These easy Zucchini Muffins are light, moist, and fluffy with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg for cozy flavor. This is my go-to recipe for using up that summer zucchini!
Most clichés exist because they are true, and that one about drowning in zucchini in the summer? That’s definitely true. Whether you’re growing your own zucchini or your neighbors are generously leaving their bounty on your front porch, these zucchini muffins are the perfect way to put it to use. Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread and Zucchini Cake are awesome too, but muffins are much easier to stash in the freezer for later!
Why This Zucchini Muffin Recipe Is the ONE
There are many zucchini muffin recipes on the internet, but here’s why you should make THIS one!
- Wholesome ingredients. We’re making muffins with zucchini here—let’s not negate all those nutritional benefits with loads of sugar and junk! I use whole wheat flour, maple syrup for sweetness, and a combination of applesauce and coconut oil in place of the typical vegetable oil.
- Stellar flavor. I just LOVE the flavor of these zucchini muffins. They are sweet, but not overly so like many muffins tend to be. And the combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla gives them a warm, cozy flavor. (If you prefer a little more decadence, try my Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins.)
- Tender and moist. This zucchini muffin recipe keeps it moist without being soggy or dense. You’ll love the light, tender crumb!
What You’ll Need
Here’s everything you need to make these delicious, healthier zucchini muffins! Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Whole wheat flour – This adds some extra fiber and also a little bit of nuttiness.
- Baking powder and soda – These help the batter rise and create a light texture.
- Salt – Enhances the flavor.
- Cozy spices – Ground cinnamon and nutmeg add warmth.
- Maple syrup – One of my favorite baking tricks to consistently get moist fluffy muffins is using either honey or maple syrup as the sweetener instead of sugar. Adding sugar in liquid form really helps keep the moisture in the muffins.
- Unsweetened applesauce – Adds moisture and acts as a partial substitute for the oil; we’ll still add some oil (see below!), but we don’t need as much!
- Coconut oil – I love the moisture and richness coconut oil adds to baked goods!
- Egg – Binds the ingredients together.
- Vanilla extract – Like the salt, this enhances the overall flavor of the batter.
- Grated zucchini – No need to peel before grating! You can use a box grater or your food processor’s grater.
How to Make Zucchini Muffins
Here’s a step-by-step guide showing what you’ll need to do to make this recipe.
- Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line or coat a muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a mixing bowl.
- Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk the maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl.
- Finish the batter. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, then fold in the zucchini.
- Bake. Divide the batter into the cups of the muffin pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Tips and Variations
I’ve got some helpful tips and variations you can try with this zucchini muffin recipe.
- Squeeze out the liquid. The key to perfect zucchini muffins that are moist, not soggy, is squeezing any excess water from the grated zucchini. If you don’t squeeze the liquid out before adding the zucchini to the batter, the muffins will brown on top but be raw dough in the center.
- Add some mix-ins. To take these muffins up a notch, you could add 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup fresh blueberries or even 1/4 cup of chopped nuts.
- Try different toppings. You can switch things up by adding a streusel topping (use the one from my Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel) or sprinkle coarse sugar over the batter before baking for a little extra sweetness and crunch.
- Don’t overmix your batter. Overmixing will result in dense, tough muffins instead of light and fluffy ones. Make sure to stop mixing as soon as you no longer see large pockets of flour in the batter.
How to Store
- Room temperature: To store zucchini muffins, place in an airtight container or storage bag. Keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Once you remove the zucchini muffins from the oven, let them rest and cool on a wire rack. After the muffins have cooled, place them in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove the muffins from the freezer and place in a freezer safe storage bag. Store for up to 3 months. To reheat the muffins, wrap them in a paper towel and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
More Muffin Recipes to Try
Zucchini Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Healthy Breakfast, Muffins and Baking, Kid-Friendly
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These easy Zucchini Muffins are light and fluffy, with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg for cozy flavor. Perfect for using up summer zucchini!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cup grated zucchini (about 1 1/2 zucchinis)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add cupcake liners to muffin tins or spray with cooking oil. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Whisk together.
- In a large bowl, add maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, coconut oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until everything is combined.
- Squeeze grated zucchini to remove any excess liquid.
- Fold in the zucchini.
- Add the batter to prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 627 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 16 mg
24 comments on “Healthy Zucchini Muffins (So Moist!)”
Added walnuts and mini chocolate chips! Love that they’re both healthy and yummy 🙂
Such great additions! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Delicious! I made these muffins several times to rave reviews. I recently made them using grated Granny Smith apples instead of zucchini and reducing the Maple syrup to 1/3 cup to acvount for the sugar in the apples. Fantastic!
Sounds delish! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Very good. Lighter than many muffins.
Do you have nutritional info for these that you would share or post.?
awe thank you so much! I just updated the nutritional facts so you can view them now! 🙂
Made this recipe, love it however when I put it in the recipe builder for weight watchers it was 12 points, does not seem right
Hey Joyce, I’m not sure how weight watchers points work but I did just add the nutritional facts to the recipe so you could refer to those as well.
Delicious! This is now my go to zucchini muffin recipe. The 4th time I made them I had run out of Whole wheat flour so I substituted spelt flour and it worked perfectly. They were slightly lighter but equally delicious!.
Thank you.
Yes! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
These were delicious! Stayed fresh for longer than expected. Originally made them for my 1 year old to change up her breakfast routine. But my husband and I easily devoured half of them ourselves.
This are really good. Not so sweet, and a little more hearty, so go well with soup, stew, or other non-breakfast meals. Thanks for a great recipe!
Tried it with chocolate chips and it is delicious. Thanks!
These look so fun and tasty!
Absolutely loved everything about these muffins! So light and fluffy and very very tasty indeed!
These zucchini muffins sound SO GOOD!! The perfect healthy breakfast treat!!
I added in some raisins and chopped pecans. Delicious!
What great additions! Glad you enjoyed them!
I haven’t made muffins in quite some time and you have inspired me to give this a try; they look amazing and healthy too!
Happy I could get you back in the baking mood! I hope you enjoyed them!
What light and healthy muffin recipe! This was just what I was looking for; excited to make these this afternoon!
One of my favorite go-to recipes! I hope you enjoyed them!
The best way to eat my veggies! Love the texture of these muffins!
I agree! I love sneaking in my veggies!! It feels like a treat, but actually good for you!