These healthy vegan muffins are packed with zucchini, carrot, flax, apple sauce, and oats, yet they taste like a cupcake so your whole family will happily eat them! Bake up a batch today and have a perfect grab and go breakfast for the rest of the week!
Eat these healthy vegan muffins for breakfast every morning with no guilt. Let your kids have seconds and know that they are just getting another serving of veggies! Make a big batch to take on trips or just keep them in the fridge or freezer for a quick breakfast or snack.
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- These muffins are packed with veggies, flax seeds, apple sauce, and whole oats!
- It can easily be made gluten-free.
- They're simply delicious and even picky eaters love them!
I came up with this recipe in my never-ending quest to find quick and easy, vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free things that my family will eat for breakfast. (This seems like an impossible task on many days).
Everyone in my house loves carrot cake and zucchini bread, so I thought that I would just combine my recipes for those two things and make it a little healthier by reducing the sugar a little and adding some oatmeal, flax, and raisins for more fiber. To my surprise, they came out great, and they’ve become a staple in our house!
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Flax Meal - this is mixed with water and used as an egg replacement. You can swap out any other vegan egg that is equal to 2 eggs.
- Zucchini - you will need 1 medium zucchini equaling 2 cups when shredded.
- Carrots- you will need about 1 large carrot equaling 1 cup when shredded.
- Vegan Sugar - to make the muffins taste good. You can cut the sugar in half if you want it less sweet or you can swap it out for another sweetener if you choose. (I find that I need 1 cup of sugar in this recipe to make my husband and kids happily eat them.) Use organic sugar to be sure it's vegan.
- Oil - to make them moist. You can use any neutral flavored oil that you like or you can swap the oil out with an additional 1/2 cup of apple sauce.
- Apple Sauce - to provide moisture and help them bind together. You can swap this out for mashed banana instead if you wish.
- Vanilla Extract - for flavor.
- Flour - I have made these with just about every type of flour and it has come out well every time. You can use regular wheat flour, whole wheat flour, or any grain-based gluten-free flour. (I don't recommend almond flour or other grain-free flour).
- Oats - to add more nutrition and texture to the muffins. I use whole oats, but you can use quick oat or gluten-free oats if needed.
- Baking Soda - to help the muffins rise.
- Cinnamon - for flavor. You can also use pumpkin pie spice for a nice flavor.
- Salt - for flavor.
🥄 How to make healthy vegan muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Mix 1/3 cup flax and 1/2 cup water together and set aside. (This is your egg replacer.)
- Wash the zucchini, cut off the stem and hard spot on the end, then put into a food processor and chop until fine (or shred with a cheese grater if you don't have a food processor).
- Wash and peel carrots then chop fine in a food processor or shred with a cheese grater.
- Combine the 2 cups of zucchini, 1 cup of carrots in a bowl, and sprinkle with sugar (this will make the zucchini and carrots release some of their liquid.)
- Add the flax mixture, 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup apple sauce, and 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and stir well.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients (2 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup oats, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon) and stir until all of the flour is incorporated.
- Sprinkle in 1/2 cup of raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts if desired.
- Pour into oiled muffin tins and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Top with a small dollop of vegan buttercream or vegan cream cheese frosting if desired.
- You can also top them with vegan crumble topping before baking for a delicious sweet crunchy top.
🌟 Muffin tins
I like to use mini muffin tins for the kids. It makes the perfect size for little snacks! Since my husband also likes to grab one to eat in the car on his way to work, so I make 1/2 of the batch into regular-sized muffins and 1/2 into the mini ones. The mini muffins cook a little faster, so be sure to keep an eye on them and only cook them for about 22 minutes instead of the full 25 minutes.
🍞 Gluten-free instructions
These muffins can be made with regular white flour, whole wheat flour, or gluten-free flour. They come out well with most types. I have found that when I use the gluten-free flour mixes, my muffins and cakes come out better with the mixes that don't have sorghum flour in them. The mixes with sorghum work great for cookies and bread, but for some reason, when I use these mixes with cakes, cupcakes, or muffins, they have a chewy consistency. The basic rice flour mixes from Trader Joe's or this one from Betty Crocker work the best for this recipe.
