A delicious zucchini bran muffins recipe made with shredded zucchini and carrots, unbleached flour, ground flaxseed, oat bran, raisins, and walnuts. This healthier muffin recipe is simple and incredibly delicious!
A baker's tip: Full-fat Greek yogurt is an excellent substitute for the applesauce in the recipe. I have made them both ways and love each variation. To cut sugar and calories, I've used the Truvia brown sugar blend as an alternative for the brown sugar with great results. To make them fancy, you can also sprinkle a little raw sugar on top of the muffin before they go in the oven for a nice, sweet crunch.
How To Make A Healthier Breakfast Muffin
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (can also use spelt flour or wheat flour)
- ¾ cup ground golden flaxseed
- ¾ cup oat bran
- 1 cup brown sugar (can substitute Truvia brown sugar blend to cut calories and sugar)
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup milk (whole milk recommended)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oat bran, ground flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Add eggs, milk, vanilla, and applesauce to the flour mixture stirring until well combined. Stir in shredded carrots, zucchini, raisins, and chopped nuts. Scoop batter into muffin tins sprayed with non-stick cooking spray until ¾ full.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in tins for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Storage Tips
Store muffins in an airtight container in a single layer on top of a layer of paper towels for up to four days. If you cannot eat the muffins right away, wrap cooled muffins in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealed freezer bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or pop into the microwave for a quick thaw. This way, you always have homemade muffins and bread on hand.
If you're in a muffin mood, don't miss these Nutella Swirl Banana Muffins because...well...Nutella... and healthy & moist Avocado Pumpkin Muffins!
A Few More Favorite Recipes
Want a bite?!
Update: This post was originally published in April 2011, and has been updated to improve the reader experience. This delicious recipe remains the same. 🙂
Everything Zucchini Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour *can also use spelt or wheat flour
- ¾ cup ground golden flaxseed
- ¾ cup oat bran
- 1 cup brown sugar *can also use Truvia brown sugar blend to cut the sugar and calories
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup milk whole milk recommended
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded zucchini
- ½ cup raisins
- 1 cup chopped walnuts *can also use pecans or almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl combine flour, oat bran, ground flax seed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and brown sugar.
- Add eggs, milk, vanilla and apple sauce to the flour mixture stirring until well combined.
- Stir in shredded carrots, zucchini, raisins and chopped nuts.
- Scoop batter into muffin tins sprayed with non-stick spray until ¾ full.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in tins for 10 minutes before transferring muffins to a cooling rack.
Nutrition
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The Better Baker
These sound delicious!!! I love being able to sneak in the veggies too - so glad you shared!
Amee
thank you! Yes, I am a fan of veggies in baked goods, especially zucchini:)
Christie
Have you ever tried making these gluten-free free? Before going completely gluten-free, I would use your recipe and cut half of the all-purpose flour with my gluten-free free blend—but now, I need them to be entirely gluten-free. Any suggestions on proper exchanges? I appreciate any ideas!
-Christie 🙂
Amee Livingston
Christie! I'm so sorry, I completely missed this comment! I have had great success with the King Arthur brand all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. That should be a great sub for this recipe. I find that GF baked goods don't stay fresh as long as regular muffins at room temp, but I just stick them in the freezer for up to 3 months and pop one out when I need it.
Stephanie S.
These are delicious!! I've made them about 4 times now and love them. I enjoy freezing them and pulling them out to enjoy regularly. This is the best hearty bran muffin recipe I've come across. Definitely a keeper.
Amee Livingston
Thank you for the feedback, Stephanie! I'm so glad that you love them as much as we do!