These healthy and delicious Coconut Flour Zucchini Muffins are grain-free, gluten-free, paleo-friendly, and use no refined sugar. If you have a bumper crop of zucchini, you can make batches of these fluffy muffins all season long and even pop some in the freezer to enjoy during the cooler months.
How to Make Coconut Flour Zucchini Muffins
Like other muffins, making ones with coconut flour is easy. You simply start by preheating your oven and preparing a 12-cup muffin tin before proceeding with making the batter. Use parchment liners or silicone baking cups to line the muffin pan.
Alternatively you can also grease the pan with butter, if you don't need the muffins to be dairy free. I don't recommend coconut oil for greasing, because I've found it doesn't help with releasing the baked muffins very much.
To make the batter, start by whisking the dry ingredients together. These include coconut flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Next, you combine the wet ingredients into another bowl, including eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.
The final step of the batter is to fold in the grated zucchini, along with some pecans or chocolate chips. For the best flavour, I recommend that you toast the pecans in the oven before adding to your zucchini muffins. You should be able to toast them in a 350 F oven for about 7 minutes or until fragrant and golden.
Afterward, you divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups. I like to use a cookie scoop or measuring cup to ensure that the same amount goes into each cup. These should take a total time of 25 minutes to bake. Some good indicators that they are done are if they are dry and puffy on top, if an inserted skewer comes out clean, or if the muffin springs back when pressed with a finger.
How to Make Zucchini Muffins Vegan
The base of these coconut flour zucchini muffins includes eggs, but rest assured, if you are vegan or will be serving these to someone who is vegan, there is a very easy replacement; flax eggs!
A flax egg is basically a mixture of ground flaxseed and water that has gelled so that it is reminiscent of raw egg whites in texture. Generally, for one flax egg, you should combine 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water before allowing to sit for a few minutes to gel. Since this zucchini muffin recipe uses two eggs, you will be combining 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water.
Unfortunately, whole flaxseed doesn't work quite the same as if it is ground, but if that is all you have on hand, you can grind it yourself. I've found that a spice mill, coffee grinder or blender with small jar attachment (like the Blendtec Twister Jar) work well for small amounts. Try a food processor if you are grinding a much larger volume.
The Best Ways to Shred Zucchini
There are numerous ways to shred zucchini for your muffins and quick breads. Here are some of the best ways:
- Food Processor: If you are in a hurry, the fastest way to shred zucchini would be to use a food processor, especially if it has a shredding attachment. The one downside is that this method will result in more cleanup of several separate parts.
- Box Grater: This method is great for when you are grating a small amount of zucchini. In fact, these muffins only require 1 cup of shredded zucchini so this may be the way to go. A box grater requires a little more effort since you are doing most of the work, but it results in nice shreds of zucchini, and is in just one piece for easy cleanup.
Storing Coconut Flour Zucchini Muffins
Once your zucchini muffins are baked and cooled, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay fresh for up to 4 days if they last that long. The muffins are perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast, including plenty of fiber to keep you full from the flax, zucchini, and coconut flour.
If you have a lot of zucchini available from the garden, you may want to create an assembly line in your kitchen to make several batches of these muffins. They freeze wonderfully in a single layer in airtight containers so that you can pull them out of the freezer as needed. In the freezer, expect them to stay at their best for up to 6 months.
Original Images from 2014
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Recipe
Grain-free Coconut Flour Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 1 teaspoon baking powder *use grain-free baking powder like Hain if required
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup grated zucchini 8 oz/230 g
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 6 tablespoons maple syrup or sugar-free syrup
- ¼ cup chopped pecans or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a 12-cavity muffin pan by lining with parchment or silicone liners or greasing it with butter.
- In a large bowl whisk together coconut flour, ground flax, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
- In another bowl combine eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and maple syrup. Add wet to dry ingredients and combine. Fold in grated zucchini, chopped nuts or chocolate chips.
- Fill batter into 12 muffin pan cavities (don't be tempted to make fewer, larger muffins - the centers will be too mushy), top each with a few more nuts or chocolate chips and bake for 25 minutes.
- Let muffins cool before removing from pan. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
cal: 135 carbs: 4 sugar: 1
Nutrition
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Random Questions
These muffins are healthy, grain-free, gluten-free, and paleo-friendly. They're rich in fiber from flax, zucchini, and coconut flour, making them a nutritious option for a grab-and-go breakfast.
Coconut flour and almond flour differ in texture, flavor, and nutritional composition. Coconut flour is finer, absorbs more liquid, and has a subtle coconut taste. Almond flour is coarser, provides a nutty flavor, and has a different nutrient profile with more fats and fewer carbs.
Yes, you can easily make these muffins vegan by using flax eggs as a substitute for regular eggs. Combine ground flaxseed with water, and let it gel to mimic the texture of eggs.
Absolutely! These muffins freeze well. After baking and cooling, store them in airtight containers in a single layer. They can stay at their best in the freezer for up to 6 months.
carol veldhoven
Hi Regina,
This ticks all the boxes for my various friends who have dietary preferences of one kind or another. I would like to include ½ cup almond meal. Do I make up the fluid deficit with water or oil? Cheerfully, Carol
Regina | Leelalicious
I would reduce the coconut flour amount by 2 tablespoons and that way you wouldn't have to make any adjustments to the liquids. Otherwise yes some water, milk, oil, or an extra egg could be used but without further testing I wouldn't be able to say how much.
