These super healthy low carb zucchini muffins are a tasty snack or grab & go breakfast. Grain free and sugar free!
These days, I’ve been thinking about mother’s love (bear with me – I’ll get to these delish healthy zucchini muffins shortly).
My daughter has just come back from a week long school trip abroad, during which I made worrying one of my favourite pastimes. The 11-hour-long bus trip. Caving. Rock-climbing. Kayaking through rapids. Imagine all the things that could have happened!
Friends, I always thought I was a cool mom (most of the time, at least). And while I tried to keep up that relaxed facade, deep down I did not like her being away one little bit.
Not cool at all.
On a rational level it’s obvious that kids need to find their own way, grow more independent each day and our job as mothers and parents is to let go bit by bit. I remember well those times I used to claim more freedom than I was given when I grew up. When the world starts to open up, you are growing into yourself and you just cannot wait to get older, life just keeps on getting better.
No-one had prepared me that growing up is way more difficult for parents than it is for children! On the one hand, the enjoyment and pride of seeing your child mastering life is immense. But there is this darn bittersweet tinge that you just feel you shouldn’t have lurking in the background. That’s the uncool bit us wannabe cool moms try to hide from them. Let’s call it the clingy-clucky-mom-reflex. It can be rather overwhelming!
Obviously, there is another way to channel your unconditional mother’s love – through food. Good food!
Maybe that’s why I made low carb zucchini muffins today.
They are basically super duper healthy muffins injected with an extra dose of mother’s love – in the form of grated zucchini.
As my regular readers will know well, my muffin pan sees a lot of action. Some of my breakfast favourites are these grab & go low carb muffins and my chocolate banana muffins. I love pure egg muffins such as my slightly confusingly named spinach & chive mini quiches or these chorizo egg muffins. Don’t get me started on the dessert front – the list would be endless.
Low carb zucchini muffins are the bomb!
Zucchini aka courgette is such an easy-going veggie. I love it in salads, sliced and fried in a little oil and garlic as a side and I hide it in practically any tomato-based sauce.
Its slightly sweet, unassuming taste makes it a perfect ingredient in muffins. It gives just the right amount of moisture and, weirdly, FRESHNESS. Not sure whether this is because of KNOWING I’m eaten a vegetable or whether the individual taste is actually shining through. Plus, you get the added benefit of feeling slightly smug/clever for adding a veggie into the mix, a bit like when you make chocolate avocado ice cream.
Baker’s Top Tips
I use cinnamon and nutmeg in this recipe, which works really well. Don’t miss out the nutmeg (unless you truly detest the taste of it). Whilst the zucchini is the secret star, it’s the nutmeg that seeks attention – in all the right ways. I got the idea from this paleo coconut zucchini bread recipe from Detoxinista.
In my first attempt, I used less coconut flour. If you do this, you’ll get a lighter muffin that tastes good, but is ever so slightly on the eggy side.
To get your muffin lighter, you can also separate the eggs, whip up the egg whites and fold them in after mixing the rest of dough.
And one more note – if you have kids with a keen anti-vegetable radar, simply peel the skin off before grating the zucchini. That way you don’t see the tell-tale green specks when you dig in.
Healthy zucchini muffins – that’s clever mother’s love!
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Low Carb Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggs
- 75 g / 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 125 g / 1 cup packed grated courgette/zucchini
- 75 ml / 1/3 cup coconut oil melted
- 30 g / 1/4 cup granulated sweetener
- 4 drops stevia equivalent to 1 tsp table sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius/356 Fahrenheit
- Grate the zucchini and melt your coconut oil in a pan or the microwave. If you do not want to see green specks in your muffins, peel the zucchini first.
- Combine all ingredients except the zucchini in a bowl or a food processor and mix well.
- Stir in the zucchini.
- Line a muffin pan with paper cups and half-fill each cup with the dough.
- Bake at 180 Celsius for 25 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Recipe Notes
I used both erythritol and liquid stevia in this recipe, because I find that this prevents either taste (the cooling taste of erythritol and the metallic taste of stevia) from coming through.
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Kari says
I have not made this recipe yet, but it sounds delicious! I was wondering if you can substitute butter for the coconut oil?
Thanks!
Katrin says
Yes, you can definitely do that. The two are interchangeable
Kelly says
Pretty Good, I’ve only been on Keto now for 2.5 weeks so still adjusting to alternate carb “forms”. I added extra Zucchini to my dough
Katrin says
Hi Kelly, top marks for getting started and 2 1/2 weeks = awesome! Glad you liked the recipe
nagendra says
It looks delicious and makes me too hungry. Thank you so much for posting the amazing recipe that can make me stand on the keto diet.
