These soft and fluffy zucchini yogurt muffins are an easy breakfast or snack for toddlers and the whole family! Made with Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini, and simple ingredients you likely already have on hand. They’re moist, lightly sweetened, and easy to customize with blueberries or mini chocolate chips.
Greek yogurt adds protein while the zucchini helps keep the muffins soft and moist. They’re also freezer-friendly, making them perfect for meal prep, lunchboxes, or busy mornings.
Why You’ll Love These Zucchini Yogurt Muffins
- Soft, moist, and toddler-friendly
- Made with protein-rich Greek yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt if needed)
- Lightly sweetened with maple syrup or banana for no added sugar
- Nut-free for a school-friendly option
- Customizable with blueberries or chocolate chips
- Freezer-friendly for meal prep
- Great for breakfast, snacks, and lunchboxes
If you're looking for more zucchini recipes, then I know you'd love my blueberry zucchini oatmeal cookies or banana zucchini muffins for easy toddler snacks!
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Ingredients You'll Need
Here's what you'll need to make these zucchini yogurt muffins:
- Zucchini - Finely shredded zucchini adds moisture without giving the muffins a strong vegetable flavor. Lightly squeeze out the excess liquid, but don’t wring the zucchini completely dry.
- Greek Yogurt - Greek yogurt adds moisture, richness, and protein. A thick, plain Greek yogurt works best. You can also use a thick dairy-free yogurt if needed.
- Maple Syrup - A quarter cup of maple syrup gives the muffins a lightly sweet flavor. Increase it to ⅓ cup if you prefer sweeter muffins.
- Avocado Oil - Avocado oil keeps the muffins tender and moist. You can replace it with melted butter, melted coconut oil, or another neutral baking oil.
- Flour- All-purpose flour creates the fluffiest texture. Oat flour can also be used, but it will make a slightly more dense muffin (if blending up oats yourself), I personally love this baking oat flour that's basically an all-purpose oat flour mix.
- Blueberries or Mini Chocolate Chips - Add blueberries for a naturally sweet, fruity version or mini chocolate chips for a more dessert-like muffin.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Your Zucchini Yogurt Muffins
- Step 1: Finely shred the zucchini and lightly squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Step 2: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Then add in the Greek yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, oil, and vanilla.
- Step 3: Gently mix in the shredded or grated zucchini. If you're wanting to turn these into chocolate veggie muffins, then add the cocoa powder + chocolate chips here!
- Step 4: Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the centers are set and a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Hint for the Best Zucchini Yogurt Muffins
Lightly squeeze the shredded zucchini to remove some of the excess liquid, but don’t wring it completely dry it should still feel slightly damp. Too much moisture can make the muffins gummy, while removing it all can make them dry. Measure the zucchini after squeezing, and stir the batter only until combined for the softest, fluffiest muffins.
Substitutions
These zucchini yogurt muffins are pretty easy to adhere to more dietary needs!
- Greek yogurt: Use a thick, plain dairy-free yogurt to make these muffins dairy-free. Regular plain yogurt may also work, but because it’s thinner, the muffins may be slightly more moist.
- Eggs: Replace the two eggs with two flax eggs by combining 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed with 6 tablespoons warm water. Let the mixture thicken for 5-10 minutes before adding it. The muffins may be slightly denser.
- Maple syrup: Can substitute an equal amount of honey for children over 12 months. For a no-added-sugar option, use ¼ cup mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce, keeping in mind that the muffins will be less sweet and slightly softer.
- Avocado oil: Use melted butter, melted coconut oil, or another neutral-flavored oil in the same amount.
- All-purpose flour: Substitute oat flour or a gluten-free 1:1 baking flour. Oat flour will create a softer, slightly denser muffin, so let the batter rest for 5 minutes before baking.
- Chocolate chips or blueberries: Leave them out or replace them with finely diced strawberries, raspberries, raisins, or chopped nuts. Finely chop nuts for younger children and modify them appropriately for your child’s chewing abilities.
Variations
There are so many ways you can mix up these zucchini yogurt muffins! Feel free to add different mix-ins to these.
- Blueberry zucchini muffins: Fold in ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries. If using frozen blueberries, add them directly from the freezer.
- Double chocolate chip zucchini muffins: Add ¼-1/3 cup cocoa or cacao powder + ½ cup mini chocolate chips to distribute a little chocolate throughout every bite.
- Lemon blueberry: Add 1 teaspoon lemon zest along with the blueberries for a fresh, brighter flavor.
- Apple zucchini: Fold in ½ cup finely diced or grated apple. Lightly squeeze grated apple to prevent excess moisture.
- Banana zucchini: Replace the maple syrup with ¼ cup mashed ripe banana for a no-added-sugar option. The muffins will be less sweet and slightly softer.
- Extra fiber: Stir in 1-2 tablespoons ground flaxseed, chia seeds, or hemp hearts. If the batter becomes too thick, add a splash of milk.
- Warmly spiced: Add ¼ teaspoon nutmeg or use pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.
Equipment
You’ll need a box grater or food processor to finely shred the zucchini, a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to remove the excess moisture, a large mixing bowl, whisk, spatula, measuring cups and spoons, and a muffin pan with liners or nonstick cooking spray if not using silicone tray. A cookie scoop is also helpful for dividing the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
Storing Your Zucchini Yogurt Muffins
Allow the muffins to cool completely before storing them. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. For longer storage, freeze the muffins in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or warm one in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds before serving.
Toddler Dietitian Tiff's Tip
Adding zucchini to muffins is a fun way to expose your toddler to a familiar vegetable in a different texture, but it doesn’t have to be a secret! Let them help wash or grate the zucchini and continue offering it in other forms, too. The Greek yogurt also adds protein and fat, helping make these muffins a more satisfying breakfast or snack.
FAQ
Yes. Divide the batter between approximately 12 regular muffins and bake for 18-22 minutes.
You can replace it with ¼ cup mashed banana or applesauce, but the muffins will be less sweet. The fruit purée may also make them slightly softer.
The zucchini may have contained too much water, or the muffins may need additional baking time. Lightly squeeze the zucchini and make sure the muffins are fully set before removing them from the oven.
If you swap out the sweetener with banana or applesauce to make them no added sugar, then yes definitely!
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with these zucchini yogurt muffins:
Zucchini Yogurt Muffins
Equipment
- box grater
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely shredded zucchini lightly squeezed
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt dairy-free if needed
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup or sub with mashed banana
- ¼ cup avocado oil or melted butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour or oat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips or blueberries optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 24-cup mini muffin pan or line it with mini muffin liners.
- Place the finely shredded zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or between paper towels. Gently squeeze out some of the excess moisture. The zucchini should still feel slightly damp.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Then mix in the Greek yogurt, eggs, maple syrup, avocado oil, and vanilla extract until smooth. Stir in the shredded zucchini. Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips (and ¼-1/3 cup cocoa powder for chocolate) or blueberries, if using.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each approximately three-quarters full.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the centers are set and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Measure the zucchini after shredding and lightly squeezing it.
- Don’t wring the zucchini completely dry. A little remaining moisture helps keep the muffins soft.
- All-purpose flour produces the lightest texture. Oat flour creates a softer and slightly denser muffin. If using oat flour, let the batter rest for 5 minutes before filling the muffin pan.
- Add frozen blueberries directly to the batter without thawing.
- For a no-added-sugar version, replace the maple syrup with ¼ cup mashed ripe banana or unsweetened applesauce. The muffins will be less sweet and slightly softer.
- Honey can replace the maple syrup for children older than 12 months. Never serve honey to babies younger than 12 months.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before storing. Keep them at room temperature for up to 2 days, refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
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