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Homemade zucchini muffins bake up soft, spiced, and ridiculously easy, just grate, stir, and go. It’s a one bowl recipe and you don’t need a vegetable peeler. The shredded zucchini keeps them tender, and a quick vanilla glaze seals the deal.
Want to try a different flour? Our Kamut zucchini muffins use Kamut flour for a buttery, slightly nutty flavor that sets them apart.
Here’s Why This Zucchini Muffin Recipe Works
Minimal prep: No peeling needed, just grate the zucchini and fold it in. The natural moisture bakes right in, keeping the muffins soft and tender.
One-bowl method: Start with the wet ingredients, sift the dry stuff right in, and fold it all together. Less mess, more muffins.
Optional add-ins: A handful of slivered almonds or raisins (or both) adds texture and sweetness without hijacking the base flavor.
Glaze while warm: Drizzle the vanilla glaze while the muffins are still slightly warm so it soaks in a bit and sets with a soft, sweet finish.
Recipe Tips
Use fresh zucchini: Frozen just doesn’t cut it here. Freshly grated zucchini gives you better texture and the right level of moisture.
Sift to break up clumps: Baking soda and flour can get lumpy, especially if they’ve been sitting a while in the pantry. Sifting directly into the bowl helps keep your batter smooth.
Fold gently, not aggressively: Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears. That’s your ticket to a soft, tender crumb.
Fill those muffin cups up: This batter isn’t thick, so fill the wells just below the rim to get that domed, bakery-style top.
Time the glaze right: Drizzle it while the muffins are still slightly warm. It’ll soak in just a bit and set with a soft sheen.
Simple Muffins with Zucchini
These homemade zucchini muffins are soft, spiced, and easy to pull together. They’re just sweet enough, with plenty of flexibility for mix-ins or glaze, or neither. No gimmicks, just good muffins that happen to use up some of that garden zucchini.
Want something richer? Check out our Olympic Village Muffins. They’re molten chocolate and seriously indulgent. A totally different vibe, but worth the detour.
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Homemade Zucchini Muffins
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, 150 grams
- ¾ cup vegetable oil, 150 grams
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1⅔ cups grated zucchini
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, 210 grams
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup slivered almonds, or chopped pecans, optional (56 grams)
- ½ cup raisins, or dried cranberries, optional (56 grams)
Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup powdered sugar, 57 grams
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a 12-well muffin pan with paper liners, or grease each well thoroughly if not using liners.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Stir in the grated zucchini.
- Sift and fold: Set a metal sifter over the bowl and sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Gently fold the batter with a wide spatula just until you don’t see any more streaks of flour. Don’t overmix.
- Optional add-ins: Fold in the slivered almonds and raisins (or your mix-ins of choice), if using.
- Fill and bake:Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each a bit more than ¾ full, just shy of the top edge.
- Bake for 20–27 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.
Vanilla Glaze
- While the muffins cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl until smooth. Adjust the milk as needed to get the consistency you like.
- Drizzle the glaze over the muffins while they’re still slightly warm so it soaks in just a little. Let it set for 10–15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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