It's that time of year again when the pumpkin recipes are in full swing. Pull out the pumpkin pie spice and get ready for some deliciousness with this pumpkin zucchini muffins recipe. Loaded with the goodness of pumpkin purée and lots of shredded zucchini, these little muffin bites are perfectly flavorful muffins. Freezer friendly to boot, which makes them just perfect for meal-prepping lunchbox snacks for the busy week ahead or for busy mornings. Your new fall favorites.
Before jumping to the recipe please note that the below information contains HOT TIPS for this recipe. We try and answer all your questions to guarantee a perfect lunchbox recipe every time.
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Love having little bites in your lunchbox that can be prepped ahead of time? Try these Baked Quinoa Breakfast Pizza Bites next for more scrumptious breakfast recipes loaded with all good things.
🧁 Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins Recipe
Using zucchini in these muffins not only means that they are loaded with the extra nutrition from hidden veggies, but they are extra moist as well!
No more dry and crumbly muffins!
These muffins are also:
- A great way to use up extra zucchini from a bumper crop.
- A great way to use up extra pumpkin puree leftover from another baking project.
- Freezer-friendly. Freeze on a baking sheet and transfer to a ziplock bag or freezer bag. This way it is easy to remove one muffin at a time without them sticking together. If you remove them from the freezer in the morning they should be thawed by the afternoon.
- Made from simple ingredients.
- Easy to double in volume.
I always make a double batch of zucchini bread muffins, have half for the week ahead, and the other half stashed in the freezer as a backup snack when I haven’t had time to prep in advance.
They also make great lunchbox options for commuting to work or school as they are mess free if eating on the bus or train or grabbing a quick bite between classes.
🧂 Ingredients You Need
Luckily this easy recipe requires only a handful of simple ingredients easily found at the grocery store that you are likely to already have on hand:
- flour: I use plain all-purpose flour for this recipe, if you prefer to use whole wheat flour that will work well also. Use a measuring cup to measure out the flour, with a knife edge sweeping across the top to level it off.
- baking soda
- baking powder
- pumpkin pie spice: this can easily be found in the spice section throughout the US, however, if you live outside of the US you can easily make your own by using a recipe like this one.
- ground cinnamon
- granulated sugar: I used plain white granulated sugar for this recipe, however, if you are avoiding refined sugar then you can always use a sugar alternative like granulated stevia if preferred.
- brown sugar: you can always substitute coconut sugar or another dark sugar alternative if preferred.
- pumpkin puree: this can usually be found in the canned goods section in the grocery store, especially in the Fall and winter months. If you have trouble finding it you can always make your own by roasting and then blending a sweet pumpkin like a sugar pie pumpkin or even butternut squash.
- eggs: average-sized eggs at room temperature will work fine for this recipe.
- butter: use unsalted butter here so that you have more control over the salt content of your muffins. This will need to be softened to room temperature, or if you forget to let it soften, simply melt it in the microwave before using.
- vanilla extract: look for vanilla extract and not vanilla essence which is a very different product.
- fresh zucchini: you can use any type of zucchini for this recipe. You can use either a fine or a thick grater to grate the zucchini depending on whether the texture of larger pieces of zucchini will bother whoever you are serving these muffins to. Personally, I prefer a finer grate, that way no one can even tell there is some zucchini in the muffins, which just makes life easier. The most important thing is to make sure the excess liquid from the zucchini is squeezed out using a cheesecloth, paper towel, or a fine mesh sieve before adding it to the muffin batter.
Zucchini pumpkin muffins are great for changing things up as they are super versatile. If you like to add some mix-ins to your muffins then why not add some chocolate chips, raisins, or blueberries for something a little bit different?
📋 How To Make Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins
There are no complicated steps when it comes to whipping up these delicious little treats.
Step one is to always be sure to preheat the oven. You want it to be nice and hot and ready for the muffins when they are ready to go in.
Then we are simply going to add all of the dry ingredients to a large bowl and the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Add the wet to the dry and gently mix everything together until it is well combined and there are no lumps of flour in your muffin batter.
Fold in the shredded and squeezed zucchini and gently mix again.
You can do this step using a food processor if preferred, simply use a rubber spatula to remove the batter from the bowl of the food processor once ready.
Use a spoon, ice cream scoop, or cookie scoop to divide the pumpkin batter into the cups of the muffin pan so they are about ¾ of the way full. Do not overfill, as the muffins will rise as they bake, and we do not want the muffin tops overflowing and sticking to the top of the muffin pan.
Pop the filled muffin tray into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the muffins are a pale golden brown color.
Then you are good to go.
Bake time can vary between ovens, so always test for doneness before allowing the muffins to cool.
