Erin’s Recipe Rundown
Texture: Fluffy, moist and tender! I like using mini chocolate chips because they evenly distribute in the muffin for the best texture.
Taste: So flavorful with cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar.
Ease: Easy to make! There is a 20 minute chill time, but it’s well worth it so the batter has time to hydrate and you get those sky-high muffin tops.
Top Tips: Use finely shredded zucchini! Also bake the muffins at a high temperature followed by a low temperature. I do this for my gluten-free blueberrry muffins as well.
Recommended GF Flour: Works great with many gluten-free flour blends. Use a high-quality flour that contains xanthan gum. I like King Arthur Flour and Bob’s Red Mill.
Would I make these again? Definitely! Ever since publishing this recipe back in 2022, it’s the only zucchini muffin I make. They turn out amazing every time and I usually double (or triple!) the recipe.
xoxo erin
Featured Comment
From Elizabeth: “My kids loved these. My super picky daughter said ‘mom these are FANTASTIC’. I’m soooo grateful for your recipes. Between this recipe and your gluten free sandwich bread I’m feeling like a stellar mom! Thank you so much. I never knew gluten free could taste this good! Just been ‘getting by’ before now:)”
Table of Contents
- Erin’s Recipe Rundown
- TOP TIPS for Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
- Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezer Instructions
- Can I make this recipe into gluten-free zucchini bread?
- Do I have to let the batter chill?
- What can I use instead of the sugar in this recipe?
- More Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes
- Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins (BEST EVER!) Recipe
This gluten-free zucchini muffins recipe is one you’ll turn to again and again all year long. It’s the ideal way to use zucchini in the summer, and also makes a great snack all year long.
I’ve tested and perfected this recipe to get these gf zucchini muffins just right. Plus these muffins are naturally dairy-free. You also might like my gluten-free zucchini bread or gluten-free double chocolate zucchini bread.
TOP TIPS for Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
- Cook at a high temperature for TALL muffins. By starting with a high oven temperature and then reducing the heat, you’ll help these muffins get a much better rise!
- Let the batter sit for 20 minutes for MOIST muffins. Your muffins will rise higher and be light and fluffy if you let the muffins sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking. This also gives the flour time to hydrate and chills the batter.
- Use finely shredded zucchini for LIGHT muffins. Finely shredded (rather than thickly shredded) zucchini doesn’t weight down the muffin so they turn out light and fluffy.
- Doubling the for MORE muffins: This great recipe yields 9 muffins, but you can easily double (or triple!) as needed. These muffins are great for storing in the freezer.
For more summer recipes, try this gluten-free peach cobbler or gluten-free peach crisp.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on the ingredients you’ll need to make these gluten-free zucchini muffins. Jump to the recipe for the exact measurements.
- Gluten-free flour: For best results, use a high quality gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. I recommend King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
- Neutral Oil: These muffins call for oil instead of melted butter. As much as I love butter, I find that oil (with it’s lower melting point) produces a fluffier texture in gluten-free muffins. I like to use grapeseed or avocado oil, but any neutral oil will work.
- Chocolate chips: I prefer mini chocolate chips in this recipe so you get little bits of chocolate evenly throughout the muffins.
- Grated zucchini: Use a box grater on the smallest setting to get finely shredded zucchini. This is key to the best muffin texture!
How to Make Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
Here’s a basic run-through of how to make these gluten-free zucchini muffins. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Finely shred the zucchini and squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Mix together the dry ingredients
- Mix together the wet ingredients
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mixture to combine.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and zucchini
- Scoop into the muffin pan – fill the cups all the way up! Then chill for 20 minutes.
- Bake!
Make-Ahead, Storage & Freezer Instructions
- Make-Ahead: You can prepare the muffin batter a day in advance and bake the following morning. I do this all the time and think the muffins turn out even better this way!
- To Store: These muffins are best served the day they are made. They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or airtight container for up to 1 day.
- To Freeze: These muffins can also be frozen by wrapping each muffin individually in plastic wrap then storing in a resealable bag. To reheat from frozen, remove the plastic and microwave the muffin for 20 to 30 seconds, until thawed.
Can I make this recipe into gluten-free zucchini bread?
I recommend making my gluten-free zucchini bread recipe instead!
Do I have to let the batter chill?
