Enjoy your favorite fall baked goods with no guilt! Healthy Zucchini Muffins contain no oil, no refined sugar, and no flour. The oil and sugar are replaced with ripe bananas and the flour is replaced with whole grain oats. Zucchini, cinnamon, and mini chocolate chips (optional) give the muffins classic zucchini bread flavor.
Night Owl or Early Bird?
Are you a morning person? I’m more of a night owl. I tend to stay up late after getting the kids to bed. Sometimes I’m up to get some work done and sometimes I’m up just to watch trashy television.
Whoops!
Luckily I have coffee and a morning loving husband to get me moving in the a.m. He’s kind enough to bring me a cup of coffee in bed so I can wake up then stumble around half awake trying to get my little people ready for school.
Easy Breakfast Choices
In my opinion, 6 a.m. is a bad time to haul out the cast iron skillet and cook up a hot breakfast. I save that treat for the weekends. On hectic weekday mornings we are stuck with cereal, oatmeal, or other easy breakfast choices.
My kids are carb lovers and will happily devour bagels and muffins each morning. But baked goods full of white sugar and white flour leads to a mid morning energy crash… right when they should be primed and ready to learn.
My solution: healthy oatmeal muffins that contain no oil, no refined sugar, and no flour.
How to Make Healthy Zucchini Muffins
A muffin recipe with no flour and no sugar may sound a little questionable but I promise you they are moist, delicious muffins that are full of flavor!
- The oil and sugar are replaced with ripe bananas. (Over ripe bananas are very sweet!)
- The flour is replaced with whole grain oats. (Oats are toasted f a few minutes then and ground in a food processor or blender for a nutty taste.)
- Zucchini and spices give the muffins classic zucchini bread flavor. (Add your favorite nuts or chocolate chips to customize the recipe.)
I love being able to enjoy one of my fall favorites with no guilt from the oil and sugar in traditional zucchini bread recipes.
MORE HEALTHY MUFFIN RECIPES TO TRY
1 – Healthy Oatmeal Muffins – My original no flour, no sugar, no oil recipe. This basic recipe is sweetened with bananas and is easy to customize.
2 – Healthy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins – My kids’ all-time favorite healthy oatmeal muffins recipe. Lots of CHOCOLATE flavor.
3 – Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe – Delicious pumpkin spice flavor with no flour, no sugar, no oil and no dairy… they taste like pumpkin pie.
4 – Apple Cinnamon Blender Muffins – This easy recipe mixes in the blender for no mess but lots of cinnamon apple flavor.
Healthy Zucchini Muffins Recipe
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Enjoy a fall favorite with no guilt! Healthy Zucchini Muffins contain no oil, no refined sugar, and no flour. The oil and sugar are replaced with ripe bananas and the flour is replaced with whole grain oats. Zucchini, spices, and mini chocolate chips give the muffins classic zucchini bread flavor.
Ingredients
- 2.5 cups old fashioned oats
- 2–3 large bananas (1 cup mashed)
- 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (honey can also be used)
- 2.5 cups shredded zucchini (peeled or unpeeled)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips, mini (optional, plus 1 Tbsp for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place oats on a baking sheet and toast until lightly browned, stirring once (about 4 to 6 minutes). Let cool to room temperature. (If you are in a hurry you can skip this step, however the toasting adds flavor!)
- Reserve 1 Tbsp of oats for muffin tops. Place remaining oats in food processor and pulse until they reach a rough, flour like consistency.
- Turn oven heat up to 350 degrees.
- Mash bananas well, they should have no lumps. (I use my mixer to mash them before adding the other wet ingredients.) Add eggs, maple syrup, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just incorporated.
- Allow mixture to rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour. This allows the oats to soften and soak up the liquids. (It should look thicker after resting.)
- Optional: Fold in 1/3 c mini chocolate chips or nuts.
- Scoop into muffin tin (greased or lined with muffin wrappers). The muffins should be about 7/8 full, recipe makes 14 muffins.
- Sprinkle muffin tops with the 1 Tbsp of reserved oats and 1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips (if using), press lightly to make sure they stick.
- Bake at 350 for 35 -45 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin should come out clean.
Notes
Check baked muffins. These muffins are very moist, if necessary you can cut one open and check to make sure they are baked through. If tops are getting too dark place a sheet of foil on top of the muffins to prevent over browning.
Use parchment baking cups. Healthy muffins have a habit of sticking to the baking cups and muffin tins. Parchment baking cups will prevent them from sticking, no greasing needed.
Overfill the baking cups. Want your muffins to look like mine? Fill the baking cups 3/4 full (muffin tins are usually filled 1/2-2/3). Gluten-free muffins do not rise as much as traditional muffins so overfilling the tins will make them look taller.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 12.9 g
- Sodium: 197.9 mg
- Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.1 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 27.5 mg
Keywords: healthy zucchini muffins, no flour zucchini muffins
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Melissa
Hi there, if I want to leave out the maple syrup/honey, do I need to add more liquid to compensate?
Thanks!
Bren
Yes, up the milk to equal the maple syrup amount.
Amber
My daughter doesn’t like bananas…wondering if I could substitute with 1cup applesauce (equal trade) and get a apple-y flavor instead? Hmmm I might have to try it out!
Bren
Yes, applesauce will work but you may need to up the sweetener as bananas tend to be sweeter.
Victoria
Not sure why mine didn’t work out.
Overdone outside. Wet inside. Baked longer.
No success. 🙁
★★
Bren
Wash you zucchini very wet? You may need to let it drain in a colander before adding to the mix.
Eileen
Can the eggs be substituted? If so, what would be best to use?
Bren
Yes, you can use “flax eggs” in place of eggs. Stir together 2 tablespoon ground flax seed (flaxseed meal) with 5 tablespoon warm water in a small dish and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. Add to recipes in place of eggs.
Mary Place
What can I substitute for the eggs? Can I use flax eggs? Thank you. Mary
Bren
Yes, you can use “flax eggs” in place of eggs. Stir together 2 tablespoon ground flax seed (flaxseed meal) with 5 tablespoon warm water in a small dish and let rest for 5 minutes to thicken. Add to recipes in place of eggs.
Danielle
I love your other muffins and will try these now that zucchini is in season. Can I bake this as a loaf? What would the baking time be? Thanks!
Bren
I’ve never baked as a loaf. Sorry!
Phoebe
I made these, no choco chips just walnuts and they’re delicious! No flour recipes are always a gamble but this one was perfect! A hit with my one year old and my husband 🙂
CW
Came out great!
★★★★★
Bren
Woo hoo!
Cara
Loved these! I made some modifications because I get burnt out on banana in too many recipes. I don’t mind fats so I replaced the banana with 1 cup’s worth of a ghee/coconut oil/peanut butter mixture, and instead of mini chocolate chips I used a crushed 86% dark chocolate bar. I also only used 1/4 syrup and then about 1.5 Tbsp granulated Swerve sweetener. These will be great for breakfast when paired with a couple eggs!
★★★★★
Bren
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Antonia
Can I leave out the maple syrup? What low calorie substitute can I add ?
Bren
I’ve never made them without maple syrup or honey, sorry!