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Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Bread Muffins

Flavorful and moist, these zucchini bread muffins are an easy summertime baking staple. No need to peel the zucchini before shredding, but you certainly can if you'd like. See Notes for freezing instructions.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) all-purpose flour or whole wheat flour (or mix of both) spooned & leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs at room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk (dairy or non dairy)
  • 1 and 3/4 cups (210g) shredded zucchini (no need to blot)*
  • optional: 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips (or chopped nuts, raisins, etc)
  • optional: coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top

Equipment

  • Box grater
  • Standard 12-cup muffin pan
  • Large whisk

Method
 

  1. Preheat and prep
    Set the oven to 425°F (218°C). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray each cavity thoroughly with nonstick spray and then flour them.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients
    Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until combined.
  3. Mix the wet ingredients
    Whisk the vegetable oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk together in a medium bowl until the mixture looks uniform. Stir in the shredded zucchini. The mixture looks swampy and a little alarming at this stage. That's expected.
  4. Combine
    Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until just combined. Stop the moment the flour disappears. The batter will be very thick and scoopable, not pourable. A few remaining flour streaks are preferable to an overmixed batter.
  5. Fill the liners
    Scoop the batter into each liner, filling them all the way to the top. A medium cookie scoop or a large spoon both work. Sprinkle coarse sugar over each muffin top if using.
  6. Bake with the temperature drop
    Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F (177°C) without opening the oven door. Bake for another 15 to 17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. The initial high heat forces the batter to dome upward before the structure sets, producing the tall tops that make these zucchini muffins look like they came from a real bakery.
  7. Cool
    Let the muffins sit in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. The bottoms finish setting during those five minutes and release cleanly from the liner.

Recipe Notes

🥒 Never squeeze the shredded zucchini.
The water locked inside freshly grated zucchini is what keeps these muffins soft for days after baking. Every recipe that tells you to squeeze the vegetable dry applies that instruction to fritters, not muffin batter. Grate it, measure 1¾ cups loosely packed, and add it to the wet ingredients without touching a paper towel. ✅
🌡️ The 425°F blast produces the dome, not luck.
Five minutes of high heat forces the batter to push upward before the gluten sets around it. Drop the temperature without opening the door so the structure holds the dome as it finishes baking. Miss the five-minute mark and you will get a flat, spread muffin that tastes identical but looks defeated. Set a timer. 🔥