These zucchini applesauce muffins are soft, moist, and hearty, making them the perfect quick breakfast or snack. Made in one bowl with simple ingredients, they're naturally vegan, gluten-free, and freezer-friendly for easy meal prep.
I love enjoying them with a cozy cup of protein coffee or protein hot chocolate for a balanced, satisfying start to the day!
Whenever I have an open jar of applesauce, these zucchini applesauce muffins are one of the first things I make (along with my applesauce carrot muffins and no banana protein pancakes!). They're perfect for a grab-and-go breakfast or a quick midday snack.
Want something with more protein? Try my chocolate banana protein muffins, vegan protein muffins, or protein cinnamon rolls instead!
💚Why you will love applesauce zucchini muffins
- Great as a convenient, grab-and-go breakfast or snack
- A healthier alternative to regular muffins - lower sugar and fat, made with whole grain, and packed with fiber
- One bowl, no-fuss, and ready in an hour
- Freezer-friendly, making it great for meal prep
- Easy way to sneak in extra vegetables!
🥛What you will need
- Zucchini - The star ingredient of this recipe! Just grate using a box grater without peeling, using the largest hole. The skin adds lovely specks of green throughout the muffins.
- Applesauce - Acts both as a substitute for eggs and oil in this recipe. Unsweetened applesauce works best.
- Maple syrup - Can be substituted with another liquid sweetener, such as agave syrup or honey.
- Oil - Any neutral-tasting oil would work in this recipe.
- Oat flour - You can also make your own by blending oats in a high-speed blender.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
📃Ingredients substitutions and add-ins
- Make it gluten-free - Use a certified gluten-free oat flour.
- Make it vegan - Substitute eggs with 2 chia eggs. However, muffins will turn out to be slightly denser.
- Dried fruits - Raisins and sultanas add natural sweetness to your muffins. I recommend adding around ½ cup.
- Chopped nuts - Add up to ½ cup of chopped walnuts, pecans, or whatever nuts that sound good!
- Chocolate chips - For my chocolate lovers out there, add up to ½ cup of chocolate chips of choice to elevate zucchini muffins.
- Spices - Add warmth and flavor to your muffins. Some that work well include pumpkin spice, nutmeg, or cardamom.
🔪How to make zucchini applesauce muffins
Step 1: Add all wet ingredients (applesauce, maple syrup, cashew butter, vanilla extract) in a mixing bowl and mix well.
Step 2: Stir in flour, zucchini, baking powder + soda, and cinnamon. Mix until a smooth batter forms.
Step 3: Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full. Bake at 220°C (430°F) for 8 minutes, then lower the heat to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
Step 4: Transfer muffins to a cooling rack to cool, and your zucchini applesauce muffins are ready to be enjoyed!
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✔Baking tips
- Measuring flour - Do not scoop flour directly out of the bag. Rather, spoon flour into a measuring cup and level. For the best result, use a kitchen scale to weigh out ingredients.
- Do not overbake - As these low-fat muffins can dry out easily. They're done when a toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs attached. Muffins will continue to bake with residual heat.
- Muffin sticking excessively to liner - These muffins may stick more than usual. Let them cool completely before removing the liners, or lightly grease the liners before baking to prevent sticking.
❄Storing and reheating suggestions
Cool completely - Let muffins cool fully on a wire rack before storing. This helps prevent condensation, which can make them soggy.
Refrigerate - Store cooled muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Freeze - Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Label with date and keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or 30 minutes at room temperature before reheating.
Reheat - Warm muffins in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 8-10 minutes, or microwave for about 30 seconds until heated through.
❔Commonly asked questions
It depends on the recipe. Some recipes call for squeezing out the excess moisture to prevent soggy muffins. However, for these applesauce zucchini muffins, you don't need to, as this recipe is developed to account for the natural moisture in the zucchini, so no squeezing is needed!
Soggy muffins are usually caused by too much moisture. This can happen if your wet-to-dry ingredient ratio is off, so it's best to weigh your ingredients with a kitchen scale for accuracy.
Another common reason is improper cooling. Let muffins sit in the muffin tin for a few minutes to firm up, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Letting them sit in the pan traps steam, which can make the bottoms soggy.
Applesauce can be substituted with equal amounts of mashed bananas, but it might add a mild banana flavor. Greek yogurt is another great substitute, but muffins will be less sweet. Feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons more sweetener to compensate.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Applesauce Muffins
Ingredients
Wet ingredients
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- 2 eggs (or 2 chia eggs)
- ½ cup maple syrup or other liquid sweeteners
- ¼ cup light olive oil or other neutral oil of choice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Dry ingredients
- 3 cups oat flour gluten-free if needed (180g)*
- 2 cup shredded zucchini (no need to squeeze)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 220C/430F. Line muffin tray with liners or lightly grease with oil.
- Mix all wet ingredients together in a mixing bowl.½ cup applesauce, ½ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup light olive oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Next, add in all dry ingredients. Mix until everything is well combined. The batter will be on the thicker side.3 cups oat flour, 2 cup shredded zucchini, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Using a spoon or ice-cream scoop, fill muffin tins with batter about ¾ way full. You should get about 12 muffins.
- Bake for 8 minutes at 220C/430F, then reduce temperature to 180C/350F and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted down the middle and muffins are lightly browned.
- Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to allow them to cool down further.
Notes
- Do not overbake - As these low-fat muffins can dry out easily. They're done when a toothpick comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs attached. Muffins will continue to bake with residual heat.
- Muffin sticking to liner - These muffins may stick more than usual. Let them cool completely before removing the liners, or lightly grease the liners before baking to prevent sticking.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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