Healthy Zucchini Muffins with Yogurt

These healthy zucchini muffins are made with yogurt, whole wheat and are low-sugar. But you'd never know! Easy recipe for tasty muffins.

I love zucchini muffins, and it's hard to have just one. So the only way to right this situation was to cut calories and feel good about what goes into them without sacrificing taste.

Otherwise, what's the point? If it won't taste like a sweet little muffin, you might as well make one of these fun zucchini recipes instead.

In summer, we always have zucchini in the fridge. We grate it to make zucchini fritters for dinner and egg bites for breakfast. And there are always leftover shreds.

This easy zucchini muffin recipe packed with wholesome ingredients (and no oil) is a great way to use them up. Zucchini keeps the muffins moist, and nobody notices the tiny specks of green because they're so good.

Zucchini yogurt muffins have been so popular that we've been adding variations. Zucchini blueberry muffins and healthy chocolate zucchini muffins are fantastic too!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How to Make Zucchini Shreds
• Directions with Pictures
• Storage
• More Healthy Muffin Recipes with Yogurt
• 📋 Recipe

Ingredients

This healthy zucchini muffin recipe is inspired by one at Taste of Home. Make as many ingredient swaps as you like! Here's what you'll need to make all of them:

• Greek yogurt (or regular yogurt) is used instead of canola oil or coconut oil. Applesauce will work too.
• White whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour, or a blend of whole wheat and unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Sugar - We cut back on the sugar a little and used slightly less than most recipes. I also replaced half the sugar amount with a Stevia blend.
  • Another option is to use date jam to sweeten the muffins, as we do in our pineapple carrot cake muffins.
• Fresh zucchini (or courgettes as they're known in France.) This ingredient adds moisture too. See the notes below for how to prepare it.
• An egg or a flax egg can be used.
• Cinnamon flavors the muffins.
• Baking soda, baking powder, and salt are the staple ingredients that round out the list.

Optional healthy mix-ins:

• Raisins, currants, or dried cranberries add additional sweetness.
• Chocolate chips - add a bit of sugar too. Use small chips or finely crushed chocolate so it is more fully dispersed in the muffin. Dark chocolate is the best choice because of its healthy antioxidants.
• Chopped walnuts can be toasted or used raw.

The recipe card below includes ingredient amounts, step-by-step instructions, and nutritional information.

How to Make Zucchini Shreds

Shredding zucchini and removing some of the moisture is a critical step for any successful zucchini muffin recipe. Here's how to do it:

1. Shred zucchini.

Make zucchini shreds using a food processor or box grater.

2. Press out excess moisture.

Place shredded zucchini on a dishcloth covered with a few paper towels. Fold the towel and twist, draining the excess water into a sink.

Directions with Pictures

Once you have prepped shreds, this healthy zucchini muffins recipe is a breeze to whip up! Here's what you need to do:

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add a whisked egg and Greek yogurt.
2. Stir the dry and wet ingredients together. It will be stiff and sticky.
3. Stir in the grated zucchini.
4. Mix well and fold in any optional ingredients. The muffin batter is initially thick. But thins out as the wet zucchini is folded in.
5. Place paper inserts in the wells of a muffin pan and liberally spritz with non-stick cooking spray. Because these muffins have no oil, they will stick if you skip this step. Fill muffin cups about ⅔ full.
6. Bake muffins until golden brown on top. Cool them for 5 minutes in the pan, and then move to a cooling rack.

This small-batch recipe yields 6 muffins! Just double all the ingredients for more servings.

Storage

Here's how to store healthy zucchini muffins:

COUNTERTOP

Store the muffins you will use in the next 3-4 days in an airtight container on the countertop at room temperature. Line the container with a paper towel and arrange the muffins on top in a single layer for best results. Place another paper towel on top. The paper towel will absorb excess moisture as the muffins settle, so you won't end up with soggy muffins.

FREEZER

Cool the muffins completely, and individually wrap each one in plastic wrap. Store them in an airtight plastic bag or container for about 2 months.

When you're ready to enjoy one, lift it out, remove the plastic wrap, and let it come to room temperature. Warm in a toaster oven. Or, microwave it for about 15 seconds to immediately defrost.

Enjoy healthy zucchini muffins with yogurt for breakfast, or treat yourself to a healthy snack. I'll have two, please!

More Healthy Muffin Recipes with Yogurt

We used the same substitutions to make these healthy muffins too!

📋 Recipe

This recipe was originally published on June 5, 2014, and has been updated to improve the reader experience.