Jenny says
Would xylitol work in these? My toddler is on a cure tooth decay protocol and the poor thing really wants a muffin for breakfast.
Katrin says
Of course! I like erythritol because it has zero carbs (ant the same benefits for the teeth), but xylitol works just as well. If you don’t want to use the stevia in the recipe, you can replace it with xylitol, too.
Juliana says
Really want to give these a try ! Would powdered sweetener work as well ?
Katrin says
Yes, but you’d have to use a bit less because granulated sweetener is heavier than powdered sweetener.
Julie R says
Just received a bunch of zucchini and wanted to make something yummy and healthy. I knew it was meant to be when you spoke of your daughter. I was just missing my daughter who is off to college. I think you are correct. It’s harder on the mom’s than the kid. Thanks for sharing. Now I know I’m not the only mom who’s trying to be cool and not show all the concerns I have. I just keep praying our Lord is watching over her. Thanks again for sharing. I’m off to make some muffins.
Katrin says
It’s not easy being a mum sometimes… but certainly one of the most wonderful things. You must be very proud of your daughter 🙂
Sima Ruby says
These are the most amazing muffins I have ever made made that are keto every other keto muffin that I had made has failed these are spectacular worth every 2nd of your time I used monk fruit as a sweetener and subbed light olive oil for the coconut oil these are the real deal
Katrin says
So glad you like them! I like the olive oil idea, thank you for sharing
HP says
Is it possible to sub the coconut oil with melted butter? Thank you!
Katrin says
Yes, that should work. Those two are interchangeable:)
Christine says
Would avocado oil work instead of coconut oil? Also, almond flour be used in place of the coconut flour?
Katrin says
Hi Christine, I haven’t tried replacing the coconut flour with almond flour in this recipe, but the general rule if you swap one for the other is to use twice as much almond flour, maybe even a little more. As for the avocado oil, I think it could taste really good. The only thing I am wondering about is the different consistency. Avocado oil is liquid at room temperature, whilst coconut oil behaves like butter and only becomes liquid when heated. The eggs should help keep it all together, you MIGHT need a little less avocado oil. It would be an experiment 🙂
Joanne Masters says
Just made these per the recipe. My daughter and I liked them, but think they could use just a tad more cinnamon and nutmeg. Have never used coconut flour, but was willing to give it a try to get low carb, and we liked it. Mine looked just like the pictures above, but I did have to fill them more than halfway as suggested.
Katrin says
Hi Joanne, great you enjoyed them. Coconut flour can be tricky – just a little too much and everything ends up dry. Too little = eggy taste! It’s brilliant though when the amount is right. And thanks for your input regarding the spices – a good reminder for everyone to always taste the batter/dough to make sure it’s perfect for you.
Saira says
Made these muffins today … they don’t quite look like the picture but i do love the taste. Added chopped walnuts for crunch and, topped with butter, these are yummy! Thanks for an awesome recipe!
Katrin says
Glad you liked them…. and anyway, it’s always about the taste and not the look 🙂
kristhessa ross says
Hi Ive literally JUST made these and unfortunately they did not rise and look nowhere near like yours 🙁 I used gram measurements and omitted the sweetener, used 70% dark chocolate instead…What could I have done wrong? There’s a comment below where he says he was able to make a slight ball out of them before baking. The consistency of mine were the same as his I guess…it was more like a wet dough, but one you can form. I’ve got a photo of leftover batter that I wasn’t able to fit in the muffin cups.
Katrin says
Hi there, it’s always difficult to say when you’re not there. I made these a while ago now but am pretty sure the dough was more pour-able than form-able, like regular muffin dough. I remember that I made them with less coconut flour the first time round and the dough was more liquid then, but the result was a bit too eggy. The second try I added more coconut flour and liked it much better.
So it sounds like your wet/dry ratio was different to mine. Maybe you used tiny eggs? Or the zucchini you used was grated less finely? (you can see how mine was in one of the pictures)? And you melted the coconut oil before using? Send me your picture via email so I can take a look 🙂
Sarah says
Hi Katrin! This seems amazing. I’ve had zucchini muffins before and am trying to replicate that great low-carb no sugar taste again. However. my supermarket does not carry erythritol or xylitol. What should i do? Can I replace these two with anything as healthy?
