These Gluten-Free Vegan Zucchini Muffins are seriously moist, perfectly dense and studded with chocolate chips. They're fragrantly spiced, pleasantly nutty, and have a warm, toasty flavour. They're easily customisable, can be made either sweet or savoury, and come together in one bowl. They can be made refined sugar free, or made with no added sugar. great for dessert, breakfast, brunch or a snack, and taste surprisingly like banana bread!
How to make the ground walnuts
These muffins are made using ground walnuts which add a wonderfully nutty flavour and keep them moist and fluffy.
To make ground walnuts, place whole walnuts into a food processor and pulse briefly until you get a fine powder.
Tip: Make sure not to over-blend as otherwise you'll get nut butter!
How to make the muffins
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- The zucchini (courgette) will need to be grated - the easiest way to do this is to use a box grater.
Tip: Use both hands to squeeze as much water as possible out of the grated zucchini - this will help it cook better.
- Then place all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl and mix it all together.
Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!
- Divide the batter between muffin cases in a muffin/cupcake tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
How long do these keep for?
Though these muffins do taste best when fresh, they keep well covered in the fridge for up to a few days. If you have just taken them out of the fridge, I'd recommend warming them up in an oven toaster if you have one.
Substitutions you can make
- You can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil.
- You can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc.
- You can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc.
- You can replace the ground walnuts with ground almonds.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground walnuts with ground sunflower seeds and use a nut-free plant-based milk.
- You can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- The ground cinnamon can be omitted.
- For a refined sugar free version, use refined sugar free chocolate chips.
- The chocolate chips can be omitted or replaced with chocolate chunks.
- You can make savoury/no added sugar zucchini muffins by completely omitting the maple syrup and chocolate chips.
- You can top these muffins with chopped walnuts, pecan nuts, flaked almonds or coconut flakes before baking.
- You can omit the chocolate chips and use other ingredients such as lemon zest, raisins or desiccated coconut.
More gluten-free vegan muffin recipes
- Carrot Muffins
- Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins
- Chocolate Muffins
- Cornbread Muffins
- Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins
- Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Chocolate Banana Muffins
- Banana Muffins
- Lemon Muffins
- Orange Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.
Watch how to make it
Gluten-Free Vegan Zucchini Muffins
Ingredients
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar * (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 cup) zucchini (courgette) , grated
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 150 ml (⅔ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or sub any other plant-based milk)
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground walnuts ** (or sub ground almonds/almond meal)
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 50 g (⅓ cup) dark chocolate chips *** (ensure vegan/gluten-free if necessary)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Use both hands to squeeze as much water as possible out of the grated zucchini - this will help it cook better.
- Place the coconut oil in a separate large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil).
- Once melted, add the maple syrup, vinegar, salt, zucchini, cinnamon, milk and ground walnuts to the same bowl .
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Mix well, adding a splash more milk if it's looking too dry.
- Add the chocolate chips and fold in gently.
- Transfer the mixture between muffin cases in a muffin tin.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days.
Video
Notes
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Tina McNally
This recipe is fabulous! My husband loves zucchini choc chip muffins but we had to cut some of the usual ingredients out of our diets to to allergies. Your recipe is spot on! Delicious! I love that you have lots of suggestions for alternatives, also. Thank you from the bottom of my heart (and my overflowing zucchini harvest)!
Rhian Williams
Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!