Healthy Zucchini Muffins

I love how relaxed things are when my boys are out of school, but they sure do go through the food faster being at home!

I try to keep homemade breakfasts and snacks in the house at all times, but it’s hard to keep up.  These Healthy Zucchini Muffins are almost always on repeat.

Since I can’t tolerate much wheat these days, I’ve been working hard to create a gluten-free version of my favorite Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread that would be just as appealing to me as well as my family.

I adapted this recipe from my carrot cake muffins, which are made with oat flour. They’re so soft and fluffy that you’d never know they’re gluten-free! 

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• These healthy zucchini muffins have a soft, tender texture with a hearty flavor and nutrition boost from the oats. They’re studded with chocolate chips for a bit of indulgence! 
• Muffins are whole grain, dairy-free, refined sugar free and gluten-free, with a whopping 2 cups of grated zucchini. 
• I’m not a huge fan of gluten-free flour blends on the market, so I worked hard to create muffins using only one type of flour –> oat flour.
• They’re so easy to make and require just one bowl!

Recipe ingredients

These gluten-free zucchini muffins contain wholesome ingredients, most of which may be customized with what you have on hand.

Ingredient notes

• Oat flour. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but some brands of oat flour may contain trace amounts of gluten as they’re processed in facilities that also produce wheat products. If you’re gluten intolerant, be sure that the package states that it’s gluten-free. Pro tip: If you don’t have oat flour, you can make your own with old fashioned rolled oats! See this post on How to Make Oat Flour by Cooke + Kate.
• Rolled oats. I’ve added rolled oats to this recipe for a bit of chewiness as these zucchini oatmeal muffins are very soft in texture. They may be substituted with the same amount of oat flour if you don’t have any on hand.
• Zucchini. Grate your zucchini or process it into small pieces in a food processor if you desire. This recipe does not require squeezing the liquid from the zucchini once is has been grated.
• Almond milk. The almond milk may be substituted with your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk.
• Coconut sugar. If you’re new to coconut sugar, it is unrefined and is not as sweet as other sweeteners on the market. It may be substituted with the same amount of granulated or brown sugar, but I have not tested this recipe with liquid sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup.
• Oil. Use your favorite brand of oil in this recipe, or you may also use melted butter.
• Chocolate chips. I used mini dairy free dark chocolate chips, but use your favorite! They may also be omitted altogether.

How to make this recipe

These gluten free zucchini muffins come together in about 15 minutes in one bowl, so it doesn’t get much easier!

Pro tip: Grate or process your zucchini 1-2 days in advance until you’re ready to get baking. There’s no need to squeeze and excess liquid from the zucchini as well, which is a nice time saver.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line (12) standard muffin cups with paper liners. Melt the coconut oil in a large bowl.  Make sure the coconut oil isn’t too hot, then whisk in the coconut sugar and eggs vigorously until frothy, about 1 minute.  Whisk in the almond milk and vanilla until combined.
2. Add the oat flour, rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, then whisk until combined.  Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips until incorporated.
3. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups and bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
4. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Recipe FAQs

Recipe notes

• Pro tip: I grated my zucchini right into a large measuring cup so that I only needed one bowl.  The zucchini may be prepped 1-2 days in advance until you’re ready to get baking. There’s no need to squeeze and excess liquid from the zucchini as well, which is a nice time saver.
• I added the 1/2 cup rolled oats to these healthy zucchini muffins for added texture.  If you don’t have any on hand, substitute with an additional 1/2 cup oat flour.
• Top the muffins with walnuts for added crunch!