These healthy keto zucchini muffins are a tasty snack or grab & go breakfast. They are moist yet fluffy zucchini coconut flour muffins. Grain free and sugar free!
Zucchini is one of my favourite vegetables. I grate it into salads, sauté it, make keto zucchini fries and this amazing zucchini grilled cheese.
I also use it to thicken stews, like this keto beef stew.
One of the best ways of using zucchini though is in sweet dishes. Just try my keto zucchini bread and you'll know what I mean.
Since I had a big bag of zucchini in the fridge, I decided to make a batch of low carb zucchini muffins.
The tricky bit about using zucchini in baking is that it contains a lot of moisture. Most recipes require squeezing out the liquid with a cheesecloth or dish towel after you grate the zucchini.
This is not necessary with this recipe, which saves a lot of time and mess.
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🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- moist yet fluffy
- perfect as a nutritious breakfast or snack
- gluten-free
- low in carbs - only 2.8g net carbs per muffin
- easy to make even for baking novices
- ready in just 35 minutes!
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
Coconut flour - Coconut flour is high in fiber and low in carbs. It also absorbs more moisture than any other grain free flour. This means a little goes a long way. Your pack of coconut flour is going to last you a long time.
Zucchini - Can be used with or without the skins.
Eggs - I used 6 medium eggs, but you could use 5 large eggs. Make sure they are room temperature.
Coconut oil - This can be substituted with butter.
Low carb sweetener - Any granulated sugar substitute works. I like using erythritol monk fruit sweetener blends (a brown sugar substitute such as Lakanto Gold would be delicious). Xylitol, allulose, Swerve or Bocha Sweet are also possible.
Baking powder - Always check that it is fresh to ensure a good rise.
Spices - I used cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract.
Instructions
It's just a few simple steps to make keto zucchini muffins:
- Grate the zucchini and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until pale and about double in size. This takes around 3 minutes.
- Add all other ingredients and mix until combined.
- Stir in the shredded zucchini.
- Fill into a muffin tin lined with paper cups
- Bake in the oven until lightly browned on top and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Top Tips
It's always best to measure coconut flour with digital scales rather than in cups. It is more exact and will yield a better result.
Whip the egg whites for an even lighter muffin. Separate the eggs and whip the egg whites to stiff peaks. Then, fold the egg whites in after mixing the rest of the muffin batter. This means you'll have more air bubbles in the batter and the muffin texture will be lighter.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, zucchini is keto friendly. Zucchini contains just over 3 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams. When you add zucchini to cake or muffin batter, you'll also add additional nutrients to your bakes.
I have found the perfect ratio of coconut flour to zucchini. My low carb zucchini muffins have a light and fluffy texture WITHOUT this step.
Yes. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper and bake for around 40-50 minutes.
Of course. If you don't want to see the green specks from the skins, peel it before grating.
Variations
Almond flour zucchini muffins - You'll need to use around 3 x more almond flour than coconut flour as it absorbs less moisture. Note that I have not tried this myself yet.
Savoury zucchini muffins - It's easy to make this recipe savoury! Simply omit the sweetener, cinnamon and nutmeg and replace it with pinch of salt, black pepper and grated cheese or nutritional yeast. Spices such as turmeric or herbs like thyme or rosemary would also work well.
Keto chocolate zucchini muffins - Add 2 tablespoons cocoa powder to the recipe. Taste and adjust sweetness. If the dough looks dry, loosen with a splash of almond milk.
Optional add-ins
How about jazzing up your muffins with sugar free chocolate chips and crushed nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts or pecans?
You could even add a tablespoon of lemon juice and lemon zest plus a handful of blueberries.
Storage
Refrigerator: I like to store these muffins in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezer: You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Freeze on a tray so they do not stick. Then, transfer to a freezer bag.
Thawing and reheating: Defrost overnight in the fridge or on the kitchen counter. Option to gently reheat in the microwave on a low power level.
Related Recipes
- Low Carb Keto Banana Muffins35 Minutes
- Almond Flour Blackberry Muffins30 Minutes
- Low Carb Keto Apple Muffins30 Minutes
- Keto Blueberry Muffins30 Minutes
- Keto Cinnamon Muffins35 Minutes
- Keto Chocolate Muffins30 Minutes
- Sugar Free Carrot Cake Muffins40 Minutes
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Recipe
Keto Zucchini Muffins
from Sugar Free LondonerNote: The servings slider only changes the first amount in each line and not any subsequent amounts. Please make your own calculations where necessary.
Ingredients
- 6 medium eggs or 5 large
- 75 g / ⅔ cup coconut flour
- 125 g / 1 cup packed grated courgette/zucchini
- 75 ml / ⅓ cup coconut oil melted, or butter
- 50 g / ¼ cup granulated sweetener
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius/350 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. There is no need to squeeze any liquid out of the zucchini.
- Beat the eggs with an electric mixer or in a food processor until pale and about double in size. This takes around 3 minutes.
- Add all other ingredients except the zucchini and mix well.
- Stir in the zucchini.
- Line a muffin pan with paper cups and fill each cup with the dough.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned on top and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
Jenny
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
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.
Susi
This is a lovely recipe, thank you Karen, once again... I added more zucchini too, just because I'd grated too much, and it works well... May I just add that xylitol can make your animals, especially dogs, very ill, or even kill them... please be aware and careful... erythritol is better...
Juliana
Really want to give these a try ! Would powdered sweetener work as well ?
Katrin
Yes, but you'd have to use a bit less because granulated sweetener is heavier than powdered sweetener.
Julie R
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
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
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
HP
Is it possible to sub the coconut oil with melted butter? Thank you!
Katrin
Yes, that should work. Those two are interchangeable:)
Christine
Would avocado oil work instead of coconut oil? Also, almond flour be used in place of the coconut flour?
Katrin
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
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
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
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
Glad you liked them.... and anyway, it's always about the taste and not the look 🙂
kristhessa ross
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
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
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
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
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
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!