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Healthy Zucchini Blender Muffins (Vegan + Gluten Free)

August 13, 2020 By Lisa Kitahara 8 Comments

healthy zucchini muffins stacked on a white plate with milk behind it

Healthy zucchini muffins made in the blender using wholesome ingredients like oats, maple syrup & almond butter keeping them flourless and naturally sweetened. These vegan zucchini muffins are ultra moist thanks to the shredded zucchini and are great for breakfast, snacking and meal prep! (Oil free + refined sugar free)

head shot of zucchini oatmeal muffins with mini chocolate chips on top

And the muffin saga continues. I just can’t stop.

Zucchini is everywhere right now, it’s so cheap and so easy to sneak into baked goods I just want to add it to everything! Cookies, bars, muffins, breads… baked mac and cheese (that is sounding totally yum right now).

Anyways, I ran out of my Zucchini Lemon Muffins and was craving something a bit more fall-inspired since my favourite season is right around the corner. So… here we are.

oatmeal zucchini muffin ingredients in white bowls on a blue backdrop

Ingredients for Healthy Flourless Zucchini Muffins

Adapted from my Blender Banana Muffins, these zucchini blender muffins are springy, fluffy and has a really satisfying chew to it. They’re not overly sweet or heavy– just wholesome and delicious! Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Coconut Yogurt: I used plain, but you could also use vanilla for some added sweetness. I also tested these with bananas and they came out delicious too. Apple sauce might also work but you may need to reduce the almond milk because apple sauce tends to be more wet.
  • Almond Butter: Or any nut/seed butter of your choice but I do find almond butter and sunflower butter pairs best with the spices used.
  • Vanilla Almond Milk: If using regular, add 2 tsp vanilla.
  • Maple Syrup: You could also use agave or coconut sugar 1:1.
  • Apple Cider Vinegar: Helps these muffins get nice and fluffy without using any eggs.
  • Baking Soda + Baking Powder: Reacts with the apple cider vinegar and helps the muffins rise.
  • Rolled Oats: The key ingredient that makes these muffins hearty, chewy and flourless! Toast your oats beforehand to make these extra delicious.
  • Potato Starch: This ingredient it optional, but I find it does help absorb excess liquid from the zucchini creating a fluffier muffin but it isn’t essential and the muffins still rise well. You can substitute with more rolled oats.
  • Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg cloves.
  • Zucchini: I do recommend weighing your zucchini as everyone packs their cups differently. It is about 1 cup shredded zucchini, loosely packed. Blot the zucchini but don’t squeeze the liquid out of it.

In addition, you will also need baking staples like vanilla, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

step by step how to make muffins in a blender

How to Make Zucchini Muffins in a Blender

Blender muffins are as easy as baking muffins get:

Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend -> fold-in the mix-ins -> divide into muffin cups -> bake!

Yep, thats it!

Tips for Making Blender Muffins

I do have a couple tips to share when it comes to making blender muffins though:

  1. Toast the Oats: Toasting the oats beforehand adds so much flavour and pairs beautifully with the spices. As well, IMO I think it helps the texture of these muffins and prevents them from getting gummy.
  2. Use a high speed blender or food processor: I use my trusty Vitamix which makes the batter perfectly smooth. If you use a regular blender, it may be difficult to get it running and smooth so I would suggest using a food processor in that case. The food processor will do a better job at blending the ingredients but the oats will be more corse resulting in a more chewy muffin (kinda like a baked oatmeal-muffin hybrid).
  3. Add all the wet ingredients first: this helps get the blender going and prevents it from getting stuck. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and help it run.
  4. Let the batter rest: This is my secret little hack to soft blender muffins. It allows the oats to soak up the liquid, soften and that gets baked off so you don’t end up with raw batter in the middle.
  5. Chocolate Chips: If adding chocolate chips to the batter, make sure the mixture isn’t warm or the chocolate chips will melt. If it is warm, you can swirl the chocolate chips in right before baking or simply just top them with chocolate chips like I did in these photos.
flourless vegan zucchini oat muffins in a baking pan with chocolate chips on top

Meal prep, make ahead & freezer friendly

These healthy zucchini muffins are best stored in the freezer to retain their texture. Once fully cooled, place them into a freezer safe bag or container and freeze. When ready, wrap a lightly damp paper towel around it and microwave for 30-40 seconds or until warm. Or you can simply thaw them at room temperature.

chocolate chip zucchini oat flour muffins on a white plate with a bite taken out of one of them

More Healthy Zucchini Recipes to Try (all vegan + gluten free):

  • Lemon Zucchini Muffins
  • Zucchini Bread
  • Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal
  • Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai
zucchini oat muffins stacked on a white plate with a bite taken out of the top one

If you recreate this Healthy Zucchini Muffins recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!

Print
zucchini oat muffins stacked on a white plate with a bite taken out of the top one

Healthy Zucchini Blender Muffins


★★★★★

5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Kitahara
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 8 muffins 1x
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Description

Healthy Zucchini Muffins made in the blender using wholesome ingredients like oats, almond butter and maple syrup. These flourless vegan zucchini muffins are moist, fluffy and are great for breakfast & snacking!


