Want something healthy for breakfast, that is satisfying and wholesome and also really delicious? These Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffins, made with whole wheat and golden raisins, are the perfect option!
*This post has been updated from 2013
Remember a few weeks ago when my son was asking me to make him some muffins, and I was too, well, LAZY? I made him cranberry pancakes instead and it satisfied him, but darn it if he wasn’t still asking for muffins.
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Recently my five year old daughter was needed to increase her fiber intake. Ahem. So I decided to make some muffins, and to make them super healthy. I thought they would hate them but they LOVED them! They each had two for breakfast and asked for them the next day. (Despite my daughter catching me dumping shredded carrot in the bowl – “Mom, are those CARROTS???”).
Tips for making the best Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffins:
- Spray the pan generously with nonstick cooking spray. This is my preference over using paper liners because the liners have a tendency to stick sometimes and you can lose a precious raisin or two.
- Squeeze the liquid out of the carrots and zucchini. You want them to be moist, but not mushy. Take a clean flour sack towel or several paper towels stacked together, and wrap the shredded veggies in it. Twist the ends until tightly wrapped, then gently squeeze. This is best done over a bowl to catch the liquid.
- Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately. The wet ingredients can be mixed as long as you like and it won’t affect the muffins. Once the dry and wet ingredients mix though, the gluten is activated and over-mixing can cause a very dense muffin. These muffins are already pretty dense with the oatmeal and the whole wheat, so you want to keep this in mind when mixing.
- Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 of the way full. Did you know, an ice cream scoop is the perfect size for filling muffin cups? Use an ice cream scoop for muffins and cupcakes and they will be even in size every time!
Interestingly enough, my kids really enjoyed these muffins. They are tender and moist, and hearty enough for a quick stand-alone breakfast. Between the oats and whole wheat and the raisins, there is tons of fiber and lots of vitamins from the carrots and zucchini, which also happen to keep these muffins super moist.
Here are some more delicious muffin recipes to try:
And zucchini fans will love these delicious zucchini recipes:
Zucchini Carrot Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs + 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup oil
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup grated carrot
- 3/4 cup golden raisins optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 12-count muffin pan with paper liners, or spray generously with nonstick cooking spray.
- Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the zucchini and carrots. We want moist, not mushy.
- Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs and oil. Stir in grated zucchini and carrots.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full and bake for approx. 20 minutes. They are done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean, and tops spring back when lightly touched.
- Coll completely in the muffin pans and serve.
- Store in a tightly sealed container for 4-5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! I’m Kristin, the creative mind behind Yellow Bliss Road where you will be inspired by tons of easy to follow recipes, lots of free printables, and a little sprinkling of life thrown in for good measure.
These look delish! I’ve pinned them future reference – probably in school lunches come September. Thanks for sharing!
Hi any nutrional info on these ?
I don’t provide nutritional information since I’m not a nutritionist and it can vary with the products/brands you use, but you can get great info on myfitnesspal.com.
is it ok to use large flake oats?
and white flour only instead of whole wheat?
I used white flour instead of wheat flour and my 8 year old swears by them.. doesn’t even realize how healthy they are! I love it!!
I’ve used large flake oats in similar recipes and they tend to be a bit undercooked and change the texture, I’d wait until you have the right ingredients
Hi, I was thinking to use these in school lunches also, however my kids despise raisins. Can I leave them out completely or do I need to replace them with something? I could probably get away with them if I chopped them up, if I NEED to leave them in!
You can use craisens if they like those. Blueberries will work, small chunks of apple or even crushed drained pineapple- or nothing at all.
I left the raisins out and they baked well! Delicious!! I have a question. What is best way to keep them for the week. Out in ziploc or in the fridge?
Personally I would keep them in the fridge. I usually just keep some in the freezer and then defrost as needed.
Found this recipe through Pinterest and we made them yesterday…left out the raisins because I have once child who doesn’t like them, and they were delicious! We used carrots and zucchini from our garden…thanks for sharing the recipe!
How many does this make? That seems like a lot of sugar!