I recommend chilling the batter for 2 reasons. 1. It gives the gluten-free flour time to hydrate so you don’t have gritty muffins and 2. Cold batter leads to those beautiful domed muffin tops. I also recommend you begin by baking your gluten-free muffins at a higher temperature, then reduce it. Typically, I start gluten-free muffins baking at 400-425°F, then reduce it to 350-375°F. This results in tall, fluffy muffins that are as delicious as they are eye-catching!
What can I use instead of the sugar in this recipe?
Sugar is important for the structure and texture of these muffins, so unfortunately it cannot be swapped without changing the consistency. Some reviews have reported success using 1/2 cup coconut sugar in place of the 3/4 cup granulated sugar.
More Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes
- Gluten-Free Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Gluten-Free Apple Muffins
- Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Gluten-Free Banana Muffins
- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Muffins
Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins (BEST EVER!)
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (187g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Other
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1¾ cups (250g) finely grated zucchini, lightly squeezed (weigh after squeezing)
- ½ cup (90g) mini chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Line a standard muffin pan with 9 paper baking cups.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, oil and vanilla until well-combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Lightly squeeze the zucchini to get out some of the excess liquid. (You don’t need to overdo it, just reduce some of the moisture.) Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, if using, until just combined.
- Using a kitchen scoop or large spoon, fill 9 paper baking cups all the way up. (I find I can usually make 9 full muffins with this batter, but you could also make 12 smaller muffins.)
- Refrigerate the muffins for 20 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake the muffins for 10 minutes at 400°F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 10-15 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Cook at a high temperature for TALL muffins. By starting with a high oven temperature and then reducing the heat, you’ll help these muffins get a much better rise!
- Let the batter sit for 20 minutes for MOIST muffins. Your muffins will rise higher and be light and fluffy if you let the muffins sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes before baking. This also gives the flour time to hydrate and chills the batter.
- Use finely shredded zucchini for LIGHT muffins. Finely shredded (rather than thickly shredded) zucchini doesn’t weight down the muffin so they turn out light and fluffy.
- Doubling the for MORE muffins: This great recipe yields 9 muffins, but you can easily double (or triple!) as needed. These muffins are great for storing in the freezer.
I absolutely loved this recipe. It really is the best. It didn’t have the gritty gluten free texture at all and they really did rise and stay so moist. I will definitely be making this recipe again as I pick more zucchini from my garden.
Hi Sydney, we’re so glad you loved the muffins! Thank you for taking time to share your positive baking experience with us!
This was my first time to make a gluten free bread/muffin. I was very pleased with the result. Texture was light and moist. I did substitute half the sugar with brown sugar. I will likely make
These and other recipes again.
We’re so pleased to hear how much you enjoyed this recipe, Carolyn! Thank you for your kind feedback. Happy baking!
Have you ever substituted applesauce or anything else for the oil?
Hi Jackie, we haven’t tried applesauce as an oil sub in this recipe. We recommend any neutral oil for best results. If you decide to give it a try using a substitution, we’d love to hear how it goes!
Could I sub coconut sugar in for the regular granulated sugar?
Hi Lindsay, we haven’t tried any sugar subs, but other readers have shared success using 1/2 cup of coconut sugar in place of the 3/4 cup granulated sugar. If you decide to give it a try, we’d love to hear how it goes!
These were a big hit even with those in the family who are not gluten free. However since my grandson is also milk free and chocolate chips have milk in them, I added raisins instead.
Hi Bev, we’re so glad the recipe was a hit with the whole family! Thank you for sharing your positive experience with us! Next time, you could also use dairy-free chocolate chips. Happy baking!
Christie do you always use King Arthur gluten free flour for all your recipes this recipe did not say which flour was used and we all know that all gluten free flours are not created equal?
Hi Phyllis, many of Erin’s recipes, including these zucchini muffins, will work best with either King Arthur GF Measure-for-Measure Flour or Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. If a recipe only works with one specific flour blend, Erin is great about specifying that throughout the recipe post. We hope this helps and you enjoy the muffins!
Have you or anyone else tried adding blueberries to the mix? I would like to try it but dont want to if it might ruin the batter.
Thank you!
Hi Rita, we haven’t tried it ourselves, but other readers have shared their successes adding blueberries to this recipe so it’s definitely worth a try! We’d recommend patting them dry and tossing them in gf flour before folding them into the batter. We’d loved to hear how it goes! Happy baking!
Will almond flour work in place of gluten free 1:1 flour? I’m new to gluten free and wanting to try these!
