These pumpkin zucchini muffins are loaded with great flavor from pumpkin puree, freshly grated zucchini, and pumpkin spice. They are a delicious breakfast muffin that is quick and super easy to make, plus a fantastic start to any day. Get ready to enjoy some warm and satisfying fall flavors.
Autumn and pumpkin season is definitely here, and as I sit and enjoy watching the leaves fall here in rural Minnesota, I start planning my comfort food baking. That's my own personal 'pre-season' to the Christmas holiday baking.
All of my pumpkin-crazed family and friends are happy that their favorite pumpkin spice latte is back on the menu, and I am super thrilled to have the tasty smell of pumpkin-spiced treats baking in the house. I usually make a HUGE batch of my pumpkin pie spice blend, so I really do bake a lot of pumpkin recipes!
These delicious muffins are a great start to any day. The timing in late September-early October couldn't be better for using up the last of your garden-grown zucchini and baking up this perfect back-to-school breakfast muffin.
🥘 Ingredients
- Flour - 1½ cups of all-purpose flour.
- Sugar - 1 cup of white granulated sugar.
- Baking Soda - ½ teaspoon of baking soda.
- Baking Powder - ¼ teaspoon of baking powder.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Pumpkin Puree - 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin are both fantastic in these muffins! I love homemade puree but didn't grow any sugar pumpkins (also called sweet pumpkins or pie pumpkins) this year of my own.
- Butter - ½ cup of butter. Salted or unsalted butter can be used in this recipe. If using salted butter, reduce the salt in the recipe to just a pinch or omit it entirely if you don't usually use much salt in your baking.
- Eggs - You will need 2 large beaten eggs, and your muffins will bake faster if your eggs are at room temperature. To bring your eggs to room temperature quickly, simply place them in a cup or bowl of warm water.
- Vanilla Extract - 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract or vanilla paste. Both will add a rich vanilla flavor and highlight the pumpkin and spices to make these muffins even more incredible!
- Pumpkin Spice - 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. I'm partial to my homemade pumpkin pie spice. It has all of my favorite warm baking spices in just the right amount to really make all of your pumpkin baking truly fantastic.
- Zucchini - ½ cup of grated zucchini. I used one smaller to medium-sized zucchini.
Stir-in and topping ideas include dried fruits like apple chips, raisins, cranberries, or apricots. Nuts and seeds are also a fantastic mix in! Any of your favorite nuts like walnuts, pecans, or almonds. Try almond slivers or roasted pepitas as a healthy topping or turbinado sugar for a sweet tooth.
Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!
🔪 How To Make Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins
My moist and flavorful muffins are quick, easy, and made using a one-bowl method for a minimal mess! You will need a muffin tin, a mixing bowl, a cheese grater, and your measuring utensils.
This recipe will make one dozen standard-sized muffins or 36 mini muffins.
Prepare the Muffin Batter
Step 1: Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350ºF (175ºC/Gas Mark 4) and line a muffin tin with paper muffin liners, or coat the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 2: Mix dry ingredients. In a medium to large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients, including 1½ cups (187.5 grams) of all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 grams) of sugar, ½ teaspoon (2.5 grams) of baking soda, ¼ teaspoon (1.2 grams) of baking powder, ¼ teaspoon (1.2 grams) of salt, and 2 teaspoons (5 grams) of pumpkin pie spice. Whisk or mix the dry ingredients, then form a well in the center of the bowl.
Step 3: Add wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients, including 1 cup (245 grams) of pumpkin puree, 2 beaten eggs (100 grams), ½ cup (113.5 grams) of melted and cooled butter, and 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) of vanilla extract. Mix until the batter is smooth.
Step 4: Add zucchini. The last ingredient to add is ½ cup (62 grams) of grated zucchini. Stir the zucchini in just enough to evenly distribute the zucchini throughout the muffin batter.
Portion & Bake
Step 5: Portion. Portion out the batter into your prepared muffin tin. Fill each muffin liner almost completely full (see the image below for instructions for ⅔ full and full comparison).
Step 6: Bake. Bake at 350ºF (175ºC/Gas Mark 4) for 20 - 22 minutes. Your muffins are done when the tops are lightly golden, the muffin is firm but 'springs' back to the touch, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Step 7: Cool. Remove the muffins when done and allow to cool in the muffin pan on a wire cooling rack for about 10 minutes before serving. Remove any remaining muffins and transfer them to the wire cooling rack to cool completely.
🥗🥘🍲 Best Served With
Have these muffins as a simple on-the-go breakfast, or pair them with more tasty dishes. Add a savory, protein-packed element with a ham & cheese quiche, microwave bacon, or a sausage egg and cheese casserole.
Check out more of my favorite breakfast ideas here. Enjoy!
>>>See All Of My Tasty Recipes Here!<<<
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- These muffins are great when served warm and right out of the oven! If reheating before serving, heat in the microwave in 30-second increments until the muffins reach your desired warmth.
- Since these muffins are very moist, I suggest spraying the muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray. This will make removing the papers easier.
- To prepare your zucchini, wash it, dry it off, and grate it using your cheese grater - peeling is optional. Once grated, you can wick away the extra moisture by placing the grated zucchini between some paper towels. I have made these muffins with and without drying my zucchini. However, if your zucchini adds too much moisture, it can affect your muffin consistency and overall baking time.
