Healthy keto zucchini muffins packed with shredded zucchini, cinnamon, and heart-healthy walnuts. They’re made with coconut flour, so they make perfect low carb breakfast recipe. Don’t be intimidated by baking with coconut flour, it’s easy!
This recipe for keto zucchini muffins is an updated version of an older post. They are lighter, fluffier, and even lower in carbs! They’re made with coconut flour but if you would prefer to make them with almond flour, I’ve preserved the older recipe at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: The story below is from a long time ago. I am now over-run with zucchini and I couldn’t be happier! I have so much zucchini and so many delicious keto zucchini recipes. Be sure to check out my Cheesy Zucchini Casserole for a delicious savory side dish. And if you’re looking for something sweet, try my low carb Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
Got Zucchini?
At this time of year, you see a lot of zucchini recipes. People with gardens are over-run with zucchini and eager to use them up. They start putting zucchini in everything from soup to cake in a desperate attempt to keep up the the over-productive plants, and many gardeners come to resent the lowly squash.
That’s what they say, anyway – I wouldn’t know. You want to know how much zucchini we got out of our garden this year? One. One single zucchini. We planted 6 plants and we got one single zucchini. I don’t know if it’s because our soil is too sandy, or they weren’t getting enough sunlight.
Or it may be that the volunteer pumpkin plant that sprung out of the compost we spread on the soil in early spring has now taken over the entire garden and sucked up all the nutrients in its quest for life. Whatever it is, we are decidedly not among the gardeners over-run with zucchini.
Zucchini is an ideal vegetable for diabetics
I have to confess, I am more than a little disappointed. I love zucchini and it is an ideal vegetable for diabetics, being low in carbs but packed with nutrients. I’ve been buying some every week at the farmer’s market from the moment in came in season.
My husband and I enjoy it in many dishes, in stir-fries and soups, and I love sauteing it in some coconut oil for an easy side dish. I can’t really get my kids to eat it unless I bake it into muffins and cakes, but it’s wonderful that way too. It lends moistness to all sorts of baked goods, and it certainly ups the health quotient of these treats.
So, even though I have not been able to harvest much zucchini from my garden, I thought I should offer up a good low carb, gluten free zucchini recipe. It’s that time of year and even though I am not over-run by zucchini, YOU might be, and might be desperate for yet another way to use it. And this easy keto zucchini muffin recipe is a great way to
How To Make Keto Zucchini Muffins
- Shred that zucchini. You can do it in a food processor or on a box grater. Either way works. 2 cups of shredded zucchini is about 1 medium zucchini.
- Salt it and drain it well. You want to let it sit in a sieve in the sink for at least an hour.
- Squeeze the heck out of it! Some people put it into a dish towel and squeeze it out this way. I don’t like to dirty a dish towel so I press on it over and over in the sieve. Then I ball it all up in my hands and keep squeezing as the green juice runs out into the sink.
- Whisk together all your dry ingredients first. Then add the zucchini and the wet ingredients, the eggs and oil, etc. You can add them all at once, it doesn’t need to be whisked separately and then poured in. Just be sure to mix well.
- Stir in chopped nuts after it’s all mixed. Or try sugar-free chocolate chips instead! My kids love them that way.
- Divide between muffins cups, bake, and enjoy! They are oh so good with a smear of butter.
Hungry for more? Click here for all the best keto zucchini recipes!
Keto Zucchini Muffins with Coconut Flour
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded zucchini about 1 medium zucchini (196g)
- ⅔ cup coconut flour (71g)
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener
- ¼ cup unflavored whey protein powder or egg white protein
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ cup butter, melted or melted coconut oil
- 3 to 4 tablespoon water
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans or chocolate chips!
Instructions
- Set the shredded zucchini in a sieve in the sink and sprinkle lightly with salt. Let drain one hour, then squeeze as much liquid from the zucchini as possible.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment or silicone liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, spices, and salt. Add the zucchini, eggs, butter, and 3 tablespoon water. Add additional water if the batter is overly thick (low carb batters tend to be quite thick as it is. This should be scoopable but not pourable).
- Stir in the nuts, if using. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and bake about 25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned and firm to the touch.
- Remove and let cool in the pan.
Almond Flour Recipe for Keto Zucchini Muffins
2 cups shredded zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups almond flour
⅓ cup vanilla whey protein powder
⅓ cup erythritol
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup greek yogurt
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon liquid stevia extract
¼ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup almond milk
½ cup chopped walnuts
Set shredded zucchini in fine mesh sieve and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Mix thoroughly and let drain for at least one hour. Place in tea towel and squeeze out excess water. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325F and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, whey protein powder, granulated erythritol, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt.
In a large bowl, beat greek yogurt until smooth. Beat in eggs, shredded zucchini, vanilla and stevia until just combined. Beat in almond flour mixture in two additions, alternating with almond milk, and then beat in coconut oil until thoroughly combined.
Stir in walnuts and divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake 28 to 32 minutes, or until lightly browned on top and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Serves 12. Each muffin has 6.3g of carbs and 2.5g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 3.8g.
Zhenya says
I used carob chips in them, and they were delicious! I should have reduced the sweetener in them when I did that, though. These are a great breakfast since they have nuts and zucchini texture in them.
