Easy Vegan Zucchini Muffins

These Vegan Zucchini Muffins are fluffy, tender, moist, and loaded with the hidden nutrients of zucchini – A simple 2-bowl, 8-ingredient recipe with gluten-free options.

Tender and Moist Vegan Zucchini Muffins

With zucchini bread, zucchini mock apple pie, and oatmeal zucchini cookies already under our belts, hiding zucchini in different bakes like these zucchini muffins has quickly become a favorite method for sneaking in extra nutrients while making them tender and moist without adding zucchini flavor.

This zucchini muffin recipe is SO simple, too. You don’t even have to squeeze out the excess liquid from the zucchini. Just shred it, mix the dry and wet ingredients, and bake the batter into perfectly fluffy, delicious vegan vanilla zucchini muffins.

The subtle vanilla infusion makes these a perfect base for different add-ins (think vegan chocolate chips, berries, or nuts). You can also adapt the recipe to your dietary requirements. E.g., lower oil, less sugar, or gluten-free vegan zucchini muffins. They’re even freezer-friendly, so you can always have them to hand!

The Ingredients and Substitutes

The Dry Ingredients

• Flour: You could use all-purpose flour, a blend of all-purpose flour and whole wheat, fully whole wheat zucchini muffins, or spelt flour. You can also make gluten-free zucchini muffins using a gluten-free all-purpose blend (like Bob’s Red Mill/ King Arthur’s).
• Sugar: We used regular white sugar this time, but you could use unrefined sugar, like coconut sugar, raw cane sugar, or date sugar (flavor/color will vary).
• Baking Powder: This leavening agent is important to provide lift and a fluffy texture in eggless zucchini muffins.   
• Salt: Just a little helps balance and enhance the various flavors.

The Wet Ingredients

• Oil: Use a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, etc., for a more tender crumbed vegan zucchini muffins recipe.

To reduce the amount of oil in the zucchini bread muffins recipe, you could replace a portion of it with unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana, or pumpkin puree. Dairy-free Greek yogurt might also work.

• Dairy-free Milk: Use any vegan milk, like oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, almond milk, etc., in this vegan zucchini muffins recipe.
• Flax egg: A combination of ground flaxseed (store-bought or ground in a coffee/spice grinder or blender) and water combine to make a coagulated substance perfect for replacing eggs as a ‘binder’ in these easy zucchini muffins.
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla for the best flavor and no artificial aftertaste.
• Zucchini: It’s best to use small to medium zucchini. Make sure they’re firm with no mushy spots.

Optional add-ins & Recipe Variations

Like most muffins, there are several simple ways to add extra flavor and texture to this recipe for zucchini muffins. Some of our favorites include:

• Spices: We particularly love making cinnamon zucchini muffins, but adding a pinch of nutmeg or even a blend like pumpkin pie spice will work, too.
• Citrus zest: Add 1-2 teaspoons of lemon/orange zest for a subtle delicious citrusy flavor.
• Vegan chocolate chips: Use your favorite dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks. Use sugar-free chocolate, if preferred.
• Berries: Check out our recipe for blueberry zucchini muffins and easily swap out those for other berry types (like raspberries or blackberries). Dried fruit also works.
• Nuts: A handful of chopped nuts (raw or lightly toasted) will create delicious, crunchy zucchini nut muffins. E.g., walnuts, pecans, pistachios, almonds, etc.
• Carrot: Replace some of the zucchini with carrot.
• Toppings: Add coarse cinnamon sugar OR a streusel topping for crunch/sweetness.

How to Make Vegan Zucchini Muffins?

• First, preheat the oven to 400F/200C and prepare a muffin tin with silicone or parchment paper liners.
• Then, mix the water and ground flaxseed in a small bowl and set it aside for 5 minutes.

• Meanwhile, shred the zucchini using the medium holes on a box grater or a food processor shredding disk.

Finely shred the zucchini for it to be barely noticeable within the recipe. Use coarsely shredded zucchini to add more texture and noticeable color.

• In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder) and mix well. Then, form a well in the middle and add all the wet ingredients (oil, flax egg, plant-based milk, vanilla, and grated zucchini).

• Starting in the middle of the bowl, gently combine the wet and dry ingredients, mixing them into a batter until only just combined (a few small lumps are fine).

A thick batter is perfectly normal, as the liquid in the zucchini will release while baking to add the perfect amount of moisture.

• Divide the muffin batter between the cups of the muffin tin, filling them all to the top, and transfer them to the center of your oven to bake for 30-35 minutes, or until they’re golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs, but definitely no wet batter).

• Finally, remove the muffins from the oven and leave them to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy one of these zucchini bread muffins warm or room temperature with vegan butter, nut butter, fruit preserves, etc.

FAQs

Pro Recipe Tips

• To save time: A grating disk will shred the zucchini in seconds.
• To avoid dense muffins: Measure the flour properly by spooning it into your measuring cup and using the back of a knife to level it. Also, avoid over-mixing the batter.
• Don’t squeeze the zucchini: We want all the liquid in it to add moisture to these easy vegan zucchini muffins.
• Experiment with add-ins: These zucchini muffins are a great base ‘vanilla’ muffin, perfect for adding spices, nuts, chocolate, or berries, so have fun experimenting.
• Adjust the shred size: Finely shredded zucchini practically melts into a bake unnoticeably. Medium shreds can be seen but otherwise barely noticed. Coarse shreds will add extra texture and noticeable flecks of green in the muffins.

Storage Instructions

After baking, allow the zucchini bread muffins to cool and store them loosely covered for 2-3 days or in a paper towel-lined airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

These are also freezer-friendly. Flash freeze them until solid, then store them in a large, freezer-safe Ziplock/Stasher bag for up to 3 months.

When you want one, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, on your kitchen counter for several hours, or thaw it in the microwave.

More Vegan Muffins

• Easy vegan apple muffins
• Carrot cake muffins
• Oil-free banana muffins
• Vegan blueberry banana muffins
• Pineapple walnut muffins
• Peach blueberry muffins
• Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

Photos by Alfonso Revilla