Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins

How To Make Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins

These delicious veggie packed muffins are easy to make.

They require a bit of grating in advance, but overall, they are easy to whip up in 10 minutes or so.

I used a food processor with a grating attachment to grate my veggies. Feel free to use a hand grater if preferred.

Ingredients

All you need to make these zucchini healthy apple muffins are:

• All-Purpose Flour – You can also use white whole wheat flour or white spelt for healthier alternatives.
• Unrefined Cane Sugar – Alternatively, use coconut sugar or any granulated sweetener you have at home, including sugar.
• Baking Powder
• Baking Soda
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Egg – I prefer to use free-range or pasture-raised eggs.
• Unsweetened Apple Sauce
• Avocado Oil – You can replace it with light olive oil or melted butter.
• Almond Milk or any milk you like
• Vanilla Extract
• Grated Carrots
• Grated Zucchini – Make sure you squeeze out all the water left in the zucchini after grating. Discard the zucchini juice or use it in smoothies but don’t add in the batter, or the muffins are gummy or won’t bake well.
• Grated Apples – As for zucchini, squeeze them to extract the apple juice. Don’t add the apple juice to the batter, or the muffin crumb gets dense and gummy.

Grating Vegetables And Fruit

First, grate the fruits and vegetables.

Make sure you squeeze the shredded zucchini and shredded apples to discard any juice.

Squeezing the zucchini is crucial because it’s a vegetable rich in water. If you add too much of their juice, it makes muffins gummy and dense.

Measure each amount of shredded carrots, zucchini, and apples separately, packing them loosely in a measuring cup.

Combining Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, unrefined cane sugar, and salt. Whisk to evenly combine the dry ingredients together. Set aside.

In another large bowl, add the egg, applesauce, almond milk, oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk to combine all the wet ingredients together.

Now, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and use a silicone spatula to combine them.

Fold in the rest of the ingredients halfway: grated zucchini, grated carrots, grated apples, and any chopped nuts or raisins if you like.

Stir to evenly distribute in the muffin batter.

Baking The Muffins

Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper liners. Slightly oil paper with cooking oil spray.

Fill each muffin paper liners to about 3/4 of their level.

Bake the muffins in the center rack of the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until the muffins are golden on top.

Insert a pick in the center of a muffin to check the baking process. It should come out almost clean. It’s normal if it’s because these muffins are moist compared to regular muffins.

Let the muffins cool completely on a cooling rack before eating.

Add-Ons

You can add up to 1/3 cup of the delicious ingredients below:

• Chopped Nuts like walnuts, pecan, or almonds.
• Chocolate Chips
• Dried Raisins
• Dried Cranberries

Muffin Texture

These are ultra-moist veggie muffins, low in added sugar, and a bit chewy in the center.

Depending on how well you squeezed out the juice from zucchini and apples or any egg substitute you may use, the texture can be gummier.

Storage Instructions

You can store these muffins in an airtight cake box in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days or freeze them in zip-lock bags for later.

Thaw in the fridge the day before.

Allergy Swaps

If you have some food allergies, use some of the substitution options below.

• Egg-Free – You can replace the egg with a store-bought egg replacer or a flax egg. To make one flax egg, stir one tablespoon of ground flaxseeds into three tablespoons of lukewarm water. Set aside for 10 minutes until gooey, then use as an egg. Note that flax eggs make the muffin crumb chewy and gummier.
• Dairy-Free – The recipe is naturally dairy-free.
• Nut-Free – Use nut-free milk.
• Gluten-Free – You may have success using all-purpose gluten-free flour, but we didn’t try this option, so I can’t guarantee the results.

Frequently Asked Questions

I answered below your most common questions about these zucchini apple and carrots muffins.

Can I Bake Them In Mini Muffin Cups?

Yes, you can bake this recipe in two 12-hole mini muffin trays. The mini muffin recipe bakes faster in about 20-25 minutes.

Can I Skip The Sugar?

You can skip sugar, but the taste will be bland.

Can I Make Savory Muffins With This Recipe?

Yes, skip the sugar, replace the grated apples with more grated carrots, and stir in 1/2 cup of grated cheddar.

Can I Use Maple Syrup?

No, don’t replace crystal sweeteners with liquid sweeteners in this recipe. The muffins are very dense with liquid sweeteners.