Whip up these easy zucchini bread muffins in one bowl with just 10 minutes of prep! They’re moist, fluffy, and perfectly spiced with crisp, sugar-crusted tops.
The moist, warmly-spiced, sweet flavor of classic zucchini bread is delicious in muffin form, too! This easy zucchini bread muffin recipe is adapted from my favorite Morning Glory Farm zucchini bread, with just a few minor tweaks. I’ve made it in one bowl, added a bit more leavening agents for lift, a little bit less salt, a little more vanilla, and some optional chopped nuts (chocolate chips would be great, too!).
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Don’t worry — you definitely cannot taste the zucchini in these muffins (it just adds great moisture). Instead, they taste like a cozy spice cake, pumpkin bread, or pumpkin muffins, thanks to all of that cinnamon.
- I use half of a large (1-lb.) zucchini to equal 1 cup shredded. You don’t need to peel the zucchini before grating it and adding it to the batter. Zucchini skin is so thin that it will not add an unpleasant, tough texture to the baked goods.
- You also don’t need to squeeze the zucchini dry before adding it to the batter. The moisture in the zucchini will keep the muffins nice and moist.
- I have not tested a batch of these muffins with frozen zucchini; however, according to this article, you can successfully bake with frozen zucchini. The key is to measure the zucchini before freezing. For instance, measure out 1-cup portions of shredded zucchini, keep it in the freezer, and then thaw before using in this recipe. There will be a lot of water with the thawed zucchini, so make sure to pat it dry before stirring it into the muffins.
- To make this zucchini muffin recipe a bit healthier, you can swap out half of the all-purpose flour and replace it with whole wheat flour.
This recipe is sensational. The recipe was easy to follow and we found a great way to use zucchini. Clean-up was a breeze. Thanks. If we could give it a rating of a 6 we would!
– Denise
How to Make Easy Zucchini Muffins
These easy zucchini muffins come together with just one bowl, which means you have fewer dishes to wash at the end! You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Grate the zucchini using the large holes on a box grater.
- Whisk together the batter in a large bowl, starting with the wet ingredients and then gradually adding the dry ingredients. Using a whisk helps to eliminate any clumps of flour. That way you don’t have to sift! Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much can result in dry, dense muffins. Fold in the chopped nuts.
- Divide the batter evenly between 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of the muffins before baking. This is optional, but it creates sugar-crusted muffin tops with a slightly crunch on top — a beautiful contrast to the moist, tender insides. I use King Arthur sparkling sugar, but turbinado sugar is also a great option.
- Bake in a 375°F oven for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the muffin pan and cool on a wire rack.
Serving Suggestions
Zucchini muffins are such a versatile little treat — especially when paired with butter, cream cheese, or honey. You can offer them for a quick grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings; pile some in a basket as a part of a special brunch buffet; set out a few with a glass of lemonade or sweet tea for an afternoon snack; or even add them to your bread basket as a side dish with dinner. They’re also a nice sweet addition to a breakfast of biscuits with this sausage gravy recipe.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Zucchini Bread Muffins
Equipment
- standard 12-cup muffin tin
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil (or sub with canola oil)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup coarsely grated zucchini
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
- Coarse sugar, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, oil and eggs. Add zucchini and vanilla extract; stir to combine.
- Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder and salt over top. Stir until well blended. Stir in flour and cinnamon; be careful not to over-mix. Fold in chopped nuts.
- Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
Notes
- You don’t need to squeeze the zucchini dry before adding it to the batter. The moisture in the zucchini will keep the muffins nice and moist.
- Add even more warm spices, such as ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon allspice, and ¼ teaspoon ginger.
- Fold raisins or chocolate chips into the batter instead of nuts.
Nutrition
Storage Tips
- How to Store: Allow the muffins to cool completely. Store in a large Ziploc freezer bag or other airtight container. The muffins will last for 2-3 days at room temperature, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: If the muffins are frozen, allow them to sit on the counter for a few minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°F. Frozen muffins will require about 10-12 minutes in the oven; room temperature muffins will only need about 5 minutes to warm through. Alternatively, you can microwave one muffin at a time for 15-30 seconds or just until warm.
Zucchini Bread Muffins Recipe Variations
- Carrot Zucchini Muffins: swap out half of the grated zucchini and replace it with freshly-grated carrots.
- Apple Zucchini Muffins: swap out half of the grated zucchini and replace it with freshly-grated apple.
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins: instead of the chopped nuts, add ½ cup of chocolate chips or mini chocolate chips to the batter.
- I recommend using either canola oil, vegetable oil, or avocado oil. You want a neutral oil that will not flavor the muffins, so don’t use olive oil. Feel free to substitute with melted unsalted butter if you prefer. The melted butter will add rich flavor.
- Add even more warm spices, such as ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ½ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon allspice, and ¼ teaspoon ginger.
- Fold raisins into the batter instead of nuts.
- If your kids don’t want to see green flecks in the muffins, you can substitute with an equal amount of yellow summer squash instead of zucchini.
- Mini Muffins: bake the batter in mini muffin tins for about 12-15 minutes.
