Zucchini Muffins Recipe (2024)

These homemade Zucchini Muffins are the perfect quick snack or breakfast on the go if you are in a hurry. They are so moist and tender and rise beautifully and it’s a great way to use up your summer zucchini.

We love quick muffin recipes, from our very popular Banana Muffins to our sweet and tangy Blueberry Muffins. These Zucchini Muffins are a new favorite and are perfect for busy families on the go.

Zucchini Muffins Recipe (1)

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Zucchini Muffins Recipe

With all of the zucchini we have in our garden this season, we’ve been making Zucchini Bread every few days. It’s the perfect way to use our summer bounty and sneak in extra veggies for the kids.

These muffins are great for lazy summer mornings or as a snack on the road or trail. They stay moist for days, you can add nuts, chocolate chips, berries, or whatever you like to add extra nutrients, flavor, and texture to your muffins.

Ingredients

I love the idea of zucchini muffins but simply dividing our zucchini bread recipe into muffins wasn’t absolutely perfect if you wanted 12 muffins. It took several batches, but I have finally perfected the best zucchini muffins.

  • Flour – All-purpose. If you are making gluten-free zucchini muffins, you’ll want to use your favorite GF flour
  • Egg – Provides structure and helps to create these perfectly textured muffins
  • Baking powder and baking soda – leavening agents to help the muffins rise
  • Oil – Using extra light olive oil, canola, or vegetable oil helps to make a light and fluffy batter
  • Milk – Helps to make the muffins less dense
  • Vanilla – Use our homemade vanilla or storebought
  • Salt – Balances the sweetness
  • Cinnamon – Adds a wonderful, cozy spice flavor to these muffins
  • Zucchini – 1 1/2 cups, grated. Adds moisture to keep the muffins soft and has a subtle flavor that complements the sweetness and cinnamon spice
  • Optional Add-ins – Pick one or use a combination: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, golden raisins, dried cranberries, or semisweet chocolate chips (if adding chocolate chips, you can reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup, if desired)
Zucchini Muffins Recipe (2)

Pro Tip: To quickly bring your eggs to room temperature, submerge them in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 10-15 minutes.

How to Make Zucchini Muffins

  1. Prepare – Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Line a 12-count muffin pan with paper liners or grease with softened butter or cooking spray.
  2. Dry Ingredients – Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  3. Wet Ingredients – In a separate large bowl, thoroughly whisk together eggs, oil, sugar, milk, and vanilla.
  4. Combine – Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together with a whisk until well blended and smooth.
  5. Grate – Grate the zucchini with a large box grater. Add the shredded zucchini to the batter along with chocolate chips (or any optional add-ins that you are using), and fold until well incorporated.
  6. Bake – Divide the batter evenly into the muffin tin. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining chocolate chips and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Zucchini Muffins Recipe (3)

Pro Tip: Use a trigger-release ice cream scoop to fill your muffin cups. It helps to scoop even portions into each cup and makes the job much easier.

Common Questions

How do I grate the zucchini?

Grate the zucchini in the large holes of a box grater over a bowl or plate. Be sure not to squeeze or pack the grated zucchini in your measuring cup too tightly.

Can I omit the milk?

If you are dairy-free, you can use water or almond milk instead. The milk adds moisture and helps combine the dry ingredients. It also adds an extra fluffiness to the muffins when they cook.

Can I double the recipe?

This recipe is easily doubled. The cooling time for the muffins is only 5 minutes, so if you do not have an extra 12-cup muffin tin, you can wait for them to cool, and have your next batch of muffin batter ready to go.

What size zucchini do I need for zucchini muffins?

This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of grated zucchini, which is usually one medium, half-pound, zucchini. Be sure to cut the stem off of the top before grating.

Do I need to peel the zucchini first?

There is no need to peel the zucchini before grating. The skin is thin enough to eat, so peeling does not change the taste or texture either way. I like to see the bits of shredded zucchini show up when I bite into the muffins.

Zucchini Muffins Recipe (4)

How to Serve Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini muffins are fantastic just as they are, or with any of the add-ins mentioned above. Some of my favorite ways to top them include:

  • Cream cheese frosting – make these muffins look like a healthy(ish) cupcake… oh, they are so delicious!
  • Butter – On the top, or heat your muffins up in the toaster or microwave and add it right to the sliced sides.
  • Powdered sugar – dusted over the tops
  • Whipped Honey Butter – perfectly sweet and spiced with cinnamon.

