These Zucchini Blueberry Muffins are the perfect healthy alternative to coffee shop muffins! They’re made with unsweetened applesauce, grated zucchini and fresh juicy blueberries for the perfect healthy snack!
*I first posted this recipe in March 2015. I’m sharing it with you again today with fresh new photos and some of my tried and true tips for the perfect healthy muffin!
One of the first things I ever learned to bake was muffins. They’re easy to throw together and they’re generally a healthier choice, but for some reason I’ve always found it hard to find muffin recipes that taste great and also aren’t just cupcakes minus the giant mountain of frosting on top.
This recipe is really, really stellar. I’ve adapted this recipe from Alaska From Scratch’s Blueberry Zucchini Muffins. You can find her original recipe here, but I’ve lightened it up significantly and cut out most of the sugar it calls for. Mine are made with applesauce, grated zucchini and fresh juicy blueberries – these muffins are unbelievably yummy and a much healthier choice than traditional muffins! You’re going to love them!
I mean, look at all that blueberry goodness!!
If you can keep yourself from eating the whole batch in one day, they store nicely in an airtight container on the counter for a few days.
Wash the blueberries under some cool water. I've tried this recipe with frozen berries and it works in a pinch, but the result is always so much better with fresh blueberries.
Lay them to dry on some kitchen paper or a clean kitchen towel, and try to resist eating them all by the handful.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 muffin tins with 18 paper muffin cups.
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, applesauce, oil, and vanilla using a wire whisk.
Add the zucchini and lemon zest, and switch to a wooden spoon or spatula to incorporate them into the mixture (the strands of zucchini get caught on the wire whisk and don't get incorporated properly). I don't ever peel my zucchini; I love the look of the dark green flecks in the muffins, and the skin contains a lot of healthy fibre, potassium, vitamin B-6, vitamin K, and antioxidants!
Using a sieve or flour sifter, sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.
Once the dry ingredients have been sifted to prevent lumps, add the blueberries to the dry ingredients.
This may seem strange, but adding the blueberries to the dry ingredients helps to keep the colour from the berries from seeping into the light coloured muffin batter. The flour mixture coats the berries and absorbs any berry juice that's sitting on the berries that might discolour the batter. This is an important step because it prevents your batter from turning purple!
Adding the blueberries to the dry ingredients also prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffins during baking, so this really is a crucial step!
At this point, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula only until they're just incorporated. Spoon the batter into the 18 muffin cups, distributing it as evenly as possible.
Grab another smaller bowl and add to it the 1/4 cup sugar, the 1/4 cup flour, the 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 3 tbsp cold butter.
Roughly mix these ingredients together with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture becomes crumbly. Spoon a little bit of this mixture over each of the cups full of muffin batter. It's okay if you can see some small chunks of butter.
Bake these muffins at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 23-25 minutes. You'll know they're done when a toothpick inserted in the centre of one comes out clean.
Notes
These muffins are best the day they're made because the crumb topping can go soggy if they're left in a completely airtight container for too long.
just made these with my 3 year old. seriously the best! the crumb top made about 2x what i needed, or I didnt put enough on, i dont know! theyre SO delicious Thanks from Ontario Canada for the amazing recipe!
That's great!! Thanks so much for sharing that! I always have a little bit too much topping too, but the crumb topping is the best part so I pile it on! 🙂
I'm so happy to have found this recipe! They are in the oven now and smell great. I have just a formatting comment though–this recipe was very hard to read because I had to keep scrolling up and down. You included the ingredient list at the beginning, but then when you were narrating the recipe, you did not include amounts again, or summarize the steps at the bottom of the page. I found it cumbersome to have to keep scrolling past text and pictures in order to see how much of something I needed. Hopefully that is an easy fix and something you'll include on your other recipes too!
Thanks Lindsay! This is an older recipe of mine and so the format is a little dated. I'll add it to my list of things to revise! Glad you liked the muffins!! 🙂
I just made these muffins and they are the best I ever tasted. Do you have the nutritional value for them? Thank you for sharing your recipe. They are delicious.
I haven’t made them as mini muffins, but I’d recommend halving the baking time and watching them carefully so they don’t over-bake. These muffins freeze very well, but it’s important to let them thaw uncovered (open to the air) since the crumb topping may get soggy otherwise. They’re really the best the day they’re made or the day or two after that 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!!
How did you measure the flour? If you scooped it so it was 3 packed cups then it would be too much. I’d suggest sifting it first and then spooning the flour into your measuring cup to measure. The batter is a little bit dry, but the muffins turn out very moist from the zucchini.
