The Best 30 Minute Easy + Healthy Zucchini Muffins
The other day I decided to make some delicious and easy zucchini muffins for my toddler! I wanted something healthy-ish and that I would feel good about feeding to him and all my kids so I knew a muffin recipe would be perfect and it would use up the abundance of zucchini we had from gifted from our neighbor.
My kids love to snack on homemade muffins! I may or may not tell my children they are cupcakes.
Don’t judge me, Karen.
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So I checked out my pinterest boards to see if I had any recipes that would fit the bill. And I found one that was close, but not quite what I had in my refrigerator.
So I made a few changes and came up with my own kid friendly and moist zucchini bread muffins.
My toddler loves bananas so I knew I needed to include that flavor and, of course, zucchini for an extra dose of veggies! Kids (and grownups!) need to sneak in all the extra veggies we can. Plus we used a little bit of flaxseed for extra fiber and swapped the vegetable oil (or olive oil or canola oil) for Greek yogurt which keeps things tasting delicious, lighter, and perfectly moist.
You also get a healthy dose of high quality fats thanks to the crunch of walnuts! Although if you’re avoiding tree nuts or don’t have walnuts on hand or are worried about little-little choking it is easy-peasy to just leave them out!
You can totally make these delicious zucchini muffins your their own without the nuts.
Healthy Zucchini Muffins Q+A
Some questions I get about these making these muffins…
Should I peel zucchini for muffins?
Nah, girl. You don’t need to do that. Just chop in about 1-2 inch chunks and then blend in a food processor to get grated zucchini! I love the specks of green in these muffins! I didn’t drain the excess moisture from my zucchini, but if yours are super-big you may want place your zucchini between paper towel and gently squeeze to reduce the moisture.
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Can I freeze zucchini muffins?
I froze some of the muffins and they were wonderful frozen! It’s a great idea to make a double batch–some to enjoy now and some to freeze for busy mornings and quick snacks! Make sure they are fully cooled before freezing. I like to tightly wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then place them in a freezer bag or airtight container.
I like to actually do a single wrap of plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag for added protection from freezer burn!
Defrost them by setting on the counter for a couple of hours. You can also defrost in the microwave, if desired.
How long do zucchini muffins last? How should I store them?
Zucchini muffins should last a couple days at room temperature. Store in a plastic bag (I like these reusable bags) or sealed container (I love these for stackable food storage!). You can also store in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge for up to a week.
Zucchini muffins are a delicious, healthy start to the day for your toddler or little one! And these healthy little muffins were also great for a quick afternoon snack that wasn’t too messy either!
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I love that these golden brown, homemade zucchini muffins pack a healthy punch of fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and whole grains!
PLUS they use up the excessive amount of produce that zucchini season aka summer always seems to have!
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Do you hide fruits and veggies in your kids foods? What’s your favorite type of muffin?
Like this easy zucchini muffin recipe? Save it for later by pinning it on Pinterest!
Zucchini Muffins
These healthy zucchini muffins are great for kids and toddlers and pack a healthy punch of fruits, veggies and whole grains!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- 2 smashed bananas
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Turn oven to 400.
- In large mixing bowl stir whole wheat flour, white flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and flax (add nuts too, if desired). Create a small well in the center of the dry ingredients.
- In separate bowl lightly whisk eggs, brown sugar, yogurt, banana and zucchini.
- Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredient “well”. Gently fold went and dry ingredients together until blended using 12-15 strokes; batter will still be lumpy.
- Fill muffin cups 2/3 full in greased or lined muffin pan. Bake immediately for 20-25 minutes or until tops are golden. Makes 17 muffins.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 17 Serving Size: 1 muffinAmount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 271mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 4g
All recipe nutrition information is approximate.
I LOVE how jam packed these are with all the good stuff!
I know! I love feeling good about food I’m feeding to my baby!
Love that recipe looks great! Lots of goodness in there. I’d love for you to link up with our Meatless Monday posts all you have to do is add our “badge” to this post. Check it out!
These look delicious. I will def be trying them out. I even think my kids would love them.
Yes! They are super-kid friendly!
Nice pictures! I love finding recipes on Pinterest too.
Thanks Elle! I’ve been working on upping my photography game.
Muffins are my WEAKNESS! These look fantastic, thank you for the recipe!
Me too! That’s why I have to make them healthy! 😀
These sounds fantastic! My kids would be so excited if they came home to a plateful of these muffins for snack time.
