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No amount of summer heat can dampen my baking enthusiasm, which is exactly why I need healthy recipes like these Zucchini Carrot Muffins! Made with wholesome oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and no sugar (the muffins are naturally sweetened with honey instead), these fluffy muffins scratch my baking, breakfast, and snacking itch, all three of which are in full force at this moment…and let’s be honest—every moment.

Zucchini carrot muffins on a kitchen towel

Last week, as I was sneaking my fifth bite of Zucchini Brownies before 10 am (which would have felt slightly more excusable had I not enjoyed a duo of leftover Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler and Cherry Blackberry Crisp the night before), it occurred to me that shifting my baking energy into a healthy breakfast muffin might be a wise choice for the time being.

These scrumptious zucchini carrot oatmeal muffins turned out to be one of my very favorite zucchini recipes to date. Considering the plethora of healthy zucchini recipes on this site (like Blueberry Zucchini Bread), that’s a mighty statement, and one I stand behind.

Lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, loaded with a whopping 1 ½ cups of veg (I used a 50/50 blend of carrots and zucchini, though you can adjust the ratio as you like), and just the right amount of sweet, these muffins score full marks in every core muffin category.

Zucchini carrot muffins in a muffin pan

These carrot and zucchini muffins are:

  • Easy to Make. Muffins should be quick and easy. This recipe comes together quickly. You don’t even need a mixer!
  • Actually Healthy. Let’s be real: most bakery muffins are cupcakes without frosting. Personally, when I’m reaching for a muffin, it’s because I want something more nutritious. These zucchini muffins with carrots are still absolutely yummy, but they won’t send you into a sugar coma before 9 a.m.
  • Fluffy, Yet Substantial. While not dense or heavy in the slightest, these muffins have a texture that satisfies. They’re moist, but the oats give them structure and make them more filling.
  • Adaptable. This recipe is adapted from my Apple Carrot Muffins. Carrot, apple, and zucchini work well in just about any combo in muffin recipes. You can make these zucchini muffins with zucchini only, or try all three for zucchini carrot apple muffins.

For more zucchini muffin options, you can check out my original Healthy Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips (these are made with banana too), classic Zucchini Muffins, and these Chocolate Zucchini Muffins.

Easy zucchini muffins with carrots

How to Make Zucchini Carrot Muffins

With its natural water content, zucchini is an ideal ingredient for healthy baking. It keeps these muffins moist, without the need for much additional fat.

Carrot works in a similar way, with the bonus of natural sweetness. You’ll love the two together. (Plus, more veg = more reason to eat bonus servings!)

The Ingredients

  • Zucchini. I love using this healthy ingredient in any way I can. It makes these muffins perfectly moist, and it’s packed with Vitamin-A and antioxidants (read more about zucchini health benefits here).
  • Carrots. A sneaky, sweet veggie addition that not only makes these muffins more delicious, but it makes them more nutritious too. Carrots are rich in Vitamin-A and potassium (see other health benefits here).
  • Flour. I used white whole wheat flour, which helps keep the muffins healthy without sacrificing the light, fluffy texture. White whole wheat flour is 100% whole grain but has a more mild flavor and lighter texture than regular whole wheat flour.
  • Oats. Oats help give the muffins substance and makes them more satisfying.
  • Greek Yogurt. For an extra punch of protein and moisture.
  • Cinnamon + Nutmeg. A tasty and addictive touch of warmth.
  • Honey or Maple Syrup. To keep these muffins wholesome, I chose to naturally sweeten them with honey. Maple syrup will also work well here.
  • Vanilla. An extra flavor boost that pairs beautifully with the honey and warm spices.
  • Mix-ins. Toasted nuts or dried fruits are both scrumptious additions.

