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, so they’re a great make-ahead option.
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.
They are super moist and our whole family loves them all these years later.
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 You Need
To make these muffins you’ll need:
- Very ripe banana: You want the bananas to have lots of brown spots, which indicate ripeness.
- Zucchini: Any variety or size works.
- Milk: You can use dairy or nondairy milk here.
- Eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Unsalted butter: I use this for baking so I can control the salt.
- Whole wheat flour: This helps absorb some of the moisture in the produce and adds nutrients.
- Brown sugar: I use brown sugar here for added flavor, though you can use maple syrup or honey if you prefer.
- Baking powder: This helps to ensure that the muffins bake through properly.
- Cinnamon
- Fresh or frozen blueberries: Either option works here.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process of making these muffins for kids. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full recipe.
- Grate the zucchini into a wide bottom plate or bowl.
- 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.
- Mash the banana well and measure out the amount needed.
- Add the wet ingredients to a medium bowl.
- Stir together. Stir in the dry ingredients. Fold in the blueberries.
- Portion into a muffin tin and bake.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure, just use cup for cup gluten-free flour instead of the whole wheat flour.
Yes. Use plain unsweetened nondairy milk instead of dairy milk and melted, slightly cooled coconut milk (or canola oil) instead of butter.
Yup! Just omit the eggs and add an additional ¼ cup milk and ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
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.
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.
Best Tips for Success
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup style of gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk and melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Egg-Free: Omit the eggs, add an additional ¼ cup milk and add ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
- Squeeze the grated zucchini VERY well with your fingers to release as much liquid as you can.
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. Fold them in gently to the batter.
- You can substitute ½ cup chocolate chips for the blueberries!
- If you prefer sweeter baked goods, consider using ⅓ cup brown sugar or topping with a drizzle of honey.
- Find all of my best muffins for kids here.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback if you try this recipe, so please comment below with feedback!
Banana Zucchini Muffins with Blueberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup mashed banana (from about 2 very ripe bananas)
- ½ cup grated zucchini, packed and squeezed very dry (about 1 medium zucchini; grate, squeeze dry, then measure out ½ cup)
- ¼ cup milk (dairy or nondairy)
- ¼ cup butter (melted and cooled slightly)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a standard muffin pan 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 ¼ cup in each muffin cup.
- Bake for 20-26 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly and the muffins are golden brown around the edges. (Try not to put the cake tester directly into a berry—the juices from the berries will stay moist.)
- 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.
Equipment
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- Gluten-free: Use cup for cup gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk and melted coconut oil instead of butter.
- Egg-Free: Omit the eggs, add an additional ¼ cup milk and add ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
- Use very ripe bananas with brown spots for the best flavor.
- Use fresh or frozen blueberries. Fold them in gently to the batter.
- If your family prefers chocolate you can substitute ½ cup chocolate chips for the blueberries!
- If you prefer sweeter baked goods, consider using ⅓ cup brown sugar or topping with a drizzle of honey.
Nutrition
This post was originally published July 2017.
Would it be possible to make these with oats instead of any flour at all? Or maybe Oats and oat flour combo? Thanks!!
I haven’t tested them that way and I’m not sure if they would be too wet or not. I would definitely use oat flour if you want to try it that way!
Have you made these as mini muffins? If so, how would you adjust the baking time? Thanks!
I would guess the timing would be around 16ish minutes
Can you make this into a loaf instead of muffins?
I haven’t tried that so I can’t say specifically how long the baking would take but in theory I think it should work. It is a fairly wet batter so it would likely be at least an hour in the oven on perhaps 350 or 375.
Do you peel the zucchini before you grate it? Sorry, I’ve never grated zucchini to go in anything before.
No, you can leave the peel on. It softens up nicely
Have you have ever made these then froze them to eat later? Did it work well?
Yes, that works well!
Hi Amy! I really love your recipes:) so happy I found you. By any chance do you have tips on how to prepare muffin from being frozen? I tried reheating the broccoli muffin recipe and I baked straight from freezer and they came out wet in the middle and slightly burnt on edges.. how do you do it? Thank you so much I’m advance ??
Hi- You can let them thaw overnight in the fridge and then warm in 15 second increments in the microwave. Or do that from frozen. Or to use the oven, I would thaw in the fridge or at room temperature first, then heat for may 6-8 minutes. You’d want to be sure they were cooked all the way through before you freeze them though. I hope that helps.
Thank you!!
Have you ever used M&Ms instead of chocolate chips..? Also, if there was nothing extra, no blueberries or chocolate chips, would the recipe still be good?
I haven’t used M&Ms and I haven’t made them without the blueberries or chocolate. They wouldn’t be as sweet though.
I’m sorry to hear that. Is is possible that the leavening you used wasn’t fresh? They’re very different recipes so I’m not sure what else would have caused it. (Though to reiterate, I am sorry that this happened.)
I think it is because of the whole wheat flour which has different qualities than regular flour. I am sure with regular flour they would have turned out delicious. But we all want it to be super healthy for our toddlers 🙂
Hi Amy – do you know if these muffins freeze well?
Hi, yes, they should freeze well. Add to a zip top freezer bag and remove as much air as you can before sealing. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature or in 15 second increments in the microwave.
Hi! Could I replace some of the butter with anything else without changing the texture or the taste too much? Applesauce? Plain yogurt? Thanks so much!
I would worry that they would be too moist inside if you added applesauce or yogurt since there’s already a cup of mashed banana. I think I’d use milk (but 1/4 cup butter for 12 muffins isn’t that much?)
Oh it’s definitely not! But my butter loving family just used a full stick in corn casserole so we are running quite low and wanted to see if something else would make the cut until I can replenish 🙂 Thank you!
I swear I’m on a mission to make everything in your cookbook lol these were also very yummy!
My kids really liked these. I am a lazy cook so… minis 1/8 cup milk and don’t bother squeezing the water out of the zucchini. Also we did chocolate chips instead of blueberries. I cut the amount of chips by half and my kids never noticed.
Can I use regular flour instead of whole wheat?
Yes that should be fine.
I’ve made these a few times now, and sub apple sauce for the sugar and yogurt for the butter. I’ve also done with either eggs or flax eggs. While they might not be MY first choice for a muffin and come out a bit chewy (likely because of my substitutions), they are still quite good, and most importantly, my toddler loves them! I’m trying my next batch with 50/50 strawberry/blueberry 🙂
How much applesauce and yogurt did you use? I’d love to try that variation!
I made these for the first time tonight. I had been wanting to for months, but scared myself because I’m not very experienced in baking or cooking. I don’t think mine turned out tuft. They seem a little denser and extra moist, like maybe not cooked enough compared to the photos and other comments. Do you think I didn’t squeeze enough water or if the zucchini? That was a real challenge. Our should I just have naked them longer? They seemed fine when I stuck a toothpick in them. Is there anyway to fix this batch? Thank you for any advice!
Hi- If they are just moist, they should be fine to eat. If they seem raw inside, then yes, you should have baked them a little longer. You can heat them before serving and see what you think if they are just moist. They will be moist due to the zucchini and blueberries, so that is not necessarily a problem!
Fantastic! My 1 year old looooves them…. and so do I! I will be making a double batch next so I can have some too!
I’m so glad!