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These tempting zucchini muffins are the perfect way to use the extra zucchini from your garden this summer. Be sure to make extra to keep in the freezer for the winter months.
I’ve been living off zucchini and tomatoes from the garden this summer. I’ve done grilled zucchini, zucchini noodles, 3-ingredient chocolate zucchini cake (of course), and I decided to add a new recipe to my bag of tricks this year with these bakery-worthy zucchini muffins with walnuts. They’ve been the perfect thing for easy but filling breakfasts, and they freeze beautifully, so we can always have them ready when we need them, even if we’ve been away for a few days. Just pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and they taste warm and freshly baked again. The dark green zucchini ribbons are a little visible in these muffins, but that did not seem to be an issue at all for my kids. We all agreed that these muffins had a delightfully carrot-cake-like vibe that was really comforting and delicious. Definitely give this muffin recipe a try if you’re looking for another easy, go-to recipe for zucchini this year.
More easy late-summer goodness: 3-Ingredient Applesauce Bread
Ingredients Needed for the Walnut Zucchini Muffins
You’ll need:
- Fresh zucchini from the garden or farmer’s market
- Walnut pieces, lightly chopped
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Brown sugar and granulated white sugar
- Butter or a non-dairy substitute
- Eggs or a plant-based alternative
- Vanilla extract
- Milk or a dairy-free alternative such as almond milk or oat milk
- Prepared 4-ingredient streusel topping
I had a large zucchini that had become a bit overgrown while we were away and I was able to make a batch of my 4-ingredient zucchini spice cake, a batch of these muffins, and had one serving of zucchini noodles for lunch, all from that one zucchini! It’s great to keep a baking pantry stocked with basics because once you get started with summer baking, you may need to keep going, so having the ingredients you need in the house can really help.
Method for Preparing The Zucchini Walnut Muffins
Start by grating your zucchini with a box grater. Measure out the required amount and save the rest in the refrigerator for other uses. Next, combine your dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and set them aside.
Melt the butter then add it to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment along with both sugars. Whip these three ingredients together until they’re evenly creamed into a smooth mixture. Next, add in the eggs, vanilla, grated zucchini, and the milk. Mix a little bit more until everything is combined.
With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add in the dry ingredients, a little at a time, and mix until everything comes together into an even batter. Gently fold in the chopped walnuts.
Spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin cups with a tablespoon. I like to fill the muffin papers about 3/4 full to make large, appetizing muffins. Top each muffin with a heaping teaspoon of streusel topping (or more, there’s no limit) and place the baking dish in the oven.
Bake the muffins until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes on a wire cooling rack before serving.
Must-try viral recipe: Easy 3-Ingredient Banana Bread
Zucchini Muffin Variations to Try
There are so many ways to elevate a simple zucchini muffin into something really special. Try using different sizes of muffin tins to make mini muffins for school lunches, or switch to a mini loaf pan to make zucchini bread perfect for sharing with friends and neighbors.
Adding chocolate chips to zucchini muffins is a no-brainer, but you can also add other types of fruit such as dried cranberries, diced peaches, or fresh blueberries, which are also in season at the same time, to make zucchini blueberry muffins.
Turn your zucchini muffins into a hearty breakfast by adding sunflower seeds, flax seed, and shredded unsweetened coconut to the batter before baking. Crumble a few extra walnuts into the streusel topping for extra crunch.
Here’s the full printable recipe.
These tempting zucchini muffins are the perfect way to use the extra zucchini from your garden this summer. Be sure to make extra to keep in the freezer for the winter months.
- 2 cups Shredded Zucchini
- 1 cup Chopped walnut pieces
- 1 3/4 cups All-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup Melted butter or plant-based substitute
- 1/2 cup Granulated white sugar
- 1/2 cup Brown sugar
- 2 Eggs or prepared plant-based substitute
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 2 tbsp Milk or dairy-free milk such as almond or oat
- 1 batch Prepared streusel topping use my 4-ingredient streusel topping or your favorite
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Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the melted butter and both sugars. Cream them together until they're evenly combined into a smooth mixture.
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Add the milk, eggs, vanilla, and shredded zucchini and continue mixing until everything is combined.
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With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients, a little at a time, and mix until everything just comes together into a batter. Fold in the walnuts and mix until they're evenly distributed.
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Spoon the batter into a muffin tin lined with muffin papers. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. Top each cup of batter with a couple of teaspoons of streusel topping.
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Bake at 350° for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.