Made with whole grains and hidden veggies, these vegan zucchini muffins are a wholesome breakfast. Vegan, gluten-free and full of goodness!
Muffins are the ultimate food for breakfast on-the-go. I don't care if it's banana, carrot, or even a savory muffin... give me them all! I love pairing muffins with fruit, yogurt or a couple hard boiled eggs for a quick breakfast. They're SO quick to whip up at the start of the week to make meals easier.
My home garden is officially bursting with zucchini, so you bet that I was looking for different ways to use them. I made these vegan zucchini muffins for meal prep this week and knew I had to share. It's the recipe to convert those zucchini haters!
Why This Dietitian Loves This Recipe
Here's why I love these zucchini muffins as a dietitian:
- Made with whole grains. These muffins with oat flour are packed with high fibre whole grain goodness! Oat flour is also gluten-free and inexpensive to make at home.
- Low in added sugar. There's only ⅓ cup of added sugar in this recipes, which is the perfect amount of sweetness for a breakfast option.
- Hidden veggies. Breakfast isn't usually the first place we think of veggies, but why not? And if the veggies are hidden in a delicious muffin, then I'm all for it.
Ingredients
- Flax seeds
- Maple syrup
- Olive oil
- Vanilla extract
- Bananas
- Oat flour
- Salt
- Baking powder
- Cinnamon
- Zucchini
- Chocolate chips
- Walnuts
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
In a small dish, mix together ground flax seed and warm water to create your flax egg. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes to thicken.
Wrap the shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheese cloth (or use a strainer) to squeeze out excess water.
In a large bowl, beat together flax egg, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
To the same bowl, add oat flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix together using a spatula or wooden spoon.
Fold in shredded zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts.
Divide batter amongst 12 muffin cups (about a heaping ¼ cup of batter in each).
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: Use a certified gluten-free oat flour. You can also make your own by blending together 1+½ cups of certified gluten-free oats.
To make vegan: This recipe is naturally vegan.
To make nut-free: Omit the walnuts.
Missing an ingredient? Try these:
- Oat flour: Sub for 1 + ¼ cup all purpose flour. I have not tested these zucchini muffins with almond flour, but I would suggest using the amount listed in the recipe. If you try any other flours, please let me know how it turns out!
- Maple syrup: Sub for honey*
- Olive oil: Sub for melted coconut oil or butter*
- Flax egg: Sub for one regular egg*
- Mix-ins: Make these zucchini muffins with chocolate chips, blueberries, nuts/seeds of choice. It's totally up to you!
*not vegan
Equipment
- Muffin tin
- Muffin liners
- Cheesecloth (optional)
Storage
These vegan zucchini muffins can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze, place muffins in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Top Tip
Don’t forget to squeeze out the excess water from the zucchini. Skipping this step will alter the moisture levels of the batter and create a batter that is too wet.
If you are using very large zucchinis, avoid using the very center (where the seeds are), as they are full of water and harder to shred. You can save them to add to smoothies!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Turn these muffins into a loaf by pouring the batter into a greased 8.5x4.5 inch loaf pan and baking for about 40-50 minutes. Note that this recipe does use oat flour and a flax egg, so it does not have the same rise a typical zucchini bread will have. It's still delicious, but with a denser texture.
Not really. I love adding zucchini to baked goods because you can sneak in some added veggies while also creating this amazing moist texture.
I just slice off the ends and use a cheese grater. I find this typically works the best. Another option is to use the shredder attachment on your food processor if you have one.
There's no nutritionl benefit to going oil-free (we need healthy fats!), however you can try swapping the olive oil for applesauce. I haven't tested this, but would expect the overall texture to be a little denser. Leave me a comment if you try this swap!
The zucchini juice is usually bitter, so I wouldn't drink it straight. Try adding it to soups or stews!
More Healthy Breakfast Recipes
Love these vegan zucchini muffins? Make these healthy breakfast recipes next:
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make these vegan zucchini muffins, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Zucchini Breakfast Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg 1 tablespoon ground flax seed +3 tablespoon warm water
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 6 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 medium bananas mashed (1.5 cups)
- 1 + ¼ cup oat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cup shredded zucchini about 2 medium zucchinis
- 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
- In a small dish mix together ground flax seed and warm water to create your flax egg. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes to thicken.
- Wrap the shredded zucchini in a paper towel or cheese cloth (or use a strainer) to squeeze out excess water.
- In a large bowl, beat together flax egg, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla extract and mashed bananas.
- To the same bowl, add oat flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix together using a spatula or wooden spoon. Fold in shredded zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Divide batter amongst 12 muffin cups (about a heaping ¼ cup of batter in each). Bake for 18-22 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Cynthia says
I tried it as a loaf and used spelt flour instead of oat and chia instead of flax. It’s delicious, I’ll do it again. Thank you for the recipe 🥰
Nicole Addison says
Hi Cynthia,
I’m so happy you enjoyed! Thanks for sharing!
Kelli says
Is the recipe for the flax egg wrong in this? It says 3 tablespoons of flax and 1 tablespoon of water. Should it be switched? I did it this way and it doesnt seem right.
Nicole Addison says
Oh my gosh Kelli! You are completely right thank you for catching that- my brain must have had a little blank moment while I was writing this! A typical flax egg is 1 tbsp of ground flax seed + 3 tbsp warm water!
Floriane says
I HAVE to let you know this recipe is 💣💥 fire!!! I made it last weekend and oh boy were the muffins delicious! They kept moist thanks to the zucchini and were flavoured thanks to the banana. I will definitely make those again. Thank you for sharing!
Pamela Hallamore says
I love your recipes especially the protein and breakfast balls and muffins, but I should be grateful for metric measurements too. It would be so useful as I live in UK. I have found a cup of flour not the same as a cup of another ingredient. Or am I wrong?
Nicole Addison says
Hi Pamela,
Thank you so much for the comment! You are correct in thinking that one cup of flour is not equivalent to the same of anther ingredients as each ingredient has a different density. I will try to see if there is a way to add a metric conversion option into my recipe cards!