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Healthy Zucchini Muffins

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This Healthy Zucchini Muffins recipe is the best!! It’s quick and easy to make, totally comforting and delicious, and it’s made healthier with a few simple ingredients.

These last few weeks have felt like a whirlwind.

Between two trips back home to Wichita to be with family, deadlines and projects galore due for work, and a host of morning coffee dates, impromptu lunches, margarita happy hours, evening grill-outs and late-night front porch talks filling just about every little hour in between…I feel like I have barely blinked…and the summer is already half over.

Poof.

How does that even happen?

Well, I guess the old saying explains it all. Time seems to be flying while having lots of fun, with lots of dear people in my life, and lots of fun memories already being made. All the better, of course, with that heavenly warm summer sunshine covering it all. Definitely a full but good start to my favorite season of the year. So as Tim Riggins would say, “no regrets.”

That said, though, as much as I love the time spent with my people, my little introverted heart has been waving the red flag this weekend, ready for some r&r. So in small and long stretches this week, I’m scheduling some much-needed downtime into the agenda, starting this afternoon on a lazy Sunday. Feet are up, glass of iced tea is in hand, pup is curled up by my side, sunlight is streaming in through the windows, and a nice weekend nap is just 10 minutes away. And my goodness, I can already feel my little heart re-charging. It’s almost as though we were designed to need rest or something. :)  So good.

Anyway, on this note of time zooming by, somehow it’s already zucchini season. And anyone with a garden knows what that means: so much zucchini.  Like, SO MUCH. It happens to be one of my favorite seasonal vegetables, so I’m always happy to saute and add it to just about any dish that I’m having for dinner. But for anyone looking to mix things up and maybe even incorporate it into breakfast, I thought I’d share my recipe today for these healthy zucchini muffins.

I’ve made three batches of them in the past two weeks, and still don’t seem to get tired of them. They’re made with white whole wheat flour, naturally-sweetened, deliciously spiced with cinnamon, easy to freeze, and — even though you won’t taste it — they are chocked full of fresh shredded zucchini. I think you’re going to love them.

Healthy Zucchini Muffins Recipe | 1-Minute Video

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Healthy Zucchini Muffins

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 48 reviews
  • Prep Time: 14 minutes
  • Cook Time: 16 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x

Description

This healthy zucchini muffins recipe is made with whole wheat flour, it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and it’s a delicious way to use up extra zucchini!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 2/3 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup plain milk (dairy or non-dairy)
  • 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated zucchini (no need to squeeze out excess liquid)
  • 1/3 cups old-fashioned oats
  • turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Prep oven and muffin pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by either greasing it with cooking spray or lining the cups with paper liners.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger and salt until combined.
  3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together egg, maple syrup, milk, coconut oil and vanilla extract until combined. Pour this mixture into the dry ingredient mixture and stir with a spoon until just combined. (Do not overmix.) Stir in the zucchini and oats until just combined.
  4. Bake. Portion the batter evenly between the 12 baking cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of turbinado sugar, if desired.  Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire cooling rack for at least 5 minutes to cool.
  5. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Love this Healthier Zucchini Muffins recipe! It's easy to make, made with healthier ingredients (including oatmeal), and so flavorful and delicious! My kind of summer breakfast comfort food. :) | gimmesomeoven.com

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281 comments on “Healthy Zucchini Muffins”

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  1. I totally feel you on time flying! WHERE IS IT GOING? 
    However, I do know that these little muffins are going right into my face because they look perfect! I love using zucchini in baked goods and I’m diggin’ that whole wheat goodness. Pinned!

    • We hope you’re having an awesome summer Taylor, and that you enjoy the muffins! : )

  2. Healthy muffins like this are the perfect way to begin the week! Love the recipe!

  3. Zucchini muffins are a classic breakfast/after dinner snack. These look delicious! As for summer–I can’t believe it’s halfway over! ….that is what the 4th of July means, right? :D Here’s to a mix of being social and r&r. 

  4. Yum, these look absolutely perfect for a summer breakfast :) I’m still waiting for my garden zucchini to finish, but I’m adding this to my list. Pinned!

  5. I’m feeling the exact same way with travel, deadlines, projects, dates, etc. It’s been a crazy summer, and it’s almost over already!

    Josh | The Kentucky Gent
    https://thekentuckygent.com

  6. omg this is such a good idea!! yumyy love it

  7. Ali, I feel so much the same way about this summer! I want to sip an iced tea with these muffins near at hand. What a perfect way to spend a Sunday.

    • Erin, we hope you love these, and that you’re having a great summer!

