Perfect Vegan Zucchini Muffins with your choice of nuts and raisins or chocolate chips. They are fluffy, moist, and hearty with perfectly domed muffin tops and unlike most recipes, you don't need to waste any time squeezing the liquid out of the zucchini!
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"So easy to make, and tastes so good! The husband was dubious but he gave them his nod of approval (he couldn’t speak, his mouth was full!)" - Nicola ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Adapted from my very popular vegan zucchini bread recipe, these Vegan Zucchini Muffins are moist, perfectly spiced, fluffy, and super delicious. I highly recommend splitting and spreading them generously with vegan butter!
Add your choice of either nuts and raisins or chocolate chips to the batter and use my no-fail technique for perfectly domed muffin tops. Remember the one I used in my vegan strawberry muffins and vegan lemon muffins?
If you’re wondering why we are putting zucchini into muffins, I get it, but just like carrots work in carrot muffins and carrot cake, zucchini works in zucchini muffins and zucchini bread.
The shredded zucchini adds lots of moisture to the batter ensuring the muffins stay soft and moist for days and the flavor works really well with sugar and spices, not to mention that it's a great way to use your surplus summer zucchini!
Mel x
Ingredients
Here is exactly what you need at a glance, along with some ingredient notes and substitution ideas:
- Zucchini (courgette)- You can use green or yellow zucchini in this recipe. You can use a box grater or the grater attachment on a food processor to be super speedy.
- Flour – You can use all-purpose flour, spelt flour, wholewheat flour or a good gluten-free all-purpose flour containing xanthan gum. My preference is all-purpose because it's almost like a blank slate that lets all of the other flavors shine.
- Baking powder, baking soda, and apple cider vinegar – The combination of all 3 makes for perfect muffins. The baking powder ensures they rise, while the baking soda and vinegar create a chemical reaction providing even more lift. This is important in an eggless zucchini muffin recipe because it replaces the leavening you would get from eggs in a non-vegan recipe.
- Sugar – This adds structure, flavor, and sweetness. If you reduce it the texture, rise, and flavor of the muffins will be affected. Any sugar will work well. Don’t replace it with a liquid sweetener though as that will change the liquid-to-dry ratio.
- Ground flax – This isn't used as an egg replacer in this recipe so don't switch it for one. We are using it because it is amazing at absorbing the zucchini moisture. This means we don't need to squeeze the liquid out of the shredded zucchini before we use it.
- Oil – Oil is a fat and is what produces a soft, cakey crumb. It also acts as a preservative. Any neutral liquid oil is okay to use. An oil-free option is also included in the recipe notes.
- Plant milk – Any dairy-free milk will do such as oat milk, soy milk, cashew milk, or almond milk.
- Mix-ins - Golden raisins/sultanas and walnuts, or chocolate chips. Your choice! I always go for the nut and raisin option. Pecans make a great alternative to walnuts, as do pumpkin seeds for a nut-free option.
There is also the option to add vegan streusel to the tops of the muffins if you like your baked goods EXTR! It works so well with this recipe. Highly recommend!
Let's Make Vegan Zucchini Muffins!
Vegan Zucchini Muffins are really easy to make. Here's how:
- Grate the zucchini and mix it with the wet ingredients.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Add the wet to the dry.
- Fold together, add the mix-ins then fill your muffin wells.
I like to sprinkle the tops with some sugar before baking. It gives the tops the best texture. Here's a little before and after baking:
My Tips For Perfectly Domed Vegan Muffin Tops
- Thick batter creates taller and puffier muffins so don't add any extra liquid. Combine the thick batter with my high-temperature trick and you are virtually guaranteed nice muffin tops.
- Muffins need an initial, very hot blast in the oven. This creates steam that will raise those muffin tops right up from the inside out. Then you need to turn them down after 5 minutes so that the insides cook through more gently. That’s my temperature trick and it really works so don’t skip it!
- Fill the muffin wells all the way to the top. They won't overflow because of the initial high temperature and you'll get your gorgeous, big, domed muffin tops.
Storing Muffins
Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire cooling rack before storing them in an airtight container with some paper towels above and below to absorb any moisture. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer and defrost for a few hours at room temperature. To warm muffins place on a baking tray in the oven at 350°F (175 °C) for about 7 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
The easiest way to grate zucchini is to use the grating attachment that comes with a food processor. It makes short work of it and is done in seconds. If you don’t have a food processor simply use a box grater instead. I recommend using the side with the large round shredding holes.
There is no need to peel the zucchini. The skin is soft and softens, even more, when baking. It’s also full of nutrition and adds pretty little green flecks throughout your finished muffins.
To make these vegan zucchini muffins oil-free, replace the oil with the same amount of drippy nut butter. Cashew butter is my choice in cakes as it has a mild, buttery flavor. I find the easiest way to incorporate the nut butter is to blend it with the milk before I start. Add an extra 2 tablespoons of plant milk as nut butter is much thicker and less liquidy than oil. The batter is supposed to be very, very, thick and will loosen as the zucchini lets out its moisture so don’t add any more milk than that.
