These tender and moist Vegan Zucchini Muffins can be made with chocolate or walnuts. This recipe is quick to make. And, best of all, it doesn't call for specialty vegan ingredients (like plant-based butter or egg substitutes). In fact, we've never had anyone guess they're vegan or eggless!
When our summer garden is overflowing with zucchini, we'll make big batches of these muffins to freeze. But, no matter how many we make...they always disappear quickly! So, do yourself a favor and make these soft and fluffy zucchini muffins. You'll love them too.
Why you'll love this recipe
- No squeezing zucchini: Unlike other recipes, you won't need to squeeze and drain the zucchini. Skipping this step ensures moist and tender muffins—without the mess.
- Easy to make: These simple zucchini muffins are ready in 30 minutes.
- No special vegan ingredients: This recipe is made with easy-to-find pantry ingredients. No vegan butter or special egg substitutes needed.
- Kid friendly: Made with zucchini, but you can't taste it! Yay, for sneaky veggies.
- Freezer-friendly: These muffins freeze beautifully. So, make an extra batch to keep quick and healthy snacks on hand.
Ingredients (and substitutes)
These zucchini muffins are dairy-free and eggless. And, there aren't any special vegan ingredients required either! Here's what you need:
- Zucchini: Zucchini makes muffins moist and tender. So, don't squeeze the zucchini after grating it. You want that moisture in your muffin batter, not down the drain!
- Flour: Use All-Purpose Flour. You don't need to sift it, but do make sure you measure the flour accurately. (See "Tips" for how to measure flour accurately).
- Oil: Oil makes more moist muffins than butter. We use Grapeseed oil, but you could use Canola oil or another vegetable oil instead.
- Banana: Mashed banana binds the mixture in this eggless zucchini muffin recipe. Use a speckled overripe banana if you can. Otherwise, a yellow ripe banana works too. Make sure to mash the banana until smooth.
- Chocolate Chips or Walnuts (optional): Add-ins aren't not necessary. But, these zucchini muffins taste delicious with chocolate chips or walnuts!
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Have overripe bananas to use up? Make one of these recipes: Banana Walnut Cake, Vegan Salted Caramel Banana Bread, Chocolate Banana Coffee Cake.
How to make (step-by-step photos)
These vegan zucchini muffins are easy to make. In fact, they're ready in just 30 minutes! Here's how to make them:
Find the recipe card below for the complete recipe, including all ingredients and instructions.
Tips
- A food processor shreds quickly: A box grater works well for shredding zucchini. But, a food processor is faster if you need to shred a lot of zucchini.
- Don't squeeze the zucchini: Other recipes may insist on squeezing the zucchini before adding it to the batter. But, we don't like to do this. It's messy and unnecessary. The liquid in the zucchini is actually its "super power" for making moist and tender muffins! (Ironically, recipes that tell you to squeeze the zucchini often add another liquid ingredient—like milk—to compensate.)
- Use a kitchen scale if you have one: Baking by weight is more accurate than by volume. So, use a scale if you have one.
- Measure flour accurately: Flour is notoriously difficult to measure by volume (cups). It's easy to add too much or too little. So, use a kitchen scale if you can. Otherwise, use the "Spoon and Level" Method: Fluff up the flour in the bag, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup until heaping, then level it with the back of a knife. (Don't use a measuring cup to scoop the flour directly).
- Don't over-mix the batter: Stir only until the dry ingredients are incorporated. This ensures a tender muffin. Over-mixing the batter can make baked goods tough.
- Start muffins at a higher temperature: When we were testing recipes for our Evergreen Kitchen cookbook, we found that the best muffins are cooked at two temperatures. Start the muffins at a high temperature so they rise better. Then, reduce the heat so they don't overcook on the outside. This same technique also works for other quick breads.
- Let fully cool before freezing: If freezing these muffins, make sure to let them fully cool before transferring to a bag or container.
Recipe FAQs
No, this recipe is specifically designed to skip the step of squeezing the zucchini. The moisture in the zucchini makes for tender and moist muffins. Some other recipes that call for squeezing zucchini end up adding back more moisture to the batter in the form of milk (or similar). This recipe skips that step for simplicity. Trust us, it works!
To encourage muffins to rise higher, we start baking them at a higher temperature (425℉/220℃). Then, reduce the temperature to 350℉/177℃ to finish baking.
This "start high, then go low" technique for muffins is one we shared in our cookbook, Evergreen Kitchen: Weeknight Vegetarian Dinners for Everyone. And, it's also backed up by other baking authorities like TheKitchn.
Yes, these muffins freeze well. Let the muffins cool completely after baking, then transfer them to a freezer bag or container. These muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the fridge overnight.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Vegan Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1¾ cup all-purpose flour (see note 1)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup grapeseed oil (or vegetable oil)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar)
- ⅓ cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 medium banana)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cup shredded zucchini (see note 2)
- 1 cup chocolate chips (or chopped walnuts, optional, see note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Line a muffin pan with baking cups.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¾ cup all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, and ½ teaspoon fine sea salt. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together ½ cup grapeseed oil, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar, ⅓ cup mashed ripe banana, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in 1½ cup shredded zucchini.
- Combine: Scatter the dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir just until combined (avoid over-mixing). Gently fold in 1 cup chocolate chips (or 1
cup walnuts), if using. Divide batter into 12 liners. - Bake: Bake for 5 minutes at 425℉ (220℃). Then, keep the muffins in the oven and reduce the heat to 350℉ (177℃). Continue baking until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. (Total baking time will be about 20 minutes). Let muffins cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- How to measure flour: Use a kitchen scale for best results. Otherwise use the "Spoon and Level" Method: Fluff up flour in bag, then gently spoon it into the measuring cup until heaping, then level off the flour with the back (flat side) of a knife. Do not scoop the flour directly with the measuring cup or compact it, otherwise you'll likely add too much flour.
- Zucchini: You can shred the zucchini with the skin on. For this recipe, no need to squeeze and drain the zucchini prior to adding it to the batter.
- Optional add-ins: We've made these zucchini muffins with 1 cup (180 g) chocolate chips or 1 cup (125 g) chopped walnuts. Since these muffins are already sweet, we recommend choosing dark chocolate over milk chocolate (if using). Pay attention to labels to ensure the chocolate is vegan, if needed.
- How to freeze these muffins: Let muffins cool completely, then transfer to a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the fridge overnight. You can microwave the muffins to warm them before eating, if you'd like.
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