Healthy Zucchini Muffins
These healthy zucchini muffins are naturally sweetened and made with whole wheat flour! They're fluffy, moist and absolutely delicious, too.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 30, 2024
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I thought I had this zucchini muffin recipe in the bag. Make my favorite zucchini bread batter, divide into muffin cups, bake for less time—nope. The increased surface area produced slightly dense and dry muffins, which were fine for “healthy” muffins. However, I wanted fluffy, moist and thoroughly delightful muffins that just-so-happened to be healthier.
So, I cross-referenced the zucchini bread recipe with my all-time favorite blueberry muffins in my cookbook. I adjusted the leavener, upped the amount of milk and switched to buttermilk for a more tender crumb. Success! These zucchini babes will make everyone happy.
Cookbook launch week has been a thrill. I’m overwhelmed, honestly. I’m so excited that you’re excited about the book, flattered by my fellow food bloggers’ kind words, and thankful for friends who took the time to say cheers. All that, and I’m still a little apprehensive about sending my book baby into the world. Is this what it feels like to send a child off on a school bus for the first time?
Thank you for your comments, notes and reviews; they mean so much. I hate to ask for more, but if you’ve had a chance to make recipes from the book already, would you mind leaving a review on Amazon to share your experience soon? That might seal the deal for people who aren’t familiar with my blog already.
If you haven’t gotten the book, I have more details about Love Real Food over here. I’d be glad to answer any questions you might have in the comments. Lastly, I promise I won’t go on and on about the book forever. ♥
What makes these zucchini muffins healthy?
Granted, “healthy” is a subjective term, but here are a few reasons why I consider these muffins to be more nutritionally redeeming than most:
- Unlike standard zucchini muffins made with refined all-purpose flour, these are made with white whole wheat flour. That means they’re made entirely with whole grains, but you can’t taste them because white whole wheat flour has such a mild flavor.
- Coconut oil or olive oil replace butter (olive oil is composed of more monounsaturated fat, and is considered to be more heart-healthy)
- Real maple syrup replaces refined sugar, so these muffins are naturally sweetened.
- Combined, you end up with hearty and delicious zucchini-flecked muffins.
These muffins are easily adapted to vegan and gluten-free diets, too! See my recipe notes for details.
Watch How to Make Zucchini Muffins
More Muffin Recipes to Enjoy
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Healthy Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Lemon Raspberry Muffins
- Strawberry Oat Muffins
Please let me know how these muffins turn out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
These healthy zucchini muffins are naturally sweetened and made with whole wheat flour! They’re fluffy, moist and absolutely delicious, too. Recipe yields 1 dozen muffins.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup roughly chopped raw walnuts or pecans (optional)
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup buttermilk (or ⅔ cup milk of choice mixed with 2 teaspoons vinegar, allow to rest for 5 minutes before using)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (you’ll need 1 small-to-medium zucchini, about 7 ounces—working in handfuls, gently squeeze out excess moisture from the grated zucchini over the sink)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter or cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).
- Toast the nuts (if using): Once the oven has finished preheating, pour the chopped nuts onto a small, rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and toasted, about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil and honey. Beat them with a whisk until they are combined. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the buttermilk and vanilla. Whisk to combine, and set the bowl aside. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 30 seconds in the microwave.)
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Using a big spoon, stir to combine.
- Pour the liquid mixture into the dry and stir just until combined (a few lumps are ok!). Add the zucchini (be sure to squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini first) and toasted nuts, if using. Gently fold the zucchini and nuts into the batter, being careful not to over-stir.
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 16 to 19 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my zucchini bread and the blueberry maple muffins in my cookbook, Love Real Food.
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
Change it up: Use chocolate chips or small/chopped dried fruit instead of the nuts.
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk, such as almond milk.
Make it dairy free: Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk).
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill’s all-purpose gluten-free mix works well.
Make it nut free: Just omit the nuts, and don’t use nut milk.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
Update 9/23/20: I’ve modified the method slightly, to use two bowls instead of one. The recipe comes together more intuitively this way and bakes up a bit nicer.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I made this recipe today, using whole wheat flour, honey, and 1% milk with apple cider vinegar. I think the whole wheat flour definitely gives a certain density to these–not really “light and fluffy,” so I recommend using a mix of white and whole wheat flour instead. They’re definitely more of a hearty breakfast option (I plan to use these for grab-and-go breakfasts on my workdays). I didn’t have any problems with the cook time that other reviewers had–I was careful to squeeze out the zucchini multiple times with paper towels, until it was as dry as possible. If anything, I could have cooked them a minute or two less (I went for 18 minutes, and they were a little dry—whoops). In any case, I would absolutely try this recipe again, but change up the flour and add more sugar for my tastes. Also, I did put toasted almonds on top of half of these, just for a fun garnish (I did not put nuts in the batter), and that was a winner! I like the added crunch.
