7 Days of Slow Cooker Dinners
7 Days of Slow Cooker Dinners
Ambitious Kitchen
SnacksGluten Free
August 19, 2020

Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (gluten free!)

Healthy chocolate chip zucchini muffins made with olive oil, almond flour, oat flour, and pure maple syrup to keep them naturally sweetened. These gluten free zucchini muffins are perfectly moist thanks to shredded zucchini and pack plenty of healthy fats from olive oil. Freezer-friendly and an amazing breakfast or healthy snack!

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins

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healthy chocolate chip zucchini muffin on a plate with a bite taken out

Did you really think I was going to pass up the zucchini week of the AK Summer Series without sharing a healthy zucchini muffin recipe? I mean, they do call me the Muffin Queen.

Truth be told when I made this recipe a few years ago I was debating doing a zucchini cookie instead of this muffin. I actually tested a few different cookie versions, but never fell head over heels in love so I decided to scrap the cookie and make the BEST healthy gluten free zucchini muffins. It took me a few recipe tests, but I believe these are truly perfect — light, super fluffy, and perfectly moist on the inside.

I made these muffins with heart-healthy olive oil, plenty of chocolate chips (you know how I do), and a sprinkle of sea salt on top for an extra treat. Be sure to read the full post for easy ways to customize your muffins!

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healthy zucchini muffins on a wire rack

The deets on these gluten free zucchini muffins

Not only are these chocolate chip zucchini muffins absolutely delicious and easy to make, but they’re also:

  • SO fluffy, and perfectly sweet thanks to a touch of pure maple syrup
  • Made with almond flour, olive oil, and walnuts for healthy fats and omega-3s
  • Packed fiber from zucchini and oat flour
  • Speckled with puddles of dark chocolate chips
  • Sprinkled with sea salt for that sweet and salty we know and love

You’re going to absolutely LOVE these! They’re a great snack that feels a tiny indulgent, especially with a drizzle of your favorite nut butter on top.

batter for gluten free zucchini muffins in a bowl

Healthy zucchini muffin ingredients

These delicious dairy free zucchini muffins are made with heart-healthy olive oil and, of course, a boost of veggies from zucchini. The combination gives these muffins the perfect amount of moisture while still keeping that wonderful crumb. Here’s everything you’ll need:

  • Zucchini: one of our fav vegetables for baking! Grated zucchini adds moisture to these muffins.
  • Maple syrup: we’re naturally sweetening the zucchini muffins with some pure maple syrup!
  • Eggs: you’ll just need 2 eggs in this zucchini muffin recipe.
  • Olive oil: for additional moisture and a boost of heart-healthy fats.
  • Milk: feel free to use any dairy free milk you’d like. I like using unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
  • Oat flour: feel free to use gluten free oat flour if you’d like and check out the instructions below for how to easily make it at home! I’ve also included a sub in the note section.
  • Almond flour: the second flour to keep these chocolate chip zucchini muffins gluten free. Be sure to use fine, blanched almond flour. It provides additional healthy fats, too!
  • Cinnamon: for that cozy flavor.
  • Baking staples: don’t forget the baking soda and salt to help these muffins bake up properly, plus vanilla extract. Learn how to make your own vanilla here!
  • Mix-ins: I love the nutty crunch that chopped walnuts add to these muffins, plus delicious bites of chocolate from chocolate chips. These are optional! Feel free to use dairy-free chocolate chips to keep the muffins completely dairy free.

healthy zucchini muffins with chocolate chips on a wire rack

Optional ingredient swaps

There are a few ingredients you can swap that will still give you perfect zucchini muffins. Here’s what I can recommend:

  • For the maple syrup: feel free to use honey instead to sweeten.
  • For the olive oil: you can also use melted butter, vegan butter, ghee, brown butter, or melted coconut oil. Just make sure it’s melted and cooled to room temp before adding it to the batter.
  • For the oat flour: these muffins will also bake well with all purpose flour or a 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour. I would not recommend substituting the almond flour.

Can I make them vegan?

