Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

It's Zucchini Season, and that calls for Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins on repeat! These delightful treats are loaded with shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, topped with a crunchy walnut streusel. Infused with vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, they make for a delicious treat perfect for any occasion. Get ready to savor the goodness of zucchini and enjoy a delightful blend of flavors and textures in every bite!

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Gluten Free Flour: I have tested this recipe for gluten-free zucchini muffins with my own gluten-free flour blend and Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1. Both flour blends produced a tender, moist crumb, and exceptional flavor. I am not saying other brands will not work in this recipe. I just have not tested them in this application. All blends mentioned do contain xanthan gum. If you use a blend without xanthan gum, please add ½ teaspoon.

Zucchini: When it comes to choosing zucchini to make gluten-free zucchini muffins, using smaller zucchini is better. Smaller zucchinis have more moisture and sweetness while supersized zucchinis can be dry and bitter. Definitely, not something you will want in your zucchini bread muffins.

Apple Sauce: It's no secret that unsweetened apple sauce can be used to replace parts of the fat used in baked goods. Make sure to use unsweetened apple sauce without any added flavorings.

Walnuts: I love adding some walnuts to the streusel topping for a little extra crunch. Walnuts aren't your thing feel free to replace them with pecans or almonds. If nut allergies are a concern, you can omit them.

Equipment needed for this recipe

My gluten free zucchini muffins recipe is straightforward to make and doesn’t require any fancy equipment. You will need a box grater to grate the zucchini (you may also use your food processor), a large bowl to mix the zucchini muffin batter, a small bowl for the dry ingredients, a whisk, a rubber spatula, and of course a muffin pan and muffin liners. I also like to use a cookie scoop to divide the muffin batter.

Can you freeze zucchini and then use for baking?

If you have a zucchini plant in your garden you most likely will have an abundance of zucchini to use up. You can either bake a lot of zucchini-filled baked goods (like these gluten free zucchini muffins, lemon zucchini bread or chocolate zucchini cake) or just freeze it for future use.

Grate the Zucchini: Start by grating the zucchini using a box grater or a food processor with a grating attachment. You can leave the skin on, as it adds color and nutrients to your recipes. If you prefer, you can remove the seeds from larger zucchinis before grating to avoid excessive moisture.

Drain the Zucchini: Place the grated zucchini in a colander or sieve and sprinkle a little salt over it. The salt will help draw out excess moisture from the zucchini. Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes.

Squeeze out Excess Moisture: After letting the zucchini sit, use your hands to gently squeeze and press the grated zucchini, removing as much liquid as possible. You can also use a clean kitchen towel or paper towels to blot the zucchini dry.

Portion the Zucchini: Divide the grated zucchini into portion sizes suitable for your recipes. You can separate them into individual servings or measure them based on your usual baking requirements.

Pack in Airtight Containers: Place the grated zucchini into airtight freezer-safe containers or freezer bags. Squeeze out as much air as possible from the bags before sealing them to prevent freezer burn.

Label and Date: Label each container or bag with the date and contents, so you can easily identify them later.

Freeze: Place the containers or bags of grated zucchini in the freezer. Lay them flat to save space and allow for easier thawing.

Now, whenever you need grated zucchini for your baking, simply take out the desired amount from the freezer. There's no need to thaw it beforehand; you can add the frozen grated zucchini directly to your recipes. The zucchini will release some moisture during the baking process, which can be beneficial for certain recipes. Enjoy the convenience of using frozen grated zucchini in your baked goods!

Walnut Streusel Topping

A basic streusel topping is just made of brown sugar, flour, and butter. Sometimes you see streusel toppings with added oats and nuts. It can be used on cakes like my gluten-free blueberry buckle, and sprinkle it of course on top of muffins.

This gluten-free streusel can be made in one large bowl. Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, gluten free multi purpose flour, chopped walnuts, kosher salt, cinnamon) with a fork or your hands work in room temperature butter until it resembles crumbles. Make sure your butter is not too soft. It should not appear greasy. Store the crumble in the fridge until you are ready to use it. You can also make a bigger batch and freeze it.

