These healthy zucchini muffins are made with whole grains and olive oil, they’re sweetened naturally, and they’re packed with FOUR CUPS of grated zucchini! They’re the perfect for babies, toddlers, and adults alike.
My two daughters, ages 1 and 2, gobbled these right up and asked for more. I’ve been trying to get them to eat more vegetables, and this is a great way to sneak them in!
And they’re not just for kids- I love them slathered with a generous helping of salted butter. I couldn’t be happier that these are stashed in my freezer just waiting for a busy morning when I want something healthy to kick-start my family’s day.
In this post, I’ll explain why these zucchini muffins are so darn healthy, how to make them, and tips for storing them.
What makes these zucchini muffins so healthy
Other muffin recipes usually call for vegetable oil or butter. Using extra-virgin olive oil is a great way to add healthy, mono-unsaturated fat to the recipe and the flavor pairs so well with the zucchini!
I love baking with olive oil- it adds an earthy, nutty taste and keeps things super moist, like in this Cardamom Spiced Orange Olive Oil Cake and these healthy blueberry muffins.
These zucchini muffins are also made with 100% whole grains- a mix of whole wheat flour and old-fashioned oats.
I also used honey to sweeten these, rather than refined sugar. You can use maple syrup, if you prefer!
Finally, these muffins are PACKED with FOUR WHOLE CUPS of grated zucchini. That’s about 3 zucchini! Zucchini is high in vitamin C, manganese, and other vitamins and minerals.
How to make Healthy Zucchini Muffins
It’s so easy to make these zucchini muffins using only one bowl.
First, mix the wet ingredients in a large bowl– olive oil, honey, eggs, and Greek yogurt.
Then, add the spices and other dry ingredients– cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Then, add the whole wheat flour after everything else has been really well mixed. Stir it with a wooden spoon until there are no dry spots left, but not much more than that. You don’t want to over-mix, or it may become dense.
After that, just fold in the zucchini and oats, and the batter is done!
I like using a large disher scoop to evenly distribute the batter into the muffin cups. It ensures that each is filled evenly and keeps things nice and neat.
I just greased my muffin pan with olive oil, mostly because I was out of muffin pan liners.
Bake at 350 for about a half an hour and you’re done!
How to store/freeze zucchini muffins
These zucchini muffins can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days, but for longer storage, I recommend freezing them.
Just put them in a gallon sized zip-top bag and place them on a flat surface in your freezer, making sure they aren’t smushing into each other too much. When you’re ready to eat one, just pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds and you’re good to go!
Help! My muffins are soggy!
The water content of zucchini can very greatly, whether it’s homegrown from your garden, or it’s been traveling in a truck for weeks before it hits the shelves of the grocery store, etc.
There are two things you can do to help prevent soggy muffins, just in case:
- Squeeze the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or let it sit in a colander over a bowel and press down on the top to get some water out, or…
- Use one cup less zucchini.
Try these other healthy muffin recipes:
- Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins
- Whole Wheat Apple Cider Donut Muffins
- Whole Wheat Cranberry Ginger Pecan Muffins
- Vegan Maple Banana Oat and Nut Muffins
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Oat and Nut Muffins
And I know you’ll LOVE this Ultra-Moist Healthy Banana Bread, also made with olive oil.
Did you make these healthy zucchini muffins? Please comment below and Rate this Recipe
Healthy Zucchini Muffins (made with Olive Oil and Whole Grains)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup, or a combination
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup old fashioned oats
- 4 cups grated zucchini from about 3 medium zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with liners or grease liberally with olive oil. Spread the grated zucchini out on a clean towel and set aside.
- Add olive oil (1/2 cup), honey (1/2 cup), eggs (2), and Greek yogurt (1/2 cup) to the bottom of a large mixing bowl. Whisk vigorously by hand or use an electric mixer to mix very well until completely smooth.
- Add the vanilla (1 teaspoon), ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon), ground nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), baking powder (1 teaspoon), baking soda (1 teaspoon), and kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon) to the bowl. Mix again until all ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the whole wheat flour (1.5 cups) to the bowl and mix using a wooden spoon just until there is no dry flour left.
- Go back to the grated zucchini. Roll up the towel and wring out as much water as you can from the zucchini over your sink. Add it to the bowl, and fold the grated zucchini (4 cups) and old fashioned oats (1 cup) into the mixture.
- Fill the prepared muffin pan cups evenly with the mixture. I like using a large disher scoop for this.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of the muffins comes out clean.
- For best results, allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from pan.
Notes
- These muffins can be kept for 1-2 days at room temperature in an airtight container or zip-top bag. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them. They're easily thawed in the microwave for only about 30 seconds.
- The results of this recipe can vary depending on how dry or wet your zucchini is. Garden zucchini tends to be more watery than store-bought. Summer squash can be used as well, which is a bit more watery than zucchini. Just try to get as much liquid out as possible and you should be good to go - put some muscle in when you wring it out! (Note: the original recipe did not include this step to wring out the water from the zucchini, so some reviews said the muffins came out too wet. I edited the recipe based on this feedback to include the step to dry out the grated zucchini.)
