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Vegan Bakery-Style Zucchini Bread Muffins

August 12, 2013


Hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was full of delicious, delicious foods that were not the least bit good for me.  Sorry for how long this post is about to be, but I loved everything I ate so I wanted to highlight my super favorites.

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Please excuse the photos and the ridiculousness of my face in the gallery below.  Just thought you’d like to see what one too many beers looks like. You can see the cauliflower sandwich with beet bacon (BEET BACON!) that I had at Grand Rapids Brewing Company on Friday for lunch –  they had an amazing organic and vegan beer selection as well, thus my beautiful face.  On Sunday we swung by one of my favorite places, Stella’s for brunch.  I love Stella’s because they’re a whiskey bar with an arcade and about half of their menu is vegan.  We skipped the whiskey first thing in the morning, but we shared vegetarian chili cheese fries (not pictured) and a vegan sausage, peppers, and mushroom sandwich on garlic bread – aaaaaaahhhhmazing.  This is kind of odd, but I just wanted to point out that this was the first time in my life that I’ve ever wanted to and been able to order chili fries in a restaurant.  It came with real cheese, but I got Daiya on my sandwich, so I bet you could get them vegan, as well.  I also got a macchiato from MADCAP Coffee, which was super adorable, but most importantly amazing delicious.  A real macchiato is nothing like what you get at Starbucks.  You can really taste the espresso and there is just a thin layer of thick foam on top.  Perfection.

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So. You should all realize that I need a big dose of veggies that haven’t seen the deep fryer or an oil filled skillet.  Luckily before I left, I had the good sense to make some zucchini muffins.  Perhaps not exactly what my body needs, but after a long drive I knew I would not be in the mood for chopping.  Plus, veggies just don’t stay good in my house for long.  If anyone has some tips, I’d love to hear them!  But if I don’t use my vegetables almost immediately, they get wrinkly and moldy after 2, maybe at most 3, days.  Muffins I can stick in the freezer and they keep for so much longer.  Yes, I realize I just posted a muffin recipe on Friday, but they’re both delicious and you need them in your life!

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5.0 from 3 reviews

Vegan Bakery-Style Zucchini Bread Muffins
Author: 
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 12
 

Ingredients
  • 3 c white whole wheat flour
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 3 tsp cinnamon
  • Dash or two of nutmeg, optional
  • ¼ c agave or honey
  • ½ c sugar (more if you prefer a sweeter muffin)
  • 1 tsp butter flavor (optional)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ c finely shredded zucchini (2 c if using a larger grate)
  • 1⅓ c unsweetened almond milk (or milk of choice)
  • ¾ c semi sweet chocolate pieces (optional, but recommended unless you increase the sugar)
  • ¾ c pecan pieces (optional)

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spritz a standard muffin pan with nonstick spray (if you use liners, spritz those with nonstick spray, too).
  2. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
  3. Mix zucchini, agave/honey, sugar, milk, vanilla, and butter flavor in a different bowl. Add the dry to the wet in 2 batches, stirring until almost combined. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips, if using.
  4. Spoon the batter in to the muffin pan. The wells will be VERY full. Add an extra sprinkle of sugar or chocolate chips on top, if desired.
  5. Bake for 5 minutes. Decrease temperature to 375°F (leave muffins in the oven) for 10 minutes, then decrease to 350°F for an additional five minutes.
  6. Let cool and enjoy.

Notes
The temperature decreases as necessary to achieve a fully baked, extra tall muffin.
Nutritional information includes chocolate chips and pecan pieces. Leaving out the chocolate will save approximately 20 calories and the nuts approximately 50 calories.

Nutrition Information
Calories: 220 Fat: 7g Carbohydrates: 39g Fiber: 4g Protein: 5g

 

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37 Comments
    Sarah Aug 05, 2015

    These are the best zucchini muffins ever. I’ve tried several other whole grain/low sugar/low oil vegan recipes and they were awful. I still piled mine high but recipe made 18 muffins. I used reg ww flour, coconut sugar and hemp seeds for the nuts. Turned out perfectly with no sogginess! Thanks for this recipe!

      Kelly Aug 05, 2015

      Thanks for your kind words, Sarah. It means a lot to me to have such great feedback! Your substitutions sound amazing. I love coconut sugar.

    Grated Squash Muffins | Hidden Fruits and Veggies Nov 07, 2014

    […] the idea for this recipe was basically handed to me.  Someone commented on my zucchini muffin asking if they could swap in grated winter squash — why not? I didn’t want to advise her […]

    Kiki Oct 20, 2014

    Fantastic recipe!!! Best muffin recipe I’ve ever tried 🙂 Thank you for sharing! I’m excited to try more of your recipes.

      Kelly Oct 20, 2014

      Thanks, Kiki! Glad you liked them 🙂

    BooCat Oct 13, 2014

    I’ve made these at least 6 times this zucchini season – love them! thank you for such a genius recipe! Question – have you made muffins with grated pumpkin? like a grated carrot, but a winter squash?

      Kelly Oct 14, 2014

      I haven’t, but that sounds delightful! Do you have any recipes you like? I’d love to experiment with that.

