If you’re looking for a delicious, easy, lower sugar zucchini muffin with perfect texture…ta-daaa…you’ve found it! These Zucchini Muffins make a great grab-and-go breakfast or snack.
Our garden is in full force at the moment, sending up zucchinis and cucumbers faster than we can eat them or give them away! So, currently, we are pretty much eating zucchini muffins and pickles all day long.
For years, I’ve bugged and bugged my husband for a garden. He kept putting me off, saying it was more work than he wanted to do. Finally, a couple of years ago, being the sweet man that he is, he built me a beautiful garden. Before I planted a single seed, he came to me with a detailed garden plan that he had drawn…and plants. He couldn’t resist shopping for plants. So, two years into this and that man has completely taken over my garden. I never stood a chance. We take walks down there every night and as we meander through the beds, he gives me updates on all of the plants like doctors changing shifts. I’ve decided to let this whole thing go. The happiness he gets from gardening, it turns out, is all I need.
Let’s talk about baking.
Reducing Sugar in Baking…
You all know how much I love quick breads. This German Chocolate Chip Banana Bread has always been a favorite. The thing is, so many standard recipes for quick breads and muffins call for a boatload of sugar. It’s really hard to find a good balance between lower sugar and great taste and texture. So, after lots of testing…we’ve eaten so many crappy zucchini muffins the past couple of weeks…I really think I’ve found a great ratio in this recipe that works very nicely.
These muffins turn out moist (I know…that word can be so hard to hear) with just the right amount of sweetness. One trick I love to use when making quick breads or muffins is to top them with just a sprinkling of coarse turbinado sugar before baking. It gives you a great crunch and a hit of sweetness on your tongue when you take a bite without loading up on sugar.
Tips for Baking with Zucchini…
- Garden grown zucchini, especially the smaller ones, have more moisture content compared to grocery store zucchini.
- The ideal size for harvesting zucchini is about six inches. But…
- Many gardeners like to use those giant baseball bat sized zucchini for baking. I get that. We find those monsters in our garden too! Keep in mind that the larger the zucchini, the less moisture they’ll have and the less sweet they’ll be. If you do want to use a really large zucchini in baking, test out the skin first. Is it tender or really tough? If it’s tough, don’t use it at all. If it’s tender, grate only the outer perimeter of the zucchini. Don’t grate the center where the seeds are. They’ll be too big and tough.
- Don’t peel zucchini for baking. Just trim the ends and grate it all…unless, well, see above.
- Some recipes call for squeezing out the moisture. I don’t find that necessary. That’s just crazy talk. :)
- 1¼ cup (175g) all purpose flour
- ¾ cup (110g) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs (use flax eggs to keep this vegan)
- ½ cup milk of your choice (I use unsweetened almond milk)
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (50g) dark brown sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1¾ cup (283g) grated zucchini, packed lightly, not squeezed
- ¾ cup (65g) chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
- 1 - 2 tablespoons coarse turbinado sugar (optional)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin tin with parchment liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs lightly. Add the milk, oil, maple, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Stir in the grated zucchini.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and add the walnuts. Stir with a rubber spatula or spoon just until combined. Do not overmix to avoid a tough and rubbery muffin.
- Spoon heaping ¼ cupfuls of batter into each muffin tin. Top with turbinado sugar, if using.
- Bake the muffins for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool for 3 to 5 minutes in the tins. Remove and cool on a wire rack until room temperature. The muffins become even more moist as they sit.
To make these muffins vegan, use non dairy milk and flax eggs. To make flax eggs equivalent to two large eggs, combine 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before using.
Store your muffins in a closed container in the fridge. They'll keep for 4 to 5 days.
If you’re into quick breads and muffins…
Take a peek at these babies…
Peach and Pecan Yogurt Muffins
German Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins
If you happen to make these sweet muffins or any other Taste Love and Nourish recipe, I’d looooove to see it! Just follow me @tasteloveandnourish on Instagram and tag your photo with #tasteloveandnourish
Thank you for a very delicious recipe. Used the flax eggs and substituted applesauce for the oil.
Oooh…I’ll have to try it with the applesauce, Teresa! Great idea! So happy you enjoyed them. xo
Caroline, Your zucchini muffins look good, can’t wait to try them. The garden looks beautiful, no wonder we are enjoying so many good vegetables. Love you!