Zucchini Muffins

These healthy zucchini muffins are moist, fluffy, and warmly spiced with cinnamon. They're an easy, delicious way to use up summer zucchini!

zucchini muffins recipe

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!

Zucchini muffin recipe ingredients

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!

Mixing bowl of wet ingredients

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.

Pouring dry ingredients into bowl of wet ingredients

Then, combine them. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients…

Hand folding batter in large bowl with rubber spatula

…and mix until just combined. Fold in the chopped nuts, being careful not to overmix.

Mixing walnuts into zucchini muffins batter

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!

Healthy zucchini muffins on marble background

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.

Zucchini muffins recipe

More Zucchini Recipes to Try

Still have more summer zucchini to use up? Try one of these easy zucchini recipes next:

And if you’re a major muffin fan, check out my healthy banana muffins, carrot muffins, and blueberry muffins too!

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Zucchini Muffins

rate this recipe:
4.89 from 42 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves 12
Moist and flavorful, these healthy zucchini muffins are a delicious breakfast or snack! They're an easy way to use up garden zucchini or sneak some extra veggies into your day. They keep well at room temperature for up to 3 days, and they also freeze well.

Ingredients

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.

70 comments

4.89 from 42 votes (21 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Cassie
    07.02.2022

    5 stars
    Hi – could I swap unsweet applesauce for the oil?

    I’ve made these twice as is, and they are delicious!

  2. Sarah
    06.04.2022

    5 stars
    I think these actually get better the next day. I accidentally made 11 vs 12 muffins so I baked them a couple of minutes longer. They’re good. Not too sweet, nice with breakfast.

  3. Lanelle
    10.03.2021

    How would you adjust the baking time for mini muffins? Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.06.2021

      I haven’t tried, but I’d start checking at half the time, they cook quickly!

  4. Heidi
    10.02.2021

    This looks amazing! I don’t have any wheat flour on hand—do you think oat flour would be a good substitute?! Thank you so much!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.04.2021

      Hi Heidi, oat flour can be tricky, it’s not usually a 1:1 swap, I would just use more all purpose flour.

  5. Lauri Barr
    09.24.2021

    5 stars
    Thank you! Great zuchinni muffin RECIPE. I added unsweetened cocoa to part of batter…also yummy.

  6. Shelley
    09.06.2021

    Do you have any nutritional breakdown especially calories?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.08.2021

      Hi Shelly, I’m sorry, we don’t calculate nutrition facts but you can plug the ingredients into a site like My Fitness Pal for the info.

  7. Abi
    08.26.2021

    5 stars
    These were just amazing – moist, not too sweet (I used coconut sugar) and they have a nice flavor which i think ut from the nutmeg.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.26.2021

      Hi Abi, I’m so glad you loved them!

  8. Lucie
    08.25.2021

    5 stars
    Delicious! I was surprised how light the texture is. Will definitely make again. Thanks!

  9. Angie
    08.23.2021

    Hi, could you tell us the weight measurement for the amount of zucchini needed, instead of cups?

  10. ashok
    08.20.2021

    5 stars
    Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.

  11. Hi! Could I make this in a loafpan vs. muffin tins? I’d need to increase the time, but wondering with all the moisture if it would cook through in the middle without burning on the outside?

  12. Barb
    08.19.2021

    I too would like to know if this would work with flax eggs, being vegan. Thank you.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2021

      Hi Leia, I haven’t tried it – I think it might work but they might be a little more flat and a bit less puffy.

  13. Hetal
    08.18.2021

    How do we make this vegan? without using eggs?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2021

      Hi Leia, I haven’t tried it – I think it might work but they might be a little more flat and a bit less puffy.

  14. Debbie
    08.18.2021

    Hi! Really love all your recipes – thank you for sharing this one too! Quick question: should the walnuts be toasted or raw? Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2021

      Hi Debbie, I use them raw.

      • Anna
        07.21.2022

        4 stars
        I almost always toast nuts before adding to baked goods. 325 degrees for 4 minutes. They don’t get enough toasted flavor steaming inside the muffin.

        The recipe is great and I like that you don’t have to squeeze the zucchini. I’m going to increase the recipe by 25% and bake longer to make larger muffins.

  15. Stephen
    08.18.2021

    I have everything but the almond flour. Any substitutes or suggestions?

    Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2021

      Hmm… it might work with just more flour, but the flavor and texture is so good with the almond flour, I highly suggest it.

      • Stephen
        08.20.2021

        Thanks for the response! ;o)

      • Stephen
        08.25.2021

        5 stars
        Well, I held off making these until I got some more Almond Flour. Glad I did.

        These turned out great!

        Wife loved them, and neighbor is offering some organic zucchini, so, looks like I’ll be making some for the freezer.

        Thanks!

        • Jeanine Donofrio
          08.25.2021

          I’m so glad you loved them!

  16. Niloufar Doroud
    08.18.2021

    Hello
    I was wondering if I could make these lovely muffins vegan… can I replace flax eggs?
    Thanx

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2021

      Hi Leia, I haven’t tried it – I think it might work but they might be a little more flat and a bit less puffy.

  17. Leia
    08.18.2021

    Do you think this would work with a flax egg instead of the egg? Looking for a zucchini muffin recipe to make for some vegans 🙂

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.19.2021

      Hi Leia, I haven’t tried it – I think it might work but they might be a little more flat and a bit less puffy.

  18. Ann
    08.18.2021

    Could I use honey or maple syrup in place of the cane sugar?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.18.2021

      Hi Ann, no, it would throw off the wet/dry ratios, but coconut sugar would be a good alternative.

  19. Tracey Vavrek
    08.17.2021

    These look amazing! Would love to find a gluten free recipe, any suggestions?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.18.2021

      Hi Tracey, I think an all purpose GF mix like Bob’s would work in place of the all purpose and wheat flours.

  20. Sara
    08.17.2021

    We can’t have 2/3 flours listed. We can the almond flour!
    Any suggestions for this?!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.17.2021

      Hi Sara, these won’t work with only almond flour… I think a GF all-purpose blend like Bob’s may work to replace the regular and whole wheat flours though.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.