Made with oat flour and grated zucchini, these tender muffins are a delicious way to use up any summer zucchini you have on hand. They are naturally sweetened with maple syrup and are easy to customize. Add in a few chocolate chips to make them taste like dessert, or fold in walnuts or pecans for extra crunch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Using oat flour keeps these muffins gluten-free, without using any complicated flour blends. Oat flour is made by simply grinding rolled oats in a blender, so this is something you can quickly make at home if you don’t have store-bought oat flour in your pantry. Paired with maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg, they have a classic flavor you’ll love. Swap the maple syrup for 1/2 cup honey, if you prefer. (Honey has a stronger flavor when compared to maple syrup, so it’s important to use a little less when making swaps.) If you prefer to use another flour and don’t need a gluten-free recipe, you can most likely swap this with white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour. But, experiment at your own risk, as I haven’t tested these options on this recipe yet.
How to Make Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners. (Greasing your muffin pan may be sufficient, but I like to use parchment muffin cups to guarantee they will be easy to remove later.) In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients including the oat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk well to break up any clumps. Next, add in the wet ingredients like the eggs, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and olive oil. If you prefer to use coconut oil or butter, just make sure the eggs are at room temperature, otherwise, it may clump up in your batter. (Another mild flavored vegetable oil will work, too.) Stir until the batter looks relatively smooth, then fold in the shredded zucchini. Unlike other zucchini recipes, there’s no need to squeeze out extra moisture for this recipe. The oat flour will absorb it as it bakes! This also means you can use less oil, and don’t need to add extra moisture, like milk, mashed banana, or applesauce. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a few chopped walnuts or pecans on top for added texture, or add some chocolate chips for zucchini chocolate chip muffins that taste like dessert. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top of the muffins are dry to the touch and spring back when you press on them. You can also insert a toothpick into the center of the muffin to make sure it doesn’t come out with any wet batter attached. Let the muffins cool for at least 15 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Their texture will improve as they cool. Once they have cooled for at least 30 minutes, they are ready to enjoy! Looking for more muffin recipes? Try Flourless Chocolate Zucchini Muffins (which taste like brownies!), Almond Flour Banana Muffins, or Healthy Apple Muffins for more ideas. If you try this oat flour zucchini muffin recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