Just made these and really like them. I used 1/2 c. applesauce and 1/4 c. oil, replaced the raisins with dried cranberries and added 3/4 c. chopped walnuts. When I mixed them, they seemed on the dry side, so I added another 1/4 c. applesauce. I ended up with 22 muffins, but mine were on the big side. They aren’t overly sweet, so I think they’ll make a great breakfast.
Did you adjust the sugar?
What does the applesauce replace?
Generally applesauce would replace the oil.
what kind of oil? vegetable? olive?
Great recipe! I used one cup of brown sugar instead of 1.5 cups and used coconut oil for the oil portion to make it a bit healthier. Also substituted the raisins for walnuts.. next I will add flax seeds! Our house loves them – thank you!
How much flax seed would you add?
I made these today. I used 1 cup of sugar, coconut oil, and I thought the batter was dry so I added 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt. They turned out delicious. Thanks!
Just made these tonight and they are tasty! I made a few substitutions to cut down on the calories: 1 cup of sugar + 1/2 cup of Splenda, 1/2 cup no sugar added applesauce (1 individual cup)+ 1/4 cup of oil, and reduced the raisins to 1/2 cup. Made this way, the recipe yielded 18 muffins at 167 calories each. Will definitely be making these again!
~Molly~
Coconut palm sugar is a great natural substitute that scores half on the glycemic index from regular sugar. It also bakes one to one, which is great as some recipes (like cookies) are tricky and you may not get the same texture results if you reduce the volume of sugar. I bake with it all the time. You can get it at the bulk barn and most other grocerie stores.
Made these today! My daughter loved them. This time we only substituted raisins for craisins, but I do think we will try apple sauce & less sugar next time. YUM!
I know this is a healthy recipe and I am definitely going to make it, but I am thinking I will replace raisins with semi-sweet chocolate chips as well as use apple sauce to replace oil.
Can you add walnuts?
Yes I think nuts would be a great addition!
Can you sub the flour for Coconut or almond flour?
I haven’t tried either of those, but I would think you could.
You can’t substitute coconut flour for white or wheat flour using a 1:1 ratio. Coconut flour is very absorbent and, therefore, requires less flour. Google to find the necessary adjustments. I don’t know about almond flour.
I’ve baked with coconut flour as wel as many other GF flours before. The thing about coconut is that it draws the moisture if you use it you would not want to cut back on the oil and use a whole egg in place of the egg white.
How many muffins does this recipe yield?
About a dozen.
I made these tonight but felt the batter was way too dry so I added 3/4 cup fat free milk. Also I used beet sugar….they turned out delicious! The recipe is for 24 regular sized muffins.
Hi, I just wanted to tell you these are so good. I decreased the sugar to 1 cup , used a jar of pear baby food ( trying to use up the last jars from my 15 month old) in place of 1/2 the oil and used crushed pineapples in place of raisins. My health food hating husband loved them. Thank you so much.
Does anyone have the approximate calorie count for these?
My Fitness Pal says 179 calories per muffin.
My fitness pal says 304 🙁
for the rolled oats, which kind? quick oats ok?
Either will work well.
we just made these today and my super-picky 5 year old loved them! have you ever tried freezing them? do they hold up well? if yes, how do you freeze them? just throw them into a ziploc bag or individually wrap in saran wrap?
thanks!
I’ve made these twice now, because my (non-veggie eating) kids couldn’t get enough of them the first time. I switch out 1/4 cup of the oil with applesauce but don’t change anything else, and they’re so good. They do freeze well. Just pull them out the night before to thaw and they’re ready for breakfast in the morning. Thanks for sharing!
My toddler and I made these today. So, so good! Thanks!
I made these today with 3 chia eggs and .25 cup applesauce. Also reduced oil to .5 cup and did another .25 cup applesauce to replace the rest. It worked great and my family loves them. The chia seeds give it a little crunch, and my egg/dairy allergic son can have them this way, too. I spread in a pan and cut into bars, worked well that way.
are these moist enough for a baby to eat? i found some muffins i made the tops is crispy.
You’d have to make the judgement call on that one.
thanks for the reply. Was going to make either way as I know I would lov’em too.
Out of curiosity. Why all purpose flour and whole wheat flour?
It’s a flavor preference. My kids won’t eat them if they are all whole wheat, and I figure some is better than none. 🙂
Have you tried white whole wheat flour from King Arthur? It’s a good substitute for most things…not biscuits, though.