These are the most delicious, moist and out of this world Zucchini muffins I have ever made and tried!! And you use only ONE bowl!!! I cook like the Chef on the Muppets, so this was an instant win for me. I added the chocolate chips and added all the spice recommendations (allspice, nutmeg, ginger) and they are amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’m not a baker at all but this was so easy to make and in no time at all. I live in BC, Canada and I’m grateful for this recipe. It’s a KEEPER!!!
– Maria
More Zucchini Bread Recipes to Try
Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
3 hours hrs 13 minutes mins
Zucchini Banana Bread
3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Don’t miss 20 of the best zucchini recipes!
Originally published in May, 2021, this post was updated in July, 2025.
Hi Blair,
I have made these One Bowl Zucchini Muffins several times since I have seen the recipe. The first time I made them regular, the next time with chocolate chips and then I went back to regular. These are really good! This is my favorite zucchini muffins recipe! Next time, I am going to try another one of your other add in suggestions. Thank you for a great muffin recipe! I would rate it more than 5 stars!
I’m so glad to hear that, Annette. Thank you for taking the time to come back here and leave a note. I really appreciate it!
Easy great muffin recipe fir zucchini muffins thank you
Thanks, Renee!
If I made a loaf instead of muffins, what would baking time be, please?
Hi, Tom! I bake a loaf at 325 degrees F for about 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Hope you enjoy!
Made these with gluten free flour for my husband (measure for measure flour), and they came out soooo good!!! Super easy to make too!
That’s great, Morgan! Thank you for taking the time to let us know that the GF flour works as well. Glad they were a hit!
These are the best muffins I have made or tasted.
I am not ‘a crazy over muffins person’ so I was
delightfully surprised by the outcome.
A surplus of zucchini in the garden prompted
me to make these.
Thank you Blair!
Oh, good! I’m so happy to hear that, Loretta. Thank you for letting me know!
If I was to use a 6 big muffin tin would I just bake them longer or about the same and same heat? Thanks!
Hi Liz,
Typically we recommend adjusting the heat to be about 25 degrees lower for jumbo muffins and baking for about 5 minutes longer. Of course, every oven is different. So, be sure to keep a close eye on. your muffins, and remove them when a toothpick can be inserted into the center and comes out clean.
I appreciate the recipe for the zucchini muffins. That came out the best ever. I decided to add a few raisins on my next batch of zucchini muffins and my family loved them. Easy to make and super easy for clean up. Thank you Seasoned Mom. Please keep doing what you do best.
We love the addition of raisins. So glad the recipe was a hit. Thank you so much, Kyle!
We LOVE this recipe. I am wondering though what would be the back time for 1 pound mini loaf pans? Also would I be able to get two of the mini loaf pans with one recipe?
Hi, Mikayla! Yes, I think that you should be able to get two mini loaf pans out of one recipe. I don’t know exactly what the bake time will be since I haven’t tried that myself. I would start with reducing the oven temp to 350 degrees for the mini loaf pans. Bake for 25 minutes, and then continue checking for doneness with a toothpick every 5 minutes until they’re cooked through. Please let us know if you give that a try! I’m so glad that you love the recipe. 🙂
I made these today and found them to be on the dry side.I think they would benefit from adding more zucchini. I decreased the sugar and only baked for 15 min and they were still quite sweet.
I’m sorry they weren’t a hit, Eileen. Thanks for the feedback!
This recipe is sensational. The recipe was easy to follow and we found a great way to use zucchini. Clean-up was a breeze. Thanks. If we could give it a rating of a 6 we would!
Yay! Thank you, Denise! 🙂
This is a great zucchini muffin. I added only 1/2 cup sugar. May add half the baking soda next time. Thank you.
We’re glad you were able to make it work for you, Nicki!
I had one cup of shredded zucchini left and looked up a recipe. I found this one and added 1/4 cup cocoa for my grandchildren.
I made 18 muffins. I could have taken them out at 18-19 min, but they taste fine.
Thank you for an easy recipe to add to my collection!
I’m glad that it worked for you, Anne-Marie. I bet your grandchildren were thrilled!
These are the most delicious, moist and out of this world Zucchini muffins I have ever made and tried!! And you use only ONE bowl!!! I cook like the Chef on the Muppets, so this was an instant win for me. I added the chocolate chips and added all the spice recommendations (allspice, nutmeg, ginger) and they are amazing! Thank you for sharing your recipe. I’m not a baker at all but this was so easy to make and in no time at all. I live in BC, Canada and I’m grateful for this recipe. It’s a KEEPER!!!
Thank you, Maria! This made our day! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe and appreciate you taking the time to leave such a nice review.
This was my first time making zucchini muffins and they turned out great! When my kids asked what I was making for breakfast they looked a little disappointed and were unsure about the zucchini. I am so happy my picky 4 and 6 year old loved them!! We will definitely make these again!
We’re so glad they were a hit! Thank you for trying them out, Jessica!
These are delicious! I left the nuts out for my two-year-old grandson, but I love them with the nuts. These were easy to make with a recipe that’s easy to follow. Thank you! I would like to try them also with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar, just to see how they turn out. That may not be a good idea, but I do love the richness of brown sugar.
Thank you, Carol! I’m so glad that you enjoy them. Definitely let us know if you test them with the brown sugar!
Great tasting muffins and easy to whip up, I am adding this recto my favorites
Thank you, Kathy! I’m so glad that they were a hit!