Banana zucchini muffins are soft, moist, and made with coconut oil, honey, mashed bananas and flecked with freshly grated zucchini!
Healthy Zucchini Banana Muffins
These banana zucchini muffins are the perfect way to use up zucchini from your garden. These are a healthier version of my banana bread muffins that use coconut oil for healthy fats and honey to cut down on refined sugar.
My kids absolutely love them and can’t even taste the zucchini. If you’ve ever had my zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, or my zucchini chocolate chip muffins, you’ll know how mild zucchini is in flavor but it adds a ton of moisture to any baked good. It’s a great way to sneak in some extra veggies into incredibly moist and fluffy muffins!
Take these banana zucchini muffins on the go as a portable breakfast, or have a warm basket on the table for brunch. Keep them on the counter as just one of many healthy snack ideas for after school and watch how quickly they disappear.
Whatever you’ve got leftover, wrap them up, freeze them, then warm them whenever you get a hankering. So easy and so delicious!
Why We Love these Banana Zucchini Muffins
- So moist and soft. There’s nothing better than breaking open a freshly baked muffin and revealing the pillowy softness. Except maybe watching butter melt all over it!
- Packed with nutrients. It tastes amazing and it still has a ton of health benefits. The zucchini provides a ton of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The honey delivers antioxidant properties as well as anti-inflammatory properties. The eggs give us Omega 3s and protein, while the cinnamon helps to control blood sugar levels.
- Make ahead and freezer friendly. Banana zucchini muffins are always great to make ahead and have at the ready for a quick snack.
- Customizable. There are plenty of ways to make this muffin recipe your own. Keep reading for delicious add-ins and easy ingredient swaps.
Ingredients
- Shredded zucchini, unpeeled: Zucchini skin is very delicate, thin, and easy to digest. It adds a ton of fiber and we love the dark green flecks throughout the muffin! Learn how to shred zucchini easily!
- Coconut oil, melted and cooled: Coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you’ll want to melt far enough ahead of time so you allow it to cool, but not too far that it hardens.
- Light brown sugar: Pack it into the measuring cup, leaving little space for air. This will be the correct amount needed.
- Honey: Adds a delicious sweetness to the muffin batter and also helps to keep the wet to dry ratio in balance.
- Eggs, at room temperature: Starting with room temperature eggs, make for even baking and great results. The eggs are meant to bind the ingredients together and they also add to the texture of the muffin.
- Mashed bananas: The riper the better! Ripe bananas add a natural sweetness and great banana flavor.
- Ground cinnamon: A warm spice that pairs well with zucchini and banana flavor. Towards the end of summer leading into fall, I like to add a bit of nutmeg as well.
- Remaining baking staples: All-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, fine sea salt, or table salt.
How to Make Banana Zucchini Muffins
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and line two muffin tins with paper liners. You’ll also want to spray them with a nonstick spray. Place the grated zucchini into a paper towel or cheesecloth, wrap it up and use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can. Any excess moisture will affect the consistency of the batter. Also, melt and cool your coconut oil.
- Mix wet and dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar, and eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Check here for tips on how to measure flour to guarantee amazing texture.
- Make muffin batter. Carefully add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until combined. Be careful not to overmix. Next, fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips if you’re adding those in.
- Bake. Fill the muffin liners 2/3 of the way full. I like to sprinkle some extra overtop the muffins so that they stick out once baked and they’re not all hidden. Bake for 18-20 minutes until lightly brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Enjoy!
Substitutions & Variations
- A different flour. Swapping flours can get a bit tricky when you’re trying to replace one for another, as they all have different properties and tastes. If you’re going to replace all-purpose flour, you can use white whole wheat flour or Kamut flour. Since they are a bit thicker, I would use 1/4 cup less than what the recipe states.
- Oil. Applesauce is a great oil replacement. It adds moisture, it’s naturally sweet and it tastes like apples! You can also use very light mild-tasting olive oil or canola oil.
- Add-ins. My kids love it when I add chocolate chips! You can also add in things like dried fruit like raisins or cranberries, chopped nuts, or coconut.
FAQs
Gluten-free flour is a tricky one to use as a 1:1 replacement for all-purpose flour without altering the other ingredients. I haven’t tried it myself, but you could give it a shot using fine almond flour (not almond meal), or oat flour. You could also try gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour.
The taste and texture will differ slightly and you may get a different texture in the end. If you do try a gluten-free alternative, let me know!
Absolutely! The great thing about these banana zucchini muffins is you can tweak things to make them as healthy as you need them. Add some chia seeds or flax seeds to the batter. Sprinkle a bit of hemp hearts on top before baking. Swap the chocolate chips for cacao nibs or use dark chocolate chips.
You bet. Once completely cooled, you can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter or pop them in the microwave for 15-30 seconds to warm up.
Storing Tips
To keep these banana zucchini muffins moist, store them in a Ziploc bag for up to 4 days. A trick to keeping them from getting soggy is to place a few folded paper towels in the bag to absorb the moisture.
No need to store them in the fridge, on your counter at room temperature is just fine. Easy access!
More Homemade Muffin Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Muffins: My kids go crazy over these!
- Blueberry Muffins: The perfect way to showcase fresh seasonal berries.
- Apricot Yogurt Muffins: Soft, flavorful and super simple to make.
- Easy Breakfast Muffins: Made with just one bowl and a spoon!
Banana Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups shredded zucchini , about 2 small or 1 large zucchini unpeeled
- 1/2 cup coconut oil , melted and cooled
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1/2 cup honey
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
- 1 cup mashed banana , about 3 medium brown bananas
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 cups all-purpose flour , see notes
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt , or table salt
Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. Spray with nonstick spray. Grate the zucchini and then place it in a cheese cloth or paper towel. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Also, make sure to melt the coconut oil and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined. Do not over mix. Fold in the zucchini and chocolate chips (if adding).
- Fill the muffin liners 2/3 of the way full. If adding chocolate chips, sprinkle some evenly over the top of the muffins.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Flour: In place of all-purpose flour you can use a white whole wheat flour or kamut flour (I would use 1/4 cup less flour for these as they are thicker). I’ve also replaced 1 cup flour with 1 cup of old fashioned oats with success.
- Oil: In place of coconut oil you may also use applesauce, very light olive oil or canola oil in place of coconut oil.
- Extras: My kids love when I add chocolate chips, you can can also add in extras like dried fruit, chopped nuts and coconut.
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Love this combo! Even better than our usual zucchini muffins. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Allison!
This is such a great way to hide zucchini for my picky toddler who loves bananas! Thanks for the recipe!
Exactly! You are so welcome :)