Scale

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup non-dairy coconut yogurt (120g // plain or vanilla)*
  • 1/4 cup almond butter (65g // or any nut/seed butter of choice)
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (60ml // if using plain add 2 tsp vanilla extract)
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup (80g)**
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (15g)
  • 2 cup gluten free rolled oats (200g // toasted, see notes)***
  • 2 tbsp potato starch (24g // optional, or sub with more oats)****
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp cloves
  • 1 cup grated zucchini (125g)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped walnuts

Instructions

Toasting the Oats

  1. To toast the oats, place the oats into a large pan over medium high heat. Toss the oats and shake the pan every few seconds so they have enough time to toast but not burn. Alternatively, you can place the oats in the oven on a lined baking tray at 350 F for 8-10 minutes, tossing them half way. 

Muffins

  1. Preheat oven to 425 F (210 C). Line or grease 8 muffin cups.
  2. Into a high speed blender add all the ingredients in the listed order except for the zucchini and chocolate chips. Start at the lowest speed and slowly increase the blending speed. Blend the batter until smooth scraping down the sides as needed with a spatula. Fold in the zucchini. If your batter is warm, add in the chocolate chip after pouring the batter into the muffin cups. 
  3. Divide the batter into 8 muffin cups, about 90g per muffin. Stir in chocolate chips and top with more. Bake for 5 minutes. Drop the temperature to 350 F and bake for another 20-23 minutes (mine were perfect at 22 minutes) or until muffins are cooked all the way through.
  4. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 3 minutes. Carefully transfer the muffins onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely before eating.

 


Notes

  • *If you prefer sweeter muffins, use vanilla coconut yogurt or add in 3-4 tbsp of any dry sweetener.  The yogurt shouldn’t be too runny or thick. I use So Delicious, PC Brand and Liberte non-dairy yogurt for baking. 
  • ** If using coconut yogurt, replace 1:1 with the maple syrup. You may need to add 1-2 tbsp of non dairy milk to achieve a blend-able consistency.
  • *** Toasting the oats helps give a bit more of a nutty flavour which pairs really well with the spices. Not essential, but highly recommended!
  • **** Not essential but potato starch helps absorb excess moisture from the zucchini and helps make these muffins fluffy. Sub with more oats if you don’t have any potato starch. 
  • Helpful Equipment: high speed blender, spatula, 9 or 12 cup muffin tin, muffin liners
  • Nutritional Information Disclaimer: Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated on an online tool (Cronometer) without chocolate chips and potato starch. 
  • Category: breakfast
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, north american

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 205
  • Sugar: 6.9g
  • Sodium: 203mg
  • Fat: 7.2
  • Saturated Fat: 0.3g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 3.8g
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 29.8g
  • Fiber: 1.8g
  • Protein: 6.1gg
  • Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: flourless muffins, vegan zucchini muffins, blender muffins, gluten free zucchini oatmeal muffins

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Tag @Okonomikitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #okonomikitchen

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

flourless healthy zucchini oatmeal muffins made in a blender recipe pinterest graphic

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Filed Under: All recipes, Breakfast, Gluten-free, Snacks, Sweets Tagged With: breakfast, dairy free, eggless, fall, flourless, gluten free, meal prep, muffins and quick breads, oil free, recipes, refined sugar free, snacks, spring, summer, sweet, vegan

Previous Post: « Easy 2 Minute Vegan Yogurt
Next Post: Healthy Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins | Vegan + Gluten Free »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anna

    August 14, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    Wow! These are so freakin good. Super tasty, easy to make, and simple ingredients. (i used flavored yogurt cos i didn’t have plain, which worked well). I will definitely be making these again and again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Erin

    August 16, 2020 at 11:51 am

    Oooh, another interesting flour combination! I really need to try it. They look so moist!

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      August 17, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      Thanks erin! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Elaine

    August 20, 2020 at 8:14 pm

    These muffins looks amazing Lisa! I love that they are made in the blender. Such a great way to use up all the zucchini from my garden.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Mimi

    August 23, 2020 at 7:32 pm

    These muffins are awesome! Super easy to throw together in the food processor, and the texture was perfectly fluffy – no sogginess like I’ve found with other zucchini recipes. I love the little kick the ginger and cloves add too! Your recipes work for me every time.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      August 25, 2020 at 7:13 pm

      Thats awesome to hear you enjoyed them! No soggy muffins allowed here, haha. I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the muffin recipes 🙂

      Reply
  5. Ginger

    September 28, 2020 at 7:15 pm

    Greetings, Lisa,
    Is processing the rolled oats in the high speed blender the equivalent of using oat flour? I make oat flour with a NutriBullet, but its cup is too small for this recipe’s ingredients.
    Thank you for your very thoughtful and creative work.
    Ginger

    Reply
    • Lisa Kitahara

      October 1, 2020 at 9:02 pm

      yes! you can make it the same 🙂 jjust use the same amount of oat flour for rolled oats per gram

      Reply

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