Hi Jennifer, thank you for your question! Almond flour has different properties than gluten-free measure-for-measure flour so it doesn’t typically work as a 1:1 swap. If you want to stick with almond flour, we do have this paleo zucchini muffin recipe that uses almond flour and coconut flour. We hope this helps!
I recently made these muffins for my son, who cannot eat gluten. We both loved them, and he gave this recipe the ultimate compliment of “these don’t taste like gluten-free muffins”. I completely agree! Moist and delicious, they have the texture and taste of a muffin made with traditional flour with gluten. I followed this recipe exactly as written and plan on making them again. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
Yay! We’re so glad you and your son loved the muffins, Elena! Thank you for sharing your kind feedback with us!
Made this for first time today. Instructions were perfect and the muffins came out DELICIOUS!! Followed recipe to a tee except instead of adding chocolate chips, I added 1/3 cups of shredded carrots, 1/3 cup of raisins and a handful of chopped pecans. I was afraid it might be too dry but it wasn’t. And to make them taste even better, add a little butter on your muffin. Mmmmm Good.
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Janet! Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. Happy baking!
I do not have GF chocolate chips. What would I substitute to make these yummy but not weigh them down? Dates? Raisons? Coconut shreds? Pineapple? Thanks kindly.
Hi there, thank you for your question! Nuts, dried fruit, or coconut are all good options in place of the chocolate chips. Keep in mind adding fresh or frozen fruit would result in extra moisture in the batter. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
Amazing recipe with delicious results! The muffins are so moist and my child devours them. This is now my go-to recipe for bringing food to events and they go quickly. Only change I made was to halve the chocolate chips.
Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience with us, Katie! We’re so happy it has become such a go-to recipe for you!
Do u hand grate or do u use the grater attachment on a food processor
Hi Maria, we hand grate using a box grater on the smallest setting. We hope you enjoy the recipe!
My family loooved the taste of these but they were dry. I weighed every ingredient and followed each step. Anything I could do next time to assure they are more moist??
Hi Lisa, we’re happy to hear your family loved the flavor! We would first recommend reducing the baking time just a little bit. Ovens vary so they may have just gotten a little too baked. If that doesn’t address the issue, you could try increasing the liquid content of the recipe slightly. We hope these ideas help!
Excellent. I took them to a church gathering today and everyone enjoyed them whether or not they eat gluten free or not. Thank-you so much!
Thank you for the kind feedback! We’re so glad everyone enjoyed the muffins!
This is my second time baking this bread this month. Seriously the best gluten free zucchini bread ever!
We’re so glad you are enjoying this recipe, Elizabeth! Thank you for taking the time to share your kind feedback with us!
Hey! I made these today and for some reason I couldn’t get them to cook in the middle. I don’t really understand what I did wrong – I maybe used a little extra zucchini could that be the issue? I didn’t want to keep cooking them because the tops were starting to get really dark. Any suggestions for the next time I make them? Thank you!
Hi Liz, yes adding too much zucchini can add enough moisture to make the middles underbaked when the tops are done. We would recommend scaling back a little next time. You could also try reducing your oven temperature by 25°F. Your oven may be cooking a little hot and you’ll get a more even bake on the muffins with the lowered temperature. We hope this helps!
Every summer, my mom makes muffins that we call “Garden Cake” and since I have the garden ingredients, I was craving it! I used this recipe, but instead of using just zucchini, I used approximately 1/3 each of zucchini, beets, and carrots to equal the 250g. Squeezed the liquid out of each with paper towel, especially the beets or your batter turns bright pink! And I mean squeeze them til they’re basically dry! I’m a bit of a purist, so I left out the chocolate chips… I will definitely be saving this recipe!!
Every summer, my mom makes muffins that we call “Garden Cake” and since I have the garden ingredients, I was craving it! I used this recipe, but instead of using just zucchini, I used approximately 1/3 each of zucchini, beets, and carrots to equal the 250g. Squeezed the liquid out of each with paper towel, especially the beets or your batter turns bright pink! And I mean squeeze them til they’re basically dry! I’m a bit of a purist, so I left it the chocolate chips… I will definitely be saving this recipe!!
Hi, I made the recipe, but it tasted bitter. What could have caused this?
That’s a good question, Mona! Older zucchini with thicker skin can be more bitter. Using a different gf flour blend or over-pouring on the baking soda and/or powder can also cause bitterness. We hope these ideas help!