The Directions

  1. Toast and chop the nuts (if using).
    Grated zucchini and carrots on paper towels
  2. Dry the zucchini.
    Dry ingredients in a mixing bowl
  3. Whisk the dry ingredients together.
    A mixing bowl with ingredients for zucchini carrot muffins
  4. Fold in the carrots and zucchini.
    Wet ingredients being whisked in a mixing bowl
  5. Whisk the wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
  6. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Be careful not to overmix!
    Zucchini carrot muffin batter in a bowl
  7. Add the nuts or other mix-ins.
    Healthy zucchini carrot muffins in a muffin pan
  8. Scoop the batter into the wells of a muffin pan (this recipe yields 10 substantial muffins) and bake for 18 to 22 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let cool for a few minutes, then DIG IN!

Dietary Swaps

I have not yet tested either of the below, but think they could be worth trying if you need to adapt this recipe for a particular diet.

Easy zucchini carrot muffins in muffin liners

Zucchini Carrot Muffin Storage Tips

  • To Store. Muffins can be stored in a paper towel-lined airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • To Freeze. Individually wrap each muffin, and store them in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy muffins as desired.
  • For more storage tips, check out my post on How to Store Muffins.

More Healthy Muffin Recipes

Zucchini carrot muffins in wrappers

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

Zucchini overload is the way of life these next few weeks. These freezer-friendly muffins are an ideal way to alleviate the supply and keep a healthy breakfast and snack on hand at all times.

Zucchini Carrot Muffins

4.74 from 73 votes
Easy, healthy Zucchini Carrot Muffins made with oatmeal, honey and yogurt. Supremely moist, lightly spiced and delicious for healthy breakfasts and snacks!

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 22 minutes
Total: 37 minutes

Servings: 10 muffins

Ingredients
  


Instructions
 

  • Heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line 10 cups of a standard muffin pan with paper liners or lightly coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.
  • If using nuts for the mix-ins, toast them in the oven now: Spread the nuts into an even layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8 to 12 minutes (for pecan or walnut halves), until they are lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer the nuts immediately to a cutting board; roughly chop and set aside.
  • Place the zucchini on a stack of paper towels. Pat dry and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  • Add the grated carrot and zucchini. Fold gently to combine.
  • In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Greek yogurt, honey, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
  • Fold in the nuts or any other mix-ins.
  • Divide the batter evenly among the 10 muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the pan for 4 minutes. Gently transfer the muffins to the rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Notes

  • TO STORE: Muffins can be stored in a paper towel-lined airtight storage container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • TO FREEZE: Individually wrap each muffin, and store them in an airtight freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy muffins as desired.
  • For more storage tips, check out my post on How to Store Muffins.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(of 10)Calories: 234kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 33mgPotassium: 222mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 1670IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 1mg

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

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74 Comments

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  1. No guilt eating these muffins!
    I found that they could be a little sweeter.
    I used maple syrup, maybe 1/2 instead of 1/3 cup?
    Never the less, great muffins.
    Thanks Erin5 stars

    1. Hi Jerri! Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend coconut flour here, as it reacts very differently in baking than regular flour. If you’d like to make a coconut flour recipe, I recommend trying one of these instead. I hope this helps!

    1. Hi Jaimie! I wouldn’t recommend this swap, as almond flour and regular flour react very differently in baking. If you want to make an almond flour recipe, I suggest trying one of these instead.

  2. I love a muffin I can feel good about eating for breakfast (and not dessert!). This muffin fits the bill. Even though I used regular whole wheat flour, I thought it had a great texture, and golden raisins provided just a hint of extra sweetness. Will definitely be making again.5 stars

  3. I just made these muffins this afternoon and found them to be very tasty. I did not have whole wheat flour so substituted white flour. Also, I pan-roasted the walnuts instead of doing it in the oven. I shared some with our neighbors, and also shared your recipe with them. I’ll be making these again. Thanks!5 stars

  4. Delicious! I’ve made these multiple times already. I, too, found they needed a tiny bit more sweetness so I upped the honey to 1/2 cup. I also doubled the salt. They were perfect after that, and I made a doublebatch to share with family! They’re like a healthier version of carrot cake, which I love. I’ve been eating them for breakfast all week.5 stars

  5. These are delicious. I had a gazillion cups of shredded zucchini (well only 25 cups, but who’s counting – ha!) and I knew that I could come to Well Plated and find something perfect. I used dried cherries as my add-in instead of nuts and the flavors were fun. I made mini “muffins” in my Pampered Chef brownie bite pan. Perfect! They’re a great little snack that feels healthy because it’s sweetened naturally and just has so much goodness it in with the carrots, too! So, thanks for posting the goodness, Erin. Once again, your recipe was a success. :)5 stars

  6. Fun, healthy, family-friendly muffins. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I prefer these muffins as snacks to share with my older baby (I avoid honey and large pieces of nuts). I used coconut oil instead of veg oil and added mashed bananas to add a bit more sweetness.5 stars

  7. Great combination of healthy and delicious. Made 2x. First time as is…2nd time omitted cinnamon and nutmeg BUT added 1C chocolate chips and 1t orange zest. Loved both.5 stars

  8. I really liked these muffins. However, next time I would use 1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup instead of 1/3. I think they needed a touch more sweetness. Thank you for the recipe!4 stars

  9. So good! I used 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice because I love it more than plain cinnamon, 1/2 c honey because others recommended more sweetness than the recipe called for and raisins, because why not? I wasn’t too careful about measuring the zucchini/carrots (total 2+ cups instead of 1 1/2 cups in the recipe). They turned out so good! It actually made 15 muffins because I over measured the vegis. I’ll be making this again.5 stars

    1. Hi Beth! You could try making the zucchini carrot muffins with applesauce in place of the yogurt, or you can use a dairy-free yogurt. I hope this helps!

  10. I agree with another reviewer just a tad more sweetness and they would be perfect. Next time I will increase the maple syrup to 1/2 cup still a keeper. Overall I love your recipes . Thank you for all the healthier recipe options.4 stars

  11. well, my kid ate them, so they are saved to the recipes! however, i personally would have liked a little more sweetness for myself. i did use the maple syrup over the honey. maybe there was my problem. but great chunky texture.4 stars

  12. Love these! Used gluten free flour, added raisins and decreased maple syrup to 1/4 cup. Thanks for this healthy alternative to the usual muffin recipes that are basically like eating a cupcake for breakfast !5 stars

  13. Great way to use up leftover carrots and zucchini you have in your fridge! I made this recipe today, and it came out great. I skip the nuts and dried fruit (not my favorite) and I used a little white flour with the whole wheat (about 1/2 cup) to make them more fluffy. I love that this is something you can make with pantry staples on the fly. You can throw it together in 10 minutes. Thanks!5 stars

  14. These muffins are a staple in our home – basically a meal in one! My picky children devour them. Only tip I have is to bake longer – at least 30 minutes.5 stars

  15. Loved this recipe tweaked like some recommended, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt and replaced the oil with apple sauce 1:1. I also added some crumbed feta. Devine thank you!5 stars

    1. Thanks for the feedback Sahar! So glad you the tweaks to the recipe worked out for you! Thank you for this kind review!

  16. These muffins were so delicious!! I’ll definitely make them again – I had only one egg and my friend suggested I use apple cider vinegar as a substitute (1:1) and it worked! They were moist and really tasty.5 stars

    1. Hi Kelly! So glad you enjoyed them and the substitution worked out! Thank you for this kind review!

  17. Absolutely love these. Made them for the first time Saturday an made more today. The second time I did applesauce 1:1 with oil, added 2 Tbs flax meal, 2 tbs chia seeds, coconut, and chocolate chips. So good! Added chia and flax to help boost my milk supply. Might add brewers yeast next time!5 stars

  18. The ingredients in this recipe came together well and the muffin looked great! However, it doesn’t taste like …anything. I did not add any dried fruit. I think I’ll just slap some cream cheese frosting on-top for some flavour!3 stars

    1. I’m sorry that this wasn’t to your tastes, Sarah. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed the recipe, so I truly wish you would’ve too!

