These super easy, Healthy Zucchini Muffins have a light and fluffy inside and just happen to also be gluten-free AND vegan! Perfect to make during zucchini season in those late summer months. Or pull some shredded zucchini from the freezer and make them any time of the year!
The Best Healthy Zucchini Muffin Recipe
Fall is right around the corner and we all have a ton of fresh summer zucchini bursting from our garden, so let’s get cooking (and baking)! These Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins are perfect to meal prep for easy breakfast options throughout the week or as a healthy snack in the afternoon. This easy muffin recipe is a family favorite that everyone continues to ask for again and again! We hope that you love them as much as we do!
What You Will Need
- gluten-free flour & almond flour – the gluten-free flour base that is perfect for these healthy muffins!
- rolled oats – adds some great texture, just check the label to ensure they are certified gluten-free.
- tapioca starch – just a little bit helps to thicken up the muffin batter before cooking.
- baking powder & baking soda – they’re subtle but important to ensure that your muffins come out nice and fluffy.
- ground cinnamon – great for some added flavor!
- coconut sugar – provides a touch of sweetness to these delicious muffins.
- xanthum gum – an essential ingredient in gluten-free baking!
- kosher salt – adds a bit of structure to these muffins.
- unsweetened applesauce & ripe banana – both some natural sweetness and are a healthier option for wet ingredients.
- unsweetened almond milk – option to use any plant-based milk or regular cow’s milk.
- ground flax & water – when mixed together they become flax eggs that can be used instead of regular eggs, but if you would rather use regular eggs that works too!
- whole zucchini – grab a zucchini from your garden, farmers market, or local grocery store to shred and squeeze out the excess moisture.
- chocolate chips – these are optional but are always delicious!
- plant-based butter – to keep them vegan muffins and dairy-free you will want to use a plant based butter, but regular butter would work too.
How To Make Healthy Zucchini Muffins
The first steps to making this easy recipe is to mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Then in a separate bowl, mix the applesauce, banana, and milk with a wooden spoon. Add the flax eggs, then the grated zucchini, mix to fully combine, and then start adding the dry ingredients. Finally, add the chocolate chips and melted butter to the batter. Mix, but for best results make sure you don’t over mix the batter.
Carefully scoop the zucchini muffin batter into paper muffin cups that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray in a muffin pan. Option to add more chocolate chips, oats, or pieces of shredded zucchini on top of the muffins.
Now bake muffins in the oven at 375 degrees F for 32 minutes.
Let them cool in the pan on the wire rack for a few minutes before taking the muffins out of the pan to finish cooling to room temperature. When baking gluten-free muffins you want to make sure you let them cool completely before eating for the best texture on the inside.
Recipe Substitutions
- Banana: I have used canola oil or vegetable oil in place of the mashed banana and that works too.
- Flax Eggs: You should also be able to use 2 eggs in their place.
- Gluten-Free Flour: I have NOT tested the recipe with any other flour besides the combination in the recipe card!
Recipes FAQs
- Spray your muffin tin liners: otherwise they will stick!
- Flax Eggs: make sure they sit for at least 5 minutes (or longer) to really congeal together.
- Don’t over-mix: once you add in those flax eggs try not to mix any more than you need too! The flax eggs will work better that way!
- Take out of muffin tin: Let the muffins cool for about 5 minutes or so in the pan after you take it out of the oven, but then remove them (carefully) and set them on a cooling rack.
- Let fully cool: I repeat – let fully cool! Especially with gluten-free baking it is especially important to let them cool and the moisture/steam escape. Once they are cooled they will be light and fluffy on the inside!
- Storage: keep the cooled muffins in an airtight container on the counter top for up to 5 days.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Healthy Muffin Recipes You Might Like
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Healthy Zucchini Muffins Recipe – you are going to love how fluffy these healthy zucchini muffins are! So easy and delicious!
