These Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins are so easy to throw together, bake up in 20 minutes, and are beyond delicious. Made from blended oats, naturally sweetened with applesauce + a little maple syrup, rocking a cup of grated zucchini, and studded with chocolate chips, these healthy muffins make for the perfect on-the-go breakfast and tasty snack.

Zucchini oatmeal muffins in a basket with a striped napkin. There are ingredients scattered around the basket on the table.

If there is one thing I know about you guys, it is that you *love* a good veggie-loaded muffin recipe from your girl here. My Oatmeal Green Smoothie Muffins send many of you (especially those of you with kiddos protesting all thing green) into giddy tale spin. And I have joked with my husband that one day, my tombstone will read “Here lies Taesha. Wife, Mother, Friend, and Green Smoothie Muffin Maker.”

All joking aside, a good veggie-loaded, healthy muffin recipe can be a total game changer for someone. Why? Because muffins are easy to make, are perfectly portioned out and are kind of the best thing ever for breakfasts or easy snacks. And the fact that they can be a vessel for getting more veggies into your life and body is just frosting on the muffin!

And now I am adding a new veggie-loaded muffin recipe to the mix with these *amazing* Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins.

These Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins are super easy and super fast to make! Made extra hearty with oats, these muffins are naturally sweetened with applesauce and honey or maple syrup. Making a nice big batch of 12 muffins, they are perfect for adding to your meal prep line-up so that breakfasts and snacks are grab-and-go. And they freeze like a dream! Naturally nut-free and gluten free when you use certified gluten free oats, these muffins can also easily be made dairy-free with your favorite plant based milk.

Love these muffins? Be sure to check out our One-Bowl Healthy Oatmeal Carrot Muffins next!

Ingredients for zucchini oatmeal muffins in bowls on a table before being mixed together.

How to make these muffins: step-by-step visual

A zucchini half grated on a cutting board with a box grated and pile of grated zucchini.
Grate zucchini and loosely pack when measuring.
Grated zucchini in the middle of a white tea towel.
Place grated, measured zucchini in the middle of a clean cloth or several paper towels.
A person squeezing out the grated zucchini in the towel over a glass bowl.
Squeeze out as much moisture as you can.
Grated zucchini in a glass bowl with the wet ingredients for oatmeal zucchini muffins.
Place drained zucchini in a medium bowl. Add applesauce, milk, maple syrup, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
Wet ingredients for zucchini oatmeal muffins in a bowl, mixed together.
Whisk together. Set aside for a moment.
Dry ingredients for zucchini oatmeal muffins in a blender, before being pulverized into a flour
Pour oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into your blender. Pulse until very finely ground and the oats resemble a fine flour.
Wet ingredients and dry ingredients for zucchini oatmeal muffins in a bowl before being mixed together.
Once oat mixture is finely ground, pour it into the bowl with the zucchini and wet ingredients.
The batter for zucchini oatmeal muffins in a glass bowl.
Stir with a spatula to combine into a batter.
Chocolate chips sitting on top of the batter for zucchini oatmeal muffins.
Add chocolate chips to the batter and fold them in.
The batter for zucchini oatmeal muffins being portioned out into a lined muffin tin.
Portion the batter out between the 12 lined muffin tin holes.
Zucchini oatmeal muffins in a muffin tin before being baked.
Top with extra chocolate chips, if desired. Bake in a 350℉ oven for 20-22 minutes.

How can I substitute applesauce in baking, like in these muffins?

Applesauce offers a lot to a baking recipe, such as natural sweetness and moisture. When swapping out applesauce in baking, my first go-to is mashed banana. I find that I can swap them out one-for-one in a sweet baking recipe with consistent success. And I often do it when making these Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins!

How should I store these zucchini muffins?

Like with any baked good, be sure to let these muffins cool on your counter completely before storing.

After they are cool, transfer the muffins to an air-tight container. You can leave them at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, I suggest storing them in the fridge or freezer to prevent molding and to keep them as fresh as possible for days to come. They also freeze beautifully and make for a great breakfast or snack to stock up on!