I use whole wheat pastry flour and they are much fluffier than regular whole wheat
Delicious. Used canned coconut milk & egg replacement powder.
I made these today and they were perfect! Thoroughly enjoyed and can’t wait to make again! I read all the helpful notes and only change I made was to use a combination of whole wheat & white flour. Excellent.
That’s great! Thank you for your review, Janet.
These are amazing! So fluffy and indulgent, even with the white whole wheat flour.
I have to admit they are even more indulgent with the addition of chocolate chips. :)
Made these exactly as the recipe states with the one exception of using 2% milk with the two teaspoons of vinegar. So good! I love the earthy texture.
That’s great to hear, Liz! I appreciate your review.
I’m in love with these muffins! Replaced the coconut oil with olive and honey instead of maple syrup, and pecans. Added a little more cinnamon and nutmeg, and used whole wheat pastry flour. These are the bomb – moist with perfect texture. Eat them warm with a bit of butter! ❤️ Thank you
You’re welcome, Sie! I appreciate your review.
Love this! Used extra cinnamon and a bit extra of yogurt and coconut oil! Thank you
You’re welcome, Lisa! Thank you for your review.
I made these muffins only difference is i uaed 2percent milk and almond flour. Some of them stayed a whole muffin some fell apart. Very moist and delicious
I am just eating one right out of the oven and they are really tasty! I used maple syrup instead of honey, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free flour, Oatly Oatmilk Barista blend with white vinegar. I used pecans instead of walnuts because that is what I had. I also threw in some raisins. Baked for about 20 minutes on 375 in convection oven. Brown on the outside and soft in the middle. Thanks Kate and Cookie for helping me use a giant zucchini that from the garden. These may be healthy but they are delicious too!
Thank you for sharing how you made these gluten free, Carolyn! I appreciate your review and comment.
These seem like a fabulous option for a healthyish breakfast or snack. Would you have an approximate baking time for mini muffins, please?
Hi Jennie! Mini muffins are typically half the time, same temperature. Be sure to keep an eye on them as it can vary.
Since we’re growing zucchinis this summer, I figured I had to make muffins with the extras! This recipe was perfect–easy to follow and healthy ingredients, like many of Kate’s tasty baked goods. I used a (clean!) muslin towel to wring the excess moisture from the zucchinis–quick and easy without waste.
Delicious!! I used butter for my fat and only did a quarter cup. Used blueberries instead of nuts, added lemon zest and omitted the spices. Lemon juice does the same thing as vinegar and added some extra lemon flavor. I mixed gently (as to not develop gluten) and let the batter sit while I grated my zucchini. The texture came out perfect!!! I baked at 350 for 25 min. I find a lower temp works well for me at high altitude.
After reading some comments, I thought it might be good to note that whole wheat flour sucks up a lot more moisture than white flour. So, if you substitute ALL the whole wheat flour for white flour, either increase your flour slightly or decrease your liquid so the batter is not too moist.
Muffins didn’t cook properly and I made sure to squeeze the heck out of the zucchini. I’ve never had a fail with Kate’s recipes. :(
Hi Desiree, I’m sorry to hear that. I appreciate your feedback.
These were so much better than I was expecting! I made a few substitutions based on what I had on hand and I went the vegan route. These were flavorful but not too sweet and very fluffy (I followed the recommendation to swap half AP flour). I doubled the batch so I could use more squash. 10/10 will make again.
Hooray! That’s great to hear.
Oh my goodness. These are wild. Thank you for a wonderful and healthy recipe. Will be making these often!! Thanks from New Zealand!
Just made the muffins today and they are delicious! The estimated nutritional information is not displaying. Are you able to provide? Thank you
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. It’s working for me. Have you tried it again? Sometimes it can take a second to load.
