These zucchini muffins are a favorite recipe when the garden is overflowing!
Simple cinnamon-spiced muffins come out extra moist with the addition of shredded zucchini (and the kids won’t even know it’s in there!).
This muffin recipe is easy to make and they freeze well too.
Why We Love These Muffins
- Adding shredded fruit or vegetables (in this case zucchini) makes baked goods extra moist while sneaking in a little bit of extra nutrition.
- They’re a great way to enjoy garden zucchini, you cannot taste the flavor of the zucchini.
- Most of the ingredients are things you likely have on hand already.
- These are easy to make and they freeze well for snacks or lunches!
Ingredients for Zucchini Muffins
Dry Ingredients – This recipe calls for all-purpose flour and other ingredients typical in muffin recipes. Half of the flour can be substituted for whole wheat flour if desired.
Wet Ingredients – Ensure the ingredients are at room temperature. We prefer the texture of these muffins with oil, but you can use melted butter as well. Ensure you’re using vegetable oil as olive oil can have too strong of a flavor.
Zucchini – Similar to zucchini bread, the zucchini should be shredded with a cheese grater and does not need to be peeled first (unless it’s extra large with a thick skin).
Variations
- Why not add some frozen blueberries or shredded carrots?
- Swap out the nuts for chopped pecans or raisins.
- We love vanilla extract but you can change the flavor by adding other extracts to the batter.
How to Make Zucchini Muffins
It’s not hard to whip up a batch of homemade zucchini muffins!
- Whisk all the dry ingredients together (per the recipe below).
- Combine egg, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Fold in shredded zucchini.
- Fill prepared muffin tins about 2/3 of the way and bake. Cool on a wire rack.
How Long to Bake Muffins
You can bake this zucchini muffin recipe in smaller or larger tins if you’d like!
- For mini-muffins: Bake @ 350°F for 14 to 16 minutes.
- For regular-sized muffins: Bake @ 350°F for 22 to 24 minutes.
- For Texas-sized muffins: Bake @ 350°F for 24 to 27 minutes.
Baking with Zucchini
Baking with zucchini (whether it’s muffins, cookies, or brownies) can be simple.
There is no need to peel the zucchini or remove the seeds unless it’s a very large zucchini with thick skin. If the seeds are large, use a spoon to scrape them out before shredding the zucchini.
If using frozen zucchini, thaw before using. Frozen zucchini should be lightly drained and you can squeeze out a little bit of the excess moisture. You don’t want it dry, the moisture keeps these muffins moist.
Storing Zucchini Muffins
- Zucchini muffins are best when they are kept at room temperature and in an airtight container or a zippered bag.
- Zucchini muffins freeze perfectly, so wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a zippered bag. Write the date on the outside of the bag and they will last about 8 weeks in the freezer!
Got Zucchini? Try These Favorites
Did you love these Zucchini Muffins? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- ½ cup chopped walnuts optional
- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line muffin wells with paper liners or spray with cooking spray.
- Shred the zucchini using the larger side of a box grater.
- Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, combine sugar, egg, oil, milk, and vanilla.
- Fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture just until combined (do not over-mix). Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. Fold in zucchini.
- Divide over muffin tins and bake 22-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Breakfast, Muffins, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Absolutely delicious and so easy to make!
Idk why anyone would thumb down or give 1 Star for this. Apparently they just don’t have minimal culinary skills so they need to stick to processed and fast food. lol. These came out awesome and I’m not a baker at all. Just needed to get rid of left over zucchini. Great Job!!!
Just tried this recipe tonight and the muffins were excellent. I did swap out the oil with applesauce and the sugar with an artificial sweetener. I was on Weight Watchers for several years and developed a habit of cooking lighter. The muffins still turned out great.
Hello,
Can I use unsweetened vanilla almond milk? It’s what I have in the fridge. If not I’ll try your zucchini bread instead.
We have only made this recipe as listed but that should work well!
Do you squeeze out the liquid from the zucchini?
I don’t squeeze the liquid.
Thanks so much. I am heading out to the kitchen to start muffin making.
Hi, can you give me some tips so my muffins can rise like how yours did? Should I add a bit more baking soda or powder?
let me know! Thanks
Hi Rach, this recipe uses baking soda for the rise. If you had trouble with the rise of the muffins, I would check if your baking soda is expired. Overmixing can also cause muffins to not rise properly. I hope this helps!
Good recipe and easy to put together! Wonderful with hot tea and coffee! Thank You!
I am so glad you enjoyed this muffin recipe Sharon!
So delicious! I had a zucchini to use up and this was the perfect way to do that. SWP Employee
I am so glad you enjoyed these zucchini muffins Samantha!
A freshly picked zucchini went into this great recipe. The flavor and texture of the muffins were perfect – not overly moist. Chopped walnuts made an excellent addition. And best of all, the preparation and baking time were incredibly quick (I used my food processor to shred the zucchini). Thanks for an excellent recipe!
Glad you enjoyed these muffins as much as my family does!
I was looking for an easy zucchini muffin recipe and this is it. My husband loves them! I always double the recipe.
I used butter no nuts,(hubby don’t like at all) and they were fabulous. Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it, Sharon!
Can this be made with gf flour? Honey in place of sugar?
We haven’t tried this recipe with those substitutions, Becky. But we would love to hear how it turns out. If using a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour you should be fine to use it in this recipe :)
I don’t see the 3 Tbsp of milk in the recipe added to the liquid in the directions?
Sorry for the confusion Bonnie, the milk should be added in step 3.
Easy, tasty, and a great gift for the office. Excellent with a dab of cream cheese frosting!