  8. Oh my gosh SO MUCH zucchini! I kind of have a love:hate relationship with it at times. It’s just taking over my garden! Baking into submission into these muffins seems like the right choice. :-)

  9. I can’t stand how quickly summer is going…far, far to fast!
    I love the healthier take on these muffins, I can’t wait to try them out on my little guys and myself!

  10. I was just searching for a healthier muffin recipe yesterday and was having no luck finding one that didn’t use protein powders or a bunch of crazy ingredients. These are perfect! I’ll be scooping up some zucchini at the Farmers Market this week. 

  11. Yum!! I love love love zucchini bread and cake! Anything I put it in is super moist and you can’t even tell. I’ll be trying these for breakfast!

  12. Seriously where does time go!?

    These look so yummy! Can’t wait to try these!

  13. can I use succant instead of maple syrup? sounds delicious!

    • Hi Jackie! Yes, you can, and the same amount should work just fine. We hope you enjoy these!

  14. Summer is flying by!!  I love that you are taking moments to yourself to relax and regroup.  I’m more of an extrovert but the older I get the more I learn how much I need those times too!  So now, I need a muffin and a nap :)

    PS…so glad you joined the group :)  look forward to meeting you one day 

    • Thanks so much for organizing, Becky! And yes — fingers crossed that our paths can finally cross in person sometime SOON! :)

  15. This really looks wonderful and I would use Agave instead of maple due to health reasons. Thank you for your upbeat mood.

    I really enjoy your blog.

    • Agave would be great with these too. :) And thanks for your kind words — I’m so glad you enjoy the blog!

  16. These looks delicious. I’m going to make some mini ones for my kiddos. I bet they’ll love them. Thanks.

  17. Zucchini muffins are one of my favorite ways to sneak some veggies into my kids’ breakfast! They love them, and I can already tell they would love these wholesome muffins, too :)

    • Agreed, such a great veggie for sneaking into other foods. :) I love that you make zuch muffins for your kids!

  18. Oh, Tim Riggins. He was my favourite :)
    As for time flying, I can’t talk about it. Summer just barely started in Montreal, and I’m already dreading winter because “Winter is coming” and winter in Montreal is terrible! I should move… but first, I should make these muffins!

    • Tim Riggins foreverrrr! ;)

      I’m with you on dreading winter, but I’m pretty sure these muffins will help all of us savor summer as much as possible. :) Enjoy!

  19. Ahhaha you are SO right!! SO MUCH effin’ zucchini! I do have a garden and, well…SO. MUCH.
    It’s about time I try my hand at zucchini muffins. Thanks for the inspiration!

  20. Looks delicious! Muffins are my favorite way to eat zucchini! Haha. They always make muffins extra moist. Great recipe! Thanks for sharing! 
    Happy Summer!
    xx Lane

    • Thanks Lane! We hope you love them, and that you’re having a great summer!

  21. Think I would be able to use a flax seed ‘egg’ instead?

    • Yes, we think you could definitely do that! We hope you like the muffins!

  22. Instead of the maple syrup can I sub in some smashed ripe bananas? If so how much would you suggest?

    • Hey Shannon, we really aren’t sure, because we haven’t tried that. Our concern though is that the banana will alter the consistency of the muffin batter and the muffins may be off. If you’re concerned about the sugar, we’d actually recommend just cutting back on the maple syrup. Maybe you could try 1/4 cup instead? We hope that helps! :)

  23. Ahhh I love that I got a sneak peek of these on SnapChat!! Zucchini is so good right now and so cheap – we’ve been loading up!

  24. Mmmmm… Hearty, healthy and the perfect lil breakfast treat! 

  25. Really, feeling the same! Time just flying away! It feels like year started yesterday and half of it is gone already! It’s been long since I baked Zucchini muffins, you pictures and recipe has inspired me today! Ali, thanks for sharing! pinning!

  26. Speaking of time flying, I turned my back to my garden for one minute and all of a sudden I have too-big-to-saute zucchinis!  (Probably because we had the rainiest June in history.)  So I have chocolate chocolate chip zucchini muffins in the oven right now.  :)  Our recipes are pretty similar… although after reading yours I wish I would have used some maple syrup to sub some of the raw cane sugar.  Next time!

    • Oh my goodness, that’s crazy! And omg, we are drooling at the thought of these having chocolate chips in them — how yummy!

  27. Just made these today!  They are a yummy, healthy muffin. I added extra zucchini into the recipe, but everything else I followed exactly as written.  Thanks for a great recipe!

