Vegan Zucchini Muffins

Why I Love This Recipe

I always want to incorporate more meals and snacks that are good for me into my routine, like my Shrimp Ceviche Recipe, so that I feel good about what I'm eating. These Vegan Zucchini Muffins were a hit with the whole family and my son keeps asking for more. That makes them a winner in my book!

I don't regularly practice a vegan diet, however, I have been trying to make more recipes that use alternative ingredients like plant-based milk, fat substitutes, etc. These muffins definitely hit the spot, like my Pumpkin Banana Muffins, and are a great recipe to make, vegan or not!

Ingredients for This Recipe

You probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry which makes this recipe even better. I also love that the prep time and cooking time happen in less than an hour so you can absolutely make this on a weekend morning and have a delicious snack for the rest of the week (if they last that long!).

Fresh Ingredients

Of course, for zucchini muffins, you will need a medium zucchini and a lemon. Zest your lemon before you juice it!

From the Fridge

Since these muffins are vegan, you will need plant-based milk like oat or almond. You will also need unsweetened applesauce which is taking the place of the egg and/or oil in a traditional muffin recipe.

From the Pantry

From the pantry, you will need vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and chopped pecans. 

How to Make Vegan Zucchini Muffins

Preheat the oven to 425°F and prepare a muffin tin with silicone or paper liners.

Cut off the end of a medium-sized zucchini and shred it using a cheese grater. Once fully shredded, wrap the zucchini pieces into a paper towel, twist the top to make a ball, and squeeze as much water out as you can. Set it aside.

In a small measuring cup or mixing bowl, whisk the oat milk, lemon juice, and vanilla and set aside. In another large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk together to combine.

Pour the oak milk mixture and the applesauce into the flour mixture and stir with a spatula to combine. Add the zucchini and fold it into the mixture followed by the chopped nuts (if using). Spoon the batter evenly into the 12 muffin sections.

Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes then turn down the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and cool the muffins on a cooling rack.

Why Are There Two Cooking Temperatures?

A nice trick to get a fluffy top to your muffins is to blast them at 425°F for 5 minutes before turning down the heat to 350°F for the remaining cooking time. Don't open the door, just turn down the heat and you will have a nice fluffy muffin top (the good kind!).

Optional Lemon Vanilla Glaze for Muffins

You can top these muffins with a simple vanilla glaze for an extra burst of flavor. Simply add ½ cup of confectioners powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk to combine and drizzle on top.

Substitutions For This Recipe

The nuts in these muffins are optional or you could substitute walnuts or almonds instead of pecans. If you don't have applesauce, you can substitute it with vegetable oil.

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