Katrin says
I would just order it online. It’s the easiest way to get it – Amazon is always a good option. Supermarket regulars such as maple syrup and honey will still raise your blood sugar levels. Hope this helps 🙂
Scott says
My batter turned out very thick and on the dry side. Consequently I had to jput balls of dough in muffin tin. They did not shape up like muffins when they were baked. What did I do wrong?
Katrin says
Hello Scott, sorry to hear that! It must have something to do with the amounts you used. I don’t know if you measured your ingredients in cups or grams. Coconut flour is really absorbent, so you could have used too much of it or maybe you did not pack the grated zucchini and therefore you had to little of that? The batter should not have ended up hard enough to form a ball. Tell me, so we can get to the bottom of it!
Lindsay says
I just made these with a few alterations and they are delicious!!!
I added 1 tablespoon of cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter. Instead of the sweetners you called for I used 8 packets of Splenda because I didn’t have anything else.
The best part? My carboholic boyfriend really likes them too! I’m doing keto and it is rare that he likes my substitutions.
Katrin says
We all have those carboholic friends, haha! I know exactly how wonderful it feels when one of those approves of a recipe. It’s like the ultimate badge of honour. So glad you all liked the muffins 🙂
Jane Skinner, Bishop's Stortford, Herts says
Hi KATRIN,
A good friend of mine has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is radically re-examining her diet. I’m sure these muffins will be on the list of things she IS allowed to eat! I’ll let you know when she’s sampled them.
Next week, I am hosting a children’s party at the stables where I keep my horse ; lots of good old-fashioned fun, e.g. treasure hunt (for carrots!), wheelbarrow races, and the inevitable water-pistol fights – the guests are predominantly boys aged 8-12. These muffins will be served at tea, or should I say “wolfed down”!
And did you know ALDI is showcasing foods made from coconut this week? How timely! I shall be popping down later today to stock up for my baking session.
Katrin says
Hello Jane, thank you for your comment. I am sorry to hear about your friend’s cancer and I really hope she will get better soon – and that she’ll like the muffins! I haven’t been to an Aldi in ages (did you know I am from Germany? I’ve basically grown up on Aldi), but if Aldi has coconut flour, it’s got to be the best price in town 🙂
Tabitha says
Looks like a great recipe, and a perfect way to trick the kids (and yourself) into eating more greens! Love the combination of coconut flour and cinnamon – must make for a really complex flavour that’s so needed for a low sugar diet! Sounds lovely with a good coffee or cup of tea.
Katrin says
Thank you Tabitha. For me it’s the nutmeg that really makes the recipe. And you are so right, they are perfect with coffee. What would we do without coffee??
Gwenyth says
Definitely making these. Zuchinni overload in the vegetable garden. I plan on substituting the sweeteners with our wonderful Canadian maple syrup. It is a terrific all natural sweetener. I will let you know how they turn out.
Katrin says
Home-grown zucchini! Sounds amazing. I really hope you’ll enjoy the recipe as much as we did 🙂
marjorie says
I have an idea about adding 1/2 tsp of Xanthum Gum; i have been told this adds the chewiness to recipes..any experience with this. So as i add it up, each muffin contains 2.3 net carbs?
Katrin says
Xanthan gum is a great thickener, give it a go and let us know how your batch turned out! And yes, they are quite low in carbs 🙂
Patty says
Made these last night! Great muffin base as they are very moist, and have the texture of a regular wheat flour based muffin. However, I do feel they are a little on the bland side, so next time I will throw in a few sugar free chocolate chips to sweeten them up a bit.
Katrin says
Thanks for your comment. Using chocolate chips is a nice idea. I liked the taste of nutmeg in mine, did you use it? For me it really makes the recipe. You could also add some more sweetener, cinnamon or vanilla – we all have different ideas of what’s yummy, so it’s a good idea to experiment (and always taste the dough :))
Maggie Summers says
Do you think I use almond flour in this recipe instead?
Katrin says
You can, but you’d have to adjust the quantity and use more almond flour as it is less absorbent. I haven’t tried this, but I’d probably try using twice the amount of almond flour or ground almonds.
Johanna says
These look so yummy! And good idea to peel the courgettes. My kids are definitely not ready for knowingly eating vegetables in their muffins.
Katrin says
Especially younger kids can be quite critical when it comes to all things green, haha. This way they won’t be able to tell the difference. 🙂
Marigold S says
Nice one! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Katrin says
Let me know how you get on with them Marigold!
Sarah says
I am so making these muffins! They look delicious.
Katrin says
Thank you Sarah! I really hope you’ll like them as much as we did.