    • We’re so glad you enjoyed these, Sharice — thanks for giving them a try! :)

  28. These look positively lovely! I am always in need of a healthy, on the go breakfast treat! 

  29. these look delicious — though i’m not a huge fan of maple syrup…any suggestions for substitutions? 

  30. Any idea if these can be made sub gluten-free flour? I’ve made a zucchini bread GF before.. which can surely be used for muffins.. but would like to try your recipe if think it might work.. 

    • Hey Karlie, we haven’t tried these with gluten-free flour, but we think it’s worth a shot, if you have a GF blend you like! You could always just try to make half the recipe. Either way, we hope you enjoy!

  31. Made these today. Thanks for a great, healthy recipe. It was easy to make & a great way to use zucchini. I replaced a couple tbsps of the flour for ground flax seed. I didn’t have real maple syrup, so I used fake maple syrup. These are not very sweet, so if I made them again I would add a little more sweetener. I wonder if I could sub honey?

    • Hey Deb, we’re happy you liked these! Yes, you could definitely sub honey!

  32. I LOVE zucchini bread, zucchini muffins sound even better!!!

    Jessica

  33. If you want to use agave instead of maple syrup, would the amount still be the same?

  34. I made these today (in 105 degree heat here on the east coast!) and they turned out yummy!  Although I think next time I am going to try honey instead of the maple syrup.  Thanks for the awesome recipe!  

    • Oh my gosh, it’s SO hot, right?! (I’m in N.C.) We’re glad you liked these (you were brave to turn on your oven today!) ;)

  35. So I made them with the honey instead of the maple syrup (hey – I had to use up the rest of the zucchini)! WOW! These actually turned out better than the first batch.  There was just that little extra bit of sweet and flavor.  

    • That’s great to know Cat, thanks for sharing! We’re happy you liked these! :)

  36. i just ate two of these warm out of the oven (with a little butter). Delicious! Thanks for a great recipe. My kids are going to love them for breakfast tomorrow.

    • Thanks Danielle, we’re so happy you enjoyed them — thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)

  37. I made these this morning with my kids and we are making a second batch this afternoon! Really, really yummy. I’ll be freezing these (if we can stop eating them) and using this school year! Thanks!

  38. Hi these look great! Could you substitute applesauce for the coconut oil? Or any other type of oil? Thanks! 

  39. I’ve been trying all kinds of healthy muffin/bread recipes for pre-workout and haven’t found the right one yet. Fingers crossed this does the trick! They look delicious. For anyone curious, approx. macros- 153 calories, 5g fat, 24g carbs, 3g fiber, 9g sugar and 4g protein. 

  40. These are so good and great with a green smoothie to get veggies in for breakfast! I used a 1/4 cup of maple syrup because that is all I had and they were great! Thanks for the recipe! 

  41. Made these last night with just a few changes.  
    I subbed unsweetened applesauce for the oil just to be uber stingy on calories.
    I’m trying to use up some regular whole wheat flour so that’s what I used and I left out the oats since I had the more nutty whole wheat flavor in there, and honestly because I kinda forgot by the time I got to that ingredient. 
    I had beautiful huge blueberries so I threw those into the batter. 
    Super yummy! Super healthy! I totally suggest adding blueberries to any zucchini bread recipe – it’s like a one-two punch and who doesn’t love one-two punches?!

  42. I’m so glad I found this recipe! I’ve probably made it 5 times already this summer. My whole family enjoys these muffins and I’m so happy to have found a zucchini recipe that uses so little oil! 

  43. Loved these muffins!! Thanks for the recipe!

  44. Made these today. They are very good! Moist, light, and flavourful. Bonus: my house now smells like fall :)

  45. Wow! These are amazing! Made em this morning… I am always looking for healthy baking recipes and these were a home run! Thank you for sharing

  46. Wow, I didn’t expect these to be so good! They’re really soft and, surprisingly, you don’t even taste the zucchini. Thanks for this recipe, I’ll definitely make them again!

  47. can I used quick oats??

  48. These just came out of the oven and they are delicious!  My 2 toddlers agree, too!  I love that the recipe doesn’t include butter and sugar.  Thank you for the great recipe!

  49. I used a mix of spelt flour (1c), whole wheat flour (1/3c), and AP flour (1/3c)- finishing up the older stuff- and it worked deliciously together! The spelt flour added a really smooth nutty flavor to the muffins. Thanks for such a clean, healthy recipe!

  50. I don’t have coconut oil. What can I use as a replacement? I don’t wanna use butter since that would throw off the whole health factor. 

    • We’d actually suggest olive oil! That would work great, and still be healthier than butter. :) We hope you enjoy these!