Recipe
Vegan Zucchini Muffins
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1½ packed cups (310 grams) grated zucchini / courgette
- ½ cup and 2 tablespoons (150 mls) dairy-free milk , unsweetened
- ½ cup (120 mls) oil , any neutral liquid oil (see recipe notes for oil-free option).
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (312 grams) all purpose flour (plain flour in UK) , or spelt, wholewheat, or GF all-purpose that contains xanthan gum
- 2½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar , white, cane, brown or coconut (plus more for sprinkling)
- 2½ tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ teaspoon fine salt
- heaping ½ cup (100 grams) golden raisins or sultanas
- heaping ½ cup (82 grams) walnuts or pecans
- OR 1 heaping cup (180 grams) dairy-free chocolate chips , instead of the nuts & raisins
OPTIONAL
- 1 batch vegan streusel , for topping the muffins
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425 °F (220 °C) and grease or line a 12 well muffin pan.
- Put the grated zucchini in a medium mixing bowl and add the plant milk, oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Stir them together.
- To another large bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, ground flax, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir together with a spatula until just combined. It's a stiff batter but will loosen up as you stir and the zucchini releases its moisture. Don't be tempted to add more liquid.
- Add the nuts and raisins (or chocolate chips) to the batter and fold them through.
- Spoon into the prepared muffin pan. Fill right to the top then sprinkle a generous amount of sugar or streusel on the top of each one.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then reduce heat to 350°F (177°C). DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR. Continue baking for another 17 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. (If using the optional streusel add an extra minute to the cooking time).
- Allow to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
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Maureen says
I just made these for the second time - I even bought zucchini to make them! And... they again did not disappoint. I added the streusel (of course) and these have to be a tie for my favorites with your pumpkin muffins.
The best thing about your recipes is that they always work... no worries that well I will make them per the recipe and then I will tweak if I need to for the next time.
So zucchini muffins it is for breakfast tomorrow :).
Melanie McDonald says
I'll take a tie! I don't think I could choose either. Thanks for leaving a review, Maureen and watch out for a new muffin recipe coming very soon!😉
Irene McDonald (no relation) says
Just made these and can not believe how good these are! I added walnuts and tomorrow I plan to make more with raisins to have more to share. These are light, fluffy and delicious. A great muffin recipe. Thank you Mel and I can't wait to make more of your recipes.
I just saw the post about freezing the shredded zucchini, am going to try that next.
Patricia G says
Great recipe - made these with added 1/4 cup crystallized ginger bits as well as raisins, and replaced the oil with a half package of soft tofu - worked great, and the walnuts added a great crunch. Delicious!
Nicola Aslam says
So easy to make, and tastes so good! The husband was dubious but he gave them his nod of approval (he couldn’t speak, his mouth was full!)
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha! So pleased you're both enjoying them. Thanks for the review Nicola!
Caroline says
I made these today with the streusel topping, added pecans and WOW!!!! These are the best zucchini muffins I have ever made!! Thank you for the excellent recipe!
Melanie McDonald says
Yay! So pleased you enjoyed them Caroline!
Tracie says
These muffins are outstanding! I don't care for raisins, so I leave them out and just use nuts. I love that you don't have to squeeze the water out of the zucchini, because I am entirely too lazy for that. I gave some to my omnivore father and he raved about them. That was summer of 2021. Now I have fresh garden zucchini again, and I'm just waiting for the heat to break so I can turn on my oven and make these again!
Melanie McDonald says
I too am entirely too lazy for squeezing zucchini dry! I'm really pleased you and your family are enjoying the recipe Tracie!
Nanette says
Made these yesterday morning. LOVE the heat trick. These were the best rising muffins I've ever made, and so light and fluffy. I've got about 12 cups of frozen shredded organic zucchini (used 2 cups in this recipe because they were frozen in 2 cup portions) from my CSA share, so I am going to be eating a LOT of these muffins!
Melanie McDonald says
Having to eat a lot of muffins is a good problem to have! I'm so pleased you enjoyed them!
Diana Petrilli says
Is it necessary to add the raisins or can they be omitted? I’m not big on raisins in my food. Thanks!
Melanie McDonald says
You can omit them. Chocolate chips are listed as a sub for them in the recipe, or you could use extra nuts or any other dried fruit or seeds. Or just don't add any mix-ins at all. They are still good without.
Karen says
What other options of gluten free flours can be used?
Melanie McDonald says
This recipe hasn't been tested gluten-free.
Anna says
What do you recommend to make good GF vegan muffins? So far I haven’t been successful. They are not fluffy
Melanie McDonald says
Have you tried Bob's Red mill 1 for 1 baking flour? That tends to give really good results. You're always better using an already gluten-free recipe though rather than trying to convert one that's not.
Tara says
Love these! Of course the fam wanted chocolate chip so that’s what I added. Teens took a bunch to school to share too! Thx for another great recipe.