These easy zucchini muffins are light, moist, and made without eggs or butter—perfect for a quick, healthy snack or breakfast the whole family will love.
You might also enjoy our chocolate chip zucchini bread, zucchini banana bread, and zucchini fritters.
Why You’ll Love Them
Zucchini season always brings abundance. Sometimes a little too much 😅. These healthy zucchini muffins are one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to use it up.
Grated zucchini adds moisture, softness, and a mild, earthy flavor that pairs beautifully with chocolate, nuts, and warm spices. There’s no need for eggs or butter; the zucchini holds everything together and keeps the crumb tender.
What I love about this recipe is how adaptable it is. You can bake it as muffins, a loaf, or even mini cakes. It comes together in one bowl, using pantry staples, perfect for a quiet morning.
Louise and I like to keep it simple: olive oil, almond milk, dark chocolate chips, and chopped walnuts. But you can mix things up with pecans, raisins, orange zest, or a spoonful of cocoa for chocolate zucchini muffins.
It’s a low-fuss, forgiving recipe that needs just a box grater, a bowl, and a little oven time. The result? Moist zucchini muffins you’ll come back to all summer long.
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Zucchini: Use any variety of zucchini; no need to peel, drain, or remove seeds unless they are overly large with hard seeds. Grate them using the large holes of a box grater.
- Flour: All-purpose flour gives the best texture. You can substitute with 50% whole-wheat flour for added fiber or use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour mix to make the muffins gluten-free.
- Sugar: Brown sugar adds depth of flavor, but you can substitute with white sugar, coconut sugar, or palm sugar. Liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey have not been tested—feel free to experiment.
- Oil: Olive oil works great, but you can also use avocado oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, melted butter, vegan butter, or coconut oil. For an oil-free version, use the same amount of unsweetened applesauce.
- Milk: Any plant-based milk works; almond milk is our favorite. Soy milk, oat milk, and rice milk are also excellent substitutes.
- Spices and Aromas: We use cinnamon and vanilla extract. Other delicious options include nutmeg, ginger, grated orange zest, and cardamom.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda: Essential for rising and fluffiness. If you don’t have baking soda, double the amount of baking powder as a substitute.
- Salt: Just a pinch of sea salt enhances the overall flavor. Any fine salt can be used in its place.
- Add-ins: We love dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Substitute with chopped dark chocolate, pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries for variety.
Variations
- Lemon Zucchini Muffins: Replace the cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Add 1/2 teaspoon of poppy seeds for a fresh, citrusy twist.
- Zucchini Carrot Muffins: Use half grated zucchini and half grated carrots. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger or nutmeg for extra warmth and flavor.
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins: Add 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and increase sugar slightly to balance the cocoa. Use chocolate chunks or chips for a rich, chocolaty bite.
How to make zucchini muffins
1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.
2. Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the milk, oil, sugar, and vanilla extract. Fold in grated zucchini until well combined.
3. Dry Ingredients: Add flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips and chopped walnuts to make a thick, spoonable batter.
4. Bake: Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick. Let your healthy zucchini muffins cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Tips
- Don’t peel or squeeze the zucchini: Grate it with the large holes of a box grater and add it directly to the batter. This keeps your moist zucchini muffins tender and flavorful.
- Use parchment if you’re out of liners: Cut 5-inch squares of parchment paper to line your muffin tin if you don’t have paper liners. Add a little oil to help them stick.
- Don’t overmix the batter: Stir just until the flour disappears. Overmixing can make the muffins tough instead of soft and fluffy.
- Test for doneness with a toothpick: Insert one into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean or with just a few crumbs, your eggless zucchini muffins are ready.
- Let them cool completely: Cooling on a wire rack helps the texture set and brings out the flavor. They’re even better the next day!
- Customize with your favorite add-ins: Try dark chocolate, walnuts, raisins, or chopped pecans to create your own version of healthy zucchini muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, there’s no need to peel the zucchini. The skin is soft and blends right into the batter, especially once baked. This helps keep your moist zucchini muffins flavorful and full of fiber.
Not for this recipe! Keeping the moisture in the zucchini helps the muffins stay soft and tender without needing eggs or dairy.
Yes! Just use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. The texture may vary slightly, but you’ll still get great results.
Unsweetened applesauce is a great oil-free substitute. It keeps the muffins moist while lowering fat content—perfect for making healthy zucchini muffins.
Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2–3 days. Line the container with a paper towel to absorb moisture and prevent sogginess. If your kitchen is very warm, you can refrigerate them instead for up to 5 days.
Absolutely. Let them cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
More muffins recipes
- Oat Muffins
- Sweet potato muffins
- Lemon muffins
- Banana muffins
- Vegan blueberry muffins
- Apple muffins
- Apple cinnamon muffins
- Savory chickpea muffins
If you tried this Zucchini Muffins recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Zucchini Muffins
Equipment
- 12-muffin tin (or two 6-muffin tins)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup almond milk or any other milk
- ¼ cup olive oil or another vegetable oil
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 medium zucchini 10 ounces or 2 heaping cups, grated
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon optional
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips optional
- ½ cup walnuts chopped, optional
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin liners.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together ½ cup almond milk, ¼ cup olive oil, ⅔ cup sugar, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Fold in 2 medium zucchini grated with the large holes of a box grater.
- Dry Ingredients: Add 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 pinches salt, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.Mix until just combined, then fold in ½ cup dark chocolate chips and ½ cup walnuts to make a thick, spoonable batter.
- Bake: Spoon the batter into the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes. Check doneness with a toothpick. Let your muffins cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Video
Notes
- Flour: Use all-purpose for best texture. Sub with 50% whole wheat or a 1:1 gluten-free blend.
