Fuel your morning with these easy keto zucchini muffins. Moist and tender, with a hint of warm spice, they’re a perfect quick breakfast or a grab-and-go snack. You won’t believe that anything made with coconut flour can be this light, fluffy, and delicious.
Don’t be intimidated by baking with coconut flour, it’s far easier than you think. And making a batch of these keto muffins will help you get the hang of it!
One reader says…
“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.” — Jennifer
I love the moisture and tenderness that zucchini adds to baked goods. And in the summer, I am well known to bake multiple batches of Keto Zucchini Bread or Keto Chocolate Zucchini Cake.
I grow my own zucchini and by mid-July, we are usually drowning in the stuff. I give as much of it away as I can, but we find ourselves eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So any delicious recipes I can make with it help the cause tremendously.
This easy zucchini muffin recipe has long been one of my favorites. And they always get devoured when I make them!
Why we love this recipe
- Super easy: The batter comes together quickly, no mixer required.
- Moist and fluffy: Many people think coconut flour is too dry, but zucchini keeps the muffins moist and tender.
- Comforting flavor: Remember the cinnamon-scented baked goods your mom used to make? These muffins smell and taste divine!
- Nut-free option: I like the crunch of walnuts in my muffins, but you can skip them and make these entirely nut-free.
- Low in carbs and gluten-free: Each muffin has only 5 grams total carbs.
- Great for meal prep: You can make a big batch and freeze them for whenever you need a quick breakfast or snack.
Ingredient Notes
- Zucchini: You can’t have zucchini muffins without zucchini!
- Coconut flour: I love using coconut flour for this recipe. It makes them low in carbs and high in fiber.
- Sweetener: A brown sugar replacement brings out that special zucchini bread flavor.
- Protein powder: Just a little whey or egg white protein helps give them a lighter, fluffier consistency.
- Melted butter: You could also use avocado oil or coconut oil.
- Chopped nuts: You don’t have to add chopped nuts but they give the muffins some delicious texture. Use walnuts, pecans, or even chocolate chips!
- Spices: Warm spices like cinnamon and cloves (or nutmeg) add a comforting flavor to these muffins.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, baking powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt.
Overview: How to Make This Recipe
- Shred and salt the zucchini: You can do this in a food processor or on a box grater. 2 cups of shredded zucchini is about 1 medium zucchini. Let the salted zucchini sit in a sieve in the sink for at least an hour to release the water.
- Squeeze the heck out of it! Some people put it into a dish towel and squeeze the water 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.
- Prepare the muffin batter: Whisk together all the dry ingredients first. Then add the zucchini and the wet ingredients and mix well. Add just enough water so that the batter is isn’t too thick, and is easily scooped into the muffin cups. It shouldn’t be pourable.
- Add any extras: Stir in chopped nuts after it’s all mixed. Or try sugar-free chocolate chips instead! My kids love them that way.
- Bake the muffins: Divide between muffins cups, bake, and enjoy! They are oh so good with a smear of butter.
Tips for Success
Coconut flour might just be one of the strangest ingredients you will ever use. It requires plenty of eggs to have structure, and it can absorb liquids with astonishingly alacrity. The trickiest part about it is that different brands can differ in absorbency, so you have to be ready to adjust.
That’s why this recipe doesn’t specify an exact amount of water to add. It will depend on your coconut flour and how well you squeeze the zucchini. Make sure you read the visual and tactile cues in the recipe.
Sweetener Options
In a recipe like this, I recommend an erythritol based sweetener. Allulose can cause the muffins to become overly brown during baking. If you want to cut down on erythritol, try using some high intensity sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit extract.
Frequently Asked Questions
Zucchini is an excellent choice for keto and low carb diets. According to the USDA database, 100 grams of zucchini has only 3.1 grams of carbs and 1 gram of fiber. This recipe uses a medium zucchini, which is about 196 grams, so it adds only 6 grams of carbs to the entire recipe or 0.5 grams to each muffin.
These keto muffins keep well on the counter in a covered container for up to 4 days. They can also be stored in the fridge for up to 7 days. They also freeze very well, as long as you let them cool properly first.
This keto zucchini muffin recipe has 5.2g of carbs and 2.8g of fiber per serving. If you count net carbs, that comes to 2.4g net carbs per muffin.
Keto Zucchini Muffins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups (196 g) shredded zucchini , about 1 medium zucchini (196g)
- 2/3 cup (71 g) coconut flour, (71g)
- 1/2 cup (91 g) brown sugar replacement
- 1/3 cup (36 g) unflavored whey protein powder, or egg white protein
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/8 tsp (0.13 tsp) cloves
- 5 large (5) eggs
- 1/3 cup (75.67 g) butter, melted, or melted coconut oil
- 3 to 4 tbsp (3 tbsp) water
- 1/2 cup (118.29 g) 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 350ºF 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.
- Stir in the zucchini, eggs, butter, and 3 tablespoons of the water. Add additional water if the batter is overly thick. It should be easily 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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I had fresh from the garden zucchini so I made these muffins today with chocolate chips. They were amazing, so flavorful. I really enjoyed them and they are so easy to make. Very soft and tasty
These are so good! I love that they have a lot of protein. I made them with organic monk fruit extract powder (no erythritol), 24 tiny scoops as 1 scoop equals 1 tsp of sugar. They do have a certain taste from the monk fruit sweeter; I may have added a little extra. I added walnuts and will enjoy these protein-y low carb, no sugar treats!
Hi, I made the Zucchini Muffins last night and I have to say they were awesome. Everyone loved them. I used homegrown, fresh zucchini from the garden and I have to say…. nothing better! Thank you for all the work that you do to make recipes so delicious for us to try. Your cookbook and web site are always my first go to place for recipes as I have never been disappointed. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you again.
Great to hear!
I will be making these!
I will also add some Allspice.
Thank you for sharing!
excellent!♡♡♡
Wow! Perfect for breakfast or evening snack.
These are so good. I was excited to see I had all the ingredients on hand. They are spot on with the classic taste of traditional zucchini bread/muffins. Another winner!
I made it exactly as printed. Truly fabulous tasting! I am glad to use coconut flour instead of almond. It adds a lovely taste dimension.
pre-keto I absolutely love chocolate zucchini cake! Could I add some cocoa powder into these to get the same effect? I know sometimes you need to dial back other dry ingredients if you do this so they don’t turn out so dry!
You need a completely different recipe: https://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/keto-chocolate-zucchini-muffins/
I don’t like coconut flour, can I replace with almond flour?
I will try these as they sound great, and I love the reviews you’ve received! I’m curious about why you use coconut flour instead of almond flour. I always have both on hand, so it’s not an issue — I’m just curious! Thx Carolyn!
These are so good. Like a traditional muffin. I have commented on these before and since have made them several times. I have made both versions. Last I made the coconut version. I now shred zucchini with food processor using the smaller option for grating. I wring the zucchini out with paper towels. Sorry but faster. The zucchini is wetter than the other method but I find it makes a less dry coconut version muffin. I also add 5 tsps of almond milk (the water) and I add 1 tsp of almond extract. I bake in silicon muffin liners in traditional pan. Add 1/2 Cup of pecans as I cannot have walnuts. I freeze them and then nuke for 40 seconds in the microwave to reheat. Really solves the breakfast muffin craving and only 2.4 Net carbs!
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.
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
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.
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.
Just made these……oh my!!!!!!!! Question….how to store them? I used silicone muffin cups…..