Note: If you are using a gluten-free flour mix that does not contain xanthan gum, add 1 tsp of xanthan gum to the dry ingredients.
🥕 How to make the muffins healthier
If you are looking for an even healthier muffin, you can replace all of the oil with applesauce and reduce the sugar.
I have played around with the oil and sugar, and I have found that the proportions that I have listed in the recipe above are the ones that make these muffins taste sweet enough that my kids still love them. If you want a little extra sweetness or you want to encourage your kids to try them, put a little dollop of frosting on them!
🥡 Storing and freezing
Since these muffins are very moist, I would keep them in the fridge if you are not going to eat them in the first 24 hours. They will keep well in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
🥞 More breakfast ideas
- Veggie Tofu Scramble
- Savory Vegan Muffins
- Vegan Breakfast Sandwiches
- Vegan Raspberry Muffins
- Easy Chia Seed Pudding
- Make-Ahead Smoothies
- Make-Ahead Freezer Vegan Breakfast Burritos
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
Healthy Vegan Muffins
Ingredients
Egg Replacer:
- 1/3 cup milled flax seed
- ½ cup water
Wet Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup apple sauce
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 cup sugar or coconut sugar or Sucanat
- 2 ¼ cup flour (If you need it to be gluten-free, I have tested this with most brands of GF flour and they all worked well as long as they were grain-based mixes. I don't recommend grain-free mixes.)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum ( If you are using gluten-free flour mix without it - Don't add if using regular flour.)
- ½ cup raisins (or chocolate chips or nuts)
- spray oil to coat muffin tins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Mix 1/3 cup flax and 1/2 cup water together and set aside. (This is your egg replacer.)
- Wash the zucchini, cut off the stem and hard spot on the end, then put into a food processor and chop until fine (or shred with a cheese grater if you don't have a food processor).
- Wash and peel carrots then chop fine in a food processor or shred with a cheese grater.
- Combine the 2 cups zucchini, 1 cup carrots in a bowl, and sprinkle with sugar (this will make the zucchini and carrots release some of their liquid.)
- Add the flax mixture, 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup apple sauce, and 1 tbsp vanilla extract, and stir well.
- Add the remaining dry ingredients (2 1/4 cup flour, 1 cup oats, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon) and stir until all of the flour is incorporated.
- (Sprinkle in 1/2 cup raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts if desired.)
- Pour into oiled muffin tins and bake at 350°F (177°C) for 25 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Top with a small dollop of vegan buttercream or vegan cream cheese frosting if desired.
Notes
- Little muffin tins are the perfect size for kids.
- If using little muffin tins, reduce cooking time by 2-3 minutes.
- Top these muffins with a little vegan buttercream frosting or use some vegan crumble topping before baking to make it more of a treat!
Nutrition
*This was originally posted on 6/26/2017. It was updated on 9/5/20 to include new images and more detailed instructions.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
This recipe has exactly what I always look for...veggie-packed, oats and ways to reduce white sugar and oils. I made them with just a small amount of grated ginger and they turned out incredible. I also appreciate that the recipe is for 24 muffins. If I am going to take the time to make a batch I always like enough to freeze ahead. Thank you
I'm glad that you liked the recipe, noreen! 🙂
Hi I love the recipe. Can I use a bread pan instead of muffin tins?
I haven't tested it this way, but it should work. You will want to bake it at 350° F for about 50-60 minutes.
We LOVE this recipe. Nice job. Just baked a double batch and put half in the freezer. We can’t get enough!
I'm so happy that you guys like it, Jennifer! 🙂
Something starnge occurs when using "print" - all the amounts change.
So strange. If you click the blue word that says "metric" it will change to metric measurements, maybe you clicked that before you clicked print?
