Zucchini Muffins
Tender, moist zucchini muffins with warm spice notes and a subtle sweetness. These use shredded zucchini to add moisture and nutrition without a heavy vegetal flavor. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or using up summer zucchini. They stay soft for days and freeze beautifully.
Steps
Before you start
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C)
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease it well
- Make sure the shredded zucchini is patted dry to prevent dense, soggy muffins
Combine dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Mixture is evenly combined with no lumps of baking soda or powder
Tip: Sift if the flour has been stored awhile; this prevents dense streaks in the baked muffins
Mix wet ingredients
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla extract until well combined and slightly lightened, about 1–2 minutes.
- The mixture should look pale and frothy.
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Ready when: Mixture appears lighter in color and frothy on top
Tip: Whisking the wet ingredients aerates them slightly, making the muffins more tender
Fold in zucchini
- Add the shredded, patted-dry zucchini to the wet ingredients and stir gently with a rubber spatula until evenly distributed.
- Do not overmix.
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Ready when: Zucchini is evenly scattered throughout the wet mixture
Tip: Pat the zucchini completely dry or the batter will be watery and muffins will turn out dense and gummy
Combine wet and dry
- Pour the dry ingredient mixture over the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined.
- The batter should look slightly lumpy; do not overmix.
- If using walnuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now.
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Ready when: Flour is just barely incorporated; batter has visible flour streaks
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes muffins tough and dense. Stop as soon as you don't see dry flour
Fill muffin cups
- Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Use an ice cream scoop or spoon for even distribution.
- Leave the top quarter of each cup empty so the muffins can rise.
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Ready when: All cups filled evenly and three-quarters full
Tip: Overfilled cups will overflow in the oven; underfilled ones may bake too quickly on top
Bake until goldenOven 350°F / 175°C
- Place the tin in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven and bake for 20–22 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter).
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Ready when: Tops are golden brown; toothpick inserted into a muffin's center comes out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter
Tip: Start checking at 18 minutes; ovens vary. Overbaking dries out muffins, especially those with zucchini
Cool in pan
- Remove the muffin tin from the oven and let it sit on a wire rack or counter for 10 minutes.
- This allows the crumb to set enough to handle without crumbling.
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Ready when: Muffins are cool enough to handle and hold their shape when removed
Tip: Removing them too early may cause them to break apart; waiting too long makes them stick to the pan
Unmold and finish cooling
- Gently turn out the muffins from the tin and place them on a wire rack.
- Let them cool completely, about 5 minutes more, before serving or storing.
- This prevents condensation from making them soggy.
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Ready when: Muffins are completely cool and no longer warm to the touch
Tip: Placing warm muffins in an airtight container traps steam and can make the crumb dense; always cool first
Good to know
Tips
- Pat the shredded zucchini completely dry with paper towels before adding it to the batter. Excess moisture is the main reason zucchini muffins turn out dense and soggy.
- Do not overmix the batter once you combine the wet and dry ingredients. A lumpy batter produces tender muffins; overmixing develops gluten and makes them tough.
- If your zucchini is large and seedy, halve it lengthwise and scoop out the large seeds before shredding. Large seeds can make muffins watery.
- These muffins are best eaten within 2 days at room temperature. After that, refrigerate to extend freshness, or freeze for longer storage.
Make ahead
These muffins can be baked up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. You can also freeze the unbaked batter in muffin cups for up to 3 months; bake from frozen, adding 2–3 extra minutes to the baking time.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate for up to 5 days. Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or reheat wrapped in foil at 300°F (150°C) for 8–10 minutes until warmed through.
Substitutions
- neutral vegetable oil → melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter. Both work equally well; coconut oil keeps the muffins slightly lighter, while butter adds richness
- chopped walnuts or chocolate chips (optional) → chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or mini chocolate chips. Choose your favorite add-in, or omit entirely for plain zucchini muffins
- all-purpose flour → half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour. Whole wheat adds nutty flavor and texture; use up to 50% without changing other ingredients much, but muffins will be slightly denser
- granulated sugar → honey or maple syrup (use ¾ cup / 180 ml and reduce oil slightly to ⅔ cup). Liquid sweeteners make the batter wetter; reducing oil slightly keeps the crumb structure intact
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- Meal
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