Hi Kate,
I’ve cooked zucchini cake for my kids since they were children and as adults they still love it. I wanted to make zucchini muffins for my valentines boy’s 32nd birthday, but didn’t know how to adapt the cooking time. Found your recipe and love the natural ingredients you use. I mixed it up using chick pea flour for more nutrition. They’ve cooked up beautifully, but you’ll have to wait for the verdict tonight.
Think about putting Celsius temperature as well as Fahrenheit and metric measures in your recipes (although cups and spoons seem to be the same), as US and UK are the only countries using those systems. The rest of the world is metric.
Just made these and they are delicious!!! I made them gluten free, with no added sugar impact and no oil or butter used. I subbed allulose syrup for the honey, applesauce for the oil, and I used gfJules gluten free flour (my favorite). I took the suggestion of others and after squeezing the water out of the zucchini, I placed it on paper towels while working on the rest. I also added back the zucchini liquid as part of the “buttermilk” (1% milk & apple cider vinegar). I’m so glad I discovered your website. Your cookbook in my bookcase! :)
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for sharing how you made it, Laurie.
I just made a batch of these muffins for the first time, and they are soo moist and delicious. I used the olive oil instead of coconut oil, and I used 11/4 cups of whole wheat flour, and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour. I also used 1 percent milk instead of buttermilk.
I will be making these muffins on a regular basis.
Thank you for posting this recipe.
You’re welcome, Sylvorne!
I made these muffins yesterday and they are delicious! They are not as sweet as I am used to but I used honey, not maple syrup. The recipe really brings out the zucchini flavor. I am definitely making these again!!
love love love!
swapped out half the walnuts for dark chocolate chips – the perfect mid-day pick-me-up!
Can I use cupcake liners instead of greasing the pan?
Sure, but I have had them stick before when using liners. Let me know how it turns out for you!
Hi Kate- I am wanting to use oat flour for these muffins. Could you tell me how much to use for 1 and 3/4 c whole wheat flour? I usually sub oat flour for your pumpkin and banana muffin recipes, but not sure it will work here, since there is slightly more flour than in those. Thank you!
Hi Juliet! Follow my oat flour post for specifics.
Here’s a helpful hint: if you juice your zucchini you can use the pulp that comes out in the muffins and will have less work to do
Don’t be afraid to add a slew of random ‘additions’ to this recipe- I’ve made them at least 10 times and always add extra protein fillers for my growing boys— coconut shreds, extra extra nuts, hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, etc. I have added up to 1.5C of extras per recipe with no problem!
I’d like to make some of these ahead of time to take camping. Do you think these would freeze well?
These should freeze well. Let me know what you think!
I made these with ingredients as is with almond milk. Super moist and delicious. Next time I will substitute the chocolate chips for the walnuts. It’s a keeper!!
Glad you loved it, Kathleen! I appreciate your review.
I made a few subs, and everything turned out perfect.
First of all, I measured the zucchini before squeezing the moisture out, then used a clean kitchen towel to thoroughly wring out the extra fluid.
I used avocado oil and oat milk.
I did 1 cup of the whole wheat flour, plus 3/4 cup of quinoa flour.
Crumb was perfect. Not eggy or soggy inside at all!
Kids loved them.
Will definitely make again.
Does anyone know if these will freeze okay?
Thank you for sharing, Jennifer! I believe others have froze these muffins and didn’t mind the results.
I followed this recipe to the letter. the muffins were moist and looked great but hey were tasteless. The only taste I got was a mild flavor of toasted pecans. I couldn’t even taste the cinnamon and it was relatively new.
I’m sorry to hear that, Penelope! I appreciate you taking the time to provide your feedback.
The receipt turned out lovely!
I used 2 small-medium zucchinis, squeezed them quite a lot (2 times. first when I grated them, and then again, right before adding them to the batter), and it worked perfectly. Perfectly moist :)
Great to hear! Thank you for your review, Nicole.
Do you squeeze the zucchini dry then measure or measure then squeeze?
Absolutely delicious! I used olive oil, toasted pecans, maple syrup and added a bit of mini chocolate chips. Since I used fresh zucchini, I squeezed it out in a tea towel. I was sceptical about the amount of moisture in the batter but these turned out perfectly moist and delish.
I’m glad you loved it, Kristin! I appreciate your review.
I will comment again after I have made the muffins, but, based on my experience with making your muffins and other recipes, I never use more than 1/4 c oil/melted butter. The eggs I buy in Albania are usually XL, so one egg is enough. I also buy liners from Serbia that let the muffins slide right out.
