Easy Banana Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips made with simple ingredients make a delicious after school snack, quick breakfast, or addition to packed lunches!
I don't know about you, but when July and August roll around my friends with big gardens start begging me to take zucchini off their hands, lol. And what better way to use up a bunch of zucchinis than to make muffins?!
What sets this recipe apart from other zucchini muffin recipes is that it's made with mashed ripe banana for natural sweetness and moisture as well as a mixture of whole grain flours to give it a nice texture and even more fiber.
In fact, these are sort of like banana bread muffins made with zucchini, if that makes sense (you really can't taste the zucchini-trust me;).
And, as for the chocolate chips - if you ask my kids, they are a make it or break if for muffins made with zucchini and bananas (just keeping it real😆)!
If your kids love chocolate chips as much as mine do, you've got to make my energy bites, vegan blondies, and chocolate chip cookie bar recipes. Your kids will love them all!
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Why This Recipe is so Great
These muffins make an excellent snack or delicious addition to school lunches or even breakfast!
- Kid-tested, Parent-approved I have yet to meet a kid that doesn't love a muffin, especially when they are made with chocolate chips. This recipe meets both criteria while not overdoing it on added sugar. So, it's a win-win for both parents and kids!
- Easy recipe One bowl means less mess!
- Contains fiber These muffins are made with whole grain flour, banana, and zucchini which will help your kids meet their daily fiber requirements.
- Easily doubled You can make them for a crowd or to freeze for later.
Ingredient Notes
- Zucchini Contains fiber, vitamins (like vitamin C, vitamin B-6, and folate), and minerals (like potassium and manganese).
- Bananas Bananas are full of fiber and potassium. They also serve as a fabulous sweetener, especially over-ripe bananas.
- Flour White whole wheat flour and oat flour are used to provide the perfect consistency and flavor. Both are made from whole grains, which means they are excellent sources of fiber. White whole wheat flour is unbleached. It has the same nutritional value as whole wheat flour, but because of the variety of wheat used to make it, white whole wheat flour has a milder flavor, a lighter color, and a softer texture.
- Milk Contains protein, calcium, and vitamin D. I use skim or 2% milk.
- Olive oil I use extra virgin olive oil. If you like the flavor of coconut in muffins, use coconut oil.
- Egg Good source of protein. Eggs also provide structure to the muffins.
- Sugar Included for structure and flavor. I use organic cane sugar (it's tan in color), and I'm sure brown sugar would work just as well.
- Baking soda and baking powder Added for leavening.
- Salt Used for flavor and to help activate the baking soda. Do not leave out the salt.
- Chocolate chips Because you can't have a chocolate chip muffin without chocolate chips! And, well, kids love chocolate chip everything!
How to Make Banana Zucchini Muffins
Here's a quick overview of the steps to make these easy and delicious muffins. For the full list of ingredient and instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
- Preheat oven and either grease or line the muffin tins to keep the muffins from sticking.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas. Add the cup of shredded zucchini to the mashed ripe banana and continue to mash.
- Add liquid ingredients and mix well. Add all other ingredients except chocolate chips and mix just until all dry ingredients are incorporated. Finally, add chocolate chips and gently stir in.
- Evenly distribute batter in the lined or greased muffin tin.
- Bake and enjoy!
Dietitian Tips
Tip 1 Muffins are an easy and delicious way to help your kids eat more whole grains, fruit AND veggies, especially on busy mornings!
Tip 2 While these muffins do contain fiber (and a fruit and veggie😉), they are not high in protein. For this reason, I either serve them with an egg muffin, glass of milk, or yogurt to help balance out the meal or snack.
Expert Tips
- Do not overmix the batter.
- This recipe calls for just enough chocolate chips to give the taste kids love but not so much that they are overly sweet.
- Use either use a fork or a kitchen utensil like a hand-held meat or potato masher to mash the over-ripe bananas. It's easy!
- Shred the zucchini as you would shred a block of cheese. I use a box grater. A food processor or mandolin would work as well. Just be sure to wash the zucchini and trim both ends off first
- If using freshly grated zucchini, you do not need to ring it out first.
Questions You May Have
While I haven't tried it myself, this recipe should work if you replace all of the flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour substitute.
White whole wheat flour can be substituted with All-Purpose flour. Making this substitution will reduce the fiber content of the muffins. You can use whole wheat flour instead but the muffins will be more dense.
Either make your own oat flour (from rolled oats, using a high speed blender) or you can use all-purpose or additional white whole wheat flour in place of the oat flour. A combination of white whole wheat flour and oat flour are used in order to optimize the texture of these muffins.
Oat flour softens these muffins that would otherwise be a little denser if made with white whole wheat flour alone.
While I haven't tried it, you should be able to substitute milk with water or a dairy-free milk alternative. The consistency will be a little different, but it should still work.
If you make these muffins dairy-free, please let me know how they turn out!
Related Recipes
- Banana Zucchini Muffins with Chocolate Chips
- Carrot Muffins with Banana and Raisins
- Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Dairy free Banana Bread
- Banana Milkshake
More Snack Recipes That Kids Love
Did your kids love these muffins? Be sure to comment below to share your feedback. A 5-star rating is the biggest compliment!
Don't forget to snap a pic and tag @carrots.and.cookies on Instagram. Enjoy!
Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Equipment
- 1 Muffin tin 12 muffins
- 1 Box Grater to grate zucchini
- 1 Food masher To mash the bananas
Ingredients
- 2 small over-ripe bananas
- 1 cup zucchini grated
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ¾ cup oat flour
- ¾ cup milk I use skim milk
- ¼ cup olive oil* extra virgin
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ¼ cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Place the bananas in the bottom of a large mixing bowl and mash.2 small over-ripe bananas
- Add the grated zucchini to the banana and mix well.1 cup zucchini
- Add all other ingredients (except chocolate chips) to the mixing bowl. Mix just until all of the dry ingredients are combined.1 cup white whole wheat flour, ¾ cup oat flour, ¾ cup milk, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ⅓ cup sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup olive oil*
- Gently stir in the chocolate chips.¼ cup chocolate chips
- Divide batter evenly into a lined muffin tin (12 muffins).
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Nutrition information is an estimate and can vary depending on actual ingredients used.
- Please refer back to the recipe post for pictures on how to make these banana zucchini muffins.
- Do not overmix the batter. The batter should still be lumpy.
- I use extra virgin olive oil but use what you have!
- Use either use a fork or a kitchen utensil like a hand-held meat or potato masher to mash the over-ripe bananas. It's easy!
- For this recipe, simply grate the zucchini as you would grate a block of cheese. I use a box grater. A food processor or mandolin would work as well. Just be sure to wash the zucchini and trim both ends off first.
Sue
My kids love these!!
Kristi
I'm so glad!
Andrea
Really good, easy to make, I used half coconut oil and half olive oil, honey instead of sugar and I did not have oat flour so I used spelt flour. Great way to use up my banana stash and those ever present zucchini .
Kristi
Thank you for sharing! I'm so glad you enjoyed them!