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup 1-to-1 gluten-free flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup gluten free oats
- 1 tablespoon tapioca starch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon xanthum gum
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
Wet Ingredients:
- heaping 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup banana, smashed (about 1 small banana)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 flax eggs
- 2 tablespoons ground flax meal, divided
- 4 tablespoons water, divided
- 1 cup fresh zucchini, grated
Other Ingredients:
- 1/3–1/2 cup dairy-free chocolate chips
- 1 tablespoon plant-based butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place paper muffin liners in a 12 muffin tin and spray with olive oil. Set aside.
- Take two small bowls and make two flax eggs by adding 1 tablespoon of ground flax meal to each bowl and then 2 tablespoons of water to each small bowl. Stir to mix the flax and water together and then set aside for at least 5 minutes.
- Grate the zucchini and squeeze out as much excess water as possible using either your hands, paper towel or cheese cloth (don’t skip this part!). Set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine with a fork or whisk to ensure no lumps and that everything combines well. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add applesauce, mashed banana and almond milk. Stir to combine.
- Add the two flax eggs to the applesauce mixture and mix gently for just a few seconds.
- Add the zucchini to the applesauce mixture and gently mix for a few more seconds.
- Pour the Dry Ingredients a little at a time into the Wet Ingredients and stir to combine.
- Once the wet and dry ingredients are fully combined (don’t over-mix) add the chocolate chips and melted plant based butter.
- Stir to combine, again being careful to not over-stir.
- Scoop dough into muffin liners, filling almost to the top (they will rise a bit).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 32 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 2-3 minutes and then carefully remove and place on a cooling rack as soon as possible.
- Let fully cool before serving.
Notes
- Spray with olive oil (or nonstick cooking spray): definitely remember to spray the muffin tin liners or the muffins will stick!
- Flax Eggs Separately: we have had better luck making them in separate bowls instead of all in one bowl.
- Flax Egg Substitutions: this recipe works great with regular eggs too!
- Let cool!: Make sure you let these fully cool! If you break them open before they are fully cool they may look a little mushy in the very center. Once they have cooled they will be fluffy and delicious!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 156
- Sugar: 12.4 g
- Sodium: 188.7 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.9 g
- Protein: 2.3 g
- Cholesterol: 2.5 mg
Linda says
These are so good- actually feel good when I eat them and so tasty!
Linda says
Wow so good and moist! Cannot stop eating them ! Will definitely make them again as I know I will have more of those huge zucchini that somehow get lost in the garden ! Perfect for grating!
Kari Simon says
I make these so often to grab for a quick breakfast or sweet treat. I have friends and family that ask me to bake these for them regularly.
They are moist and filling. A great way to get extra veggies in and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time!
Erin says
So happy to hear this, Kari!!
Diane says
Looks like an amazing recipe! A great way to use up the huge zucchini I have from the garden. Can’t wait to try it ☺️
Linda says
I do best with gluten free things but often they are just not that good- not fluffy or tasty. I made this recipe and I cannot stop eating them! They are so good! I am not a vegan so made them with eggs and they turned out great! I’m so glad to have this blog for Whole 30 and gluten free recipes which are my go to. Thanks for all your amazing recipes Erin! When can we expect a cook book? ❤️
Erin says
Thank you so much for this! I love creating recipes for all of you! Definitely a cookbook … one day 🙂 So glad you loved the recipe and thank you for the feedback – I really appreciate it!
Janet T. says
DO you think it would work to use oat flour or more GF flour for the almond? No nuts for me, I’m afraid. They look so good!!
Erin says
Hi Janet! So I did extensive testing on this recipe and I did start out with only GF flour, but less baking soda and baking powder … and it didn’t work. I then increased the baking powder/soda and used the almond flour. I didn’t test it with only GF flour and the increased baking soda/powder so it MIGHT work to use all GF flour or sub in some oat flour for the almond flour. If I had to pick I would try the oat flour as a sub! Please report back if you try it and remember to get the muffins out of the baking tin ASAP and let them fully cool. If you break them open too soon they won’t look fully cooked! 🙂