These healthful Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins are made with natural, nutritious ingredients and no refined sugars. They’re tall, moist, flavorful, and loaded with zucchini!
Add our Healthy Zucchini Bread or Lemon Zucchini Bread to your list for a future baking project.
Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
Several years ago, I created a popular Healthy Zucchini Muffin recipe, but it wasn’t gluten-free. Prompted by a reader’s request, I began developing a gluten-free version. These new muffins omit refined sugar, sweetened instead with mashed banana, maple syrup, and medjool dates. Their primary ingredients are nutritious oats and zucchini.
While chocolate chips aren’t the most nutritious, I prefer dark chocolate for its essential fats. For a completely refined-sugar-free muffin, opt for sugar-free chocolate chips, or substitute them with dried currants or chopped nuts.
Quick Tip
Use a good nonstick muffin tin for easy muffin removal. I can’t say enough good things about this muffin pan; these Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins always come out perfectly!
Ingredients In Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
- Old-fashioned Oats: Ground into flour, they form the base of the muffins, providing structure and a hearty texture.
- Medjool Dates: Chopped and blended, they add natural sweetness and moisture.
- Coconut Oil: Melted and mixed in, it contributes to the muffins’ moisture and richness.
- Mashed Banana: Adds sweetness and moisture, enhancing the Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins soft texture.
- Pure Maple Syrup: Provides additional natural sweetness.
- Grated Zucchini: Increases moisture content without making the batter overly wet.
- Eggs: Act as a binding agent, helping to hold the muffins together.
- Salt, Baking Soda, and Baking Powder: These ingredients work together to season the muffins and help them rise, making them light and fluffy.
- Cinnamon and Nutmeg: Add warmth and spice for flavor.
- Pure Vanilla Extract: Enhances the overall flavor of the muffins.
- Dark and Mini Chocolate Chips: Provide rich, sweet chocolatey pockets in the muffins.
How To Make Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins
- Preheat Oven: Set to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 12-slot muffin tin.
- Blend Oats: Process 2 cups old-fashioned oats into a fine powder; transfer to a bowl.
- Blend Dates Mixture: Blend pitted medjool dates, melted coconut oil, and mashed banana into a paste; add to the bowl.
- Mix Ingredients: Stir in maple syrup, grated zucchini, eggs, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Fill and Top: Divide batter into muffin tin, 3/4 full. Optionally, top with mini chocolate chips.
- Bake: For 22-26 minutes until set and lightly browned.
- Cool: Let cool in the tin, then transfer to a rack. Enjoy Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins warm.
Storage
Storage Tips
- Cool muffins completely before storing.
- To freeze: Wrap Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins individually in plastic wrap and then place all the wrapped muffins in large freezer bags.
- To thaw: Set out at room temperature or heat frozen muffins in the microwave.
*There is some loss of texture and flavor when freezing and thawing these muffins.
More Nutritious Snack Recipes
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
These healthful Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins are made with natural, nutritious ingredients and no refined sugars. They're tall, moist, flavorful, and loaded with zucchini!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (195g) old-fashioned oats
- 7-8 whole coarsely chopped fresh medjool dates (remove pits), 3/4 cup (117g)
- 1/3 cup (67g) melted coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons mashed banana (~3/4 a large banana)
- 1/4 cup (85g) pure maple syrup
- 2 cups (252g) grated zucchini (See Note 1)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (93g) dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup (40g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease 12 cavities of a muffin tin with nonstick spray (muffin liners won't work well).
- BLEND OATS: Add 2 leveled cups of oats to a blender or food processor. Blend until the oats resemble flour -- a fine powder. If needed, stir and continue blending to break up larger chunks of oats. Pour powdered oats into a large bowl.
- BLEND OTHER INGREDIENTS: Remove the pits and coarsely chop up the dates. Measure to get 3/4 cup and then add into the now-empty blender that you used for the oats. Pour the melted coconut oil on top of the dates. Mash a banana to get 3 tablespoons of mashed banana and add that the blender. Blend, scraping down the sides as needed, until you get a thick paste. Scrape all of this paste out of the blender and add to the bowl with the oats.
- FINISH BATTER: In the same bowl, add the maple syrup, grated zucchini (See Note 1), 2 eggs, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Stir with a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer until you have a thick batter (it will seem very dry at first, but keep stirring). Add in the chocolate chips and stir until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin tin -- the batter should exactly fill 2 cavities about 3/4 the way full. If desired, sprinkle a few more miniature chocolate chips on top of the muffins.
- BAKE: Bake for 22-26 minutes or until no longer gooey/wet looking on top and the sides are lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let stand in the pan for 3-4 minutes before gently removing (use the tines of a fork to gently coax out the muffins) and setting on a cooling rack to finish cooling.
- ENJOY: Enjoy muffins warm; these muffins are even better the second day! Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Best enjoyed within 2-3 days. Freeze leftover muffins.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Zucchini: Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a grater. If the zucchini is excessively wet, wring it off a few times with paper towel or cheesecloth (I rarely do this unless it's dripping wet).
Nutrition
Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 180mg | Potassium: 350mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 140IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
These look great and I can’t wait to try them out! I was wondering if I could substitute the coconut oil with something else though? My boyfriend does not like coconut unfortunately and can pick it up in anything I put it in. Can I use butter or another type of oil such as sunflower? If so, could you please recommend quantities if you know? Thanks!
Hey Gaby, I haven’t tried any other substitutions so I can’t say for sure without further recipe testing. I do think canola oil would be the best substitution.
I’ve made these twice now with thawed strawberries and once with thawed blueberries instead of bananas because I had those fruits in the freezer but no bananas on hand and they were so yum
That is so great to hear!! I love to hear how you’ve changed them up with the different fruits 🙂 Thank you!
Chelsea oh my gosh these are so good! Just made these with truvia and they are awesome! I love your recipes!
Hello, could I substitute eggs with flax eggs? I can’t eat eggs, but these look amazing
I’m sorry, I have very little experience with flax eggs and haven’t tested this recipe with them so I really have no idea. Wish I could be of more help!
I’m making these with applesauce instead of oil and chia eggs instead of the eggs. I sub these all the time in muffin recipes with success. 1 Tbsp Chia seeds plus 2.5 Tbsp water for each egg. I premix the code and eggs just like the flax egg, letting them sit while I prepare the other ingredients. Thanks for the yummy recipe Chelsea!
You bet! Thanks for the comment Erin!
Can you use applesauce instead of bananas in this recipe?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work 🙂
SO moist and delicious! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
So glad to hear you enjoyed these!! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I love using oat flour for muffins. It gives the best texture. These look amazing!
Thanks so much!! I don’t mind the moisture in these muffins and didn’t pat the zucchini dry, but I definitely don’t think that it would hurt to pat them dry especially if you don’t prefer moist muffins. 🙂
Chelsea, these look YUMMY and love that they are healthier! I love baking with oats, coconut oil and of course dark chocolate. Need to try these! Pinned.
Hi Chelsea, I love your recipes! My husband is not a fan of chocolate chips in muffins. Will they still be good if I leave the chocolate chips out?
Thanks so much Amy! 🙂 These are great with or without the chocolate chips! 🙂
These look awesome Chelsea! There’s no such thing as too many zucchini recipes, if you ask me! 🙂
I just love baked goods with zucchini! These muffins look fantastic Chelsea!