I’ve made these 3 times now. My whole family loves them. I adjusted the sugar to 1 cup and I don’t like to use oil so I substituted 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce. I also added 4 Tablespoons of flax seed. My recipe made 21 muffins and they are delicious!
These would definitely encourage me to eat breakfast in the morning (if it weren’t already my favorite meal of the day).
I love these muffins, but the recipe is missing. Please help!
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My famiily and I absolutely love these muffins. I’ve made them quite a few times. I have the recipe pinned to my pintrest, However I cannot access the recipe anymore. It only shows the picture and then suggestions for other recipes I might like. I even went straight to your website and cannot find the recipe anywhere? am I missing something, How can I access the recipe??
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is the recipe still available for the zucchini carrot muffins? Doesn’t seem like the link is available to the actual recipe. Thanks!
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My three “helpers” and I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, but they turned out fabulous! We used whole wheat and almond flours, coconut oil and apple sauce instead of veg oil and sugar, unmeasured amounts of ground flax, hemp & chia seeds, and accidentally added tablespoons of cinnamon instead of teaspoons. We baked them as mini muffins for 11 minutes. P.S, my kids always prefer to eat muffins frozen; just freeze them on the cooking rack so they don’t stick together, then transfer to a freezer ziplock for future healthy snacks!
I was expecting these to taste healthy, but honestly they just taste delicious!! I’d never know there were hidden veggies in them if I didn’t make them myself 🙂
Just made these, and mine turned out heavy and dense. Any chance there should be some baking soda?
Hi Lindsay! The baking powder as called for in the recipe is the leavening agent, replacing the need for baking soda. Sorry they didn’t turn out for you, but I hope you’ll give them another chance!
I sure will try again, I may have over mixed them. My husband loves them ☺
For how many muffins is this recipe?
It makes about a dozen.
I’ve tried making these twice & twice they’ve turned out poorly. The texture is really dense & appealing, they didn’t rise at all either. Perhaps too much flour? I see some other people have added apple sauce to the batter, maybe that would have saved them. I dunno… My daughter does enjoy them, but I don’t. :/
Sorry to hear they didn’t work out for you. They’ve always come out great for us.
any idea what the weight watchers point plus value is? I could figure it if you have the nutritional value. Great muffins, wanted a recipe for all of the zucchini I have. Will definitely make them again regardless of point value. Thanks for the recipe!
Sorry, as I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not comfortable giving out nutritional information. There are however lots of online calculators you could use. Good luck!
I was looking for a way to use leftover zucchini when I found this recipe. I had all of the ingredients on hand. I followed the recipe as written with the exception of substituting unsweetened applesauce for oil. They turned out great! I considered decreasing the amount of sugar, but am glad that I didn’t. They were not overly sweet. Mine were not incredibly moist (maybe due to my substitution) but I liked consistency. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of muffins this recipe made. I had enough batter to make 24 regular-sized muffins and 12 mini muffins. I love having muffins in the freezer to pull out as needed so most of these will be frozen for use at a later time. I will likely make these again in the future. Thanks for the recipe!
Applesauce is a great substitution!
Actually the measurements are correct as stated – 1 and 1/2 cups of each. Sorry if you felt it was dry, but I’ve had this recipe several times and it always comes out perfect.
I made these today and they are DELICIOUS! I tweaked it a little… used coconut oil for the oil, white whole wheat instead of plain whole wheat flour, and added cardamom and toasted pecans to the rest of the ingredients. Plus I sprinkled some sparkling sugar on the tops – amazing! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe! 🙂
is the batter really dry and dense? not sure if I should add some apples sauce or yogurt??
It is somewhat dense because of the wheat flour and the oats. But if you follow the recipe they should be fine. 🙂
Do I need to squeeze the zucchini to get the liquid out first?
Yes 🙂
This would be helpful to add to the recipe directions. I was wondering the same thing, as I don’t bake with zucchini pretty much ever. Glad I went through the comments. I think I’ll try subbing some oat flour for the whole wheat. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Duh, omg. I didn’t even see the directions because it didn’t load properly for some reason. Sorry about that!