You can try squeezing out the liquid from the grated zucchini by pressing it a little bit between your hands, or pressing it down in a colander with a spoon.
I substituted coconut oil and butter for the vegetable oil. I only had frozen blueberries so I used those. Then I measured the flour wrong (trying to bake with a 6-month-old is challenging!) and added coconut milk to get a wetter consistency. I put them in the oven and then realized there was a crumb topping I forgot to make. But regardless, They turned out delicious! 🙂
I’ve never made this recipe without eggs, so I’m not able to guarantee the recipe will work. However, you could try adding a vegan flaxseed egg-like mixture (recipes for this are readily available online).
These are sooo good! Made them this morning & oh man they’re tasty! 😀 We didn’t have unsweetened applesauce so I used regular but reduced the amount of sugar in the muffins by 2 Tbsp and they seem perfectly sweet enough. 😊 Trying to get the 5 year old to eat better so I’ve been trying out recipes that sneak in veggies & these are perfect. 😉👍
I’m trying to make this recipe more healthy. Has anyone tried using only whole wheat flour? (I try to avoid all purpose flour whenever possible.). Also thinking about adding up to 1/2 cup of unflavored protein powder. For a sugar substitute….has anyone tried using less sugar? Or using honey , etc instead in the muffin part? I don’t think it’s avoidable in the crumb topping unless I just sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Thanks for any advice!
Thanks for your questions. I’ve only ever made this recipe with all purpose flour, but I have reduced the sugar and added applesauce in place of the sugar I removed and it worked very well. I can’t comment on the protein powder either. Hope that helps!
I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you. I’ve used a mix of white and whole wheat flour with this recipe and that has worked well, but never only whole wheat. I hope you’ll give them another try!
I have been looking for healthier options, and hopefully low carb muffin recipes. Do you know the nutrition information on this recipe?
Also, a lot of the healthier muffin recipes call for whole wheat pastry flour. I tried regular in one recipe and they were dense and dry. I then read about using half whole wheat and half regular flour if you don’t have the whole wheat pastry flour. It turned out much better that way.
I am going to try this recipe using the half and half flour mixture, but would love to get the nutritional breakdown if you have it.
Thanks!
I made these without the crumble topping because I wanted to freeze them. I also, found out my applesauce was moldy, so I swapped equal amount of mashed bananas! These muffins are SO GOOD!!!!
Lemon zest is what gives the best lemon flavour, and lemon juice would add too much acid to the recipe. I’d suggest draining the thawed zucchini as best you can before adding to the recipe. I use frozen (thawed) zucchini in this recipe all the time!
Wanted to love these but….cut recipe in half and made 6 large muffins. They looked nice when removed from pan but they were heavy and very dense. I did not over mix, not sure why this happened?
The recipe says to use 2 muffin tins for 18 muffins, so obviously I need both a 12 piece tin and a 6 piece tin. If I don’t have a 6 piece tin, can I use the extra batter to make a small loaf?
Hello Gwyn! I wouldn’t recommend any of those because they will change the composition completely. However, you could try this recipe that my family loves just as much. https://thebusybaker.ca/best-ever-blueberry-muffins/
Is it possible that you maybe didn’t add the correct amount of baking powder or baking soda? Or maybe you used frozen and undrained zucchini and/or blueberries? These things can lead to dense muffins. Also, over-mixing can be a cause. Hope this helps! Happy baking ☺️
Great way to use 2cups of zucchini. I did squeeze mine out a bit because of past experiences that breads are too wet/ dense. Delicious! Love the zing of lemon zest! Because of it having less oil they do stick a bit to muffin papers but if you have silicone ones they would come out fine.
These Zucchini Blueberry Muffins are the perfect healthy alternative to coffee shop muffins! They’re made with unsweetened applesauce, grated zucchini and fresh juicy blueberries for the perfect healthy snack!
Anonymous says
Love the look of this recipe.. any idea of carb count?
Erin says
So pretty!! I don't know why I don't make muffins. My kids would flip if I made these for breakfast this week!
Chrissie says
Thanks Erin! I'm sure they would! 🙂
cakelady says
why do you not substitute all the oil for applesauce? Is it a taste or density thing? thanks! They look amazing and I will be trying them soon.
Chrissie says
Thanks so much! It's both a taste and a density thing. A little bit of oil makes them lighter and it makes them taste just a little bit richer 🙂
Anonymous says
Can I substitute the oil and applesauce for butter?
Chrissie says
You should be able to do that. I've never done it in this recipe, and it might change the texture a bit. Good luck!
Anonymous says
just made these with my 3 year old. seriously the best! the crumb top made about 2x what i needed, or I didnt put enough on, i dont know!
theyre SO delicious
Thanks from Ontario Canada for the amazing recipe!
