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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.
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 ¾ 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 ¾ 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.Â
Notes
Nutrition
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.
Can white all purpose flour be used instead of whole wheat
Yes, that’s an easy swap! 🙂
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.
I freeze them all the time. I make a huge batch and then we have them ready for breakfast or a toddler snack. Sometimes they stick to the papers, but other than that, great!
Thanks for ahsring your experience Rebecca! So glad to hear you enjoy the muffins.
These muffins are awesome. I did reduce the sugar but followed the recipe. Camed out moist and fluffy. Will definitely make again.
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.
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
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.
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.
Loved them!
Delicious! Substituted dried apricots for the raisins. Very good! Love the crunchy top!
These are great! I put pecans in mine no raisins. Really good!!
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!
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 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.
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.
These were AMAZING. Mom of 2 finicky eaters thanks you! My husband also enjoyed!
Great to hear!
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!
Do you think these could made gluten flour?
I haven’t tried that, so let me know if you do!
Does anyone have the nutrition facts for these?
Quick oats or old fashioned?
The old fashioned seemed to work best.