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These gluten free and grain free Paleo zucchini muffins are extremely moist and perfectly spiced. Made with almond flour and sweetened with a touch of honey, they're a great way to start the day.
If you're looking for a high protein & low carb healthy snack or breakfast, this is it.
This is NOT a super sweet dessert muffin. If that's what you're looking for, sorry! You'll have to look elsewhere. Or add some sort of sugary glaze.
I feel good eating one of these for breakfast, and giving it to my kids (confident there will be no sugar crash afterwards).
Paleo Baking With almond flour
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.
Almond Flour vs Almond meal
The difference between almond flour and almond meal:
- Almond flour is made from grinding up blanched almonds.
- Almond meal is made from grinding up almonds with the skins still on, and typically isn't as finely ground.
Using almond flour in your baked goods is different than using wheat flour. Almond flour creates a dense crumb and the end result is more filling than wheat flours (quite satisfying, too).
Cassava Flour
Cassava flour is made from the root of the yuca plant. It's a nice flour to use with almond flour because it lightens up the crumb a bit.
Recommended tools For this recipe
- Mixing bowl
- 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.
- Muffin tin - We have this 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 Paleo Zucchini Muffins with almond flour
Step 1: Shred your zucchini
You can do this with a hand grater or with the shredding attachment that comes with a food processor. I choose to use the food processor. It only takes seconds to shred this much zucchini.
Step 2: Sprinkle salt on the zucchini and squeeze out the liquid
Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the zucchini and stir it around. Wait a few minutes if you can and then squeeze out the liquid using a cheesecloth or a thin kitchen towel.
Step 3: Mix the ingredients together
Add the ingredients to a bowl and stir everything until combined.
Step 4: Scoop the batter into your prepared muffin tin
I like to use this ¼ cup ice cream scoop to transfer the muffin batter from the bowl into the muffin cups.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
Can I make a zucchini bread loaf with this recipe?
You can use this recipe to make a loaf instead of muffins, if you prefer. The baking time will be longer though. For a standard loaf pan, expect somewhere in the 50-60 minute range.
Tips for perfect zucchini muffins
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 muffins are sticking to the paper - Make sure they're cool before trying to eat them (it's hard, I know).
Are muffins healthy?
These 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. Check the ingredients before you decide if something is healthy or not. Also, define what "health" means to you. Don't let someone else decide that.
storage & Make ahead
I've had great luck making these ahead (except that we can't help but eat them if we have them around the house).
In terms of them keeping well, you should be able to store them for up to a week in the fridge. Alternatively, you could freeze them for later.
More Brunch recipes
Looking for something else to bring to your brunch? I've got you covered. Try this delicious cast iron veggie frittata! Perfect!
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
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Jill says
These are a great morning muffin! Thanks for the tip about letting them cool.