Combine three types of produce in a batch of Banana Zucchini Muffins with Blueberries. It’s the best of all the baked goods in one convenient (and nutritious) package! P.S. They store well for days!
Banana Zucchini Muffins with Blueberries
When my middle kiddo was one, she struggled with bread—which means she had a hard time chewing sliced bread as well as muffins and pancakes. I worked hard to make her nutritious, moist options to help her practice and these muffins were one of our favorites.
These also happen to be perfect to make in the summer when you have zucchini and blueberries at the ready—and any bananas in the house might turn brown fast due to the heat!
Healthy Zucchini Muffins
These muffins have a base of whole wheat flour and get their moisture and flavor from three types of produce. Combine that with low added sugar and protein from eggs and milk and you have a healthy muffin for kids that’s great any time of the day. (See below to adjust these for food allergies.)
Ingredients in Banana Zucchini Muffins
To make these muffins you’ll need:
- very ripe banana
- zucchini
- milk (dairy or nondairy)
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- butter
- whole wheat flour
- brown sugar
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- fresh or frozen blueberries
How to Make Banana Zucchini Muffins with Blueberries Step by Step
Here’s a look at the process of making these muffins for kids.
- Gather your ingredients. (photo 1)
- Grate the zucchini into a wide bottom plate or bowl. (photo 2)
- Use your hands to squeeze as much liquid out of it as you can. Measure out the zucchini needed, packing it tightly into the measuring cup. (photo 3)
- Mash the banana well and measure out the amount needed. (See the recipe at the bottom of the post for full info!) (photo 4)
- Add the wet ingredients to a medium bowl. (photo 5)
- Stir together. (photo 6)
- Stir in the dry ingredients. (photo 7)
- Fold in the blueberries. (photo 8)
- Portion into a muffin tin. (photo 9)
- Bake! (photo 10)
TIP: Squeeze the zucchini really well to ensure that the batter isn’t too wet. You can even squeeze it with a towel after you get most of the moisture out if you want.
Can I make these Banana Zucchini Muffins gluten-free?
Sure, just use cup for cup gluten-free flour instead of the whole wheat flour.
Can I make these healthy muffins dairy-free?
Yes. Use plain unsweetened nondairy milk instead of dairy milk and melted, slightly cooled coconut milk (or canola oil) instead of butter.
Can I make them egg-free?
Yup! Just omit the eggs and add an additional 1/4 cup milk.
Egg-free banana zucchini muffin with chocolate chips.
Banana Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips
If your family prefers chocolate you can substitute 1/2 cup chocolate chips for the blueberries!
Can I leave out the sugar?
If you’re making these for a baby who’s eating finger foods or just want to reduce added sugars, you can skip the brown sugar. Be sure to use very brown bananas though since they will be the main source of sweetness. With the sugar, each muffin has about 3 grams of added sugar, which is a low amount for a healthy snack.
Can I use frozen blueberries in this recipe?
You can use fresh blueberries or frozen ones, depending on what you have access to and the time of the year. Either way, stir them into the batter gently to avoid breaking them up.
Tips for Making the Best Banana Zucchini Muffins with Blueberries
- To make these gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-free flour blend.
- To make these dairy-free, use nondairy milk and melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
- Squeeze the grated zucchini well with your fingers to release as much liquid as you can.
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. Fold them in gently to the batter.
- These muffins are not very sweet. If you prefer sweeter baked goods, consider using 1/3 cup brown sugar or topping with a drizzle of honey.
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe, so please comment below with feedback!
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PinDescription
These muffins make for a delicious breakfast, snack, or lunchtime component. This recipe was updated June 2019 to improve the texture and streamline the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana (from 2 very ripe bananas)
- 1 cup grated zucchini, packed and squeezed very dry (about 1 medium zucchini)
- 1/2 cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease a standard muffin tin well with nonstick spray.
- Add the mashed banana, grated zucchini, milk, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to a medium bowl. Stir gently with a spatula.
- Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. Stir gently to combine.
- Stir in the blueberries gently.
- Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin. You’ll use about a heaping 1/4 cup in each muffin cup.
- Bake for 22-28 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly and the muffins are golden brown around the edges. Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely, running a knife around the edges to loosen if needed.
- Serve at room temperature, warmed slightly, or chilled.
Notes
TIPS
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer in a zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months.
To make these gluten-free, use cup for cup gluten-free flour blend.
To make these dairy-free, use nondairy milk and melted coconut oil instead of butter.
To make these egg-free, omit the eggs and add 1/4 cup additional milk.
Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
Squeeze the grated zucchini well with your fingers to release as much liquid as you can.
Use fresh or frozen blueberries. Fold them in gently to the batter.
These muffins are not very sweet. If you prefer sweeter baked goods, consider using 1/3 cup brown sugar or topping with a drizzle of honey.
Squeeze the zucchini really well to ensure that the batter isn’t too wet. You can even squeeze it with a towel after you get most of the moisture out if you want.
I’m wondering why you don’t use muffin liners in your recipes and recommend spraying with the non-stick spray instead? My muffin tins tend to scorch the outside of my muffins while cooking when I use the spray. Just curious! Love your recipes !
I find that most muffins don’t have enough fat and stick to muffin liners. I’ve never had an issue with them scorching, but I have heard good things about parchment paper muffin liners.