How to make Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

Step 1: Start by making the Walnut Streusel. Combine dry ingredients and raw walnuts in a small bowl, add the cold, small cut butter, and with a fork or your hands crumble together until it resembles a streusel topping. Store in the fridge or freezer until ready to use

Step 2: Line your muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and set aside. Sometimes the liners are called Muffin Cups or Cupcake liners.

Step 3: Sift together gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl and set aside.

Step 4: Shred and measure out the zucchini and squeeze all the excess moisture. You will need 225 grams of shredded and squeezed zucchini (so make sure to measure it AFTER squeezing it)

Step 5: In a large mixing bowl combine both sugars, unsweetened apple sauce, vanilla extract, and vegetable oil and whisk together until the sugars are fully dissolved.

Step 6: Incorporate the large eggs and whisk until combined. Then add the dry ingredients to your wet ingredients and mix with a spatula until fully combined. While we don’t have to worry about building gluten, try not to overmix your batter. Stir in the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips, if using.

Step 7: Using a large cookie scoop (like this #20 scoop) equally divide the gluten free zucchini muffin batter between the muffin liners. Make sure to fill them almost to the rim.

Step 8: Top each muffin with some walnut streusel. Press the streusel on top of the muffins to ensure it sticks to them.

Step 9: Place the gluten-free muffins in the fridge while your oven preheats to 425F. Allowing the batter to rest, even if it’s just 15-30 minutes will help hydrate the flour which builds a better crumb. Also – cold muffin batter will rise higher!

Step 10: Bake the zucchini muffins at 425F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F without opening the oven door. Bake the muffins until they are golden brown, around 18-22 minutes. The muffins are done when until they are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Make sure not to overbake them. That will cause them to dry out. Baking times depend on how many muffins you divided the batter into and your oven. Smaller Muffins bake faster while larger muffins clearly take longer to bake.

Step 11: Allow the gluten-free zucchini muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes in the muffin pan before transferring them to a wire rack/cooling rack. I use a spoon or a butter knife to remove them from the muffin pan. There will be some "loose streusel" - it makes a fabulous snack.

Storage & Freezing

Store the gluten-free zucchini muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. These muffins are best eaten on the day or the day after they were baked.

To freeze the gluten-free muffins, place them on a sheet tray and pop them in the freezer for 30-45 minutes or until they are solid. Once frozen transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, allow for them to thaw at room temperature or nuke in the microwave for 15-30 seconds.

FAQ - Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

Note about Salt in my Recipes

I use Diamond Kosher Crystal Salt in all of my recipes unless otherwise stated. If use use a different brand or kind of salt in your kitchen please adjust accordingly since some salts can be saltier. If you use Morton’s Kosher Salt please be aware that their salt granules are smaller in size, denser, and crunchier and twice as salty.

Baking in grams

I share my recipes in grams and by weight since baking by weight is the most accurate way to bake. Digital Scales are very affordable and easy to use. You can purchase them on Amazon for less than a set of measuring cups. For small amounts under 10 grams, I like to use this Precision Pocket Scale. Measuring cups are very inaccurate which can cause significant errors when it comes to gluten-free baking or baking in general. Especially since I bake with gluten-free flours which weigh differently than “regular” flours. I do provide some ingredients like spices and leavening agents in measuring spoons. To learn more about Baking with a digital scale, make sure to check out my post about Baking by weight.

Note about Ovens and Oven Temperatures

All my recipes are tested and developed with a conventional oven. I always bake my baked goods on the rack placed in the MIDDLE of my oven. This way the heat coming from the bottom will not burn my baked goods.

If you are baking with convection (fan-forced), please adjust the recipes accordingly. Convection oven can cause baked goods to dry out quickly and still be raw inside. Since takes at least 15-20 minutes for a standard American Oven to be fully preheated. I highly recommend investing in an Oven Thermometer.

Substitutions and Modifications

Any dietary or ingredient modifications/substitutions to this recipe may alter the end result in appearance and taste. I test my recipes several times as published in this post and The Gluten Free Austrian Blog is not responsible for the outcome of any recipe you find on our website.