I haven’t tested these muffins with flax eggs but let me know in the comments if you do!

gluten free zucchini muffin on a board

How to make your own oat flour for muffins

Good news, you can easily make your own oat flour right at home to use in this muffin recipe. Check out my tutorial with all of my best tips & tricks. So easy!

For this gluten free zucchini muffin recipe, you’ll most likely need at least 1 1/2 cups of gluten free rolled or old-fashioned oats to make about 1 cup gluten free oat flour.

Tips for making gluten free zucchini muffins

  • Remove excess moisture. After you grate your zucchini (I recommend using a box grater!) remember to squeeze your shredded zucchini of all of that excess moisture using a paper towel or cheesecloth so that your muffins don’t turn out too moist. Measure the shredded zucchini out first, then squeeze out all excess moisture.
  • Prevent sticking. Be sure to add muffin liners to your muffin pan and spray the insides of the liners with nonstick cooking spray to prevent muffins from sticking.
  • Stick to the recipe. As always, be sure to stick with the recipe ingredients and measurements exactly (unless I note successful substitutions) so that the muffins turn out well. For any swaps you make outside of the ones noted, do so at your own risk!

healthy zucchini muffin drizzled with peanut butter

Want to make a bread instead?

You can! Simply pour the batter into an 8×4 inch loaf pan greased and lined with parchment paper. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

How to store & freeze muffins

  • To store: place these zucchini muffins on the counter in an airtight container or bag for a day, then transfer them to the fridge.
  • To freeze: allow the muffins to cool completely then put them in an airtight container and place them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, you can thaw at room temperature, or heat up in the microwave in 30 second intervals.

healthy zucchini muffin on a plate with a bite taken out

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I hope you love these healthy gluten free zucchini muffins! If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. I greatly appreciate it – xo!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (gluten free!)

4.97 from 81 votes
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healthy chocolate chip zucchini muffin on a plate with a bite taken out
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Serves10 servings
Healthy chocolate chip zucchini muffins made with olive oil, almond flour, oat flour, and pure maple syrup to keep them naturally sweetened. These gluten free zucchini muffins are perfectly moist thanks to shredded zucchini and pack plenty of healthy fats from olive oil. Freezer-friendly and an amazing breakfast or healthy snack!

Ingredients

  • For the wet ingredients:
  • 1 cup shredded zucchini, squeezed of excess moisture with a paper towel
  • ⅓ cup pure maple syrup (or sub honey)
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup olive oil*
  • 3 tablespoons almond milk (or dairy free milk of choice)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • For the dry ingredients:
  • 1 cup oat flour, gluten free if desired
  • 1 cup fine blanched almond flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • For the mix-ins:
  • ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips (dairy free, if desired), plus 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on top of muffins

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 10 muffin liners and grease the inside of the muffin liners with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking. This is critical to making sure the muffins don’t stick to the liners.
  • Shred and measure out zucchini, then place in a paper towel or cheese cloth and squeeze out all the excess moisture. Add zucchini to a large bowl, along with maple syrup, eggs, olive oil, almond milk and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
  • Next add dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients: oat flour, almond flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Mix until combined. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
  • Evenly divide batter into prepared liners. Bake for 23-28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. After 5 minutes, remove muffins and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
  • Sprinkle tops with fancy sea salt and drizzle with nut butter, if desired.

Recipe Notes

*Subs for olive oil: If you don't want to use olive oil, you can use melted butter, melted ghee, brown butter, melted vegan butter or melted coconut oil. Just make sure it's melted and cooled to room temp before using.
Feel free to make your own oat flour at home, instructions in the blog post. It's so easy!
Subs for flours: I haven't tried using any other flour for the almond flour, but let me know if you do. I would not recommend coconut flour. If you want to sub oat flour, you can feel free to use regular all purpose flour or a gf 1:1 all purpose flour. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 278calCarbohydrates: 26.6gProtein: 5.5gFat: 18.3gSaturated Fat: 3.7gFiber: 3.4gSugar: 13.3g

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

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gluten free chocolate chip zucchini muffin drizzled with peanut butter

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