Chrissie says
That's great!! Thanks so much for sharing that! I always have a little bit too much topping too, but the crumb topping is the best part so I pile it on! 🙂
Lindsay Lowther says
I'm so happy to have found this recipe! They are in the oven now and smell great. I have just a formatting comment though–this recipe was very hard to read because I had to keep scrolling up and down. You included the ingredient list at the beginning, but then when you were narrating the recipe, you did not include amounts again, or summarize the steps at the bottom of the page. I found it cumbersome to have to keep scrolling past text and pictures in order to see how much of something I needed. Hopefully that is an easy fix and something you'll include on your other recipes too!
Chrissie says
Thanks Lindsay! This is an older recipe of mine and so the format is a little dated. I'll add it to my list of things to revise! Glad you liked the muffins!! 🙂
Anonymous says
These were quite possibly the BEST muffins I have ever made! Thanks for such a terrific recipe, definitely in the permanent rotation.
Cynthia
Chrissie says
Thanks so much! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!
Anonymous says
This sounds delicious and making them tomorrow. Thank you for sharing.
Chrissie says
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy them!
Maureen says
I just made these muffins and they are the best I ever tasted. Do you have the nutritional value for them? Thank you for sharing your recipe. They are delicious.
Chrissie says
You're welcome! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Anonymous says
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Chrissie says
Yes, absolutely! Just make sure you add the frozen blueberries to the dry ingredients to prevent the batter from becoming purple!
Alex says
Will be making these today for my kiddos! Do you know how time will change if I make mini muffins? And have you ever froze them?
Thanks!
Chrissie says
I haven’t made them as mini muffins, but I’d recommend halving the baking time and watching them carefully so they don’t over-bake. These muffins freeze very well, but it’s important to let them thaw uncovered (open to the air) since the crumb topping may get soggy otherwise. They’re really the best the day they’re made or the day or two after that 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!!
Jill says
Am I supposed to measure the dry ingredients after I sift or measure then sift. 3 cups seems like a lot of flour the batter was very dry.
Chrissie says
How did you measure the flour? If you scooped it so it was 3 packed cups then it would be too much. I’d suggest sifting it first and then spooning the flour into your measuring cup to measure. The batter is a little bit dry, but the muffins turn out very moist from the zucchini.
Rajiv Kumar says
Nice recipe Thank you so muchhhhh. We enjoyed with this. It was too Delicious!!!!
Chrissie says
So glad you liked them! 🙂
Emilie says
This recipe turned out perfectly! I used spelt flour with great success. Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe.
Chrissie says
Thanks for letting me know! I’m so glad you loved the recipe 🙂
Barb Sekhon says
Hi
Do I remove the excess moisture from the zucchini – before adding the zucchini?
Thanks, Barb
The Busy Baker says
You can try squeezing out the liquid from the grated zucchini by pressing it a little bit between your hands, or pressing it down in a colander with a spoon.
Melody D. says
I substituted coconut oil and butter for the vegetable oil. I only had frozen blueberries so I used those. Then I measured the flour wrong (trying to bake with a 6-month-old is challenging!) and added coconut milk to get a wetter consistency. I put them in the oven and then realized there was a crumb topping I forgot to make. But regardless, They turned out delicious! 🙂
Chrissie says
Glad to know you liked them! And it sounds like you made some great substitutions! I hear you on the baking with kids around!! So challenging!
bbika says
I made them with raspberries, they were AMAZING
Chrissie says
Good to know! Thanks for the feedback!
Denisse says
How can I substitute the eggs? One of my kids is vegan and I would like to make this recipe.
Thank you so much.
Chrissie says
I’ve never made this recipe without eggs, so I’m not able to guarantee the recipe will work. However, you could try adding a vegan flaxseed egg-like mixture (recipes for this are readily available online).
chel says
These turned out really good, I didnt have any blueberries so I subbed dried cherries.
Chrissie says
Sounds like a great substitution!! Glad you enjoyed them!
Andrea says
These are sooo good! Made them this morning & oh man they’re tasty! 😀 We didn’t have unsweetened applesauce so I used regular but reduced the amount of sugar in the muffins by 2 Tbsp and they seem perfectly sweet enough. 😊 Trying to get the 5 year old to eat better so I’ve been trying out recipes that sneak in veggies & these are perfect. 😉👍
Chrissie says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Jan says
I’m trying to make this recipe more healthy. Has anyone tried using only whole wheat flour? (I try to avoid all purpose flour whenever possible.). Also thinking about adding up to 1/2 cup of unflavored protein powder. For a sugar substitute….has anyone tried using less sugar? Or using honey , etc instead in the muffin part? I don’t think it’s avoidable in the crumb topping unless I just sprinkle some cinnamon on top. Thanks for any advice!
