Zucchini Crumb Muffins

These easy zucchini muffins are tender and flavorful. Made with brown sugar and cinnamon, this easy recipe is easy to customize. Use whole wheat flour for a nutty flavor. Or add chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit to the batter to make them your favorite.

Zucchini muffins rank right up there with banana and blueberry muffins. They’re easy to make, flavorful, and not too sweet. This recipe is a great way to use up summer’s bounty of zucchini. It doubles or triples nicely. 

The key to this recipe is letting the batter rest before baking. While it’s tempting to skip that step, it makes for light, tender muffins.

What you need to make these muffins.

• Zucchini. You need 2 cups of shredded zucchini for this recipe. That’s about 8 ounces or one small zucchini.
• Flour. Use all-purpose flour. It gives the muffins a tender crumb. Substitute it with whole wheat flour for a more robust flavor.
• Brown Sugar. Both light and dark brown sugar work. If you don’t have brown sugar in the house, substitute it with granulated sugar. 
• Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon gives the muffins a nice flavor boost.
• Baking soda and baking powder. Always use fresh baking powder and soda. 
• Salt. A little salt brings out the flavor. Use table (fine) salt. It dissolves easily in the batter.
• Eggs. Provides structure and keeps the muffins moist. 
• Oil. Adds richness and keeps the muffins from drying out. 
• Vanilla. A little vanilla extract rounds out the flavor.

Crumb Topping

An oat-based crumb topping adds a nice flavor, crunch and sweetness to the muffins. Add chopped almonds if you’d like or omit the topping. It’s up to you!

• Butter. Melted butter makes it easy to stir the crumb topping together. 
• Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness.
• Flour. Holds everything together. 
• Oats. Be sure to use instant or quick-cook oats. Don’t use steel cut or sweetened/flavored oats in the recipe.
• Cinnamon. A little ground cinnamon adds flavor. 
• Salt. Enhance the flavors. Use table salt. 

Variations: Stir Ins

Customize this recipe to suit your tastes. Add up to one cup total of mix-ins. 

• Chocolate chips. 
• Dried Fruits. Raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries or dried blueberries. 
• Shredded Coconut. 
• Chopped Nuts.

How to Make Zucchini Crumb Muffins

This is a simple batter and crumb topping to make. Here’s what you’ll do.

1. Stir together the brown sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. 
2. Add the shredded zucchini. There’s no need to drain the zucchini for these muffins. The moisture in the shredded zucchini helps keep the muffins moist.
3. Stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until a batter forms. 
4. Let the batter sit for about five minutes. This is key. During this time, the zucchini releases liquid and gives the batter a great consistency.

5. Make the crumb topping. Stir together oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Add the brown sugar. If you see clumps of brown sugar, break them up with a fork or your fingers. Add the melted butter. Stir until combined. That’s it.
6. Scoop the batter into 12 prepared muffin cups. Top with the crumb topping and bake until the muffins are golden brown.

Variations

Zucchini Bread

You can use this recipe to make a loaf of zucchini bread. Spread the batter into a greased 9×5-inch loaf pan. Bake for about an hour.

Bundt Cake

To make a bundt cake, double the recipe. Spread some batter into a prepared 10 or 12 inch bundt pan. Sprinkle on some crumb topping. Repeat with more batter and more crumb topping. Bake until set. A bundt takes about 90 minutes to bake.

Storing and Freezing Zucchini Muffins.

Store baked muffins covered on the counter for up to four days. 

Freeze cooled muffins in a freezer container for up to three months.

Print

Zucchini Crumb Muffins

Made with brown sugar and cinnamon, these zucchini muffins are tender and flavorful. This easy recipe is easy to customize. Use whole wheat flour for a nutty flavor. Or add chocolate chips, nuts, or dried fruit to the batter to make them your favorite.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

• ½ cup light or dark brown sugar (4 ounces; 113 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil (3 ½ ounces; 100 grams)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded (about 8 ounces; 226 grams)
• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour (7 ¾ ounces; 220 grams)
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Crumb Topping

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour (1 ¼ ounces 35 grams)
• ¼ cup oats, instant or quick-cook (¾ ounce; 24 grams)
• ¼ cup light or dark brown sugar (2 ounces; 56 grams)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (1 ½ ounces; 42 grams)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Lightly grease the top of the pan to keep the muffin tops from sticking.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Add the shredded zucchini. Mix to combine. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until a batter forms. Stir in nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate if using.

3. Allow batter to rest for five minutes while you prepare the crumb topping.

4. Stir together the flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Add the brown sugar. Break up any lumps with a fork or your fingers. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is crumbly.

5. Spoon the batter into prepared muffin cups, filling them about ⅔ full. Sprinkle crumb topping, about two teaspoons each, onto each muffin.

6. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Cover and store at room temperature for up to three days. To freeze: let muffins cool and place them in a freezer container. Freeze up to two months.

Recipe Notes

Zucchini Bread. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Spread batter into pan. Top with crumb topping. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 50 minutes. 

Zucchini Bundt. Double the recipe. Spread half the batter into a greased 10 or 12 cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle half the crumb mixture over the batter. Repeat with remaining batter and crumb topping. Bake until brown and a cake tester comes out clean, about 80 minutes.