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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.
Notes
Nutrition
These are PERFECT breakfast muffins for my toddler. She loves them. My wife (and her coworkers) do too! I just added ground flax seed for some more fats.
Thank you Stephanie! Love the feedback.
K.
I love these muffins and have made them many times in the past…I am trying to increase protein intake. Have you tried to add protein powder to them? Any suggestions on how I could try it?
Sorry, I haven’t tried adding protein powder. I’d worry that they would be too dense, but it would be worth a try.
I was out of whole wheat flour, so used almond flour instead. Reduced almond flour to 1 cup, reduced sugar to 1 cup. Added 1/4 cup extra oats and 1 extra egg white to help muffins bind together. Just tried them and they turned out like they usually do! I love this recipe!
Love the feedback Sarah! Thanks for stopping by.
I don’t know what I did wrong 🙁 these were very dry & dense. I did 1/2 the amount of oil & subbed it with applesauce & only 1/2 cup sugar. Maybe I messed it up? My 3 yr old loved them! I wanted them for my 6 month old but I’m afraid they’re a tad dense for her. Any suggestions of what I may have done wrong?? They were super sticky!
Hi Jillian, any time you swap out ingredients from a recipe, you run the risk of it not coming out quite right. That said, since they are made with wheat flour and oats, they do tend to be a little more dense than your typical muffin.
These have become one of our new favorites! My kids love them and don’t even know there’s veggies in these. Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome Lauren! Thanks for stopping by.
Love them!!! I have made them multiple times! Thank you for the recipe.
You are so welcome Susanne! Thanks for stopping by.
Super deli!!! First time I make them! I doubled the recipe! I added 1 organic apple (grated) and 2/3 of the sugar was Splenda! They are soooo good! Thank you for sharing!
You are so welcome Graciela! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi! I just made mini muffins and cooked them for about 18 min. I also subbed the oil for applesauce and they taste great! Will probably cut the sugar next time, but still very tasty and fluffy!
Hi Torri, Thanks for the awesome feedback
Love this recipe!!! Followed the recipe almost to a tee, need to subs the raisins to chopped walnuts as my kids don’t like raisins. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you Dahlia for the awesome feedback!
These are so delicious! Could I use applesauce instead of white sugar?
I haven’t tried that. But applesauce is usually used to replace liquid ingredients like oil or eggs, so you’d have to test it and see if it works.
I used 1/4 brown sugar, and 1/2 cp erythritol. The mixture was rather thick and I’m waiting for them to cook. Don’t see how they could be bad!
Anytime you alter the ingredients it can change the outcome. How were they?
I found that this was WAY too sweet even after cutting the sugar to 1 cup. Otherwise a great, toddler-friendly recipe though. I will be making these again! Perhaps with 2/3 cup sugar.
Yes you can cut the sugar without a problem!
My boys and husband request these by name! I’m not a cook at all, but these come out moist and amazing every single time. They gobble them up for breakfast, a snack, or dessert. Thanks for the great share 🙂
You are so welcome Breanna! Thanks for stopping by.
How long should I bake for mini muffins?
I haven’t tried mini muffins with this recipe. But I’d start wit 10-12 minutes and test for doneness, then add a couple minutes more if needed.
If I don’t have whole wheat flour can I just use it as all purpose flour?
Yes you can just use all-purpose flour.
These muffins were delicious. I thought they might be dry but they are not!
Glad you enjoyed the muffins! Thanks for stopping by Mary.
Grandchildren love eating these muffins after making them. They all said *****! Now they have school treats ready in the freezer.
Yay! So glad they loved them!!
I was wondering if the carrots & zucchini are cooked beforehand? Sorry I’m new in the kitchen ?
Nope! They soften as they bake.
Amazing! I have made your recipe many times now! Recently I switched out the sugar for a zero calorie granulated sweetener (erythritol/spenda mix) and also replaced the oil with homemade pumpkin puree! Thanks for the recipe!
You are so welcome Amy, thank you so much for taking the time to leave some positive feedback
These are wonderful ❣️. I doubled the recipe and put 1 cup sugar, 1 C monk fruit and 1/4 C Stevia blend brown sugar. I also did half oil and half applesauce, then I added 1/2 C chopped pecans and left out the raisins. Hubby loves them and I took them to the gym to celebrate a friend’s birthday after a workout and everyone loved them. PERFECT! ?
Thanks Trudy! Great additions, Thanks for dropping by and sharing.