Andrea says
I want to try this recipe. I just made yogurt and have a little less than a quart of whey left over. The recipe calls for whey protein powder. Can I substitute whey from the yogurt instead of the powder? And would the measurement be the same? I would have to adjust the liquid. How do I do that? I would love to take a class from you.
Thanks
Andrea Morse
Carolyn says
Unfortunately, no. The whey you have is liquid and doesn’t actually contain much protein. Whey protein powder is a dry ingredient and helps the muffins rise and hold their shape.
Linda says
I’ll be making these soon as I’m trying to use more coconut flour in recipes. I think I’m using way too much nuts and nut butter so I’m limiting almond flour usage.
Holly says
Just made these……oh my!!!!!!!! Question….how to store them? I used silicone muffin cups…..
Tracy says
Hi Carolyn! I have the meat of some zucchini I scooped out to make boats and my husband just came home with two quarts of farm fresh strawberries 😋. I would like to try these with a little chopped up strawberries but I’m concerned about the “wet” aspect. Do you think I could get away with a cup of chopped strawberries in this recipe?
Carolyn says
I find that coconut flour and strawberries end up way too wet. That’s always been my experience.
Shannon H says
These just came out of my oven and they are so good! I am so impressed. This is my first time using only coconut flour for a recipe and I love it. I am trying to slightly reduce my almost flour usage and this really fit the bill. The seasonings are really lovely. I followed the recipe exact (with pecans). Thanks for another slam-dunk – I will make this one often.
Cheryl says
I made these today and they’re delicious! They’re even good the day they’re made, unlike some keto baked goods! Another great recipe. Thanks so much for all the work you do creating keto recipes!
Marilyn says
So want to make these.
Could I sub with coconut yogurt as I’m dairy free ?
Carolyn says
Use egg white protein powder, and any melted oil you like. No need for the yogurt.
Lynn says
Oh my goodness!! As a diabetic, I’ve struggled to find something special I could enjoy! These nailed it! I’m forever grateful!! Perfect in taste, texture, and ease to make!
Carolyn says
I am so glad you enjoyed them!
Jennifer says
Carolyn: I made these last night to go with our frittata. They were delicious. It was the first time I have made anything with just coconut flour….won’t be the last time..Thank you, Carolyn, for this wonderful recipe and for all your hard work developing recipes so we can make deliciousness all the time.
Linda says
Can I substitute vanilla flavoured whey powder?
Carolyn says
Yes, just leave out any additional vanilla.
Lucy says
Could this be made as a loaf as well?
Would any changes need to happen?
Carolyn says
I haven’t tried. I think so but obviously the baking time will be a lot longer.
Susan Sharp says
Can I use an egg substitute for two of the eggs? My favorite substitute is 1 Tbs. flaxseed meal in 3 Tbs of warm water for each egg.
Carolyn says
I have no idea if that will work, to be honest.
Anne Rockwell says
I NEVER leave comments but I have to for this. I tested this recipe and another from another site today and this one far exceeds the other. Thank you!! I added extra oil so they’d be super moist and 1 t. vanilla just for fun.
Carolyn says
Delighted to hear it!
Nicole says
Amazing! A recipe that really tastes good and with coconut flour. I added a bit of Lily’s chocolate chips and a handful of walnuts.. will make again for sure
Theresa says
Wow, thank you for a coconut flour sweet treat! I typically bake with almond flour, but honestly am getting tired of the almond flavor. Coconut flour will be a nice alternative. What do you think about adding about 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and leaving out the spices? I’m a true chocoholic, and looking for a good zucchini chocolate muffin recipe. Thanks!
Suz says
I made the coconut version today. They were wonderful! Only changes I made were to sub 1 tsp of almond extract for some of the water and I didn’t have cloves so I added nutmeg instead. They were bready and tasted like the real thing. If anything mine were a touch on the dry side, I really wrung the squash out. So maybe next time I’ll really pack the squash in the measuring cup, because I wouldn’t mind having more in muffin and that should add moisture. Thanks so much for all your great recipes.
Lindsay says
I am loving your recipes! Is it possible to leave out the protein powder or sub with more coconut flour or oat fiber? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Neither of those are good subs. You can leave it out but they may not rise as well.
Kristal Stygler says
***** 5 stars I made the recipe using coconut flour and the muffins are moist and delicious with just the right amount of sweetness. We had them warm with a pat of butter along side a mushroom, ham, and Swiss crust-less quiche. I will definitely add this recipe to my file box. Thank you. PS… I grated the zucchini into a tea towel and squeezed out the excess moisture rather than putting it in a colander with salt. Thus I waited to add the water until I could see the thickness of the batter; I only needed to add 1 tablespoon of water.
Megan says
I absolutely love this recipe and have made it 3-4 times now (the coconut flour one), but I can’t seem to get the texture of the inside of the muffins right! Even when the outsides feel perfectly cooked, the insides will be too moist or gummy. What am I doing wrong? I’m a total newbie cook so I wasn’t sure what tricks I should be trying — more flour? More whey? Baking longer at lower temp? Appreciate any advice you have, I am determined to master these!
Carolyn says
My guess is your zucchini needs more draining. Instead of just pressing on it, try putting it into a tea towel and twisting it up tight. Then squeeze and squeeze until as much moisture as possible is gone. Could also be your flour, so try adding another tablespoon.