Whether you are looking for zucchini recipes because you have an overabundance of zucchini, or you're simply trying to add a little more veggies to your diet, you've GOT to try these easy Vegan Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins!
They're super tasty, flavored with a little cinnamon and nut butter. They freeze well and make a great on-the-go snack or breakfast.
These muffins come out perfect every time. They're just slightly sweet - sweetened with a combination of a ripe banana and organic brown sugar. They get their moisture from shredded zucchini, a mashed banana, and just a little plant milk. The zucchini muffins get loads of flavor from a little cinnamon and nut butter.
Aside from the little tiiiiny green specks in the muffin, you would never know there is hidden zucchini in these! I promise!!
Related recipe: Banana Nut Muffins
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups gluten-free flour (or use all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- ½ cup organic brown sugar (you can increase this up to 1 cup if you prefer a sweet muffin)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter (I like almond butter for these muffins, because peanut butter has a stronger flavor that screams "hi! This is a peanut butter muffin!" Or use apple sauce for a nut-free muffin)
- 1 smashed overripe banana
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini, very well-drained* (from about 2 large zucchini)
- ½ cup non-dairy milk**
* You can drain your zucchini into a bowl and save the liquid for soup or to cook pasta or rice in.
** Depending on how well you drain the zucchini, you might need to add more non-dairy milk, up to 1 cup total, in order to get a typical muffin texture. If you drain the zucchini really well, the batter might be too dry.
You'll also need:
- Muffin pan and muffin liners
- Box grater
- Colander or cheese cloth to squeeze the water out of the zucchini
Related recipe: Banana Oat Cookies
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven in 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 muffin pan with paper liners, or use a non-stick muffin pan if you prefer to avoid using paper.
Step 2: Grate the zucchini, and drain it really well. You can either place the grated zucchini into a colander and squeeze it with your hands until you can't get any more liquid out, or wrap it in a cheese cloth and twist and squeeze it until no more liquid comes out. I prefer the colander method, to really get into the zucchini! You should have 1½ cups shredded zucchini after squeezing the liquid out.
Step 3: In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt).
Related recipe: Vegan Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf
Step 4: Add the mashed banana, the almond butter, vanilla extract, agave nectar, and non-dairy milk. Stir well to combine. If the mixture is too dry, add ¼ cup milk at a time and mix until you get a muffin batter texture that you can scoop or pour.
Step 5: Add the shredded zucchini to the batter. Stir just until combined - a few lumps are OK!
Step 6: Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool, and enjoy, or refrigerate or freeze the leftovers (see below).
Related recipe: Vegan Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
How to store leftover muffins
If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for two days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Related recipe: Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits
Freeze leftover muffins
Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
To thaw frozen muffins, either take them out and place in the refrigerator overnight, or microwave in 30-second intervals until the muffins are heated through to the center. Careful! Some parts of the muffins might be really hot and you should wait until the muffins cool down again to enjoy.
Related recipe: Vegan Strawberry Scones with Chocolate
Other muffin add-ins
These muffins would be AMAZING if you add ½ cup crushed walnuts or pecans for crunch to the batter. Or try adding raisins or craisins (½ to 1 cup) to the batter!
Related recipe: Vegan Avocado Brownies
Other vegan breakfast and snack recipes to try:
- Vegan winter oatmeal
- Vegan buckwheat porridge
- Vegan sheet pan pancakes
- Vegan gluten-free waffles (easiest ever!!)
- Vegan buttermilk pancakes
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Vegan Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups gluten-free flour, or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons almond butter or peanut butter, I prefer almond butter, or use apple sauce for a nut-free muffin
- 1 overripe mashed banana
- ¼ cup agave nectar
- 1 ½ cups zucchini, well-drained (see instructions) (from about 2 large zucchini)
- ½ cup non-dairy milk, or up to ½ cup more, as needed (see instructions)
Special equipment
- Muffin pan
- Grater
- Colander or cheese cloth to drain the zucchini
Instructions
- Preheat the oven in 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 12 muffin pan with paper liners, or use a non-stick muffin pan if you prefer to avoid using paper.
- Grate the zucchini, and drain it really well. You can either place the grated zucchini into a colander and squeeze it with your hands until you can't get any more liquid out, or wrap it in a cheese cloth and twist and squeeze it until no more liquid comes out. I prefer the colander method, to really get into the zucchini! You should have 1½ cups shredded zucchini after you drain the water out.
- In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt).
- Add the mashed banana, the almond butter, vanilla extract, agave nectar, and non-dairy milk. Stir well to combine. If the mixture is too dry, you might need to add ¼ - ½ cup more non-dairy milk at a time until you get a mixture that can be scooped/poured into muffin tins.
- Add the shredded zucchini to the batter. Stir just until combined - a few lumps are OK!
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Bake muffins for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool, and enjoy, or refrigerate or freeze the leftovers (see notes).
Notes
- You can drain your zucchini into a bowl and save the liquid for soup or to cook pasta or rice in.
- Depending on how well you drain the zucchini, you might need to add more non-dairy milk, up to 1 cup total, in order to get a typical muffin texture. If you drain the zucchini really really well, the batter might be too dry.
Questions? Feedback? I love to hear from you!