Zucchini Banana Muffins are super moist with loads of flavor. The perfect way to use up all that leftover zucchini. These muffins are bursting with flavorful banana and cinnamon. You won't even taste the zucchini!
I love "sneaking" zucchini into baked goods. These chocolate zucchini cupcakes and honey nut zucchini bread are just a couple examples of this. But I also love banana muffins.
So why not combine the two and have the most epic muffin for summer?
That's exactly what happened here and these zucchini banana muffins are the absolute best way to use up leftover zucchini. I think you'll love these as much as I do!
Tender banana muffins with zucchini
I adore all things banana and have several recipes for banana bread and banana muffins. It's one of my absolute favorite fruits. I've even used it in cupcakes! With today's recipe, I tried something new. I added shredded zucchini to the banana muffin batter and the result was phenomenal.
The best part is you can't even taste the zucchini and wouldn't even notice it unless you see the little green specks in the muffin.
One thing to note: the recipe doesn't call for milk. It's not needed. The mashed banana, shredded zucchini, oil, and eggs add enough moisture to the batter to omit any extra liquid.
Be sure not to overfill the muffin pan. Fill each cavity only 2/3 of the way full. This is important because of the way the muffins are baked. If the muffin pan is too full, the batter could potentially spill over.
Start them in a 425°F oven for the first 5 minutes of baking and reduce the temperature to 350°F for the remaining baking time. The initial high temp will help create a lovely "bakery-style" muffin top.
You don't need a ton of equipment to make these muffins
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix the wet ingredients in a large liquid measuring cup. Then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. This limits the number of dirty dishes you'll have.
Who can say no to easy cleanup? Certainly not me!
So what's the best way to shred zucchini?
I love to use my mandoline! It's much more efficient than those box graters which are not sharp and end up breaking off chunks of zucchini during the process. My mandoline came with three shredding blades. I like to use the middle size of the three so that my zucchini is shredded fine.
I do hope you enjoy this zucchini banana muffins recipe as much as I do! Do you have a favorite way to use leftover zucchini? I'd love to hear about it.
More muffins you'll love
- Blueberry Muffins
- Banana Bran Muffins
- Basic Muffin Recipe
- Whole Wheat Banana Muffins
- Homemade English Muffins
Zucchini Banana Muffins
Zucchini Banana Muffins are super moist with loads of flavor. The perfect way to use up all that leftover zucchini. These muffins are bursting with flavorful banana and cinnamon. You won’t even taste the zucchini!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup (157 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 cups (341 g) mashed ripe banana, about 3 bananas
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (145 g) shredded zucchini, about 1 medium zucchini
- banana chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425° Spray 14 muffin cups with cooking spray or line with paper liners; set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon. Stir with a whisk to combine. Make a well in the center; set aside.
- In a separate bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk the oil, sugar, banana, and vanilla together until well combined. Add the eggs and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the center of the dry ingredients. Use a silicone spatula to fold the batter together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Gently fold in the zucchini
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan; filling each cup 2/3 full. Top each with a banana chip if desired. Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the pan immediately and cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Make ahead tip
- Muffins will stay keep for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- They will keep for up to 3 months stored in the freezer. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
To Make Zucchini Banana Bread: Spread prepared batter into a greased a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 50 minutes. Tent loosely with aluminum foil if the top is getting too brown during baking. Bake times will vary so keep a close eye on the bread. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Remove the bread and cool completely on a wire rack.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 14Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the values shown are just an estimate.
Christine says
From another introvert....I love this recipe! My toddler, daughter, cousin and husband gobbled it all up. Thank you for sharing this. I’ll be checking out your other recipes
I appreciate you putting weight measurements as we in Australia have a different cup measurement.
Monica says
How can I make this healthier?
Jen Sobjack says
Unfortunately, healthy recipes are not my area of expertise.
Carlie says
So easy and delicious! A percect recipe to make with the kids and healthy too. Thank you
Lisa says
These muffins were incredible!! Super moist and delicious without any butter or topping. I had some strawberry jam in my fridge that a friend gifted me so I added that to a bite & it was heavenly!
Shelly C says
Great way to use a zucchini. I would never consider myself a baker, if I want to make something I Google a recipe and give-it-a-go. It’s why I am so happy that this recipe came up first in my Google search. I didn’t modify this at all (maybe I added a little bit more zucchini than the recipe called for). I had an extra zucchini from my first “hello fresh” box and a few sad little bananas from a long past grocery shop full of promise. I did top these with a little turbinado raw sugar for and added sparkly facade to what had all the markings of a one foot in the bin spare veggie muffin. They smell fantastic and tasted delish. Big thanks to both; you for creating/posting, and search optimization.
Caroline says
So I just made these and made a few changes to the recipe ... based on comments I'd read on a completely different vegan zucchini-banana muffin recipe (oops!). I actually made these a tad healthier and they came out great! My husband, one-year-old, and dad were all fans -- in spite of my slip-up!
I used whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose; swapped the sugar for a 1/2 c. pure maple syrup; added about 1/3 c. milk.
Came out super yummy! Will definitely be adding to my weekly baking schedule from now on. Perfect to sneak in some extra greens for my little one.
Cari says
These are fabulous!!
Jen Sobjack says
I'm glad you enjoyed them, Cari!
Joyce says
Excellent, love them, thank you! I did add 1 tsp baking powder. Turned out perfect.
Heather says
Great way to use up old bananas AND sneak some zucchini into some picky bellies 😉 I've also added chopped nuts (about 2/3 cup), and made a chocolate variation by increasing the oil to 1/2 cup and adding 1/2 cup cocoa powder. I didn't have the banana chips so I just sprinkled some rolled oats on top.
Jen Sobjack says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Heather! I'm happy to hear the muffins were a success.
Lesley G. says
I chose this recipe because it had the least amount of sugar and it looked super easy to make. I made them for my son so I wanted to sneak in as much healthy stuff as possible. I ended up adding a cup of quick oats, 1/4 cup of flax seed, 4oz of unsweetened applesauce, and a extra tbsp of oil. They turned out perfect. So for any of those Mama's wanting to add more here ya go!
Jen Sobjack says
I'm so happy to hear it worked with all the modifications!