Banana Zucchini Muffins are a great way to use up that last bit of zucchini as we enter into the Fall months. These are really the best Banana Zucchini Muffins ever! While these are the best Banana Zucchini Muffins ever, I also have a Best Zucchini Bread recipe you should try!
Banana Zucchini Muffins
I love the fall season, and there is nothing better than enjoying a cup of coffee or tea with a muffin on a cool, crisp morning. These Banana Zucchini Muffins are extra large in size, which gives you an excuse to enjoy your morning a little longer! Plus, they are so moist and delicious, that you will want to savor it as long as possible! This recipe is similar to my Zucchini Banana Layer Cake with Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (Say that one eight times fast…). You will notice there is no frosting on these muffins-they are perfect as it is. And, they really are pretty simple to make!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Zucchini: You will never know there is zucchini in these muffins, but it adds so much moisture! So, don’t leave it out! If you run out of zucchini (which is hard to do), you can check out my Banana Muffins for another soft, moist muffin.
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour for the muffins. You could experiment with whole wheat or gluten-free flour.
- Cinnamon: For a warm depth of flavor, I added cinnamon to the muffin batter. For a different flavor profile, you could substitute nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice.
- Eggs: Out of eggs? No problem! Try the muffins with one of my egg substitutes!
- Vegetable Oil: Adding vegetable oil to the batter keeps the muffins from getting dry. If you don’t have oil, you could use melted butter or try with apple sauce.
- Bananas: The riper the bananas, the better! You need about 1 cup of mashed banana, which was 2 bananas. They add sweetness, moisture, and flavor.
The Secret to Baking with Zucchini
I can’t seem to give up the zucchini season quite yet. They are such a wonderful vegetable to use in baking, and I think more people are finally jumping on the ‘zucchini in baking’ bandwagon.
You would never know there’s zucchini in these muffins if it wasn’t for the green bits. I know some people aren’t anxious to eat desserts with zucchini in it, but this is a must-try. There is no noticeable flavor and it adds something fantastic to the final product. There are a couple of tricks to making the most of your zucchini in your recipe:
- Use the fine side of your grater for smaller-sized shredded zucchini. If you use the larger side, the coarser pieces will have a slightly more noticeable flavor and texture in a finished cake or bread recipe. (Farm kids tend to want that!)
- Some recipes ask that the zucchini is pressed well with a clean towel to soak up excess moisture or to prevent whatever you are baking from getting too soggy. Pay close attention to the recipe that you are making with zucchini as the level of moisture they provide is important.
How To Store Banana Zucchini Muffins
- Room Temperature: To keep muffins fresh, store them at room temperature. I like to store them in a single layer inside a large sealable plastic bag or an airtight container. Some people suggest putting a piece of paper towel at the bottom to soak up any moisture, but this might not be needed if the muffins are already cool. If you use an airtight container, adding a piece of bread can help keep the muffins from getting too moist. Muffins taste best if you eat them within 2-3 days.
- Refrigerator: (Refrigeration, in general, dries out baked goods faster so a typical muffin recipe shouldn’t be refrigerated.) Place in a sealable plastic bag or airtight container and then place into the refrigerator. They should keep for up to 5 days. To reheat, remove from refrigerator pop into the microwave for 10 seconds or just allow muffin to come to room temperature naturally, about 15 minutes.
Freezing & Thawing Zucchini Muffins
To freeze, first, allow the muffins to cool completely. Then, wrap the Banana Zucchini Muffins tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. If you prefer not to use foil directly on your muffins, wrap them tightly with parchment paper, then place that into a sealable plastic bag. Be sure to label it with the date.
To thaw muffins: Take them out of the freezer and set them on the counter. Allow them to reach room temperature before you take them out of their packaging. They will re-absorb some of their moisture this way.
More Zucchini Desserts
Banana Zucchini Muffins
Equipment
- Wire rack Like these cooling racks
- Muffin tin I like these nonstick muffin pans
- Mixing bowl I use glass mixing bowls
Ingredients
Banana Zucchini Muffins
- 2 cups shredded zucchini, about 1 ½ medium zucchini
- 2 cups (256 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with liners.
- Gently wrap the shredded zucchini in a paper towel or a clean towel and squeeze out any excess water. Set aside. (I prefer to not peel the green skin off on my zucchini, but you certainly can. If you have a very large zucchini, remove any seeds before the grating.)
- In a large bowl whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the mashed bananas, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Stir well until fully combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini.
- Add ⅓ cup of batter to each cupcake liner.
- Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick is removed with some crumbs, but no wet batter. Tops should be rounded and golden brown.
- Let muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
These muffins are excellent! The zucchini kept them moist, and the banana added a nice sweetness. The cinnamon flavor was a great touch, making them perfect for breakfast or a snack!
Elizabeth
Wow, just wow! I could actually eat the entire muffin (and not just the top)! They are so moist with the perfect amount of banana flavor.
Bella
These muffins were fantastic. The texture was perfect, thanks to the shredded zucchini, and the banana provided a natural sweetness.
Annabelle
I really enjoyed the banana zucchini muffins. They were sweet and moist. The cinnamon made them taste even better.
Selena
These muffins were so tasty! I loved the banana and zucchini together. They were super soft and delicious! I can't wait to have one with my cup of coffee in the morning.
Delicious!! easy to make and super moist!
These sound great! I’m going to experiment, replacing oil with applesauce and cutting sugar in half. Any suggestions?
I did that and they turned out great! I also used avocado oil bc it was what I had on hand. Today I’m going to experiment adding shredded carrots and maybe cutting sugar down more. 🤞🏻
I replaced the flour with oat flour and used 1/4 cup coconut sugar instead of 1 cup of sugar then add another banana. Also use 1/2 cup coconut oil instead of veg oil and the extra banana makes up the rest of the wet ingredients
Wow! These muffins are so delicious! I’ve made them 3 times already because my children keep asking for them. We’ve been able to share with a few friends and they’ve been a hit all around. Thank you for your amazingly delicious recipes. God bless and protect you and your family.
Hi. Recipe sounds great. Can they be frozen?
Sure – there is a whole section right in the blog post that covers this. Should you have questions in the future, please feel free to look at the post. 🙂
How to Freeze & Thaw Zucchini Muffins
You will want to make sure you allow the muffins to cool completely. Just wrap the Banana Zucchini Muffins tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. If you prefer not to use foil directly on your muffins, wrap tightly with parchment paper, then place that into a sealable plastic bag. Be sure to label it with the date.
To thaw muffins, take them out of the freezer and set them on the counter. Allow them to reach room temperature before you take them out of their packaging. They will re-absorb some of their moisture this way.
This recipe sounds delicious. Was wondering if anyone has tried adding walnuts to them? If so how much should I add?
I added finely chopped pecans! The muffins were delicious with the added nuts. I also used 1/4 cup of brown sugar & 3/4 cup of granulated sugar instead of all white sugar.
I’m curious if you’re sifting the flour before measuring? The recipe doesn’t say that though.
Very moist and fluffy! My family loved them
Can this recipe be used in a loaf pan instead of a muffin pan ? thank you
https://iambaker.net/banana-zucchini-bread/
I love this recipe the original way but wanted to try and make them even healthier for my daughter’s lunch box.
I followed other people’s suggestions and cut the sugar to 1/2 a cup, then used 1/2 cup of oil and a single serving cup of unsweetened apple sauce. They’re delicious, not too sweet!
Lovely easy recipe that you can add or switch out ingredients without too much hassle – I subbed half the grated zucchini for carrot, added some chopped walnuts, coconut and currants for extra bulk (on the go breaky muffins was the goal!). Also switched to coconut sugar x