The perfect way to use up all that garden zucchini, these gluten-free zucchini muffins are fluffy, flavorful, and also dairy-free! You'd never know such a tasty muffin was full of veggies!
When you've got zucchini, you've probably got zucchini. And by that I mean you've probably got boatloads! Especially if you grew it yourself! When I was gifted a 3 lb zucchini this summer, I got to work right away testing out a gluten-free version of classic zucchini muffins!
Trial and Error
Let me just say, it was good that the thing was 3 pounds because I made so many batches, testing and tweaking to get this recipe just right. Here's what I learned about making gluten-free zucchini muffins through my recipe testing:
Don't overdo the amount of zucchini!
The first few batches I made were good, but too spongy and not in a good way. It was like the moisture wasn't fully absorbing, which can be a problem with gluten-free flours. I tried increasing the amount flour, switching up the flours, adding coconut flour, and even squeezing out the excess water from the zucchini but ultimately what worked best was reducing the overall amount of zucchini in the recipe. This produced a muffin that was still fluffy and cake-like yet was still full of zucchini goodness.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini: Obviously.
- Gluten-free Flour: I tested this recipe with Namaste Perfect Flour Blend and Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-free Flour. Both worked great in this recipe.
- Almond Flour: Almond flour is becoming a signature ingredient in muffins for me, it enhances the texture and I find it to be a nice addition.
- Oil or Butter: I tested with coconut oil, canola oil, and melted butter. All worked fine here. So if you need dairy-free, use oil!
- Eggs
- Baking Soda, Baking Powder, Cinnamon, & Salt
- Chocolate Chips & Walnuts: Optional but not optional, if you know what I mean.
Making the Muffins
Step 1: Whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
Step 2: Mix together the oil, eggs, and zucchini.
Step 3: Combine the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.
Step 4: Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Step 5: Scoop the muffin batter into lined muffin tin. Press extra chocolate chips and walnuts on top before baking.
And there you have it! An easy muffin to use up all that zucchini! When it comes to storage, just keep them at room temp for a few days, tightly wrapped. Freeze any extras if needed.
If you love healthy veggies in your muffins, be sure to check out these gluten-free carrot muffins as well! They are also very good!
Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup gluten-free flour, such as Bob's 1:1 or Namaste Perfect Flour Blend
- ½ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup oil or melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts, plus extra for tops if desired
- ½ cup chocolate chips, plus extra for tops if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin tins with parchment muffin cup liners or grease well.
- Combine flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside
- In a separate bowl, mix together the oil and eggs. Then stir in the zucchini.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.
- Then stir in walnuts and chocolate chips.
- Scoop ¼ cup of the batter into each muffin tin. Press extra walnuts and chocolate chips into the top of the batter if desired.
- Bake for 25-28 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Kathy
Great post. Muffins look great too. ?