20-Minute Veggie-Loaded Pizza Muffins
These savory Veggie-Loaded Pizza Muffins are easy to make at home in a muffin tin, quick to reheat, and a healthy idea for kids lunch boxes! The pizza muffins are made with white whole wheat flour, and packed with spinach, grated carrots and zucchini for a boost of vegetables in every bite!
Oh yes, you heard me right. Veggie-Loaded Pizza Muffins! You can pick your jaw up off the floor and continue reading. You all know I can’t help but add veggies to a healthy homemade muffins….and this time we have gone pizza!
I don’t know what it looks like in your neck of the woods, but here in Vermont, we are in full on back-to-school season right now.
The supply lists for the teachers are on the fridge (waiting to be purchased), the new backpack has been ordered, last summer must-dos are being squeezed in, and I am getting back to thinking about lunch boxes.
Does packing lunch boxes stress you out, too? Oh good, I’m not alone!
It is not that packing a lunch box is HARD in action, but figuring out what healthy + nourishing foods my kid’s-every-changing-taste-preference will work in her lunch box is a bit of a head scratcher.
Inspired by my Savory Vegetable Muffins , these Veggie-Loaded Pizza Muffins are the perfect veggie-loaded thing to stick in those back-to-school lunch boxes for your kid OR yourself. They are kid friendly, for sure….but adults love that pizza flavor just as much as any kid and grown ups need their veggies, too!
I love that these pizza muffins are easy to make, adaptable, loaded with 3 different vegetables, and cook up in about 20 minutes. Plus, they are perfect during meal prep or to stock up in the freezer. As a mom and former teacher, I know how important it is to have nourishing lunch box options that kiddos will actually eat + are easy to grab, and these pizza muffins as exactly that when you make them ahead of time! Make some today, dazzle your family’s tastebuds all week, and make adding a few veggies to lunches (or snacks) a little easier!
How to make these muffins
Veggies can vary in moisture levels depending on when they were harvested or how fresh they are. This step will help ensure your muffins don’t come out too wet.
Did you make these muffins—and now have leftover spinach you don’t want to go to waste? Check out How to Store Spinach (and keep it fresh all week long).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a different flour?
I prefer to use white whole wheat flour for this recipe because it has a more mild taste than traditional whole wheat flour. However, regular whole wheat flour will work well in this recipe, too. You can also use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour or make the recipe entirely with all-purpose flour.
Can I make these gluten free?
Yes, use a cup-for-cup style gluten free flour blend in place of the whole wheat flour.
Can these pizza muffins be made egg-free?
I have not tested an egg-free version of this recipe. However, in muffins, a flax “egg” or other liquid egg replacer works well.
How can I make these vegetable muffins dairy-free?
You can use a dairy-free shredded mozzarella cheese or choose to leave out the cheese completely. If you omit the cheese, add an additional ¼ tsp of salt to the recipe so they are well seasoned.
Veggie-Loading Tip: I like to shred the carrots and zucchini myself on a box grater so I can control how fine of a grate I want to use, but you can also buy shredded carrots from the store or use your food processor to quickly shred the veggies.
Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!
Suggested Adaptations
- Use different veggies. The vegetables in this recipe are very flexible. You can easily switch them out for whatever you have on hand. Don’t have zucchini? Add extra carrot instead. Have some broccoli or cauliflower that needs to be used up? Finely chop it and toss in 1/2 cup instead of the spinach!
- Add extra toppings. Anything you like on pizza would work well in these muffins. Finely diced bell peppers, chopped broccoli, or some sliced olives on top would work well on these pizza muffins.
- Make them vegetarian by omitting the pepperoni.
- Make them dairy-free by skipping the cheese. I do suggest adding a little extra salt to keep them flavorful!
Veggie-Loading Tip: Save time and use your food processor with the “S” blade to finely chop the spinach for these pizza muffins!
Other veggie-loaded muffin recipes to add to those lunch boxes
- Healthy Lunch Box Muffins (gluten free)
- Veggie-Loaded Chocolate Protein Muffins
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
- Healthy Zucchini Lemon Muffins
- Cinnamon Zucchini Banana Muffins
- Butternut Squash Banana Blender Muffins
Loving these pizza muffins and now you’re hungry for more?
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Recipe testing and development done in collaboration with Heather Staller.