Make-Ahead

  • To Store: Store your freshly made muffins at room temperature for several days by placing the muffins in a Ziploc bag or an airtight container. Be sure they have cooled completely before covering them.
  • Freezing: If you want to save muffins for later, simply add your cooled muffins to a freezer bag or wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy them, unwrap them and set them on the counter to thaw or pop them into the microwave for about 30 seconds to defrost.

Pro Tip: Be sure your muffins have completely cooled before storing or freezing them. This will prevent condensation from forming on your muffin tops affecting the texture.

Zucchini Muffins Recipe (5)

Love Muffin Recipes?

If you are looking for more quick muffin recipes to try, here are a few of our favorites. Make them now and store some in the freezer for back-to-school breakfasts or lunchbox treats.

  • Banana Muffins
  • Cinnamon Muffins
  • Mixed Berry Muffins
  • Breakfast Egg Muffins
  • Blueberry Muffins

Zucchini Muffins Recipe

4.98 from 39 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Zucchini Muffins Recipe (7)

These yummy zucchini muffins are moist and tender and rise beautifully. A tasty snack or breakfast on the go, we hope you enjoy this recipe.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 12 muffins

Instructions

Nutrition Per Serving

239kcal Calories29g Carbs3g Protein12g Fat3g Saturated Fat1g Polyunsaturated Fat8g Monounsaturated Fat0.01g Trans Fat14mg Cholesterol151mg Sodium127mg Potassium1g Fiber16g Sugar60IU Vitamin A3mg Vitamin C24mg Calcium1mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Zucchini Muffins Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

239

% Daily Value*

Fat

12

g

18

%

Saturated Fat

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

8

g

Sodium

151

mg

7

%

Potassium

127

mg

4

%

Carbohydrates

29

g

10

%

Fiber

1

g

4

%

Sugar

16

g

18

%

Protein

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

60

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

3

mg

4

%

Calcium

24

mg

2

%

Iron

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Zucchini Muffins

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

Calories: 239

Natasha Kravchuk

Zucchini Muffins Recipe (8)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Zucchini Muffins Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to high muffins? ›

Chilling your muffin batter overnight in the fridge is the BEST thing you can do for amazing muffins. It makes them more moist, tender, and TALLER! It's very similar to chilling cookie dough, which if you know me you know I'm obsessed with chilling cookie dough.

Why didn't my zucchini muffins rise? ›

The most common reason for zucchini breadand other quick breads (and cakes) to collapse as they cool is the ingredients are too vigorously or quickly mixed, which incorporates lots of less stable air bubbles into the batter.

What is the most important rule to follow when baking muffins? ›

The number one rule for successful muffins is: Don't over-mix the batter. Use a rubber spatula to quickly fold (gently stir) the liquid ingredients into the dry ones. A few streaks of flour still showing is okay, especially if you plan to add in extra ingredients like fruits and nuts.

What makes muffins light and fluffy? ›

First, if you see baking powder in a recipe, you're on the right track to fluffiness. “Baking powder tends to cause lift, as opposed to soda which tends to cause spread,” said Barrett. (You'll also spy baking soda in recipes with chocolate, buttermilk or cocoa, but that's a chemical-balancing thing.)

Should you use butter or oil in muffins? ›

Melted butter, on the other hand, naturally solidifies when the muffins cool. As a result they have a slightly denser texture than muffins made with oil. And of course the buttery flavour is more dominant than oil, which is desirable for some flavours (e.g. Butter Pecan) but not all.

What to add to muffin mix to make it moist? ›

The traditional options are apple sauce, pumpkin purée, and mashed banana, but puréed white beans or puréed peaches can also work. Remember to adjust your other liquids to account for the added moisture. Increasing the sugar content of the recipe can also help.

How to get domed muffins? ›

I suggest baking your muffins at 400 F. I know most muffin recipes (including the ones I have used previously) all tell us to preheat our ovens to between 325-375 F. That heat range is just not enough. While it will surely cook your muffins, it will not give you the full rise that you want.

Why are Bakery muffins so much better? ›

The best bakery-style crumb muffins start with cake flour

Cake flour is more finely ground and has less protein, which leaves the muffins with a fine, light crumb and soft texture. Using cake flour is an easy way to avoid heavy, dense muffins even if you end up stirring just a bit too much.

Should you let muffin batter rest? ›

Rest the Muffin Batter

The first, most hands-off way to make your muffins pop (literally) is to let the batter rest. Make the batter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let the batter rest at room temperature for about 1 hour. If you're short on time, just 30 minutes can make a difference.

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