To do this, use a skewer to poke into the center of a muffin, if it removes cleanly, the muffin is ready, if there is still some wet batter on there, you may want to pop them back into the oven for another couple of minutes.
Remove the pumpkin muffins from the oven and allow them to sit in the muffin pan for about 5 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
The muffins should be allowed to cool completely before being stored, or you risk them sweating inside the storage container, which will cause them to become soggy.
♨️ How To Make In The Air Fryer
To make zucchini bread muffins in the air fryer simply follow the instructions as stated in the recipe card but bake instead in an air fryer preheated to 320F (160C) for about 15 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.
I would recommend using silicone muffin liners (affiliate link) and placing them directly on the rack inside the air fryer unless you have one large enough for a muffin pan.
💭 Important Teaching Tips
If you do not have muffin liners or nonstick cooking spray you could also use regular parchment paper. Simply cut the parchment into squares and then press them into the muffin tin and fill with the pancake batter muffin mixture.
Be sure not to overfill the muffin cup or you risk it overflowing and the tops of the muffins sticking to the top of the muffin tray.
You can make mini muffins instead of regular muffins by simply filling the cups in a mini muffin pan about ¾ of the way full and reducing the cooking time to about 9 minutes. Please note this will obviously make a lot more muffins, anywhere from 30-40.
Storing
Allow the muffins to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container.
Leftover muffins will keep stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days. They can also be kept in the fridge but they will be less moist.
Pumpkin zucchini muffins can also be frozen for about 3 months if stored correctly. Freeze them in a single layer and transfer to a freezer-friendly container until needed.
Simply pull frozen muffins from the freezer in the morning and they should be thawed in lunchboxes by the time lunch rolls around.
Substitutions
Add chocolate chips to the muffin batter before baking to make sweeter muffins.
Add a couple of pumpkin seeds to the top of the muffin batter before putting it into the oven for a little bit of crunch.
Important Tips Re Zucchini
It is important that excess moisture is removed from the grated zucchini before adding it to the muffin batter. If you do not remove the excess liquid then there will be too much moisture in the batter and it may not bake properly.
You can use a fine or thick grater for the zucchini, however, a fine grate will mean the zucchini is more hidden in the muffin, which can be better if you are serving these muffins to small children who may be averse to veggies in their baked goods.
🥢 Useful Products
I do recommend using muffin liners to prevent the pumpkin zucchini muffins from sticking to the muffin pan.
They also make for easy packing into the lunchbox!
You could always use a non-stick cooking spray instead if you have a good one.
I would still use one of these options even if you have a nonstick muffin tin.
I use these silicone muffin tray liners for everything from baking muffins to separating snacks inside a bento box lunchbox.
They are super handy to have on hand.
🍭 The Best Muffin Tray Liners
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🍽 Serving Suggestions
Pumpkin muffins are wonderful served all by themselves fresh from the oven. The perfect breakfast muffin with a cup of coffee.
However, they also work really well with a dollop of simple cream cheese icing on top, or even a sprinkle of icing sugar for a hint of extra sweetness.
They are just perfect in lunchboxes throughout the week.
They pair well in the lunchbox with a side of fresh fruit, a handful of nuts, and this Creamy Dragon Fruit Waldorf Salad Recipe With Grapes with a side of lettuce leaves for stuffing.
Yum.
👪 Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is the perfect vegetable to hide in muffins, as when it is grated finely and the excess liquid is squeezed out it basically disintegrates into the baked muffin, making it barely noticeable.
Adding zucchini to a muffin also makes it super moist without the need for adding extra added oils.
Yes leaving the skin on is completely fine. The zucchini will basically melt into the muffins as they bake, so there really is no need to get of this extra nutrition.
Simply cut off the ends of the zucchini and rub it against the shredder side of a box grater to make a pile of zucchini that's perfectly sized for baking zucchini muffins. It does not matter if you use a thicker grate or a finer grate. You can also use the shredder blade in your food processor to quickly shred zucchini.
I hope you enjoyed these delicious muffins! Please leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card or a comment underneath the recipe card.
Sweet Pumpkin Zucchini Muffin Recipe
Materials
- 2 ½ cups plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups zucchini shredded and excess liquid removed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C) and line the muffin pan with muffin liners.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all of the dry ingredients until well combined.2 ½ cups plain flour (all purpose flour), 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar
- In a separate bowl mix the pumpkin puree, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract until well combined.1 cup pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, ¼ cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Add the grated and pressed zucchini and gently stir through, being careful not to overmix.1 ½ cups zucchini
- Use a spoon or a cookie scoop to fill each muffin cup with batter about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the muffin tray for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack and allowing them to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Amy Liu Dong
I have never tried to make zucchini pumpkin in my entire life, but this one was delicious and easy to make!
The kids will love it!