Replaced the oil with 3/4 apple sauce and put light brown sugar. Turned out delish!
Is it 1 cup grated zucchini before or after you wring out the excess liquid?
I do a packed cup, then wring it out.
Just popped these muffins in the oven. I added half a cup of milk and used 4 eggs. The mixture seemed too dry. Should there not be milk or juice as well as eggs for liquid? Looking forward to eating these in 20 minutes!
Nope, the milk isn’t needed. The oil is enough moisture.
We are eating these yummy muffins!!! Very glad I cut the sugar to one cup. I think with the raisins the sugar could be cut to 3/4. Definitely will keep this recipe!
i just made these and followed the recipe to a T. I don’t know what happened but they are a little dry and crumbly
These are delicious! Made the recipe exactly. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Would we be able to replace some of the flour with protein power?
Not sure, I’ve never used protein powder.
What about using baby oatmeal in place of rolled oats? (for the extra fortified iron and nutrients added to it)
Not sure if it would work because it’s ground into a powder?
Hi Gina,
I’ve never tried that so I can’t speak as to whether or not it would work. Let me know if you try it!
Can I pour these directly into the muffin tin well oiled or do I have to use the mini muffin cups?
You do do either. 🙂
Hi there i would like to know what kind of sugar needs 2 b used bc they did not come out right for me although ima try them again
Hi Tori, It’s white, granulated sugar.
OMG! Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe! My 2 year old is the pickest eater EVER! She does not eat veggies and the food she does it is VERY limited. She’s 2 and weighs only 24 lbs….my 2 month old weighs 14 lbs. Anyways, found this on pinerest and tried it….the family loved them. My 8 year old smelled the cinnamon and thought I was making cinnamon rolls!
The only changes I made was I used all white flour as i didn’t have wheat and I added 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Thank you again for the wonderful recipe and I will definitely be looking on your page for more recipes I can get my toddler to eat.
That’s so great to hear Christina!!
Holy. Cow. These are AMAZING!!!! I ended up using chopped zucchini, carrots and apples and added julienned cranberries. My kids inhaled them!
I think 1 tbs of baking soda was way too much. I made these and they were too bitter, I think they would have been great with less baking powder used.
Use baking powder as the recipe says:)
When to add the raisins? I assume with the zucchini and carrots?
Also, I was wondering if you know how many it makes.
I just made them and got 18
Very good! I doubled the batch and used 5 tsp of baking powder total. I added in nuts.
I’ve just made these and they’ve come out wonderfully, I cannot believe how easy they are to make, beats toast for breakfast.
I will definitely be making these alot from now on.
How many muffins would this recipe make?
Can you use a substitute for sugar? Maybe applesauce?
Applesauce would be a substitute for oil or butter, not sugar. You could cut back on the sugar without really altering the texture, or use a sugar substitute like Stevia.
I just made these and used applesauce instead of sugar! I also used coconut oil. I did 1 cup of applesauce and 1/2 cup sugar. Since applesauce has more liquid than sugar, I only did 1/2 cup of oil. They turned out delicious to me! You can also use cinnamon for sugar, so you could always add more cinnamon so the muffins aren’t soup! Happy baking
I only have all purpose flour can I use that if I don’t have wheat?
Yes you can swap that out.
What type of oil? vegetable oil? Or is there another kind I can use – perhaps coconut oil?
Yes, typically you would use vegetable or canola oil for baking. I haven’t tried coconut oil, but it should be an easy substitution.
Quick oats or old fashioned?
The old fashioned seemed to work best.
Does anyone have the nutrition facts for these?
Do you think these could made gluten flour?
I haven’t tried that, so let me know if you do!
This recipe (even without the raisins) made way more than 12! I wanted 24, so doubled the recipe and ended up with 37 regular size and 24 mini sized muffins! Into the freezer they go. Very tasty! Thank you for the recipe!
These were AMAZING. Mom of 2 finicky eaters thanks you! My husband also enjoyed!
Great to hear!
Could you simply leave out the zucchini ? I bought some for this, and my husband used them in something else , so I’m hoping to save myself another trip to the store !
If you could double the carrot I think you’d be ok. But the zucchini is the base for the zucchini muffins.