Great muffins!! My whole family (kids ages 8 & 5) love them!
We have to eat gluten and dairy free. Just in case someone else is searching for this, I thought I would share what I did. I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 gluten free flour, unsweetened almond milk, and added an extra teaspoon of baking powder.
I also substituted the melted butter for applesauce and cut the brown sugar in half. We thought they were sweet and moist! 🙂
★★★★★
They were delicious! I used 1/3 cup of brown sugar and used oat milk instead of cows milk. This was my first time baking from scratch and your recipe made it so easy! My toddler and 12 month old love them.
★★★★★
I’m so glad!
These were a hit with my husband and toddler! I made them egg and dairy free using extra milk as suggested and I used oat milk. Well done!
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear that and I really appreciate you letting me know!
Made mini muffins – took 15 minutes to bake. Our 9 month old loves them! They’re very fluffy.
We did not add sugar. Without the sugar it’s very lightly sweet. Good for the baby and fine by me! I’d make these again.
★★★★★
Glad to hear this!
This is my favourite muffin recipe, the addition of zucchini is brilliant. We couldn’t even taste the zucchini in them.
Plus My picky eater 4 years old daughter enjoyed it & my 9 month old baby loved it too. Thank you Amy.
If I could add a photo that would have been great.
Regards Jelita
★★★★★
I’m so glad to hear that!
These have become our favorite, my toddler and I make them together and then enjoy them together. 🙂 Thank you!!!
★★★★★
You’re so welcome and I appreciate you letting me know!
Made these last weekend. I love them, my husband loves them, and my 15 month old just tried to shove an entire mini muffin into his mouth (lol!) then smiled at me while trying not to let any of it fall out. So I think it’s safe to say he likes them, too! I love that this is a tasty muffin packed with so many different fruits and veggies. Great for breakfast or snack. I will be making these again! Thank you!
★★★★★
Hi Amy,
I’m glad I found your website. I made this last night and my toddler loved it, as did my husband. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out great. I used a nut milk bag to strain the grated zucchini and it was perfect. The muffins came out soft and chewy.
Thank you!
Adriana
★★★★★
Is it meant be 1 cup of zucchini after squishing the water out? Or one cup, and THEN you squish the water out? I did it with 1 cup after squeezing the water out, and the muffins ended up all wet instead muffiny.
It’s one cup after squeezing them very dry. Did you make any changes to the recipe?
Thanks getting back to me. I used white flour instead of whole wheat, and was 1/4 cup short on the flour so substituted with 1-1 gluten free flour mix. I wonder if I mistakenly put a total of 1 cup of flours instead of 1.5 cups. It’s possible. That could be explain it
Could be. They will be moist for sure, but they shouldn’t be soggy!
I’ve made this recipe many times and love it but I just noticed it changed. You replaced the coconut oil with butter and i remember using flax seed and make syrup before. Is there a way for me to see the old recipe again? I don’t remember how much of these ingredients I need to use. Thanks!
I’m really sorry, but I didn’t keep a copy of it (which was really dumb of me!). This recipe is similar and more reliable. The old one had a buckwheat flour option, maple syrup instead of the sugar (same amount), and 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed. You could use maple syrup and the flaxseed in this version too and I bet they’d come out well!
I was really excited to try this recipe out as well but just like a couple of the other people that tried, my muffins didn’t cook all the way through. I tried cooking them twice as long and still didn’t fully cook. Oh, well, at least I tried them. Was a good idea of a combo but maybe I’ll try them again a little different next time.
I’m sorry that you had troubles. I retested these twice and updated the recipe since those other comments and am surprised that they didn’t cook through—maybe the zucchini was too damp still? I’ll try to clarify the recipe to help.
I love your website and many of your recipes are staples in my house! Thank you! But these are not turning out well. I followed the instructions to the letter and like the previous commenter, the batter was completely liquid. I don’t think I should have used all that milk.
I’m really sorry! This is on my list to retest.
Update: I ended up baking it for about twice the recommended time, then leaving it out for a few hours, and actually, they turned out pretty good–very moist, which is not a bad thing. Between my two year old and the rest of the family, we ate them all and enjoyed them. Not my favorite of your recipes, but still good. 🙂
Could these be made WITHOUT the blueberries?
I would think so!
Followed the instructions perfectly and the batter was completely liquid. Is this accurate? They are not baking well… added more flour to the next batch to see what happens. Any suggestions? Everything looked good until I added the milk
Hmmm, the batter shouldn’t be completely liquid. I hope that the second batch was better!
Making this now and instead of blueberries I added mini chocolate chips. They are in a mini muffin pan. I filled to the top so I hope they don’t overflow! Thanks for the recipe!
That sounds yummy. I hope they turned out well!
Can I leave out the flax seed, or substitute an egg? No allergies to flax here, I just rarely have it handy. Thank you!
You can just leave it out!
You mention 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in the ingredients but don’t list when to add it in the instructions! What do you recommend?
Add it to the batter with the liquids! (Sorry;)
My batter and muffins turned out super dark. Is it the buckwheat flour? I’ve never baked with it before….
Yes, it’s often a much different color than wheat flour. It can vary in color depending on the brand too.
What baking time would you recommend if I were to make these as mini-muffins?
I’d check them starting at about 18 minutes!
Thank you! Will do that 🙂