20-Minute Veggie-Loaded Pizza Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated carrots
- ½ cup grated zucchini
- 1 cup packed baby spinach, finely chopped
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup olive or avocado oil
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning, or dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/3 cup chopped pepperoni, optional + extra for topping if desired
Equipment
- Muffin tin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
- Place grated carrot and zucchini in a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and squeeze out as much moisture as you can.Veggies can vary in moisture levels depending on when they were harvested or how fresh they are. This step will help ensure your muffins don't come out too wet.
- To a large bowl, add carrot, zucchini, chopped spinach, egg, oil, milk, and tomato paste. Whisk to combine. Mix in garlic powder, dried oregano, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add flour and mix in with a large spoon or rubber spatula. Mix in 3/4 cup of shredded mozzarella and most of the pepperoni, leaving some to decorate the top of the muffins.
- Evenly divide the muffin batter between the muffin tins. Top each muffin with a sprinkle of the remaining ½ cup of cheese and a few pieces of pepperoni, if using.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 18 to 20 minutes.Tip: Every oven cooks a little differently…and often not always true to temperature. To know if your muffin is perfectly baked, use a kitchen thermometer make sure it has an internal temperature of 200℉. This will ensure that your muffin is cooked through but not over baked.
- Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooking rack to cool completely. Store muffins in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month.
These were so good! I brought them to a picnic and my friends loved them. I did all zucchini for the veggies because we’re buried in zucchini over here but I’ll try it with a mix of veggies next time!
I am so glad they were such a success! And I love how adaptable the recipe is!
We loved these muffins! They are prefect for lunch boxes and snacks. My kids get that pizza flavor they crave PLUS lots of veggies and whole grains.
Mine came out a bit dry. We’re having them with a side of tomato sauce. I think I’ll add more zuchini next time?
Hmmm. Sorry to hear that, Theresa. I haven’t had that issue at all with these. Did you swap any ingredients? The extra zucchini would certainly add more moisture!
The whole family loved them.
That s awesome! I love when a veggie-loaded recipe is loved by the whole household!
Wonderful recipe!! My 3 year old and I loved it! These were delicious and great leftovers especially when zapped in the microwave. I added chopped up pepperoni into the muffin mix and toped with some black olives for a more pizza feel. Definitely going to make again and again.
I swapped the carrots for zucchini and used kale instead of spinach because that’s what was in the fridge. I also accidentally mixed all of the cheese in. They still turned out great! You know a recipe is a keeper when you can improvise and make mistakes and still end up with som thing delicious.
I am so glad they worked out, Amy! And I agree, the more forgiving a recipe is…the more I love it!
To replace eggs can I use bananas or applesauce successfully? Don want to use flax..
I would not use bananas or applesauce in these since they are a savory muffin. Maybe pumpkin or chia “eggs”
Been wanting to make these for a while now, and now I wish I’d made them sooner! These are a great savory snack or quick lunch for the kiddos!
So glad you loved them! I always appreciate you taking the time to leave a review on recipes you’ve tried!
Can you use almond flour or a different flour to make them more keto friendly?
I have honestly never tried. I have Paleo muffin recipes with almond flour, but I often use tapioca flour in combination with the almond and I think that has too many carbs to be considered keto…
These muffins are so amazing anytime but are a favorite for on the go! Beach cooler, camp lunch, school lunch, or road trip… these are a family crowd pleaser and everyone can pick their toppings if you need an activity sometime too!
Yes! They are so good for all the things! So glad you enjoyed them as much as we do, Jess.
I have King Arthur’s 100% Whole Grain Whole Wheat Flour. Will this work? Or do I need the white whole wheat flour?
Do you have any APF? If so, you can make your own white whole wheat flour by mixing half APF with half whole wheat. So, for this recipe, you would do 3/4 cup each.
Wondering if you would get similar results with the veggies blended into the batter?
If you blended the veggies with the wet ingredients and then stir that in with the dry ingredients, it should work!
Will this recipe work with flax eggs?
I have not tested an egg-free version of this recipe. However, in muffins, a flax egg or other liquid egg replacer works well and think it would probably work in this one too.
Ok thank you anyways! I’ll give it a go maybe with a half batch 🙂
Loved by myself and my 16 month old. Thanks for writing!
So glad and so happy to hear they were enjoyed!
These are a delightful find! Made them last night and just heated up two for lunch. I used 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat, used additional zucchini for the carrot portion, and added in chopped green olives to the batter. Great savory muffin!
So glad you enjoyed these as much as we do!