        BooCat Oct 14, 2014

        Would grated winter squash substitute for the more tender zucchini here? BTW – I don’t add the chocolate chips in this recipe.

          Kelly Oct 14, 2014

          I’m not 100% positive how it would work, since I haven’t tried it. I have a good feeling it would work well, especially since winter squash is somewhere between carrot and zucchini (when thinking of texture and moisture content) and those are both fabulous in muffins. If you give it a try, please let me know!

    Sunbeam Jul 06, 2014

    My sister & I are eating these muffins warm out of the oven right now and definitely agree that they are the best ever! A couple days ago I made another vegan zucchini muffin recipe, but it was so dense and moist–too much so. Also, they only rose a little. Your recipe turned out fluffy and beautiful. I was so glad to learn how to make muffins bakery-style too 🙂 Thanks! This recipe’s a keeper!

      Kelly Jul 06, 2014

      Glad you liked them, Sunbeam! Thanks for taking the time to come back and share your kind words 🙂

    marilynlauzon Feb 11, 2014

    Those are really good! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂

      Kelly Feb 11, 2014

      Glad you like them, Marilyn!

    ali Jan 01, 2014

    Can I ask how much of the zucchini taste remains? I’m trying to sneak more veggies in my muffin loving boyfriends food. if he can taste the zucchini he will throw a fit

      Kelly Jan 01, 2014

      Have you had zucchini bread before? There’s not a strong flavor, but the veggie isnt very well hidden. I suggest you try my antioxidant muffins (they have kale, but you can sub in zucchini) if you want your veggies completely concealed in a muffin.

    megant620 Oct 14, 2013

    Yum! I love the idea of pecans and chocolate! Zucchini muffins are so amazing this time of year. I made a variety with maple syrup below!

    Em @ Love A Latte Sep 16, 2013

    Ok, so I’ve got a zucchini from my garden that I want to use asap! Defnitely want to make these muffins! Two questions because I’ve never done anything with zucchini before. I know you say finely shred above – is that circular pieces or sticks (hope my question makes sense!)? Also, do you think I can just skip the sugar entirely? Thanks! 🙂

      Kelly Sep 16, 2013

      By finely shred, I mean run it through a cheese grater or pulse it in a food processor. You want it to be very fine so you don’t have big chunks of zucchini in your muffins.

      I would advise against getting rid of the 1/2 c of sugar as the muffins are already on the less sweet size. If you’re worried about refined sugar, I’d suggest either reducing it, swapping it out for a natural dry sweetener, or swapping it out for a natural liquid sweetener (more agave, maple syrup, etc) and reducing the milk accordingly. If you choose to add extra agave instead, I find that it’s VERY sweet and you could probably get away with an extra 1/4c instead of 1/2.

      Kelly Sep 11, 2013

      Hi Tracy. Agave is vegan and listed first in the ingredients. I included honey as an option as they are interchangeable in this recipe and not everyone is vegan (and not all vegans avoid honey). I try to include as many options as possible to be inclusive of multiple diets and beliefs.

        Rachel Sep 14, 2013

        I made this recipe using muffin paper cups and they came out delicious!!! This time I used just muffin tins and oiled them as instructed. They seem to still stick in the tin. Should I let them cool completely?

          Kelly Sep 14, 2013

          I didn’t have any troubles when I made them, so I’m not sure what the problem was. They can be pretty fragile when hot, so letting them cool is a good first step. Did they stick all over or just in spots? I like to use a paper towel to spread the oil evenly. I also have relatively new pans, which may be a little less prone to sticking

    Alexis @ Hummusapien Aug 23, 2013

    Love how tall these are! I’m obsessed with anything zucchini these days. Can’t wait to try!

    cookingactress Aug 14, 2013

    Oooh these look incredible! You’re amazing!

    robyn Aug 14, 2013

    quick question — is this recipe for a dozen muffins? it looks delicious!

      Kelly Aug 14, 2013

      Yes! I didn’t realize I forgot to enter that :-S Thanks for pointing it out 🙂

      Kelly Aug 14, 2013

      I’m definitely going to try to remake it. It was amazing and I haven’t been able to find anything like it online.

    makingthymeforhealth Aug 13, 2013

    Oh, these look so moist and lovely! And there’s no guilt since you’re getting a serving of veggies!

    Joanne Aug 13, 2013

    I had an epic weekend of eating also and could use a veggie IV infusion!! Instead I’ll just have to settle for some good healthy meals..and maybe even these muffins! Yum!

    The Sketched Chef Aug 12, 2013

    Zucchini in a muffin ? that sound so creative !
    It looks relly delicious

      Kelly Aug 12, 2013

      I tried last year and despite all the love I put in, I didnt get any zucchini out of it 🙁 I’m lucky that my parents and a few people at work gift me a solid dozen zucchini every week 🙂

    Em @ Love A Latte Aug 12, 2013

    Glad you had an awesome weekend filled with delicious food & fun! Love the pics! And I’m sure these muffins are fantastic. I’ll add them to my list of things I want to make 🙂