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If you’re looking for a healthier muffin for a grab-and-go snack, these healthy zucchini muffins made with applesauce are perfect. They’re moist, tender, and super simple to make and store well in the freezer for batch prepping.
I love keeping the house stocked with healthier snacks and these healthy zucchini muffins have quickly become a family favorite. They are really simple to make and I love that they sneak in a bit of veggies into any diet.
Plus, you can feel better about snacking on these yummy muffins since we’ve reduced the saturated fat and added sugar by using a combination of applesauce and maple syrup.
Feel free to make them your own with some of the suggestions below for different mix-ins. (You can even make them mini if you’d like!)
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Ingredients for Zucchini Muffins
Use these simple and fresh ingredients packed with nutritional value to make these delicious healthy zucchini bread muffins.
- All Purpose Flour: regular or unbleached all purpose flour is what we prefer to use for these muffins. You can substitute with half whole wheat flour if you want a heartier muffin.
- Leavening (Baking Powder & Baking Soda): adds fluffiness and rise to these healthy zucchini bread muffins.
- Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg): we love the flavor these warming spices provide.
- Maple Syrup: adds natural sweetness to these muffins instead of granulated sugar or brown sugar.
- Applesauce & Oil: the combination of applesauce and oil adds moisture. Any neutral flavored oil like vegetable oil works well. We usually use avocado oil – but olive oil or melted coconut oil is also delicious.
- Egg: helps give the muffins structure.
- Zucchini: you’ll need about 1 medium sized zucchini to make these healthy zucchini applesauce muffins.
Variations
Add carrots: add ¼ to ⅓ cup of grated carrots to these muffins to sneak in additional veggies.
Add Mix-ins: you can also add in ½ cup of fresh blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts (walnuts or pecans), dried cranberries, or raisins into these muffins for variety. (Who doesn’t love zucchini chocolate chip muffins?)
Make it Vegan and Egg Free: this recipe is already dairy-free so you’ll just need to substitute the egg with 1 flax egg. To make a flax egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 2 ½ tablespoons of water in a small bowl until it forms a gel.
Make it Gluten Free: use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour in place of the all purpose flour.
How to Make Healthy Zucchini Muffins
These healthy zucchini muffins are simple to put together in a few steps.
Prep the Muffin Tin: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add paper liners to muffin cups or spray with cooking spray.
Whisk the Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon. Whisk.
Combine the Wet Ingredients: In a separate bowl, add maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
Mix the Batter: Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined.
Add Zucchini: Grate the zucchini with a box grater. Squeeze grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel to remove excess liquid. Fold the shredded zucchini into the muffin batter.
Bake: Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. We love to serve these quick bread zucchini muffins with some peanut butter or cream cheese for spreading on top.
How to Make Mini Zucchini Muffins
You can easily make mini muffins with this recipe too! Follow the same directions up until the baking step, then reduce the baking time to 8-10 minutes. Use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Tools You’ll Need
Expert Tips
Use these tips to ensure your zucchini muffins come out perfect every time.
- Grating zucchini: for the best texture, use the larger holes on the box grater when grating your zucchini rather than the smallest holes. No need to peel your zucchini before grating either!
- Remove excess water: make sure to squeeze out some of the excess water/moisture from the zucchini before adding it to the batter. I usually just wrap up the grated zucchini in a clean dish towel and gently squeeze.
- Don’t overmix: the key to tender and fluffy muffins (and other baked goods) is to not overmix the batter. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together just until a batter is formed, but no more. Overmixing can create tough/chewy muffins.
Are Zucchini Muffins Healthy?
Traditional, bakery style muffins are not usually considered healthy since they are made with a lot of sugar and butter (which makes them delicious!). However, you can make zucchini muffins that still taste good, but with less added sugar and fat.
This recipe for healthy zucchini muffins swaps some of the oil for applesauce and adds natural sweetness with maple syrup. Not only that, incorporating zucchini into muffins provides other nutrients too. Zucchini is a great source of essential nutrients like fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
You may also enjoy a few of my other healthy muffin recipes:
- My Famous Healthy Oat Flour Muffins
- Blueberry Muffin in a Mug (1 Minute Recipe!)
- Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins
- 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Muffins
How do you store zucchini bread muffins?
Counter: baked muffins can be stored in an airtight container on the counter for up to 2-3 days. Freezer: allow the muffins to cool completely to room temperature. Store in a resealable bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter to defrost or reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Healthy Zucchini Muffins Recipe
Equipment
- Muffin pan
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup oil, olive oil, avocado oil
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup grated zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add cupcake liners to muffin cups or spray with cooking oil.
- In a medium bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon. Whisk.
- In a large bowl, add maple syrup, unsweetened applesauce, oil, egg, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until combined.
- Squeeze grated zucchini to remove excess liquid. Fold in the zucchini.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops of the muffins are golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before removing from the muffin tin.