Thanks for all your great recipes. Not all ingredients are available here. I can get flax seeds but nothing besides normal eggs. I can get gluten free and non-dairy like almond or soy milk, but it’s difficult to find other types of flour, flavoring extracts, oils other than olive – lots of that here!
Can I use a loaf pan instead of individual muffins?
I would recommend my Healthy Zucchini Bread
You are my fave recipe blogger!
I just made these and they are delicious. I subbed my own gluten free flour blend and flax eggs since I didn’t have enough real eggs. And I used my Homemade almond milk and vinegar to make the buttermilk.
They turned out perfect, the only thing to note is I baked them for way longer, maybe around 30mins total, I kept checking and putting them back in, but it was worth it because they were perfectly cooked eventually. With all my substitutions not suprisingly my bake time varied.
Also I topped them with the essential (in my house) cinnamon sugar topping!
Oh and I added 1/4tsp of ground cloves.
Thank you!!
Jenny
You are so kind, Jenny! I’m delighted you are enjoying my recipes.
I love how you use healthy ingredients. If I want to add pumpkin to this recipe, how do you recommend doing so?
Hi! I suggest my Healthy Pumpkin Muffins.
Really good! lovely fluffy texture…best “healthy” recipe i have made. I used whole wheat flower, almond milk, olive oil and maple syrup.
That’s great to hear!
My granddaughter loves the zucchini muffins.
OMG-Kate-these are fantastic! I’ve made most of your muffin recipes & loved them. These are beyond delicious. I used maple syrup and may add chopped dried apricot next time.
Made these with my young daughters. Used kefir instead of buttermilk (with a little extra because of the whole meal flour) and not sure how effectively I squeezed out the zucchini …but they turned out DELICIOUSLY AND SUPER MOIST!!! My 6 year old wished she could finish the whole batch by herself! Will definitely be repeating!
Can you use Almond or rice flour for these healthy Zucchini muffins? Can you use monk fruit with erythritol instead of maple syrup. If yes to both then how much almond flour & how much of the monk fruit sweetener should I use
Those would not be great substitutes for this recipe, sorry!
I used half Maple syrup and half my homemade keto maple syrup and added dark chocolate chips and they turned out great as I have to watch their sugar intake. They are not sweet but good for diabetics. However I used the white whole wheat flour I ground myself for the flour but added one tablespoon gluten flour for a better rise. I also used frozen zucchini unthawed that was originally one and a half cups shredded, but it seemed too little once unthawed so I grated a small carrot and added that and they came out perfect. I have used monk fruit sweetener for your recipes in the past instead of Maple syrup or honey, but increased the liquid slightly and it worked. I use a lot of your recipes and love them.
Made these today and loved them. I always bake with white whole wheat flour, so went with that. I did use orange flavored olive oil and maple syrup and the flavor was great, muffin light and fluffy and done in 19 minutes. I did only make 9 tho as my muffin tin is over sized!
Thank you for sharing, Barbara!
If you’re making a dairy free, do you still have to do the vinegar with the oat milk or just do oat milk?
Yes, you will want to follow the recipe with making How to Make Buttermilk.
Kate, I’ve just purchased your Love Real Food book and I absolutely love everything about it! After searching for a good recipe for a black bean salad, I found your Zesty Black Bean and Corn version and was hooked. Thank you for this great resource.
As a dog lover, it brings me joy to see Cookie within the pages of your book. I am very sorry to know of her passing.
I look forward to trying more of your recipes.
Peace.
Lisa Glaser
I love to hear that, Lisa! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful content! It will wonder in my life!
I made these with Bob’s Red Mill gf flour and they came out perfectly. The kids asked to bring them for dessert at school and already asked me to make more. Definitely a keeper recipe. I did add some chocolate chunks for a little extra yum factor.
They came out super light and fluffy. The only change I will make next time is to use coconut oil instead of olive oil. I don’t love the flavor as much. I used manuka honey, 1/3 cup white flour and 1 cup regular whole wheat flour. I will definitely make again!
Hi, tried these today with olive oil. They fell flat and were kind of a custard consistency. I tried cooking them longer but disappointed in the result. I tripled the recipe and made some small and standard loafs as well. Any advice?
Hi Heather, I’m sorry to hear that. Did you squeeze out the excess liquid from the zucchini?