Combine the best of both banana bread & zucchini bread with these tender and fluffy Banana Zucchini Muffins! Packed full of mashed banana, shredded zucchini and studded with melty chocolate chip pieces – these muffins are a treat! The recipe is made with basic, gluten free pantry essentials and is prepped all in one bowl making for a quick and easy summer time bake you can enjoy all through zucchini season! | Gluten Free + Low FODMAP + Vegan Option
Originally posted August 28, 2015 – Updated pictures post and recipe June 29, 2021 with an improved recipe, new photos and tips for success.
What do you do when you’ve got a kitchen full of leftover zucchini and overripe bananas full of brown spots? Get baking!
What’s new and improved about these zucchini banana muffins compared to the previous recipe? This recipe is:
- Lightened up – Made with less oil/butter thanks to the Greek Yoghurt
- Easy to make – It’s made with less flours/ingredients than before
- Soft & tender – These muffins are not only moist and soft with a delicious crumb straight out of the oven, but the stay tender for longer!
- Allergy friendly – This recipe uses straight gluten free all purpose flour instead of AP flour + oat flour. Making this oat free makes it a better option for many celiacs and people with food allergies who are still oat-sensitive.
- Delicious Flavor – This recipe has a better balance of ingredients making every spice, sweetener, fruit and chocolate chip shine.
Overview: Banana Zucchini Muffins Steps
Like most quick bread recipes, this recipe comes together quickly and easily with a few easy steps and very little equipment. Altogether you’ll need: one large mixing bowl, a whisk/ spoon, one 9 or 12-cup muffin tin and your appetite.
- Whisk together the wet ingredients (plus brown sugar). This also includes the yoghurt, melted butter, shredded zucchini, mashed banana, vanilla extract and egg.
- Add the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
- Stir in the chocolate chips. Chocolate chips are optional. You can add chopped nuts, dried fruit or leave the add-ins out altogether.
- Fill the muffin cups with batter. Fill up your paper liners about 2/3 of the way full with batter. Muffin liners are optional – if you don’t use liners make sure to grease the pan well.
- Bake & enjoy! Bake your muffins for about 20-25 minutes and that’s it.
Give Your Muffins a Bakehouse Look
Save about a third of the chocolate chips to gently press into the tops of your muffins after they bake while the muffins are still warm. This is totally optional, but helps to make for more impressive looking muffins!
Make it Vegan
- Replace the Greek yoghurt with a dairy free yoghurt. I tested my vegan zucchini banana muffins using coconut yoghurt.
- Instead of butter use melted coconut oil, olive oil, vegetable oil or vegan butter.
- Ensure the chocolate chips are vegan friendly.
- Use a flax egg in place of the chicken egg.
Why Adjust The Temperature As The Muffins Bake?
- Cooking at a high temp and then lowering it down to a second temperature does two things for your muffins:
- The initial hot temperature encourages your batter to rise and puff up. It’s what makes for a nice, domed top.
- The hot temp also helps create a slightly more crispy crust on top while keeping the inside nice and soft.
Bake it in a Loaf Pan
- Turn this banana muffin recipe into a zucchini banana bread! To do so, simply pour the batter into a lined and greased 9×5 inch loaf pan and bake at 350°F/180°C for about 50-55 minutes until the loaf has risen, browned on top and is cooked through.
More Ways to Bake with Zucchini
Leftovers & Storage
- These keep best stored an airtight container or individually wrap up in plastic wrap.
- On the counter/at room temp these muffins will 1-2 days. Keep them stored in the fridge to last up to a week.
- Tip: Pop these in the microwave for about 20 seconds before eating so that they’re feel and taste like they’re fresh from the oven.
Freeze for Later
After baking, let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack. Once fully cooled, wrap up the muffins well in plastic wrap and/or foil OR secure them in a freezer safe bag. Make sure that you store your muffins in a single layer and place them somewhere they won’t be squished until fully frozen solid.
Frozen muffins can be kept in the freezer for about 3 months. When you’re ready to defrost, thaw in the fridge overnight or pop in the microwave for 10 second intervals until warmed through and enjoy.
To Sum it Up
These muffins are an easy and delicious way to make use of your brown bananas and fresh zucchini piling up this time of year. They’re great as a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee or a healthy snack your can eat on the go!
Spiced Banana Zucchini Muffins
Combine the best of both banana bread & zucchini bread with these tender and fluffy Banana Zucchini Muffins! They're made with basic, gluten free pantry essentials and prepped all in one bowl making for a quick and easy summer time bake you can enjoy all through zucchini season!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup | 81 g Greek yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons | 28 g melted butter or oil
- 1/4 cup | 55 g light brown sugar, packed
- 3/4 cup | 168 g mashed banana
- 1 cup | 4 oz grated zucchini
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cups | 210 g gluten free all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup | 85 g chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Grease and line 12 cup muffin pan. You'll only need about 10-11 cups lined/greased. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the yoghurt, melted butter (or oil, brown sugar, vanilla, banana, zucchini and egg. Mix together.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix into a thick batter.
- Spoon the batter into the greased muffins tins. You can make 12 mini muffins, or 9 average sized muffins. Sprinkle the tops with the chocolate chips and bake for 5 minutes at 400°F/200°C. After 5 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°F/180°C and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the centre comes out clean when you stick it with a tooth pick.
- Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to fully cool.
- Optional: Press a few chocolate chips into the tops of the muffins are still hot, fresh out of the oven for a bakery style look.
Notes
Make it Vegan:
- Use a flax egg in place of the egg.
- Use vegan butter, coconut oil, vegetable oil or olive oil in place of the butter.
- Use a dairy free yoghurt in place of the Greek yoghurt.
- Ensure the chocolate chips are dairy free/ vegan friendly.
Nutrition Information
Serving Size:
g Calories: 249Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 424mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 2gSugar: 14gProtein: 4gChocolate lovers should also check out my Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Muffin Recipe!
Colleen says
Great muffins! I ate three right away they were so good (and healthy).
Sarah says
Yay! So glad you like them! 🙂
Angeline says
It took additional 15 minutes for me to bake these muffins, I wonder if it’s because I used rice flour.
Sarah says
Hi Angeline! I’ve never tried making these with rice flour so I can’t say how long they would take to bake. In my experience though depending on the types of flours that I use my baking time does vary so that could be it. I hope you still liked them even though they took longer!
Amanda says
Hi Sarah!
These look delicious!! I’m making them for a group, and a few people can’t have chocolate — do you think making them without the chips would take away horribly from the recipe?
Thanks!
Sarah says
Hi Amanda! No worries about the chocolate chips! I mostly just added them at the end because my husband likes chocolate so much, so they’re not necessary for flavor. Hope everyone likes them! Let me know if you’ve got anymore questions!
Gabriel @ The Dinner Special podcast says
Love banana and chocolate chip muffins and never would have thought to add zucchini in them, but that’s such a smart way to make them even better (and healthier)! Totally with you on the one muffin for breakfast thing, that’s just like an appetizer with no main or dessert. Good on you for having three!!
Sarah says
You just summed it up perfectly! One just won’t do haha. Thanks, Gabriel!