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.
Lauren says
Your recipes are amazing!
I was wondering if I could substitute collagen powder for the whey protein powder
Carolyn says
I have tried this a number of times and no, it makes things gummy and hard to cook through. You need whey or egg white protein. Hemp or pea protein might also work.
Debra Beard says
Thank you so much for including an almond flour version! I usually prefer almond flour recipes and have no issues with dairy. It’s great that you support dairy-free people too!!
Also love that you usually give options to use a slow cooker for instant pot recipes. I have no room for an instant pot in our condo.
Penny Frick says
How do you think these will do in a mini muffin size?
Carolyn says
I think they would be fine, I just don’t know how long they would take to bake so watch them carefully.
Penny Frick says
Is melted butter ok to sub for the coconut oil?
Carolyn says
Sure!
Penny Frick says
Thanks. I can’t wait to make them.
Nicole Foster says
These were great especially with sugar free chocolate chips (made from your recipe)! I ate one right after taking them from the oven (just couldn’t wait to try them) and then once they cooled. I really liked the texture after they cooled. Thank you for a delicious recipe!
gerry speirs says
You can never have too much zucchini
Jennifer Farley says
Such a tasty sounding ingredient list! Looking forward to trying this out!
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
So perfect for all the zucchini I have in my fridge right now!
Liz says
This is a great reason to pick up some coconut flour. I miss zucchini bread and muffins and now I can even have seconds!!!!
Jennifer Blake says
Love these guilt free muffins. Gonna have to get some more zucchini from the farmer’s market or grocery store – had no friends trying to get rid of them this year 🙁
Aysegul says
I can never say no to such a healthy muffin recipe.. Especially when it is made with my favorite summer vegetable. Aaand thanks for all the helpful information.
Joni says
Another delicious recipe that turned out perfectly! I got about 15 muffins and used silicone liners in my muffin tins – the muffins came out beautifully. You are my rock-solid, go-to recipe guru, Carolyn! Thank you for all of the deliciousness you provide me and my family!!
LindyLou says
I have a question about the protein or whey powder. Can that be substituted for something else?
I’ve never used it before because I am not supposed to have whey. Would love to make them.
Thanks
Carolyn says
You can use egg white protein. Or if you skip it altogether, you may find that the muffins don’t rise as well.
Linda says
Two words: Potato ricer. I’d almost donated it to charity, since it doesn’t work with not very starchy purees like cauliflower. But then I tried smushing spinach in it to get rid of excess liquid. Easy peasy! No messy towel. No messy hands. Way easier to clean than a fine mesh sieve.
Carolyn says
Great idea!
Joni says
Brilliant, Linda! I’m putting that item on my Amazon wish list!
linda says
Thank you so much for the recipe!! I love these muffins..
Jeanne says
Are there substitutes for these two ingredients? I hate to go out and buy packages of things I might not use again. whey protein powder, granulated erythritol,. Would it be possible to post all the ingredients and substitutions. I know Sour cream can be substituted for Yougart from reading the comments.
A list like this would be soooo helpful especially to us newbies.
I just love Zucchini Muffins. I carry them with me when our group of friends meet at the bread or donut store. I order coffee and eat my own muffin!
I can’t wait to try them. The Carrot Scones are also on my list.
What a wonderful website. Thank you for all the great recipes.
Carolyn says
No subs. You will use the erythritol, believe me. If you like to bake, it is the best low carb sweetener. You can skip the protein powder but they may not rise as well.
Jkim says
I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now and have wanted to make these muffins for some time. I finally, finally baked them yesterday.
Wow–They, and you, are amazing!! No one would believe they’re LC, sugar- and gluten-free. I love your rhubarb scones, but these are even better.
As a kid, my younger daughter always requested a zucchini chocolate birthday cake. I think I’ll tweak this recipe to create zucchini-chocolate muffins.
Thank you, Carolyn!
Michelle says
Do you have to use yogurt?
Carolyn says
You have to use some sort of thick creamy liquid.
Deborah says
I’ve just run out of the banana choc chip muffins I made for my son’s packed lunch at kindergarten. My next batch of bananas are not yet ripe enough to make another batch… so I’m going to make these instead, subbing choc chips for the walnuts. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Sounds good to me!
Tina says
These muffins are fantastic! I’ve been grain and sugar free for about 6 months, and these are the lightest muffins I’ve had. They tasted like a “real” muffin with flour and dare I say–sugar! Definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing.