Home > Desserts > Healthy Zucchini Muffins Healthy Zucchini Muffins August 1, 2020 | 20 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. These Healthy Zucchini Muffins are made with better-for-you ingredients like Greek yogurt, coconut oil, mashed banana, and plenty of grated zucchini. Looking for more nutritious zucchini recipes? Try this healthy zucchini bread or these chocolate-chip studded gluten free zucchini muffins next! Healthy Zucchini Muffins Healthy Zucchini Muffins are one of our favorite zucchini recipes; they’re fresh, flavorful, soft, moist and packed with great ingredients. If you’re looking for a more nutritious muffin without sacrificing flavor — these are just the thing to make! Ingredients There are several ingredients that make Healthy Zucchini Muffins taste amazing while keeping them on the more-nutritious side. Take a look and see what I mean: Overripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the sweeter the muffins! I wait until the banana skins are very spotty all over. The banana addition isn’t too much (only 3 tablespoons) but adds an immense amount of natural sweetness and acts as a good binding agent. Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt. Our favorite yogurt to use in these muffins is Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt (made by Greek Gods®). Whatever yogurt you choose to use, make sure you like it plain or it won’t add a lot in way of flavor to these muffins. I recommend getting a vanilla-flavored yogurt instead of plain. I also recommend full-fat yogurt, so these muffins don’t end up overly watery. Honey. To avoid using too much brown sugar, while also keeping these muffins sweet and delicious, we use a little bit of this natural sweetener. Using all honey for these muffins didn’t work well (too wet), but the honey addition lowers the overall amount of brown sugar needed. Grated zucchini. Zucchini is rich in antioxidants and contributes to healthy digestion, among many other things (source). The zucchini isn’t just adding flavor and pretty specks of greens; it’s contributing a lot nutritionally to these Healthy Zucchini Muffins. Oat flour. More on this below. Don’t worry, you don’t need to go out and buy a specialty flour for these muffins; if you have oats in the pantry, you can have oat flour in minutes. The oats are blended before being added to the batter; they resemble flour and serve the same function. Below is a quick breakdown of the process. How to make oat flour If you have rolled oats or old-fashioned oats, you’ll be set for this recipe in minutes. (Make sure to use old-fashioned or rolled oats– not quick or steel-cut oats). Add the oats to a food processor or small blender jar. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour. Stir the oats around to be sure that all the oats have been finely ground and there aren’t any whole oats left (this will affect the texture and liquid absorption of these zucchini muffins). QUICK TIPMake sure to fill the measurement of old-fashioned oats to the very top. Then level off the top by scraping the backside of a table knife across the top. Measure the oat flour after being blended (not in whole oat form). Healthy Zucchini Muffin tips Generously grease the muffin tin. I don’t recommend muffin liners for these muffins, because the batter sticks to the liners. Make sure to grease the cavities well. Of course, a good muffin tin also makes a world of difference. These tins are my absolute favorite, and I’ve never had a problem with muffins not releasing nicely. Thoroughly mash the bananas to avoid unpleasant chunks in the muffins. If you prefer not to mash the bananas with a fork, use an electric hand mixer to do it quickly. Use paper towels to press out excess liquid from the grated zucchini. Too much liquid will take away from the flavor of these muffins. It will also give them an overly wet texture. Storing Healthy Zucchini Muffins Once completely cooled, store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Healthy Zucchini Muffins are best eaten within 2-3 days. To freeze/thaw: Cool muffins completely before wrapping and freezing. To freeze: Wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap and then place in large freezer bags. To thaw: Set out at room temperature or heat frozen muffins in the microwave. More nutritious baked goods Flourless Banana Muffins with chocolate chips Our favorite Healthy Brownies Gluten-Free Apple Muffins made with almond butter Healthy Blueberry Muffins made with Greek yogurt Applesauce Cake made with oat flour FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Healthy Zucchini Muffins 5 from 12 votes - Review this recipe Healthy Zucchini Muffins are made with better-for-you ingredients like Greek yogurt, coconut oil, mashed banana, and plenty of grated zucchini. