Moist & Tender Vegan Zucchini Muffins

These Vegan Zucchini Muffins are everything you want a zucchini muffin to be! Super moist, tender, hearty, and delicious. Grated zucchini joins up with oats, ground cinnamon, vanilla, and a kiss of sweetness for a vegan zucchini muffin that is easy, delicious, and perfect for using up summer’s bounty!

It’s the time of year where zucchini is IN YOUR FACE everywhere you turn. And especially in the garden. Every day a new one emerges, and if you miss a day, God forbid, you’ve got a firelog-size giant on your hands.

The zucchini onslaught is a blessing and a curse. I mean, we all love zucchini, right? But yeah, after a solid month of the stuff, it can get a little wearing.

These Vegan Zucchini Applesauce Muffins though, these work for me long after I’m officially over zucchini for the year. I guess because, with their cinnamon, they taste a bit like fall. And this time of year, I’m secretly starting to feel ready for it.

And I guess also because the zucchini is tucked in there, but it’s not FULL-ON ZUCCHINI ATTACK! Which is cool. Because, yeah, I am getting enough of that in my garden.

Zucchini muffins are among my favorite kinds of muffins, so I thought I’d work on a vegan version that’s a bit healthier than the norm. I actually developed two versions – one had banana, brown sugar, and coconut oil. This one boasts applesauce, pure maple syrup, and canola oil. Both have their merits, but for me, applesauce edged out banana ever so slightly. I sent a few of each batch home with a good friend, and she prefers the banana. So I’ll have to share that one at some point too.

Vegan Zucchini Muffins Ingredients

• Flax egg – this is just ground flaxseed mixed with water, then it sits until it thickens. This ingredient is the perfect egg substitute in muffins.
• Flour – I like white whole wheat flour in these muffins just to help add to the heartiness factor, but all-purpose is great too.
• Oats – Rolled oats both in the muffins and in the topping.
• Baking powder – To help the muffins rise.
• Salt
• Cinnamon
• Vanilla
• Applesauce – A bit of applesauce adds natural sweetness and helps keep these vegan zucchini muffins nice and moist.
• Oil – Canola or coconut oil both work.
• Almond milk – I like to use unsweetened almond milk, but any other plant-based milk will do fine too.
• Pure maple syrup
• Zucchini – Fresh zucchini, shredded with a box grater. I find there is no reason to drain the zucchini; in fact, the moistness in the zucchini helps lead to a moist end product.

How to Make Moist Zucchini Muffins

First, make the flax egg by mixing the ground flaxseed and water together.

Then, you mix the dry ingredients together.

Mix the wet ingredients together, and then pour them into the dry. Mix gently, just until combined, then stir in the zucchini.

Mix together the topping ingredients and then sprinkle them evenly over the muffins.

Bake until the tops spring back and enjoy!

We love these vegan zucchini muffins! They’re super moist, with hearty oats, lots of flavor, but not very much oil.

So don’t give up on zucchini yet! Make these muffins happen first.

5 from 1 rating

Moist & Tender Vegan Zucchini Muffins

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 18 minutes mins

Author: Karen

Yield: 12

These moist and hearty muffins make the most of summer's zucchini bounty. Perfect for vegans AND those who really want muffins but just realized they're out of eggs (one of the great things about vegan muffins!)

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour [250 grams])
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt (or table salt)
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup canola oil (can substitute melted coconut oil)
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (can substitute brown sugar)
• 1 cup grated zucchini

For the topping

• 3 tablespoons rolled oats
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease the cups of a standard-size muffin pan – either with oil or your favorite non-stick spray.
• Add the ground flaxseed and the water to a medium bowl. Whisk together and let sit for at least 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to a large bowl. Mix together with a whisk until blended.
• Add the applesauce, canola oil, almond milk, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract to the flaxseed mixture. Mix well.
• Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Mix JUST until blended and no more (continuing to mix will result in tough, not tender, muffins). Fold in the zucchini.
• Divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups. I like to use an ice cream scoop for this – so easy!
• Make the topping. In a small bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Sprinkle it over the muffin batter in the cups.
• Bake until the tops spring back when poked and a toothpick inserted into the muffin centers comes out clean, 15-18 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Serve.
• Muffins keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 210kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Sodium: 198mg, Potassium: 130mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 10g, Vitamin A: 25IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 106mg, Iron: 1mg

Recipe first published August 15, 2016 on KitchenTreaty.com; updated and moved to Good Gourds on 7/18/2024