🥄 Make Ahead Options
These muffins freeze very well. Wrap them in cling film or heavy-duty aluminum foil and place them into a zip-top freezer storage bag.
Set the frozen muffins on the counter the night before to thaw overnight and enjoy them in the morning.
🥡 Storing
Store your baked muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 - 4 days. They can also be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week.
If you want to reheat them, just pop the muffins into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
❓ Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! You will get about 3 times as many mini muffins than regular muffins. Prepare them exactly the same, but they will only need to be baked for 11-13 minutes.
Yep! If you don't have any fresh zucchini on hand, then frozen grated zucchini will definitely work. Allow it to thaw, and then drain off any excess moisture before using it.
Mini chocolate chips or chocolate chunks are a favorite of mine, but some other fantastic choices are nuts, seeds, or dried fruits.
😋 More Great Muffins To Try
- Banana Nut Muffins - Everything you love about banana nut bread but in a convenient muffin.
- Strawberry Yogurt Muffins - An easy, kid-friendly muffin that can use fresh or frozen strawberries.
- Raisin Bran Muffins - Grab a box of Raisin Bran cereal to whip up these tasty muffins.
- Apple Oatmeal Muffins - Sweet apples and chewy oatmeal make this a fantastic breakfast.
- Whole Wheat Blood Orange Muffins - A unique variety of muffins that is perfect for anyone who loves blood oranges.
- Sweet Potato Muffins - Enjoy some more fall flavors with this sweet potato variation.
See more muffin recipes for handy breakfast ideas here.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
- Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Pie Recipes
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe Card
Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see recipe)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs (beaten, room temperature)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup butter (melted and cooled)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup zucchini (grated)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) and prepare a muffin tin by lining it with paper muffin liners or lightly coating it with non-stick cooking spray.
- Add the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice) in a medium-size mixing bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients to add the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients (eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and vanilla extract) into the well of dry ingredients.
- Combine the dry and wet ingredients until the flour is fully incorporated and you have a smooth batter.
- Add the freshly grated zucchini to the combined muffin batter.
- Stir in the grated zucchini until evenly distributed throughout the muffin batter.
- Portion out the muffin batter into prepared muffin tin. Fill about 12 muffin liners until nearly full.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C/Gas Mark 4) for 20-22 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly golden on the top, firm to the touch, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven when done and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire cooling rack before removing to the cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
- These muffins are great when served warm and right out of the oven! If reheating before serving, heat in the microwave in 30-second increments until the muffins reach your desired warmth.
- Since these muffins are very moist, I suggest spraying the muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray. This will make removing the papers easier.
- To prepare your zucchini, wash it, dry it off, and grate it using your cheese grater. Once grated, you can wick away the extra moisture by placing the grated zucchini between some paper towels. I have made these muffins with and without drying my zucchini. However, if your zucchini adds too much moisture, it can affect your muffin consistency and overall baking time.
- Make them in advance and wrap the muffins in cling film or heavy-duty aluminum foil and place them into a zip-top freezer storage bag. Set the frozen muffins on the counter the night before to thaw overnight and enjoy them in the morning.
- Store your baked muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 - 4 days. They can also be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to one week. If you want to reheat them, just pop them into the microwave for about 30 seconds.
Brandi Comaroto says
Hello! Could I use this recipe to make a loaf instead of muffins?
Angela Latimer says
Yes, you can. Most quick bread recipes bake at 350F for 55-60 minutes so watch your loaf and cover with aluminum foil if the top starts to brown. Enjoy!
Anonymous says
Can you blend the zucchini to make it finer?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, most definitely, you can blend it. However, you want to make sure that it is still in small pieces and not liquefied. Thanks for asking!
Laura B says
So perfect for fall! I replaced the butter with coconut oil; reduced sugar with maple syrup; and used about 1 cup of zucchini. I made mini muffins for our block party. The homemade pumpkin spice mix is everything! So glad I snuck one before I brought them out as when I checked back, they were all gone and neighbors asked for more. Part of my fall fav rotation now. Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Sam says
I COPIED YOU AND YOU ARE BRILLANT! THEY WERE A BIG HIT. Thanks for commenting your tweaks and experience. I will be repeating it with your edits.
Meghan says
These are amazing! I was in search of some new uses for my extra zucchini and found this. They're so good, in fact, that I made them for company who then asked me to make another batch within 13 hours, and they said this time "just triple it". Done. THEN they asked me to make it into pancakes. I did that by adding one more egg, about a cup of milk and reducing the sugar to ¾ cup. We experimented by adding raisins to some, cacao nibs to others. All good. I use stoneground wheat when cooking due to a gluten intolerance, and the natural moisture of these muffins complimented it so, so well. Thank you!
Holly says
I wanted to make these for my baby’s first birthday but also I searched hi and low and could not find the amounts of any ingredient. Bummer.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
The recipe card is directly above the comments section, there is a jump to recipe button at the top of every post, and a tab in the table of contents that all will take you to what you need to make this recipe 🙂 Thanks!
Anonymous says
i couldnt find the amounts of the ingrediants anywhere so cant make them
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Did you look in the recipe card? It has everything you need and you can print it out to set on the counter while making these tasty muffins. Thanks!