Vegan Zucchini Muffins (Gluten-Free & Oil-Free)

These vegan zucchini muffins are the best healthy muffins to enjoy all summer long. They’re fluffy, moist, and made with just 11 wholesome ingredients. Meal prep them this week for a quick and easy breakfast or snack.

This vegan zucchini muffin recipe is inspired by my (Jasmine) mom’s “hidden veggie” muffin recipe. She used to always try and sneak veggies into her recipes when I was a kid and her “hidden veggie” muffins were one of my favorites!

My mom’s recipe wasn’t vegan, but with a few simple tweaks, this healthy muffin recipe yields equally delicious muffins. Plus, they’re vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, nut-free, and even refined-sugar free. What’s not to love?!

Ingredients You’ll Need + Substitutions

• Oat flour: In order to make these vegan muffins also gluten-free, we opted for oat flour. If you are gluten-intolerant or baking for someone with celiac, use gluten-free certified oats. You can purchase pre-made oat flour, or make it at home by blending rolled oats in a high-speed blender until a flour consistency.
• Coconut sugar: We opted for coconut sugar because we wanted to make the base of these zucchini muffins free of refined sugars. If preferred, you can swap the coconut sugar for light brown sugar.
• Baking powder + baking soda: These muffins are leavened with a mixture of baking powder and baking soda. These ingredients help make these muffins, tall, light, and fluffy!
• Vegan Chocolate chips: Chocolate chips are optional, but you can’t go wrong with chocolate zucchini muffins! We prefer to use mini dark chocolate chips because they distribute more evenly throughout the batter, but you can always use regular-sized chips, chocolate chunks, or even a chopped vegan chocolate bar.
• Flax egg: A simple mix of ground flaxseed and water makes the perfect, healthy egg replacer in vegan baking! If desired, you can also use an equal amount of chia seeds in place of the flax seeds and form a chia egg.
• Zucchini: Fresh zucchini is key here! It adds the perfect amount of moisture to the batter and packs a hidden serving of veggies into these muffins.
• Mashed banana: Ripe banana adds natural sweetness and moisture that helps keep these muffins soft and tender. If you don’t have any mashed banana, try swapping it for equal parts unsweetened applesauce.
• Apple cider vinegar: Adding a small splash of acidic vinegar helps activate the baking soda and helps puff these muffins up into a beautiful dome shape. No flat, dense muffins here! If you’re out of apple cider vinegar, replace it with equal parts fresh lemon juice.
• Cinnamon + vanilla: A dash of ground cinnamon and vanilla extract help add warmth, and complex layers to the flavor. If you’re baking these muffins in the fall, try replacing the cinnamon with equal parts pumpkin pie spice.

Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Spatula
• 1/4 cup cookie scoop
• Muffin pan
• Cooking spray or muffin liners
• Cooling rack

How to Make Vegan Zucchini Muffins

1. Make the flax egg. In a small bowl, whisk together the flaxseed meal and water. Set aside for about 15 minutes until thickened.
2. Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the grated zucchini, mashed banana, apple cider vinegar, flax egg, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add the dry ingredients. Next, add in the gluten-free oat flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, making sure no dry flour patches remain.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips. Add in the 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips and fold to combine. The muffin batter will be very thick.
5. Fill the muffin cups. Using a 1/4 cup cooking scoop, scoop and drop batter evenly into the cupcake pan (this recipe makes 9 muffins). Once filled, tap the pan down to remove any air bubbles and to even out the batter. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of mini chocolate chips.
6. Bake. Bake the zucchini muffins for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean with just a few moist bits.
7. Cool and enjoy. Allow the vegan zucchini muffins to cool directly in the pan on top of a cooling rack until room temperature, then enjoy!

Serving Suggestions 

We typically like to keep it simple and enjoy these vegan zucchini muffins plain as a healthy breakfast, afternoon snack, or even dessert! If desired, you can also enjoy with nut butter, vegan butter, vegan cinnamon butter, or chia jam.

These muffins also make a perfect pair for a cup of Cold Brew, a Vegan Dalgona Matcha Latte, or a cold glass of Almond Milk.

If you’re looking for more breakfast ideas, checkout our favorite vegan breakfast recipes. And if you love these muffins, you’ll LOVE our Vegan Date-Sweetened Banana Bread.

Storage Instructions

These vegan zucchini muffins will keep for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Alternatively, these muffins can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To freeze, place them in a single layer in a freezer safe bag and store. If you are planning on freezing these muffins for the full three months, consider wrapping each muffin in plastic wrap or reusable wrap. This will help prevent any freezer burn on the muffins and help them retain their texture and flavor.

Once frozen, these vegan zucchini muffins will reheat best in a toaster oven.

Recipe FAQs

More Vegan Zucchini Recipes You May Enjoy:

• The Best Vegan Zucchini Chocolate Cake – if you’re a chocolate lover, this chocolate zucchini cake is for you!
• Easy Zucchini Oatmeal – if you’ve never tried adding a serving of zucchini to your morning bowl of oats, you’re missing out!
• White Pizza with Zucchini and Tomatoes – one of our favorite family-friendly pizzas to use up garden veggies.
• Crispy Baked Zucchini & Potato Fries – the best sneaky veggie tots for kids and adults!
• Easy Fried Zucchini – a quick and easy appetizer or side for summer parties and dinners.

Make sure you tag us on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan and @consciouschris and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of our recipes, we love to see your photos!

Print

Disclaimer: The nutritional information shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional’s advice. This page may contain affiliate links, which simply means that we earn a commission if you purchase through those links, but your price remains the same. Thank you for supporting Sweet Simple Vegan!