Low-Sugar Zucchini Carrot Muffin
intro
Moist, tender low-sugar muffins packed with fresh shredded zucchini and carrot, lightly spiced for a guilt-free, portable baked treat ideal for summer outings.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep oven and muffin tin
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F) with the rack positioned in the middle slot. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper baking liners, or lightly grease each cup with 1/4 teaspoon of softened butter to prevent sticking during baking.
Prep shredded vegetables
Place 150 grams of finely shredded unpeeled zucchini in a clean cotton kitchen towel, squeeze firmly over the sink to remove roughly 60ml of excess moisture (about 80% of the zucchini’s free water), then transfer to a small bowl. Add 100 grams of finely shredded peeled carrot to the same bowl; do not squeeze the carrot, as it has lower moisture content.
Combine dry ingredients
In a large 3-liter ceramic mixing bowl, whisk together 160 grams all-purpose flour, 40 grams rolled oats, 4 grams (1 teaspoon) baking powder, 2.5 grams (1/2 teaspoon) baking soda, 2 grams (1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon, 1 gram (1/4 teaspoon) fine sea salt, and 30 grams granulated low-calorie sweetener (or white sugar) for 45 seconds until fully evenly combined, with no visible clumps of spice or leavening.
Whisk wet ingredients
In a separate medium 1.5-liter mixing bowl, whisk 2 room-temperature large eggs until fully beaten and smooth, then add 80 grams non-fat plain Greek yogurt, 30 grams cooled melted unsalted butter, 120 milliliters unsweetened almond milk, and 5 milliliters (1 teaspoon) pure vanilla extract. Whisk for 30 seconds until the mixture is completely smooth, with no visible lumps of yogurt remaining.
Fold together batter
Pour the entire wet ingredient mixture into the large bowl of dry ingredients, and fold gently with a silicone rubber spatula just until no dry flour streaks remain (approximately 12-15 gentle folds). Add the squeezed zucchini and shredded carrot, folding another 5-6 times to evenly distribute the vegetables; do not overmix, as this will develop gluten and create tough muffins.
Portion and bake muffins
Scoop the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin, filling each paper liner exactly 2/3 full (about 45 grams of batter per cup). Place the tin on the preheated oven’s middle rack, and bake for 18-20 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a middle muffin comes out with 1-2 moist crumbs attached, no wet raw batter.
Cool muffins properly
Once baked, remove the tin from the oven using oven mitts, and let the muffins rest in the tin for 5 minutes at room temperature, then transfer each muffin to a wire cooling rack to cool for an additional 10 minutes before serving. Do not leave muffins in the hot tin for longer than 5 minutes, as trapped steam will make the muffin bottoms soggy.
Tips
2.Avoid overmixing the muffin batter: overmixing develops gluten in the flour, leading to tough, chewy muffins instead of the desired tender, crumbly texture.
3.For optional extra flavor and texture, fold in 30 grams (2 tablespoons) of chopped toasted walnuts or unsweetened raisins when adding the shredded vegetables, if desired.
OMG these are a total game changer! I’ve been searching for a low-sugar muffin my picky 6 and 8 year old will actually eat for breakfast before school, and they devoured these! I added a tiny handful of mini chocolate chips per the note in the tips and you literally can’t even taste the zucchini or carrot. Perfect for meal prep too, I froze half the batch and they thaw in 30 seconds in the microwave. SO good!
These were super easy to throw together after my morning hike, loved that the total time was under 40 minutes! I only had whole wheat flour on hand so I swapped that for the all-purpose, and they came out nice and dense but not dry. My only note is I wish there was a little more cinnamon kick, I’ll add an extra teaspoon next time for sure. Great base recipe!
Brought these to my neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and everyone was asking for the recipe! Nobody believed me when I said they were low sugar and had two whole veggies in them. Even my neighbor who swears he hates zucchini ate two! Will absolutely be making these for every future get-together.
Full disclosure: I am terrible at baking. Like, consistently mess up boxed brownies level bad. But these were so easy! My teen daughter has been asking for lower-sugar snacks for her after-school sports practices and these came out perfect first try. Didn’t even have to run to the store for weird ingredients, we had all the veggies and flour already. 10/10 for clumsy bakers like me.
These are my new weekly meal prep staple! I make a batch every Sunday and grab one on my way out the door for work every morning. They keep great in the fridge for 5 days, no sogginess, and they’re sweet enough that I don’t feel like I’m eating a boring “diet” muffin. Saved me so much money on overpriced coffee shop muffins!
I swapped the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking mix and these came out absolute perfection! I was worried they’d be gummy like so many gluten free muffin recipes are, but they had the perfect soft crumb. I didn’t even change the sugar amount, the natural sweetness from the carrots was more than enough. Obsessed!
I’ve been baking muffins for my grandkids for 40 years, and I was skeptical a low-sugar version would pass their taste test. Boy was I wrong! I used freshly shredded zucchini from my garden and they turned out moist, perfectly spiced, and just sweet enough. My oldest granddaughter asked for a second batch to take back to college with her. Great recipe, easy to follow even for us old folks who don’t do fancy kitchen gadgets.
Made these for my wife for our first Saturday morning breakfast in our new house and she raved about them! I didn’t have a muffin tin so I baked them in a small loaf pan for 45 minutes and it worked like a charm. We ate half the loaf warm with a little pat of butter and it was chef’s kiss. Will be adding this to our regular weekend rotation for sure.