Thanks! They are definitely great for hungry kiddos! And moms! 😉
that looks delicious! great way to sneak in some veggies!
Yes! My little baby doesn’t even know she’s being tricked into eating a green veggie!
What a great breakfast – and so healthy!
Thanks Ange!
Yum! Zucchini bread and muffins are one of my favorites in the summer with squash from our garden. I should really buy some since I have been craving it lately and don’t have any in the freezer.
Yes! I used the last of my frozen zucchini from summer to make these, but picked up some zucchini at the grocery store because it is so versatile!
Um YUM these look delish! Just a few tweaks to make them GF and I’ll be eating the entire batch 😛
Awesome! I love that this recipe is easy-to-tweak to your tastes and needs!
These look amazing! I should try them for my carb-loving 2 year old!
My pediatrician told me it is 100% natural for Layla to want ALL THE CARBS! Something about the way they’re growing wants the quick turnover of carbs or something like that! 🙂 Now what is mama’s problem for wanting all the carbs too! 😉
These look amazing! So puffy and delicious! I love adding bananas to my muffins…adds some extra sweetness:)
Yes, the bananas are awesome for giving a sweet flavor without needing a lot of sugar.
Great recipe, I bet my kids would LOVE these!
I love healthy breakfast muffins like these! Sound fantastic.
I do like muffins in the morning. These sounds awesomely delicious. Question, with fresh zucchini, do you shred and then squeeze out excess moisture?
I would pack into the measuring cup, press down and pour off anything you can, but the moisture isn’t as big of a deal if it is fresh.
This recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing.
YUM! I love banana zucchini muffins! And yes, with walnuts would be bomb.
Yeah! I think they would be so good in these! Soon though! Although how scary is it to give your kid a high-allergen food for the first time? You just give it to them and hope their throat doesn’t close up?! Obviously I’m a nervous first time mama! 🙂
I love any kind of muffin. This recipe would be a great way to hide the zuchinni from my kids. The love banana bread so they would love these 🙂
Me too! All the muffins! And yes it is a great way to hide the green veggies from your kiddos! And then tell them afterward how much they like zucchini! 😀
Hi Sarah, nice to meet you 🙂 Thanks so much for linking up with us, I hope you will again in the future. These sound lovely, nice and healthy to get your day started off the right way!
Hey Tina! I don’t often create meatless recipes, but I’m glad this one sort of landed in the category on accident. 🙂 I’m Kate, by the way.
These look great! I need to bake more, but worry I’ll eat them all on my own right away.
The catch 22 of baking. 😛 I did freeze a half dozen which helped slow us down some, but yeah, it’s hard to have self control with homemade carbs laying around!
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Your recipe looks delicious! Do you think using a gf flour would work or would it change the texture/taste too much?
You know, Jill, since I’m not GF and have really (besides box mixes when my sis is in town) never baked GF I have no clue! If you do end up making them I’d love if you’d let me know how it went!
I love zucchini banana bread. It’s so tasty and healthy. I love adding dark chocolate chunks to mine 🙂
Muffins look delicious..What can I use instead of 1/4 cup flax, also u used regular light or dark brown sugar?
You could omit the flax if you don’t have it or use 1 T chia seeds for added omega 3 benefits similar to flax. I used light brown sugar and I have also made this using white sugar.
I love ALL muffins! I am a big fan of adding zucchini in whenever possible – it’s so good!
I know! It is a great way to sneak in extra veggies!
Looks yummy! Will have to try these. I tried zucchini muffins for the first time a few months ago and wow, they are so good! Now I can make them myself. Thanks for sharing!
The zucchini makes them so moist! They’re awesome!
Yum! 😀 I’ve still yet to bake anything with zucchini in it, but I’ve been meaning to. I love how nutrient-packed this is! <3
You nailed it! I love all the sneak-ins in this recipe, and it looks delicious. I keep trying to sneak in more veggies a la smoothies, to the kids, but they never end up drinking it all. LAME. But, with a muffin? It would be so easy. Thanks for the inspiration and recipe. So excited.
My pleasure! This tastes too good to be veggies. 😀 Hope you fool those smart kiddos!
This is perfect! I’ve been craving muffins lately. My kids wouldn’t have to know about the zucchini 🙂
What a healthy breakfast idea! I love anything zucchini so I am so down for these babies
Yes! Me too! It’s so versatile!!
Those muffins look great, and I love what’s in them. Thanks for sharing this recipe and will have to try!
They are seriously delicious!!