• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Mile High Mitts logo

  • About
    • About
    • Disclosures
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Recipes

Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins (gluten-free, dairy-free)

Jan 4, 2020 · 10 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins stacked on a tray with lemons next to the tray

Healthy Oat Muffins filled with shredded zucchini and bright lemon flavor, these muffins will leave you feeling charged and ready for the day ahead!

January says the word potential, doesn’t it?

I know, there’s still a lot of people making resolutions that in a month or so will be non-existent. That’s not quite what I’m talking about.

I don’t write New Year resolutions, but I do like to think about the past year as a whole and how I can continue to learn more and better myself as a wife, mother, friend, daughter, etc…

So in January I tend to cook and bake food that feels refreshing and clean, for a good start to the year. That probably sounds weird, but, let me put it this way…

After all the junk that I ate over the Holidays, my body and brain are begging me to get back into my normal routine, which includes eating better.

Citrus flavors sound so bright and clean, I like more vegetables to make-up for the lack of them in December, and I’m back on all things gluten-free oat flour.

Thinking of all those things, I made these Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins that gave me a little happy dance in the mornings – and I’m NOT someone who happy dances.

So what’s to love about these Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins? They have:

  • A bright lemon flavor that wakes you up!
  • Shredded zucchini inside for a little extra veggie boost in your life, and to help use up that frozen zucchini buried in your freezer!
  • Oat flour so they’re filled with extra fiber and will keep you full longer.
  • No dairy or gluten!

These muffins are also pretty easy to make. The only extra steps, compared to a typical muffin recipe, is zesting a lemon and squeezing out the lemon juice, and shredding zucchini.

But these are worth the extra couple steps, and I have loved starting the new year (and new decade!) with these muffins.

two Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins on two plates, with a tray of more muffins behind

Let’s talk ingredients before you make these muffins.

First, let me give you the low down on oat flour. You have a couple options here.

You can buy (certified gluten-free) oat flour and do absolutely no work. It’s easy and you don’t have to worry about anything. I recommend this for someone who hasn’t ever baked with oat flour and/or who wants to be as quick and efficient as possible.

Or, you can make your own oat flour. Using a high powered blender, blend the oats on high for several minutes, till you have oat “flour.” It will be a little more grain-y than other flours, but shouldn’t be too thick. If it isn’t fine enough, you’ll end up with crumbly baked goods.

So, I only recommend making your own oat flour for people who have a high quality blender!

I like to do both. It just depends on the day and how busy I am. Lately, life is crazy, and I’m loving the convenience of buying oat flour. A year ago I was only making my own!

Another important thing to talk about is the shredded zucchini.

Have frozen zucchini stored away in your freezer? Me too! 🙂 Prior to making these muffins, pull your frozen zucchini out and let it thaw out in a strainer, over your sink. Then pat it dry with a paper towel or a flour sack dish towel.

Using fresh zucchini? Shred it and pat away any excess water with a couple paper towels or a flour sack dish towel.

With both methods don’t go overboard with patting the water off of the zucchini. You still want some moisture in your zucchini, to help make these Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins extra moist. Just make sure it isn’t sopping wet shredded zucchini (especially if it was frozen prior!).

Last: lemons.

Be sure to have a good tool to zest your lemons with so you can get as much zest as possible! The zest is where the flavor is really at!

And be sure to have a good lemon squeezer too, for some of that fresh lemon juice. Don’t try and use the lemon juice that you can buy out of that plastic lemon-shaped container.

P.S. I like adding walnuts to these muffins! They add a great crunch to the muffins, but they’re totally optional.

A Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffin cut in half so you can see inside, on a yellow cupcake liner and two plates

Lemon, zucchini, and oats sing together in these healthy muffins. I love starting my day with one of these muffins, and I have to say they’re delicious with a cup of tea too!

Need more healthy muffins? I got you! 😉 Check out my Orange Carrot Oat Muffins, Banana Oat Muffins, and Apple Cinnamon Oat Muffins.

5 from 1 vote
Lemon muffins on a plate
Print
Lemon Zucchini Oat Muffins (gluten-free, dairy-free)
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
17 mins
Total Time
32 mins
 
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 181 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1 3/4 cup oat flour (certified gluten-free)
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (or butter)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, lightly patted dry with paper towels
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
  1. To begin, preheat your oven to 350 and spray a muffin pan with non-stick spray. Alternatively, you can use cupcake liners.

  2. In a small mixing bowl, add your dry ingredients and stir them together (oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt).

  3. In a large mixing bowl, add your sugar, applesauce, coconut oil, lemon juice and lemon zest and whisk them together till well combined. Add your vanilla and eggs and whisk again.

  4. Pour your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients and stir together till you have one consistent muffin batter.

  5. Add your shredded zucchini (and walnuts, if using) to the batter and gently fold them in.

  6. Scoop the batter into your muffin tin, filling each cavity about 3/4 way full. Bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes, or till the tops of the muffins are springy to touch and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

  7. Let cool, then carefully remove from the muffin tray.

  8. Devour!

Recipe Notes

These muffins can last in an airtight container stored on the counter for about 2-3 days, or up to a week if stored in the fridge. You can also freeze these muffins.

All Recipes, Breakfast, Gluten-free & Dairy-free, Muffins, Spring Breakfast, Summer Breakfast

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paul Beltz says

    February 21, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    Have you tried this recipe using whole lemons? My understanding is that lemon peel and seed have a lot of nutritional value as well. Assume that you can substitute honey or maple syrup instead of sugar.

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      February 21, 2022 at 5:02 pm

      Hi Paul. I have not. I would be concerned about the pith making the muffins a little bitter. I like to compost the peels instead. You could also try substituting the 1/2 cup of sugar with 1/3 cup of honey or maple syrup instead. The muffins just may be a little less sweet. I hope this helps!

      Reply
  2. Amanda says

    September 27, 2020 at 3:49 am

    Love this recipe! Didn’t have lemons when I initially made them so added cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves with orange zest, orange and lime juice! So perfect!! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      September 28, 2020 at 1:41 am

      Great to hear, Amanda! Thank you!

      Reply
  3. Jessica says

    August 16, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    Just made these. Do you have a ballpark of the nutrition facts for carbs, fat, protein by chance?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      August 16, 2020 at 9:37 pm

      Hi Jessica. I only know the muffins should be roughly 181 calories per muffin. I hope you enjoy them!

      Reply
  4. Cari says

    July 21, 2020 at 1:19 am

    Is there a replacement for the applesauce?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      July 21, 2020 at 2:17 am

      Hi Cari. You could also use ripe mashed banana instead. The flavor would be a little different, but still delicious I think!

      Reply
  5. Amanda says

    June 4, 2020 at 2:22 am

    Any chance almond flour would work in place of the oat flour?

    Reply
    • Chelsea Green says

      June 4, 2020 at 9:25 pm

      Hi Amanda, I’m sorry but I would not recommend almond flour instead.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

ABOUT ME

Hey, I’m Chelsea! I'm a Colorado Mom baking up simple, gluten-free recipes at over a mile high above sea level. Here you'll find healthy breakfasts and snacks, decadent desserts, and fun drinks. Join me, whether you bake in the mountains or not! Read More…

Facebook
Facebook
fb-share-icon
Twitter
Visit Us
Tweet
Pinterest
Instagram

Get NEW RECIPES sent straight to your Inbox every month!

As an Amazon Affiliate, some of the links on Mile High Mitts are affiliate links. If you click on one of the links and purchase the item I will receive a small percentage of commission, at no cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Copyright © 2023 Mile High Mitts on the Cravings Pro Theme