Chrissie says
Thanks for your questions. I’ve only ever made this recipe with all purpose flour, but I have reduced the sugar and added applesauce in place of the sugar I removed and it worked very well. I can’t comment on the protein powder either. Hope that helps!
Dana says
I just tried these with Whole wheat flour and they did not turn out well at all- straight to the bin:(
Chrissie says
I’m sorry these didn’t work out for you. I’ve used a mix of white and whole wheat flour with this recipe and that has worked well, but never only whole wheat. I hope you’ll give them another try!
Cheryl says
I have been looking for healthier options, and hopefully low carb muffin recipes. Do you know the nutrition information on this recipe?
Also, a lot of the healthier muffin recipes call for whole wheat pastry flour. I tried regular in one recipe and they were dense and dry. I then read about using half whole wheat and half regular flour if you don’t have the whole wheat pastry flour. It turned out much better that way.
I am going to try this recipe using the half and half flour mixture, but would love to get the nutritional breakdown if you have it.
Thanks!
Chrissie says
The nutritional information is in the recipe card 🙂
Jennifer says
Do you peel the zucchini before grating? Cant wait to try these!
Chrissie says
I never do, but you can. The peel contains nutrients and fibre, and it’s pretty 🙂
Megan says
I made these without the crumble topping because I wanted to freeze them. I also, found out my applesauce was moldy, so I swapped equal amount of mashed bananas! These muffins are SO GOOD!!!!
Chrissie says
So glad you liked them!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!!
Michelle says
Any substitute for the lemon zest? Juice perhaps? Also would the liquid need to be adjusted if I used thawed frozen zucchini?
Chrissie says
Lemon zest is what gives the best lemon flavour, and lemon juice would add too much acid to the recipe. I’d suggest draining the thawed zucchini as best you can before adding to the recipe. I use frozen (thawed) zucchini in this recipe all the time!
Crystal says
These are good but they really stuck the muffin liners which was disappointing
Joanne says
Do you squeeze the moisture from the zucchini for this recipe if you are using fresh zucchini or just use freshly grated zucchini as is?
Chrissie says
I squeeze the moisture only from grated zucchini that I’ve defrosted from frozen. If I’m using fresh, I use it as it is 🙂
Carol bauer says
These blueberry zucchini muffins are the best ever! They turn out perfect every time I make them which is a lot.Always a hit!
The Busy Baker says
So glad you like the recipe!! 🙂
Pam says
Wanted to love these but….cut recipe in half and made 6 large muffins. They looked nice when removed from pan but they were heavy and very dense. I did not over mix, not sure why this happened?
Deborah says
I found the same thing, very heavy and doughy. Not sure if the baking powder and soda measurements are right and missing salt.
Chrissie says
These are fairly dense muffins, thanks to the zucchini and the applesauce. 🙂
Jama M Moffett says
The recipe says to use 2 muffin tins for 18 muffins, so obviously I need both a 12 piece tin and a 6 piece tin. If I don’t have a 6 piece tin, can I use the extra batter to make a small loaf?
Chrissie says
Yes, or you can just use another 12-piece tin and only fill 6 of the cups.
Gwyn says
Any ideas for a substitute for the zucchini? My zukes didn’t come with my grocery order. I was thinking of either using squash, beets or spinach.
Gwyn says
I made them with carrots and spinach instead of zucchini and they’re pretty good! Not as good as the zucchini ones but not bad.
The Busy Baker says
Thank you for the feedback Gwyn!!
Ana Ghiran says
Hello Gwyn! I wouldn’t recommend any of those because they will change the composition completely. However, you could try this recipe that my family loves just as much. https://thebusybaker.ca/best-ever-blueberry-muffins/
Eliza says
Can you freeze these muffins then reheat in microwave?
Chrissie says
I’d recommend freezing and then thawing at room temperature, uncovered.
Nicky says
Super dense, did not turn out good had to throw them all away!
The Busy Baker says
Is it possible that you maybe didn’t add the correct amount of baking powder or baking soda? Or maybe you used frozen and undrained zucchini and/or blueberries? These things can lead to dense muffins. Also, over-mixing can be a cause. Hope this helps! Happy baking ☺️
Tina says
Great way to use 2cups of zucchini. I did squeeze mine out a bit because of past experiences that breads are too wet/ dense. Delicious! Love the zing of lemon zest! Because of it having less oil they do stick a bit to muffin papers but if you have silicone ones they would come out fine.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks for your feedback Tina!!