Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins (gluten-free, dairy-free options) (2024)

Aug 26, 2020 · 13 Comments

These Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins are filled with shredded apple and zucchini, cinnamon, a hint of nutmeg, and topped with cinnamon sugar. If you’re ready for Fall flavors but still have plenty of zucchini, these muffins are the perfect easy breakfast to make!

Apple cinnamon is one of my personal favorite flavors.

I don’t think I used to like it as much because I didn’t like the texture of cooked apple chunks in baked goods. But now I’ve learned that I just need to either make the chunks really small or just SHRED the apple instead!

I love this recipe because you’re already shredding your zucchini in your food processor, so you might as well throw an apple in at the end too! No extra knife, cutting board or time needed.

Plus, August is the perfect zucchini and apple cinnamon flavor combo month. I still have zucchini coming out of my ears from my garden, but Fall is just around the corner and I’m ready to start baking with more spices!!

Which makes these Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins a great end of Summer breakfast with classic flavors that no one can resist.

They’re extra moist from the shredded zucchini and lightly sweetened with brown sugar and applesauce. They’re made healthy with less butter and less sugar, and I like to top them with a light cinnamon sugar topping too!

If you’ve got tons of zucchini, love apple cinnamon, and need a new simple breakfast recipe, then these are the muffins for you! 🙂

Before you bake, let’s chat about ingredients.

You can use regular all purpose flour in these muffins or a high quality gluten-free all purpose flour blend (I like King Arthur Measure for Measure and Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1) to make these muffins gluten-free.

To make these muffins dairy-free, you’ll need to use either coconut oil (or a dairy-free butter alternative) and almond milk (or another similar dairy-free milk).

These healthy muffins are made with less butter/oil and less sugar, so they’re lightly sweet. I think the cinnamon sugar topping goes a long way in helping them still be plenty sweet. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it off unless you are used to baked goods that are less sweet.

And don’t forget to pat your zucchini dry!

While you’re making these muffins, you’ll need to pat your zucchini dry prior to adding it to your muffin batter. Since each zucchini has a different amount of moisture, I recommend lightly patting it dry in case your zucchini is too wet. I put mine between two paper towels and gently push down. Then you can add your zucchini to your muffin batter.

I recommend shredding your zucchini and apple with a food processor, if you have one. It makes the whole process so quick and easy!

Last, if you would like to you can add a couple more things into your muffins. A 1/2 cup or so of walnuts or pecans would be delicious, and I think cinnamon chips (if you can find them at the store!) would also be beyond amazing.

These healthy muffins are made with less oil, less sugar, and still packed with zucchini and apple cinnamon flavor. They’re simple to make, and great for the end of Summer.

If you make these Apple Cinnamon Zucchini Muffins, take pictures and tag me in them on Instagram. Or leave me a comment on this post. It makes my day hearing feedback and seeing all of your baked goods!

And if you want more apple cinnamon flavored recipes, I’d say you should take a look at my Apple Cinnamon Waffles, Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Apple Cinnamon Bread, and Apple Cinnamon Oat Muffins.