Zucchini oatmeal muffins on a white table. One is on its side and one has had the liner peeled off. There is a basket with more muffins and ingredients for the muffins scattered around the table.

Suggested Adaptations

  • Make them with carrot instead of zucchini. No zucchini in the garden or fridge? Just swap it out for shredded carrot…or even summer squash!
  • Use summer squash instead of zucchini. Many people don’t know you can swap zucchini and yellow summer squash in most recipes!
  • Reduce the sugar and skip the chocolate chips. Everyone prefers a different level of sweetness. If you are looking to minimize the sugar in these zucchini muffins, simply omit the chocolate chips.
  • Replace the chocolate chips with raisins. It is all a matter of preference.
  • Replace the applesauce with 2 medium ripe mashed bananas. No applesauce on hand or just love bananas? Go ahead and make the switch!

Tips and tricks

  • Let them cool completely. If you want to dive right in and enjoy a Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Muffin warm (because that is kinda the best thing ever), go for it. But don’t freak out if they stick to the papers a little or are slightly soft in the middle. Both are normal and as the muffins cool, both issues will resolve.
  • Blend the oats into oat flour first. If you are not using a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, consider blending the oats into a flour first. Why? Because this will help you to break down the oats easier and give your muffins a better texture.
  • Don’t skip on squeezing out the zucchini. Zucchini naturally has a lot of water. Squeezing out some of the zucchini’s natural moisture is essential so that these oatmeal muffins come out perfectly moist instead of mushy. Be sure to measure your loosely packed zucchini prior to squeezing out the moisture.
  • Bake them until they have an internal temperature of 200℉. Every oven bakes a little different and often cooks higher or lower than you might realize. You can use a kitchen thermometer to make sure your muffins are baked through without over baking.
  • Let your muffins cool for 15 minutes before enjoying. Baked goods firm up as they cool and will release muffin tin liners easier.

Other veggie-loaded muffin recipes you’ll love…

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A zucchini oatmeal muffin broken open to show its texture.
4.97 from 27 votes

Wholesome Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Taesha Butler
These Chocolate Chip Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins are so easy to throw, bake up in 20 minutes, and are beyond delicious. Made from blended oats, naturally sweetened with applesauce + a little maple syrup, rocking a cup of grated zucchini, and studded with chocolate chips, these healthy muffins make for the perfect one-the-go breakfast and tasty snack.
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup grated zucchini, loosely packed, (squeeze out moisture after measuring)
  • ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce, you can sub very ripe banana
  • ¼ cup milk of choice
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup, or honey*
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup avocado oil, or melted coconut oil
  • ½ Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups rolled oats, if gluten free is important, make sure the oats are certified gluten free
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon baking baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup chocolate chips , +extra for topping

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 12-hole muffin tin with liners.
  • Take the measured, loosely packed grated zucchini and place it in the middle of a clean dish towel or large paper towel. Wrap the zucchini in the towel and squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can.
  • Place drained zucchini in a medium bowl. Add applesauce, milk, maple syrup, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Set aside
  • Pour oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into your blender. Pulse until very finely ground and the oats resemble a fine flour. I find running my blender for 10-15 seconds, stopping and shaking my blender a bit and running it again helps to ensure that the oats are evenly pulverized.
  •  Once oat mixture is finely ground, pour it into the bowl with the zucchini and wet ingredients. Stir with a spatula to combine into a batter.
  • Add chocolate chips to the batter and fold them in.
  • Portion the batter out between the 12 lined muffin tin holes. Sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of the muffins if desired.
  • Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comesout clean.
    TIP: If you have a food thermometer, bake until the muffins have aninternal temperature of 200℉. This will ensure your muffins are baked throughbut not over baked
  • Let your muffins cool for 15 minutes before enjoying. Baked goods firm up as they cool and will release muffin tin liners easier.
    If saving for later, allow the muffins to cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container. Store in fridge for 4-5 days or in freezer for up to a month.

Notes

*If making muffins for a child under age 1, use maple syrup instead of honey. 
Calories: 180kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0.02g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 160mg, Potassium: 125mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 87IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 30mg, Iron: 1mg