Wanda
Hi Regina. I don’t have maple syrup on hand, could I use liquid stevia, and if so, how much? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Regina | Leelalicious
Hi Wanda, yes you can try with liquid stevia. I assume they are concentrated drops where 1 teaspoon usually equals 1 cup sugar. So in these muffins I would use 1/2 teaspoon stevia drops. Since the maple syrups would have a lot more liquid, you may have to adjust the liquid in the batter a bit if it seems very dry. Maybe with 1-2 tablespoons water/milk.
Kathleen Bulkley
This is not "grain free". Please note that baking powder is made up of baking soda and corn starch (corn flour). For those of us who truly need grain free this is not a recipe we can use as is. I had to substitute for the baking powder.
This title is inaccurate and misleading.
Regina | Leelalicious
There are many cornstarch free baking powder brands (Hain) or completely starch free baking powders (Bakewell) on the market. I thought grain-free eaters would be aware already, but I will make it even more clear in the post. Also baking powder can be substituted with 1/3 the amount of baking soda as long as an acidic ingredient is present, or mixed with cream of tartar to make homemade baking powder
Lisa
Delicious
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
I'm glad you enjoyed these, Lisa! 🙂
Zelata
Hey! I tried your recipe and my muffins are not fluffy at all and don’t have a good texture do you think that it’s because I baked them on conventional instead of convection?
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Zelata, thank you for your question! A conventional oven should work perfectly fine for this recipe. It is difficult to determine what the cause of the drier muffins might be as there are several potential variables. One is that they were overbaked. Since ovens can vary and don't always hold an accurate temperature, your muffins may have simply required less baking time. Another factor could be improper measuring. Since coconut flour is so absorptive, even measuring just a little extra flour may result in a drier muffin. To combat overpacking your measuring cup, I recommend scooping the flour into your measuring cup and leveling it off rather than dipping the cup into the flour bag. Finally, you may have had drier muffins because your particular zucchini didn't have as much water in it. Let us know if you try the recipe again and how they work out for you. 🙂
Janine
Do you have to squeeze liquid from zucchini? I tried this recipe and squeeze liguid...seemed dry i don't think I was supposed to
Jennifer @ Leelalicious
Hi Janine! Thanks for your question! There is no need to squeeze the liquid from the zucchini. In fact, the moisture from it will help keep the muffins moist. Depending on how much water is in the zucchini you use, the muffins may need a little longer to bake, but otherwise, they should work out fine.
Truc
I’ve been searching for a coconut flour zucchini muffin recipe for a looong time. These turn out AHHHHMAZING!!! I ate 3 right away lol. I used 1/3 cup maple syrup and 2 tbsp coconut sugar with 1.5 cup of grated zucchini. They turned out sooo fluffy and just the right amount of sweetness. I like that they weren’t dense like regular muffins. I’ll be baking another batch right away here. Thank you soooo much!
Regina | Leelalicious
Awesome! So happy to hear you the recipe and muffins worked out well for you. You are making me want to make another batch myself now
Kim
Hi,
If you have to be egg free and flax free, what can you substitute in to make this? I am also allergic to all nuts and histamine intolerant.
Thanks,
Regina
Maybe a powdered egg replacement might work for you? https://amzn.to/2svGpQf
I would use about 4 eggs worth of replacer instead of eggs and flax
paulie
I rarely do reviews. These are great! I have two in the morning and it keeps me going for hours. Thank you!
Regina
Aww thanks so much for taking the time to review this zucchini muffins!
Nicole
I never leave reviews but wanted to thank you for this fantastic recipe! My pre-schooler was a little hesitant when he saw the zucchini going in, but it was love at first taste for him! I made mini-versions of them and they’ll be great for lunches!
Regina
Preschoolers are so tough! So glad it got a stamp of approval
Jenna
Great recipe! I tried them with all flax eggs, but for half the water for them, I used a tbsp of yogurt, and almond milk. They held together okay (just a little crumbly). I ate them with himalayan sea salt, ghee, and almond butter. So good!
Renu
No flax handy. Could I just add 2 more eggs to the mix?
Regina
Yes! Usually I have 4 eggs for a dozen coconut flour muffins but tried to cut it down for that recipe with flax. But you can totally do all egss.
Amy
We're low carb and sugar free. What could I substitute the maple syrup with for sweetener? Can you recommend anything?
Regina
I am not a fan of any artificial sweeteners, so I have no experience baking with them. I know there is sugar-free maple flavored syrup. Or powdered xylitol or stevia. If you using a non-liquid sweetener you may need to add a little oil or other liquid to adjust the batter consistency
Jacquee @ I Sugar Coat It!
These look YUMMMMMM!
Angie (@angiesrecipess)
I would love a few of them for the dinner with a bowl of hot creamy pumpkin soup! We eat lots of zucchini, but mostly in salads. These muffins would be a nice change. Thanks for sharing, Regina.
Regina
Mmm...pumpkin soup sounds awesome with this. I just made my first pumpkin recipe for this season. Excited to see how it turns out
🙂
Amy @ Fearless Homemaker
These sound and look fantastic! A perfect use of all that fresh summer zucchini. YUM!
Regina
Thank you Amy! Yes, there are zucchini everywhere. Got 2 in the fridge from our CSA box 🙂