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Healthy Zucchini Muffins 5 from 12 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Healthy Zucchini Muffins are made with better-for-you ingredients like Greek yogurt, coconut oil, mashed banana, and plenty of grated zucchini. Course Breakfast, Snack Cuisine American Keyword Healthy Zucchini Muffins Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 18 minutes Total Time 29 minutes Servings 12 muffins Calories 178kcal Author Chelsea Cost $5.12 Ingredients1/2 cup (107g) vanilla Greek yogurt (we love Greek Gods Honey Vanilla Yogurt)1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 large egg4 tablespoons (50g) coconut oil, (measured when melted)2 tablespoons honey3 tablespoons mashed banana (very ripe)1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar, lightly packed1/2 cup (41g) oat flour (Note 1)1 cup (131g) white all-purpose flour or white-whole wheat flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup (104g) grated zucchini InstructionsPREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease and lightly flour a regular-sized muffin tin. (I don't recommend muffin liners; this batter sticks to the liners).ZUCCHINI PREP: Grate zucchini on the small side of the grater. Use cheesecloth or a few paper towels to thoroughly dry the zucchini to keep it from being too wet/watery in muffins. Squeeze zucchini a few times and then lightly pack it into a 1 cup measuring cup.BANANA: In a small bowl, mash the banana. The banana is very important for binding of the muffins -- the riper, the better. Once it has been well mashed, measure out 3 level tablespoons.WET INGREDIENTS: In a bowl, stir together the Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, 1 large egg, coconut oil (measured when melted, but cooled to room temperature so it doesn't clump), honey, and mashed banana. Add in the brown sugar. Stir.DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, stir together the oat flour (measured AFTER blending; See Note 1), white or white whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.ZUCCHINI: Add the dry to the wet and mix until just combined. Overmixing will result in dense muffins. Add in the grated zucchini and stir until just incorporated.BAKE: Divide the mixture evenly into the prepared muffin pan, evenly filling 12 muffin cavities. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick when inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are lightly browned. Avoid overbaking, which dries out the muffins. Let cool for 5-10 minutes and then use a fork to gently coax the muffins onto a cooling rack.STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the fridge; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before eating. Best enjoyed within 2-3 days. Video Recipe NotesNote 1: Here's how to make oat flour: Add old-fashioned oats to a food processor or small blender jar. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour. Stir the oats around to be sure that all the oats have been finely ground and there aren’t any whole oats left. Measure the 1/2 cup AFTER blending. Nutrition FactsServing: 1serving | Calories: 178kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.7g | Protein: 3.7g | Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 26.1mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 5.7g We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
had an abundance of zucchini from the garden so thought i’d try these out 🙂 they came out pretty good, thanks for the recipe! Reply
Thanks for sharing this recipe! I made them this morning and they were so yummy. I used whole milk plain Greek yogurt and added chocolate chips. I need to find a other ripe banana (I had a tiny bit frozen) to make more with the rest of a giant zucchini I got from a neighbor. Reply
I am so happy to hear you loved these muffins! And way to be resourceful with what you had on hand! Thanks for your comment Ann! 🙂 Reply
Made these today and they’re fantastic! I love how moist they are and that they’re not too sweet. I only had 0% regular Greek yogurt and dark brown sugar and both seemed to not make a difference. Thank you! Reply
I baked these muffins for the first time today. I baked a triple batch so that we have something healthy to eat on the go. I was not one bit dissapointed. They turned out perfect and tasted delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe. Reply
Love this recipe! I had to make some substitutions because life happens. I used sour cream instead of yogurt. Instead of coconut and honey I used an equal amount of applesauce. Hubby said it was not sweet enough but I liked it just fine. Next time I will be subbing homemade pumpkin flour for oat flour just for fun. This recipe is a keeper! Reply
I’m so glad you loved this recipe! Way to work with what you had! Thanks for your comment! 🙂 Reply
Not one that I’ve tested; you could try applesauce and then slightly increase sugar to compensate! Reply
I made them with GF flour and vegan sour cream. I’m GF and my daughter is nursing and her baby boy can’t have milk products. They turned out perfect! The guys loved them as well! Reply
