Zucchini Carrot Muffins (Healthy, Moist & Toddler-Approved!)
Moist, warmly spiced, and packed with vegetables, these zucchini carrot muffins taste just like carrot cake — made with applesauce and Greek yogurt for a healthier muffin the whole family loves. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, and toddler lunchboxes.
Ingredients
- ½ cup avocado oil or canola or grapeseed oil
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ¼ cup vanilla or plain Greek yogurt
- 2 large eggs brought to room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ cup shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrots preferably freshly shredded
- 2 cup (250g) all-purpose flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons turbinado cane sugar or sanding sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F with the rack in the center. Line 2 muffin pans with 12 liners, placing them in every other cup. Brush the top of the pan around each liner with oil or butter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, applesauce, yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.
- Squeeze shredded zucchini in a clean tea towel or paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Add the zucchini and carrots to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Fold until just combined — do not overmix.
- Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin cups (about ⅓ cup each). Sprinkle 1 teaspoon turbinado sugar over each muffin.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees and reduce heat to 350°F. Bake 15–20 minutes more until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in pan on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes, then transfer muffins to the rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Every other cup — Spacing the liners allows better air circulation, helping muffins rise taller and bake more evenly.
- Brush the pan — Brushing oil or butter around each liner prevents the muffin tops from sticking when they puff over the edges.
- Squeeze the zucchini — Remove excess moisture with a tea towel before adding. Too much moisture = gummy muffins.
- Room temperature eggs — Set eggs out 20–30 minutes before baking for a smoother batter.
- Every other cup — Spacing liners out helps muffins rise evenly and develop domed tops.
- Don't overmix — Fold in dry ingredients just until combined for a tender crumb.
- Gluten-free — Use a 1:1 GF flour blend and add 1 extra tablespoon of Greek yogurt. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking and cool entirely before enjoying.
- Dairy-free — Substitute coconut yogurt for the Greek yogurt.
- Freezing — Freeze cooled muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or microwave 30–45 seconds from frozen.
- High altitude (5,000+ ft): Increase flour to 2¼ cups (280g), decrease baking powder and baking soda to ½ teaspoon each, reduce white sugar to ¼ cup, and lower the second bake temperature to 365°F instead of 350°F.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffin without turbinado sugarCalories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 176mgPotassium: 180mgFiber: 3gSugar: 20gVitamin A: 1547IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1mg
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