  19. I made these for the family and for my toddler and they were delicious! Lots of ingredients but super easy to make – highly recommend!5 stars

  20. I don’t normally rate a recipe when I make a bunch of changes, but they worked so I thought I’d share. I used whole wheat flour (not white), only 1/4 cup of honey, no mix-ins but did add 1/4 cup of cocoa powder, used all zucchini (one large was the perfect amount), used 1 egg plus 2 egg whites, replaced half of the oil with applesauce, and they turned out great!

    Please note that all these changes are due to health restrictions – I’m sure it’s even better as written. Recipe calculator says this reduced the calories to 185 and only 3.9 grams of fat per muffin (sadly fat is the main thing I have to worry about).5 stars

  21. Made these with my kids and we all enjoyed them very much! We made them for brunch with turkey bacon and scrambled eggs. We used gluten free flour in place of wheat and coconut oil instead of olive. But everything else was followed exactly. Will definitely be making again!5 stars

  22. Delicious, easy and I love that it’s no added sugar! Perfect for grabbing and going to work and so healthy for kiddos!5 stars

  23. These were so delicious! I made two batches…one with blueberries and another with chocolate chips. I tried these right after making you blueberry zucchinni bread which was also amazing. Still, I had half of a watermelon size zucchini to deal with so, I went and made 2 batches of your zucchini brownies! I still have zucchinni left over😂😂😂. Thank you for the delicious recipes….oh and just in case anyone is wondering…I didn’t have yogurt but, I had some sour cream and it worked well. I also used a combo of walnut/sunflower oil instead of canola.5 stars

    1. Hi Jeanie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and the feedback on using sour cream!

  24. I tried these muffins today and they came out a bit dry. I didn’t use any mixins and I patted the zucchini quite dry. I also had a hard time mixing the dry ingredients well. Do you have any suggestions for next time?

    1. Hi Eline! Sorry to hear that! Thanks for the feedback. I’d suggest checking them right at 8 minutes, sometimes the timing will vary depending on your oven.

  25. Made these muffins yesterday; they were delicious! I substituted whole wheat flour for the white whole wheat flour, and it turned out very well. I would definitely recommend them to someone who’s looking for a nutritious, healthy, and flavorful muffin recipe.5 stars

  26. made today and they were very delicious. most cooks modify recipes and I did as well. used half honey and half maple syrup. I will continue to do this and make this healthy but delicious recipe over and over.5 stars

  27. I love this recipe. I got 12 muffins from the recipe and they came out great! The only thing I did differently was I took the 1 cup of oats and made it into oat flour (used my mini Cuisinart food processor). Also I baked them at 400 degrees for the first 10 minutes then turned oven down to 350 for another 10 minutes. I always bake muffins at a higher temperature first. The higher temperature gives them a nice dome shape on top. They came out perfect! Delicious and not too sweet! Thank for this recipe. I will definately make it again and again. I will be trying your Healthy Banana Bread recipe next.5 stars

  28. loved these! Especially that doesn’t require any equipment to make. Were a tad bland, so added more cinnamon & nutmeg, more honey, & 2 tsp brown sugar. Perfect!5 stars

  29. Love those muffins! Done them several times and shared them with my friends. They all loves them. They asked me for the recipe which I shared with them.
    I made a
    Two smal mods. I used almond flour and flour half and half and I added 1 cup of dark chocolate chips.5 stars

  30. I’ve made this recipe many times as mini muffins for my kids and it’s fantastic. Just wondering if you need to squeeze the water out of the zucchini and carrots? I always do because I worry they’ll be soggy, but I admit that I hate that step, so wondering if it’s necessary at all. Thanks so much!5 stars