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
A
Not bad, but definitely improved with a little butter. These are very hearty muffins. Personally, I cut it down to just 3 cups of zucchini (and I had to wring the hell out of it, as there was so much water). I also added 1/2 c of raw green pumpkin seeds. I’m not sure if most children would go for these or not, as they definitely have a minimal sweetness and a very hearty texture and flavor (think bran muffins), but I actually liked them better than I was anticipating, based on their look and smell coming out of the oven.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked them, adding pumpkin seeds is a fun idea.
Sharon
I substituted 2 medium grated carrots and 1/2 cup of sultanas for the zucchini. I also only used 1 large tablespoon of honey rather than 1/2 cup. The muffins were moist and lovely – not too sweet. I am happy for my grandkids to eat them for breakfast! Thank you for the recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! I love that you used carrots, which added some natural sweetness to them! Thanks for sharing your modifications.
Linda
I was excited about making these! The result was that they didn’t rise and they were a bit wet. My ingredients were all fresh so not sure what went wrong.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Sorry you had a frustrating experience! You aren’t the first person to give this feedback. This has to do with the liquid content in the zucchini, which can vary depending on how big or fresh the zucchini is (the fresher it is, the more water it has). I’m actually going to go in and adjust this recipe right now to include a step to remove the water from the zucchini. I appreciate you bringing this up!
(Place the grated zucchini on a clean towel and spread out. Set it aside while you prepare the rest of the batter. When you are ready to add the zucchini to the batter, roll up the towel with the zucchini on it and wring it out over your sink, getting as much liquid out as possible.)
Hope that helps!
KP
These were excellent! I sprinkled a little bit of sparkling sugar on top but they would have been just as delicious without this addition. Great recipe!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked them!
Lise
I’ve made these many times (lots of zucchini in my garden). Love, love, love them.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked them!
A Q
I should have read the reviews before I made these. I carefully followed the recipe and squeezed the excess moisture from the zucchini before adding it to the batter yet the muffins still came out raw in the middle. I even cooked them an additional 20 minutes but that only helped a little. Very disappointing.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for this feedback. I’m going to make these a priority to make again and revisit the recipe so I can adjust the instructions if needed. Hope to get to it soon and sorry you had a disappointing experience!
Elly
I liked the idea of these muffins, and the batter tasted nice. However, I wish I had read some comments before baking this recipe – there is almost certainly something that should permanently change about the ratios in baking these muffins, or the instructions, or something. I had the same experience as several other commenters, which was to follow the recipe as written, taking the warnings into account, and ending up with mushy-middled muffins even after baking them past the time specified. I’m curious – has anyone made them more than once or twice exactly as written with good results?
Also, I wonder about measuring the flour. I measured the flour by weight (the King Arthur ingredient weight chart is great for this), but if the recipe developer scooped the flour out of the bag using their measuring cup, it can mean a much more compacted (and therefore dense and full) cup than those who spoon it into the cup or measure by weight. If I were to try this recipe again, I would certainly add more flour than I did this time to soak up all that moisture and wonder if others have had that extra flour in there all along because of the way they put their flour in the measuring cup or bowl.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for this feedback! I’m going to definitely add this recipe to my list of things to try again and see if altering the ratios or taking down the amount of zucchini would help. As for the flour, I did the scoop method with a spoon and a knife to flatten the top- I didn’t measure by weight. Hope that helps in the meantime and I’m looking forward to getting to the bottom of this issue since a few people have now mentioned it!
Sarah
For others wondering: don’t try this with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour. I needed to use this to accommodate dietary restrictions and could not use the wheat flour. The inside was oddly mushy, despite a toothpick coming out clean.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks for the tip! This may be alleviated by using less zucchini – these muffins use a lot of zucchini so it’s naturally going to be more watery. GF flour doesn’t absorb as much liquid as AP flour so that might have something to do with it. While I’ve never tried this with GF flour, my gut tells me that using half the amount of zucchini and making sure it is as dry as possible before adding it to the batter might help!
Regina
Hello! We love making these for our 15 month old daughter. What time would you recommend for a mini muffin pan?
Elizabeth Lindemann
These are great for a 15 month old! I’d check on the mini muffins after 20 minutes of cooking. That should be enough. Hope she likes them!
Patricia
Followed this recipe to the letter & ended up throwing the end results away; the chickens wouldn’t even eat it. It was heavy, wet, raw. I even gave the 2nd batch 5 extra minutes with no improvement. I got 23 muffins, used 4 cups of home grown zucchini (Long Purple, not the Black Beauty commonly found in supermarkets) & raw, unfiltered honey. It seemed the olive oil, greek yogurt & honey were a bit too wet a combo. Next time I will substitute regular yogurt for the greek, use a lighter oil or sour cream & reduce the zucchini to 3 cups. I’ll also use 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat flour. In breads I find all wheat flour produces a heavier, denser loaf so I expect the same is true for muffins.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! Sorry you had a frustrating experience. I’d love to help troubleshoot this, for if you make it again or for any other readers who are concerned about this. First of all, home grown zucchini has a much higher water content than store-bought. So you may have to work a little harder to dry it out initially before adding it to the batter. Also, I’ve never heard of long purple zucchini before, and I couldn’t find anything besides eggplant on a google search- interesting! I wonder if the variety has more water content than other zucchini.