I have made these many times for my kids and they are delicious and loved! Was wondering if I could add ground flax for health benefits? How much could I use without changing the texture of the muffin? Thanks! 🙂
Flax isn’t something I’ve cooked with so I don’t have any advice there for you – sorry! If you try it, please come back and let us know how it turned out!
I did add it the other day, and used about a tablespoon of ground flax. It was perfect! My kids are picky eaters, so adding hidden superfoods to up the nutrition is always a win. Again, LOVE this recipe. Thanks!
Try 1/4 cup of flax and reduce the flour by the same amount
I often add ground flax to muffin recipes. I usually add 2 Tbls in with my dry ingredients. I have not found that this amount changes the texture.
What is the nutritional value on these muffins?
I don’t typically provide this information since I’m not a nutritinist, but you can find lots of useful tools online, like my fitness pal.
I used this recipe loosely to make a gluten-free version today, they turned out great!
I used 1.5 c oats and 1.5 c gf flour, 3/4 tsp xanthan gum, 5 eggs, subbed out the sugar for 3/4c maple syrup, and followed the recipe for everything else. Thanks for a great template!
These are great! I put pecans in mine no raisins. Really good!!
Delicious! Substituted dried apricots for the raisins. Very good! Love the crunchy top!
Loved them!
I’ve made these muffins a few times now (substituting apple sauce for eggs) and they are consistently tasty! Sooo good. Do you have advice on baking times if I want to try making this as a loaf of bread?
Typically, a loaf of quick bread takes about an hour. I would imagine that’s about how long it would take.
Kristin If you read the prepared pantry he states it makes a BIG difference in a recipe when you add the zucchini. It should be the last ingredient stirred in so it is not too watery else they will not rise like they should.
Made these & they are fabulous. Everybody with whom I share these demands the recipe! They are without doubt the tastiest muffin recipe that I found on Pinterest! Many thanks x
I’m in the middle of making these, and I must say I’m a little surprised at the 1 tablespoon of baking powder. I kept checking the recipe to make sure I was reading it right. So I just don’t to the 1 tablespoon of baking powder into the dry ingredients And now I’m hoping for the best. I hope we don’t taste the baking powder. Wish me luck.
We didn’t taste the baking powder and these are very good. Maybe baking soda is what gives food a bitter taste in excess? I dunno. Clearly I’m no expert baker.
I made very minor changes:
1. I didn’t have whole wheat flour so I made my own oat flour by grinding 1 1/2 cups of oatmeal in a spice grinder.
2. I split the salt and added 1/2 tsp of salt to the grated zucchini in a collander, something I’ve seen in similar recipes. I put the remaining 1/2 tsp of salt in the recipe as directed.
Will make again. I will experiment with replacing some of the sugar with applesauce like another commenter or smashed banana.
These muffins are awesome. I did reduce the sugar but followed the recipe. Camed out moist and fluffy. Will definitely make again.
Has anyone tried freezing these? I’m planning to half the batch but would be nice to freeze and heat one at a time so they don’t ruin.
Can white all purpose flour be used instead of whole wheat
Yes, that’s an easy swap! 🙂
These are delicious! I had an issue with the recipe though. I’m not a novice Baker by any means, but my batter came out more like extremely dry bread dough. I ended up adding a cup of apple sauce and 1/3 cup of water to get a better consistency. Still a little dry, but workable. It almost seems like th dry ingredients are doubled but the wet are normal. I ended up with 22 muffins.
Delicious recipe though, they came out great with that little tweaking. Perfect for a cool Saturday morning. Thanks for posting this!
Hmm, I’ve made this recipe several times and it came out great. It will be a lot more dense because of the oats and wheat flour. Glad you thought to modify a little though and that you still enjoyed them.
Love this recipe and LOVE the updated look!!!! These muffins get requested frequently!
I omitted sugar and oil all together and used 2 cups of homemade apple sauce. They were a little dense but delicious and a perfect healthy breakfast!
I used about 3/4 the sugar called for, subbed half the oil with applesauce, and did mostly regular raisins and some chocolate instead of golden raisins. Is good!
Oh yum, chocolate would be a great addition.
Replaced the oil by apple sauce and made them as tiny muffins. Great!
Yikes! Lots of sugar in these ?