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These Healthy Zucchini Muffins have a perfectly fluffy texture and bake faster than a loaf of zucchini bread. You’ll get all the flavor you love in half the time!

zucchini muffin split in half on a white plate.

Made with oat flour and grated zucchini, these tender muffins are a delicious way to use up any summer zucchini you have on hand. They are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and are easy to customize. 

Add in a few chocolate chips to make them taste like dessert, or fold in walnuts or pecans for extra crunch. 

Ingredients You’ll Need

Using oat flour keeps these muffins gluten-free, without using any complicated flour blends. Oat flour is made by simply grinding rolled oats in a blender, so this is something you can quickly make at home if you don’t have store-bought oat flour in your pantry. 

zucchini, eggs, oat flour, baking powder, oil, and maple syrup arranged on a board overhead.

Paired with maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg, they have a classic flavor you’ll love.

Swap the maple syrup for 1/2 cup honey, if you prefer. (Honey has a stronger flavor when compared to maple syrup, so it’s important to use a little less when making swaps.)

If you prefer to use another flour and don’t need a gluten-free recipe, you can most likely swap this with white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour. But, experiment at your own risk, as I haven’t tested these options on this recipe yet.

How to Make Healthy Zucchini Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners. (Greasing your muffin pan may be sufficient, but I like to use parchment muffin cups to guarantee they will be easy to remove later.)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients including the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk well to break up any clumps. 

shredded zucchini measured and added to muffin batter in bowl.

Next, add in the wet ingredients like the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and olive oil. If you prefer to use coconut oil or butter, just make sure the eggs are at room temperature, otherwise, it may clump up in your batter. (Another mild flavored vegetable oil will work, too.)

Stir until the batter looks relatively smooth, then fold in the shredded zucchini. Unlike other zucchini recipes, there’s no need to squeeze out extra moisture for this recipe. The oat flour will absorb it as it bakes! 

This also means you can use less oil, and don’t need to add extra moisture, like milk, mashed banana, or applesauce. 

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a few chopped walnuts or pecans on top for added texture, or add some chocolate chips for zucchini chocolate chip muffins that taste like dessert. 

zucchini muffins overhead in a pan before and after baking them.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top of the muffins are dry to the touch and spring back when you press on them. You can also insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin to make sure it doesn’t come out with any wet batter attached. 

Let the muffins cool for at least 15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Their texture will improve as they cool. Once they have cooled for at least 30 minutes, they are ready to enjoy! 

storage Tip

Muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours, but since they are so moist, it’s best if you store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Don’t be surprised if the tops of the muffins start to become sticky the next day. This is a natural consequence of using maple syrup as the sweetener (it often occurs in recipes that call for brown sugar, too).

healthy zucchini muffins on a marble surface near shredded zucchini.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze these muffins?

Yes, muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight before serving them again. To warm one up, reheat it in the microwave for about 15 seconds.

What if I’m out of baking powder?

You can replace the baking powder with less baking soda. I tend to use a 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for every egg a recipe calls for, so in this case you can use 3/4 teaspoon baking soda. 

Looking for more muffin recipes? Try Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (which taste like brownies!), Almond Flour Banana Muffins, or Healthy Apple Muffins for more ideas. 

zucchini muffin split in half on a white plate.

Healthy Zucchini Muffins

5 from 2 votes
Healthy zucchini muffins bake faster than a loaf of zucchini bread! This gluten-free recipe creates a fluffy texture you'll love, without having to squeeze the shredded zucchini.
prep10 mins cook25 mins total35 mins
Servings:12

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 ½ cup oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
  • 3 large eggs
  • cup maple syrup
  • ¼ cup olive oil (or other vegetable oil)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (no need to squeeze)
  • cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk well to break up any lumps.
  • Next, add in the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until the batter looks relatively smooth. Then stir in the shredded zucchini. (No need to squeeze out the extra moisture from the zucchini; the oat flour will absorb it as it bakes.)
  • Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Top each muffin with chopped nuts, if desired. (They add a nice crunch! But chocolate chips are an option, too.) Bake at 350ºF for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins feel dry and spring back when you lightly press on them.
  • Let the muffins cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. The texture will improve as they cool; oat flour can have a gummy texture when warm. Once they have cooled for at least 30 minutes, then are ready to serve. Cooled muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 12 muffins without the optional nuts on top. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
Need to use another sweetener? Honey should also work, but I would use less, starting with just a 1/2 cup.
Need an egg-free recipe? I don’t think 3 flax eggs would work well here but check out my vegan pumpkin muffins as a starting point. I think swapping the pumpkin for zucchini should work similarly.

Nutrition

Calories: 174kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 47mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 222mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 97IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: healthy zucchini muffins

If you try this oat flour zucchini muffin recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.

Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. I create healthy recipes made with simple ingredients to make your life easier.

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Comments

  1. Melanie Underwood a mindfulness cooking teacher advises us to bake intuitively. So with these muffins I used almond flour, coconut oil, and lemon zest which I love. The muffins were divine!!! The zucchini, cinnamon, and walnuts do it for me. So say yes to almond flour and coconut oil for this recipe🤩

  2. Can you use regular flour or wheat flour I would love to try it but I would have other use for the oat flour

  3. I made these over the weekend and they came out perfect and my kids loved them. I’d love an almond flour zucchini recipe though.

  4. I’ve been looking for a good zucchini muffin recipe so thank you for posting this. I cannot tolerate any grain, so oat flour isn’t possible. Would almond flour work? Let me know and thanks.

    1. How long would i need to bake a loaf instead of the zucchini muffins recipe? I don’t have any liners.
      Thanks
      Dennis t