I haven't made it yet but need to know exactly how much zucchini to use since I only have two large zucchini's I am looking for a cup measurement so I don't mess up the recipe. The carrots are self explanatory, since I just grabbed a bag of carrots but everyone has a different idea on what medium zucchini look like. I really don't want to mess this up. Do you know if it's 2 cups, one cup and 1/2 or some other measurement? Thank you for your help.
Pat
Hi Pat, I'm sorry that the recipe was not more clear on this, I just updated it to show exact measurements. You will need 2 cups of shredded zucchini and 1 cup of shredded carrots. Enjoy! 🙂
they turned out great! thank you.
I'm so happy to hear that! 🙂
Can these be frozen?
Thank you!
Yes, they can. Just wrap them so air doesn't get to them and they will stay good for about 3 months in the freezer.
Hi! I made these for my 11 month old twins because my son can't have eggs and they were a hit. Can you please share your storage suggestions? Refrigerator? Counter? Can they be frozen? And for about how long? Thanks!!
Fantastic recipe!! You’d never know that it’s made without eggs. I’ve made these about 10 times and they are always a hit with my husband and 3 yo. You can’t beat how easy they are to mix together. A few times I let my 3 yo put some of the batter in her mini muffin tin and they came out great also! (the minis don’t need to cook as long)
I'm so happy that you and your family like them, Novella! 🙂
Hi, can you use almond flour instead? Thanks!
My husband will not eat anything with nuts, so I have never tried using almond flour personally. I think that I saw somewhere that someone tried it and it didn't turn out well. Maybe 1/2 and 1/2 would work?
Mine smell super good but they came out really gooey and undone in the middles. Is that a mistake I made or maybe because I put them in baking cups to help with cleanup?
The baking cups may have changed it slightly. Also, oven temperatures can vary a lot. Put a toothpick in the middle of one and make sure it comes out clean before taking them out of the oven.
This happened to me too, and they didn’t rise one bit. I hand mixed them in a bowl so I’m wondering if that changed things? I am baking them for 10 more minutes to see if that helps the gooey center
I'm not sure what happened, but usually, if they don't rise it is because your oven wasn't' hot enough. Try setting it a little hotter next time and be sure not to open the oven door when baking. I hope that the extra 10 minutes did the trick! 🙂
Is there anything I can use instead of milled flaxseed?
You can use chia seeds or Ener-G egg replacer equivalent to 2 eggs instead of the flaxseed. Enjoy! 🙂
Have you measured out the zucchini and carrots after grating? I have some frozen zucchini that's already grated, but I wouldn't know how much 2 "medium" zucchinis or carrots grated would be.
Thanks for any hints.
Yes, sorry about that, I will add that to the recipe card. It is about 2 cups of zucchini and about 3/4 cup of carrots. I don't usually measure though and they still come out well with a little more or a little less.
Hello! I really want to try this recipe, wondering if there is any way to omit the sugar? 1 cup of sugar is a bit more than I would prefer. Your tip for more applesauce and reducing sugar...how much would you reduce sugar by?
Thanks!
You can cut the sugar by 1/2 and still have them bake up nicely. You can also use a more natural sweetener like coconut sugar or maple syrup if you prefer. Hope that they work for you! 🙂
What is xantham gum for? What can I use instead?
Hi Elena, Xanthan gum is just a powder that is commonly added to gluten free baked goods to help hold it together. If you use wheat flour you won't need it and if you leave it out of the gluten free version, they may just be a little crumbly. (Many gluten free flour mixes already have it in them). Hope that helps! 🙂
Is there any suggestions for replacing the oats? We can't do oats or coconut right now. Could I leave them out completely?
Hi Dana, You can't just leave them out or it would be too wet, but you can easily swap them for more flour. Hope that you like them! 🙂
I don’t use oil . What can I use for replacement
Hi Bev. You can use applesauce instead of the oil. Enjoy!
My kids devour these and don't even realize how many veggies are in there.
They really do taste like cupcakes...but healthy....AMAZING!
Best & yummiest recipes I've seen yet from one person!! Send more please!!!!!?☀️?Happy family!
Thanks so much Bridget! I'm so happy that your family liked them as much as mine does! I'm working hard on more recipes!