wheat flour with additional all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder and eggs – To help the muffins rise as they bake.
- Milk – For moisture. Any kind works! Use a non-dairy option like almond milk or oat milk to make these muffins dairy-free.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds richness and perfects the muffins’ moist texture. If you don’t like baking with olive oil, substitute a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or melted coconut oil. Melted butter would work too.
- Cane sugar – For sweetness.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla – They fill these zucchini bread muffins with warm, spiced flavor.
- Walnuts – For crunch! They also add extra fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Shredding Zucchini for Muffins
If you’re new to baking with zucchini, you might be wondering how to prep the zucchini for the muffin batter.
It’s super simple:
- No need to peel the zucchini. Just wash it well and pat it dry.
- Grate it on the large holes of a box grater. It only takes a minute or so to grate enough zucchini for this recipe.
- Don’t press or squeeze out the excess moisture. It makes these muffins super soft and delicious!
How to Make Zucchini Muffins
You can find the complete zucchini muffin recipe with measurements at the bottom of this post. For now, here’s quick overview of how it goes:
First, whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Fold the grated zucchini into the wet ingredients.
Then, combine them. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients…
…and mix until just combined. Fold in the chopped nuts, being careful not to overmix.
Finally, bake the muffins. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan, or place paper liners in the muffin cups. Evenly divide the batter among the cups, and bake at 400°F for about 18 minutes. The tops of the muffins should spring back to the touch and a toothpick inserted should come out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Don’t wring out the zucchini. Many zucchini muffin recipes tell you to squeeze the excess moisture out of the zucchini. Not this one! We want all that moisture to go into the muffins.
- Freeze some for later. Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, these easy zucchini muffins will keep well for about 3 days. If you want to have them around for longer than that, I recommend storing them in the freezer. Thaw frozen muffins overnight in the fridge, or pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds. I love to keep a stash on hand for quick breakfasts on busy mornings!
- Change up the mix-ins. Not a fan of walnuts? That’s ok! Replace them with chopped pecans, dried cranberries, raisins, or chocolate chips.
More Zucchini Recipes to Try
Still have more summer zucchini to use up? Try one of these easy zucchini recipes next:
- Best Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Brownies
- Chocolate Zucchini Cake
- Or any of these 30 Best Zucchini Recipes!
And if you’re a major muffin fan, check out my healthy banana muffins, carrot muffins, and blueberry muffins too!
Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil, plus more for the pan
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, no need to squeeze out excess water
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin with oil or cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the almond milk, olive oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in the zucchini.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and stir to combine. Fold in the walnuts. Use a ⅓ cup measuring cup to scoop the batter into the muffin cups. Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until the muffin tops spring back to the touch. Let cool for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I have made these several times because they are so good! Thanks for the recipe
I do use dairy milk instead of almond milk