One of my favorite weekend activities, is to wake up early and check out the refrigerator to think up some random muffin flavor to bake for breakfast. You can probably tell from the dozens of gluten free muffins I have on the site. Well, I don't know how in all of these years I've never attempted zucchini blueberry muffins, because it is a seriously tasty combination of flavors.
The stars aligned as I had a single zucchini and some blueberries leftover from other recipes. So I whipped up these delicious muffins and they were a big hit with my whole family! They make a perfect breakfast muffin or afternoon snack. Plus it's a great way to get picky eaters to have more vegetables.
If you're looking for more ways to use up extra zucchini this zucchini season, I recommend this amazing gluten free zucchini bread or these zucchini chocolate chip muffins.
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Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I used Bob's Red Mill 1-to1 flour for this recipe. You can use the gluten free flour blend you prefer, but ensure it contains xanthan gum or a similar binder. Using another brand of flour may result in a different outcome in your bake as all gluten free flour blends are a little different in their makeup.
- Baking Powder - This leavening agent will help the muffins rise tall and have a nice soft, fluffy interior.
- Salt - A little salt helps to balance the flavors of the sweet muffins. Don't be tempted to skip it.
- Cinnamon & Nutmeg - These two spices perfectly compliment the fresh zucchini in the muffins.
- Sugar - White sugar is used here to sweeten the muffins and aid in browning. You could substitute coconut sugar if you like, but don't use brown sugar as the muffins will end up too wet.
- Egg - Just one large egg is used to bind all the ingredients together and help create air bubbles to make a nice light texture. I haven't tried any egg replacements here, but I suspect a flax egg would work well.
- Oil - I use light flavored olive oil in all of my cooking and baking, but vegetable oil or coconut oil would work well too.
- Unsweetened Applesauce - Applesauce helps to add a little moisture and a little natural sweetness to the muffins.
- Vanilla Extract - Adds depth to the flavor.
- Zucchini - I like to shred zucchini with the smallest side on my box grater. I find smaller shreds makes it blend into the batter more easily.
- Blueberries - I always use fresh blueberries in my muffin recipes. I haven't tested this recipe with frozen berries, but I think they will work fine.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Make it Vegan / Egg Free - Use a flax egg to replace the single egg in the recipe.
- No fresh blueberries - Use frozen blueberries. Do not thaw them before adding to the batter.
- No applesauce - Replace the applesauce with non-dairy milk in the same measure.
How to Prep the Zucchini for Muffins
- Remove the stem end from the zucchini.
- Peel the zucchini, if you like. I prefer to leave the skin on.
- Cut the zucchini lengthwise into quarters (like long strips) and remove the center section where the seeds are located. This is the area that holds all the water, so removing it helps avoid soggy muffins.
- Shred the remaining part of the zucchini using the small shred on a box grater.
You do not need to dry the zucchini, squeeze out excess moisture, dab it with a paper towel or anything like that. Removing the center section of the zucchini solves all of those issues.
How to make Zucchini Blueberry Muffins
These muffins are very easy to make using the muffin method - no mixer needed.
- STEP 1: Add the gluten free flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to a large bowl and whisk them together.
- STEP 2: Crack the egg into a small bowl. Beat the egg until it's frothy, like soap bubbles. Then add the oil and vanilla to the egg and mix well.
- STEP 3: Add the beaten egg, applesauce, blueberries and grated zucchini to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Fold everything together with a spatula for about 15 strokes.
- STEP 4: Once mixed, divide the muffin batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar and bake!
Baking Tip
Let the muffin batter rest in the muffin tin while you preheat the oven. This allows time for the gluten free flour to absorb the liquid so you won't end up with a grainy texture to your muffins.
Storage
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate for up to 5 days.
These muffins will also freeze well. Once completely cooled, individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place them inside a freezer bag. Store for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Other breakfast recipes to consider:
If you try this recipe, please leave a 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the comments below.
Recipe
Easy Zucchini Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend I use Bob's Red Mill
- 1 ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- ¼ Cup Oil
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- ¼ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- ⅔ Cup Zucchini shredded
- ½ Cup Fresh Blueberries
- Turbinado Sugar optional for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F degrees. Line a 6-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine gluten free flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Whisk together until well mixed.1 Cup Gluten Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend, 1 ¼ teaspoon Baking Powder, ¼ teaspoon Salt, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ½ Cup Sugar
- In a second smaller bowl, crack the egg. Whisk until it's frothy like soap bubbles.1 Egg
- Add the oil and vanilla to the beaten egg. Mix together.¼ Cup Oil, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Pour the beaten egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Add the applesauce, blueberries and shredded zucchini.¼ Cup Unsweetened Applesauce, ⅔ Cup Zucchini, ½ Cup Fresh Blueberries
- Fold the ingredients together with a spatula until just combined, about 15 strokes.
- Divide the batter into the 6 lined muffin cups. The cups will be filled nearly to the top. I like using a large ice cream scoop for this job. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a little turbinado sugar, if using. Allow the muffin batter to rest for at least 10 minutes.Turbinado Sugar
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 28 minutes or until the tops of the muffins spring back when gently poked.
- Remove the baked muffins and cool them in the pan for no more than 10 minutes, before removing them from the pan and cooling on a wire rack.
Notes
Tiffany is the recipe developer, stylist and food photographer behind Well Fed Baker. As a lifelong baker who had to go gluten free and dairy free in 2016, Tiffany strives to share allergen friendly recipes that never feel like they are free from anything.
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