Carrot zucchini muffins are made with shredded carrot, shredded zucchini, and cozy spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. They're tender, moist, and perfectly sweetened. Pair them with your morning coffee for breakfast!
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Tender muffins filled with shredded zucchini, carrot, and cozy fall spices. Like your favorite carrot cake in muffin form!
No mixer needed: Make a batch with two bowls and a spoon! Great for beginner bakers.
Yield: 12 muffins
Make a bread loaf instead: Carrot Zucchini Bread
Great for: Breakfast with your morning coffee or tea, after school snacking.
Similar to: Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins and Applesauce Zucchini Muffins
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need one cup of finely grated zucchini for this recipe. One cup of shredded zucchini should weigh about 135 grams (without squeezing any liquid out). This equals about 1 medium or 1.5 small zucchini. We're not squeezing the liquid out of our shredded zucchini because it's adding moisture to our muffins.
- Carrot - You'll need one cup of grated carrot for this recipe. This equals about 1.5 medium carrots and weighs about 120 grams.
- Sugars - We're using a combination of granulated and brown sugars in this recipe.
- Vegetable oil - Adds moisture to your muffins. Can be substituted with ghee or any neutral cooking oil you have on hand.
- Egg - You'll only need one egg for this recipe today, since the carrot and zucchini help add structure to the muffins.
- Vanilla extract - Adds depth of flavor.
- All-purpose flour - Adds structure to your muffins and balances out the wet ingredients in the recipe. I have not tested this recipe with other types of flour. Baking is an exact science, so I can't say for sure whether other types of flour will work as a substitute.
- Leavening - You'll need a combination of baking soda and baking powder to get the proper rise in this recipe.
- Salt - Enhances the flavor of your muffins.
- Spices - Cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger add a hint of warmth and depth of flavor. I don't suggest omitting the spices in this recipe, they add a lot of flavor to your muffins.
How to make carrot zucchini muffins
- Add wet ingredients to a large bowl and stir to combine.
- Whisk together dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Divide batter between 12 muffin liners.
- Bake until muffins pop back when gently pressed in the center.
Heather's Top Tip
Use an instant-read thermometer to test the doneness of your zucchini bread. Quick bread is done when it reaches 200 to 205F in the center. This ensures your bread is perfectly baked, not doughy or dry.
Tips and tricks
Grating zucchini for muffins - I recommend shredding zucchini using the small or "fine" side of a box grater. The smaller pieces melt right into the zucchini muffins as they bake. A larger grate will work but adds a noticeable texture to your finished muffins. Here's the grater I use for my zucchini: OXO Good Grips Box Grater
Gently mix batter - If the batter is overmixed, the gluten is overworked and your muffins can turn out tough. Instead, use a gentle stirring motion with a spoon (no need for a stand mixer or hand mixer) and only stir until ingredients are just incorporated.
Pan size - This recipe makes standard size muffins. I recommend a Wilton Non-Stick 12-Cup Muffin and Cupcake Pan. If you'd like to make mini muffins or large muffins, keep in mind that the baking times and quantity of muffins made will differ from what's written in the recipe.
Food processor - If you have a food processor with a grating disc, this is a great time-saving way to grate zucchini.
You may be wondering, what are the carrots and zucchini replacing when you bake w
Storage
For detailed information how to store zucchini bread and muffins, check out my full post: How to store zucchini bread
Zucchini muffins will keep for about 3 to 4 days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
Muffins can be frozen for up to six months. To freeze, wait until muffins have cooled completely to room temperature. Store in a freezer safe container or plastic bag (with excess air removed). Optionally, wrap each muffin in plastic wrap/foil before storing in a freezer-safe container for extra protection. To thaw, place on the counter top for 1 hour.
Frequently asked questions
No, there's no need to peel your zucchini before shredding it for muffins. The skin of the zucchini contains fiber and other nutrients you'd otherwise be missing out on by peeling it off.
Once your muffins have baked, the only sign of zucchini is tiny flecks of green throughout. Otherwise, the zucchini (skin included) melts right into the muffins.
No, do not squeeze the liquid from your zucchini. For this particular recipe we're utilizing the liquid in the zucchini to thin the batter slightly and add moisture to the muffins.
No, zucchini has a mild flavor that makes it ideal for baking. Cucumber has a fresh "melon" flavor that's much more pronounced and not ideal for hiding in baked goods. For more information: Zucchini vs Cucumber - What's the Difference?
As written, this recipe makes standard size muffins. This recipe will work to make mini muffins or large muffins, but I have not tested baking times for these sizes. Keep in mind that the baking time and quantity will differ from what's written in the recipe card below. If you give another muffin size a try, let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Troubleshooting
If your baked zucchini muffins turned out soggy or sinking in the center, then they were either underbaked or had too much moisture. Make sure not to add extra wet ingredients to this recipe, like extra zucchini, a dollop of sour cream, applesauce, or extra vegetable oil. This recipe includes exact measurements of wet and dry ingredients to ensure your muffins turn out perfectly baked and moist, not wet or soggy.
Dry baked goods can happen for several reasons. Either your muffins were overbaked, too many dry ingredients (like flour) were added to the recipe, or the moisture-adding ingredients (eggs, sugar, oil, zucchini) were reduced.
Bland baked goods can happen for a few reasons. Omitting the salt, reducing the sugar, or adding too much flour can cause your muffins to turn out bland. Salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients - it's not there to make your muffins "salty". Measure flour accurately by weighing it using the gram measurements listed in the recipe card. If you don't have a scale, use the spoon and level method. Gently spoon flour into a measuring cup, then level off the top with a knife. Scooping flour with a measuring cup compacts flour into the cup, adding up to 25% extra flour to the recipe. Decreasing the listed sugar can also make your muffins turn out bland (and sometimes dry).
📖 Recipe
Carrot Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (135 g) finely grated zucchini, do not drain liquid out
- 1 cup (120 g) finely grated carrot, do not drain liquid out
- ½ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53 g) brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (210 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add finely grated zucchini and carrot (do not drain/squeeze any liquid out!), granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract. Stir until evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Divide batter between 12 muffin tins, filling to about ⅔ full. Bake for about 16 to 19 minutes, OR until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with crumbs (baking times will vary based on your oven and type of pan used).
- Transfer muffins to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before unwrapping (muffins/cupcakes will stick to the wrappers if they're still warm).
Recommended Equipment
Notes
- Storage: Leftover muffins will keep in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. If your muffins are very moist/wet, I recommend refrigerating.
- Freezing: Muffins can be frozen for up to 6 months. Tightly wrap in plastic wrap/foil and store in a freezer safe bag or container. Thaw on the counter top for 1 hour.
- Zucchini prep: There's no need to peel the skin off your zucchini, and no need to drain any liquid from your shredded zucchini or carrot. The recipe is written to include this liquid.
Delicious! I did adapt the recipe to adding some applesauce because I already drained my zucchini before I found this recipe. Plus I added raisins. Everyone loved it
Applesauce sounds like a great addition with drained zucchini. So glad to hear you enjoyed it!