There’s a whole section in the post about how to help with this issue, as well as a note in the recipe card, but here are the suggestions again. Two options: 1) use 1 cup less zucchini, and/or 2) squeeze the grated zucchini dry with a clean kitchen towel. I like to add all the grated zucchini in the center of a clean towel then really squeeze it and wring out as much liquid as I can over the sink. You can also let it sit in a colander for a while and press down with a spoon to help release some of the water. That should help! You can also add a little more flour to the mix if it seems too liquidy after you make the batter. You mentioned using regular yogurt instead of Greek next time, but be careful, since regular yogurt has more liquid than Greek (Greek yogurt is strained). Hope that helps, and better luck next time!
Amy
These were absolutely perfect!! My kids loved them too. Since I used garden fresh zucchini, I pressed in a colander to drain the excess liquid. Added 1/2 c. chopped pecans and 1 T chia seeds at the end. The recommended 30 minutes at 350 degrees was perfect. Sooooo good!!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it and love the idea of adding pecans and chia seeds!
Lexi
These were perfect! And I am new at baking. I used all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat. So yummy and moist. Thank you.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it, and happy to hear it worked well with all-purpose flour!
MG
As much as I want to like these muffins…I find they are tasteless and have too much moisture, therefore, do not bake well.I have tried making them twice and poor luck each time. Disappointing. Great ingredients, so maybe others will have better luck. Followed the instructions to the T.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! So sorry you had this experience. I will say that the water content of zucchini can vary greatly- depending on if it’s homegrown, how long it’s been on the shelves since it was picked, etc. Next time (if you give it another go, or if other readers want to try this!) I suggest either: letting the grated zucchini sit in a colander over a bowl and give it a press with your hands, to let some of the water squeeze out (you can also squeeze the water out with a clean kitchen towel), OR using one less zucchini. I’m going to add this to the recipe notes now, thanks for bringing this up, and sorry again!
Diana
I made these muffins tonight and they are very raw, they will not bake in the middle. I used less zucchini as noted but they are still the same :-/
I followed the recipe to a T and am very disappointed to waste such great ingredients.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Oh no! Did you try drying out the grated zucchini very well with a clean towel? If not, I think that could be the culprit.
Frances
Is it okay if I use brown rice flour I stead???
Elizabeth Lindemann
I’ve never tried it, so I can’t recommend one way or another, but my gut tells me it won’t work very well, especially since the batter is already pretty wet and rice flour isn’t as absorbent as wheat flour. So if you DO try it, I’d recommend cutting the liquid in the recipe (and maybe decreasing the amount of zucchini since that is wet as well even if you dry it as best you can), and maybe increasing the amount of flour. That probably wasn’t the answer you wanted… but if you do end up trying it, I’d love to know how it comes out!
Sandy
These were good but kinda mushy, next time I think I would do 3 cups of zucchini. The batter was kinda runny and made more batter than for 12 muffins. I made 16 mini muffins besides. I doubled the cinnamon and added some chocolate chips.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Glad you liked them! They’d be great with 3 cups zucchini. Also, some zucchini have more water content than others (for example, if you grow them yourself in your garden, they will likely have more water than store-bought). This may have contributed to it. If you want to keep the 4 cups for that extra veggie boost, maybe wring them dry with a towel before adding them to the batter. Hope that helps! LOVE the idea of adding chocolate chips.
SBC
Very tasty muffin. Not too sweet, fluffy texture. I used white whole wheat flour, quick oats (because that’s what I had on hand) and added about a half cup of toasted chopped pecans. Almost didn’t try them because I thought four cups of shredded zucchini would be excessive. It wasn’t. I might add a sprinkle of sugar on top next time to give them a teeny sweet boost.
Elizabeth Lindemann
SO glad you liked them! I also thought 4 cups would be too much, but there you have it. Zucchini is a miracle to bake with. Thanks for the comment!
DB
Do you think we could substitute honey with sugar? Would that be the same quantity?
Elizabeth Lindemann
You can use sugar instead of honey! In general, sugar is sweeter than honey, but these muffins aren’t very sweet to begin with. You’d be fine with the same amount (1/2 cup) or if you want to take the sugar content down a bit, you can probably so 1/3 cup. Hope that helps and hope you like them!
Kamal
The world needs more muffins. Can’t wait to try this out! The cardamom cake also looks amazing https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/orange-olive-oil-cake/
Elizabeth Lindemann
I agree. More muffins for everyone! Hope you like it! And you guys would loveeee the cardamom cake :-)