- Sugar: Brown sugar is best, but white, coconut, or palm sugar work too.
- Oil: Use olive, avocado, sunflower, or canola oil—or replace with applesauce for oil-free.
- Milk: Almond milk is our favorite. Soy, oat, rice milk, or any other milk also work well.
- Spices: Cinnamon and vanilla are classic. Try nutmeg, ginger, or orange zest too.
- Leavening: Use both baking powder and baking soda. No soda? Add 1 more teaspoon powder.
- Add-ins: Go with chocolate chips and walnuts, or swap in pecans, raisins, or cranberries.
- No need to peel or squeeze: Grate zucchini and mix it straight in—locks in moisture.
- No liners? No problem: Use 5-inch parchment squares with a dab of oil.
- Mix gently: Stir just until the flour disappears—don’t overmix!
- Toothpick test: Muffins are ready when it comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Cool completely: Rest on a wire rack—flavor and texture improve by the next day.
- Add your twist: Swap in raisins, pecans, or cranberries for a custom healthy muffin.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
My son has been asking for muffins and more veggies (so he can be strong lol he is three). I use to make zucchini bread and thought to give this a try since I love your quick and easy lentil curry recipe. Could you make more Indian recipes please ( i just love Mediterranean Mexican and Indian cuisine) tried this last night and he loved it!!! Toddler approved!
Hi Marisa,
Wow your son is a champ, what a strong-willed 3-year old, I am so impressed 🥰 So happy that the muffins are toddler-approved, YAY!
As for more Indian recipes, we have a roundup with 30 meals, that you might like: https://theplantbasedschool.com/indian-vegetarian-recipes/
Hope that helps, all the best to you and your son ❤️
What is the sodium content in one muffin.
Hi Susan,
I added the sodium amount. According to our calculation is 156 mg in one muffin.
I hope this helps.
All the best,
Nico
These muffins are so delicious! I followed the recipe exactly. They freeze very well and are just as moist and flavourful as the day I made them, if not tastier, as you said. I will definitely make them again, I’m so glad I discovered this recipe and your website. Thanks!
Hey Laurie,
We are very happy to have you!! So glad you liked the muffins, and thanks so much for your tip on freezing them.
All the best,
Louise
for 6 muffins, i used 60g of dinkel milk, 28g of olive oil, 40g (instead of 65g) of sugar, 2g (instead of 7,5g) of vanilla extract, 130g of zucchini, 150g of whole wheat dinkel flour, 4g of baking powder, 2g of baking soda, some salt, 3g of cinnamon, and 25g of dark chocolate chips (instead of 40g), and they still turned out delicious… thanks for this recipe! unfortunately they were pretty much stuck to the paper liners i used, so some of the dough went to waste… but i blame the paper liners, not this recipe
Hi Klara,
Thank you for your comment.
I am happy you enjoyed the muffins, thanks for the tips on spelt flour and cinnamon add-ins.
Kindest, Louise
li ho fatti settimana scorsa sostituendo 100g di farina con 100g abbondanti di farina di mandorle. Meravigliosi! li rifarò! secondo te posso usare questa stessa ricetta, ma con la zucca? 🙂 Grazie
Ciao Dorica 🙂
Sono contento che ti siano piaciuti e che siano venuti bene anche con la farina di mandorle.
Per i muffin con la zucca, meglio che segui questa ricetta.
ti serve però la zucca in purea, che se vivi in Italia è difficile trovare. Quindi ti consiglio di cuocere la zucca al forno finchè è morbida, poi schiacciala con una forchetta o frullala finchè diventa una purea di zucca. A questo punto misurala ed usala per i muffin.
Spero ti sia di aiuto.
Buona giornata
Nico
I was skeptical when I saw these didn’t have eggs and wondered what the consistency would be like, I’m really surprised to say how amazing and moist these are! The crumb is soft and moist like a deli/bakery style muffin.
I used a lot of chocolate in mine and they’re the best things I’ve ever made, the muffins themselves aren’t super sweet without the chocolate which is nice for a breakfast option or for kids. Also used one cup zucchini and one cup of grated carrot which didn’t make a huge difference apart from the nutritional value, still delicious as hell.
I’m definitely going to be making these over and over again.
Hi Mia,
I’m really happy you were content with the muffins. Yes, it’s different baking without eggs, but I find it quite easy when you get the hang of it 🙂
Great tip on the carrot/zucchini mix, we are trying that for our next muffin batch.
Have a great day, and thanks so much for your comment.
Louise
Nice recipe. But, the commenter has chosen to use antonyms in her message by saying “delicious as..”. It’d be better if people paired their words thoughtfully.
Your muffin recipe is so good , moist healthy I usually cut back the sugar , knowing palm sugar is less sweet and zucchinis are not sweet I kept the amount given in the recipe , it was perfect I added walnuts and dried cherries with the cherries it is the bomb ! I usually don’t add cherries but I purchased a large good quality dried cherries and it was perfect . I added 2tsp ginger , 1/2 allspice ,1 tsp pumpkin spice they are so good no need to add butter or strawberry jam you won’t choke eating those they go down easily so easy that it’s hard to stop . Thank you
Hi Brigitte, thanks so much for commenting! Dried cherries sound amazing – a great complimentary flavor for the zucchini. I’m so happy you liked them. Have a great rest of your day. Cheers, Nico
great stuff mate, thanks very much for exploring new recipes!!! I’ve changed it a bit, rather than zucchine I have used strawberries and cherries which are in season right now. The result was outstanding, people in the office are loving me 😉 Please keep it up!!!
Thanks, Peppe, for taking the time to leave comments – it means a lot to us. I’m delighted you got some goodwill from sharing your muffins, it never hurts! Have a great one and take care. Cheers, Nico