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These almond flour zucchini muffins are a great way to use up your garden zucchini, or hide some veggies in your kids breakfast muffins (some protein, too)! The muffins are gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and Paleo friendly. Plus, they're extremely moist and perfectly spiced.
If you're looking for a high protein zucchini muffin (that's also low carb), this is the recipe you're looking for. These muffins have the perfect amount of sweetness and protein to fill you up in the morning.
I feel good eating one of these for breakfast, and giving it to my kids (confident there will be no sugar crash afterwards). We also use these for an afternoon protein & veggie snack.
Almond flour zucchini muffins
When you transition to a gluten free, or grain free lifestyle, certain things get cut from your diet. The hardest part for a lot of people is the bready things. The bread for the sandwiches, muffins as a snack, cakes and cookies for a special treat.
Luckily, there are flours out there that can be used to produce similar results as wheat flour. This recipe uses almond flour and cassava flour. One major benefit of using almond flour in baked goods is it provides more protein than your typical wheat flour.
Recommended tools to make these almond flour protein zucchini muffins
- Mixing bowl - use what you have, or grab a new one like this one
- Cheesecloth - One like this works great to squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini. You could also use a thin kitchen towel if you don't have a cheesecloth
- Food processor (or hand grater) - You'll use this to grate the zucchini. See which other basic kitchen tools I recommend here.
- Muffin tin - We have this one if you need a new one!
- Muffin cups - I typically have white paper muffin cups on hand, but I'm dying to try these re-usable ones!
- Scooper - this ¼ cup size works great for scooping muffin batter
How to Make Almond Flour Zucchini Muffins
The process is simple, and I'll walk you through each step (with pictures) below.
Step 1: Shred your zucchini
You can shred the zucchini with a hand grater or with the shredding attachment that comes with a food processor. I choose to use our food processor. It only takes seconds to shred this much zucchini.
Step 2: Sprinkle salt on the zucchini and squeeze out the liquid
Next, you'll want to sprinkle a pinch of salt on the zucchini and stir it around. Wait a few minutes and then squeeze out the liquid using a cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel. I like to twist the towel until I see liquid squeezing out of the zucchini.
Step 3: Mix the ingredients together
Once you've got the zucchini shredded, salted, and drained, you'll add the muffin ingredients to a bowl. Stir everything until combined.
Step 4: Scoop the batter into your prepared muffin tin
I like to use a ¼ cup ice cream scoop to transfer the muffin batter from the bowl into the muffin cups. You can just as easily use a couple big spoons, or a measuring cup, but I like this scooper the best.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- About the flours: Almond flour creates a dense crumb, and provides a nice protein boost to the muffins. Cassava flour lightens up the crumb and helps the texture be perfectly moist.
- If you'd rather make almond flour zucchini bread (instead of muffins), you can definitely do that with this recipe. Use a standard loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
- If your batter looks too wet- It's possible you didn't get enough liquid out of the zucchini. Add 1 Tbsp of cassava flour to soak up the extra liquid. If your batter looks too dry - Add 1 Tbsp of coconut milk.
- If your baked muffins are sticking to the paper - Make sure they're cool before trying to eat them (it's hard, I know).
FAQ & Troubleshooting
What's the difference between almond flour and almond meal?
Almond flour is made from grinding up blanched almonds, whereas almond meal is made from grinding up almonds with the skins still on, and typically isn't as finely ground. For this recipe, you'll want to use almond flour.
Making your protein muffins ahead of time & storage tips
I've had great luck making a big batch of these and storing them in the fridge or freezer for later. You should be able to store them for up to a week in the fridge. Alternatively, you could freeze them for later. The night before you want one, put it in the fridge and it'll be thawed by morning.
Are muffins healthy?
These almond flour zucchini muffins are healthy in my book because they're high in protein and low in sugar. They won't send your blood sugar through the roof and will leave you feeling fuller for longer. Many muffin recipes have a LOT of sugar and use refined flours, which is a blood sugar spike just waiting to happen.
What to eat with these protein muffins?
These Paleo zucchini muffins make a great addition to your next breakfast or brunch. If you're looking for recipes to eat along with them, here are some suggestions:
Almond Flour Zucchini Muffins {Paleo, GF, DF}
The perfect high protein, low carb breakfast zucchini muffin! Perfectly spiced and slightly sweet.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups almond flour
- ¾ cups cassava flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 (F)
- Grate your zucchini and sprinkle a pinch of salt over the top.
- Stir the salt around and wait a couple minutes.
- Squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini with a cheesecloth or kitchen towel.
- Mix all the ingredients together until mixed.
- Line your muffin tin with liners.
- Using a ¼ cup scoop, fill the muffin cups about ⅔ full.
- Bake in 350 (F) oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the muffin is set and springs back a bit when touched.
- Let cool, then enjoy.
- This recipe will make 12 standard sized muffins.
Notes
- When eaten hot, these muffins tend to stick to the wrapper a bit more. Let them cool and they don't stick!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 225mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 5g
Jill says
These are a great morning muffin! Thanks for the tip about letting them cool.
Susan M says
I am enjoying these muffins tremendously! Is it okay to freeze them?
Megan says
Susan, I'm glad you're enjoying the muffins! You can definitely freeze them. I would freeze them in a ziplock bag (or another sealable bag), then set them out on the counter to thaw when you're ready to eat them again. 🙂