These healthy Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins are packed with fruits and vegetables and make the perfect kid-friendly breakfast or snack!
**Post originally published in 2011. Last updated 2021.**
Hi friends!
This past weekend I made two batches of these Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins and I felt the need to share them with you again. I first shared this recipe on the blog waaaaayyyyy back in 2011. I’ve updated them multiple times over the past 10 years. It’s hard to know what to call them – apple zucchini muffins? Zucchini carrot muffins? Zucchini apple muffins? They’ve got a whole lot of goodness in them and they’ve stood the test of time! These healthy zucchini muffins are a must-try.
To me, they’re the perfect summer AND fall muffin. They’re great for using up all that zucchini you probably have around all summer and then you can go pick apples in the fall and make them again! But if zucchini apple muffins are not your jam, I have a whole bunch of other kid-friendly veggie-packed muffin and bar recipes! Find them here: Kid-Friendly Baking Recipes.
I store them in the fridge. If you prefer them sweeter, you can add more sugar. To make them dairy-free you could sub oil for melted butter. You could experiment with swapping applesauce for some of the sugar if you wanted.
If you’re worried about all of the shredded veggies in there, I often make these in a food processor to help make them less noticeable!
Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins
Here’s how you make them:
PrintZucchini Carrot Apple Muffins
These Zucchini Carrot Apple Muffins are packed with fruits and veggies and make a healthy, kid-friendly breakfast or snack!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: makes 12 muffins 1x
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup shredded zucchini (excess water removed)
- 1/2 cup shredded apple (excess water removed)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrot (excess water removed)
- 4 Tbsp butter, melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger, optional
Instructions
- Mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir until just mixed. Batter will be very thick. Stir well to ensure all flour is mixed in.
- Scoop into greased or lined muffin tins.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
Notes
Measure the zucchini, apple and carrots AFTER you squeeze the water out of them. I used 1 medium large zucchini, one large apple and 8-10 baby carrots.
To make the veggie less visable, I often make these in the food processor!
Just look at all the shredded fruits and veggies packed in there. Little Miss and I devoured like 6 of these yesterday.
Be sure to let me know if you make them this summer.
Muffins are one of my favorite things to add to my weekly food prep sessions to have on hand for healthy snacks! If you liked this post, you’ll love my ebook – The Ultimate Guide To Food Prep. It dives into even more detail about how to food prep, troubleshoots common problems and provides tons of tips to make it easier! Click the image below for more details!
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
Get my free Table Talk email series where I share bite-sized nutrition information about carbs, protein, and fat, plus bonus information about snacks and sugar!
Mmm…
I actually love zucchini bread so I need to try these 🙂
they’re my new fav muffin 🙂
Made these for my extremely picky eater who does not eat vegetables and he gobbled it right up. I’m so happy I could cry! Thank you for an amazing recipe!!
★★★★★
these sound great!
These look beautifully delicious! Love the colors and I bet the flavors are killer!
thank you! it’s probably my new favorite muffin recipe!
Can these be frozen and warmed up in the microwave in the mornings?
yes!
Wow, major veggie mix! The colors are awesome. Once when I was little I made Fruit Loop muffins. I think the recipe was on the back of the box. Of course, I loved them but I’m pretty sure everyone else thought they were weird!
haha those sound crazy!
YUM! these muffins sound perfect
thank you!!
mmm I love zucchini and carrot muffins separately but I never thought about combining the two! love this! I also love that you have made them with whole wheat flour which is how I prefer to bake as well. I’ll have to try these 🙂
i’d never combined them either but i’m really loving them!
These truly are beautiful, Lindsay! I love how you got so many fruits & veggies into those little guys. Sadly I STILL haven’t tried out the new Food Processor I got for my b’day a MONTH ago – but this may have just been the inspiration I needed!
What healthier substitute would you use for the sugar
you can choose to use mashed banana if you’d like.
I have tried numerous recipes for a healthier muffin, these are fantastic! Ultimate favorite
ahhh! yay!!!! so happy to hear that 🙂 i love them too!
Do you think that instead of 1/3 cup of sugar that that could be replace with honey?
yep! i think that would work!
Can this be baked as a loaf of bread as well? Or would the recipe need to be adjusted? I LOVE these muffins (have made them several times in the past few months) but would like to take it as a loaf of bread on an upcoming camping trip.
I’ve been on a muffin kick too – and just made some zucchini ones myself recently, think I need to try these next time!
looks so good! i have so many zucchinis i need to use-im definitely trying this!
I made these tonight and I just wanted to post the result. They are SO delicious! My family has a variety of food issues so these I made gluten free using half almond meal and half oat flour to replace the flour here. I also didn’t want to risk waking the children so I diced the apple small, but not as small as if it was grated or food processed. I didn’t have carrots so I used a bigger apple and didn’t use the vanilla or honey as my 1 yr old has not yet had either of those. My GF hubs gave the OK and I love them!!!
i’m so glad to hear that!!!! glad you enjoyed them 🙂
These look amazing! My 9 month old loves muffins but I can’t give him the honey yet. Should I substitute it for something else or just leave it out all together?
you can sub regular sugar but it might alter them a bit. i think the exchange is 1 1/4 c sugar for 1 c honey, plus you have to add like 1/4 c liquid like milk or oil. you could also sub agave nectar or maple syrup
Thanks for hosting the pin-it party. I pinned this one on my healthy recipes board.
thanks so much!
I just pulled these out of the oven about 30 minutes ago and they turned out great. I only baked them for 23 minutes and they were very moist. The only thing I might do differently is add a little extra cinnamon to enhance the flavor. I was hesitant to use the white whole wheat flour, but I could hardly even tell a difference in the final product!
Going to try this evening and I’m making mine grand muffins instead of 12 Regular size. Will let you know how it turns out….they do look good….Later.
The good news is my toddler and I loved these muffins. The bad news is while I was putting her to bed last night my dog went up on the counter and ate 8 of them!! He left two for us..how nice of him. Just found your blog and I love it! There’s so many food blogs out there but the ingredients that you use line up so well with what I like to use and have on hand and I don’t need to make very many substitutions. Thanks!
Oh no! Silly dogs 🙂 I’ve definitely been there! Glad you found me…hope you enjoy the recipes!
These are amazing! I made them tonight and ate one fresh out of the oven 🙂 How do you suggest keeping them fresh? Room temp? Fridge? Freezer? tx 🙂
I’m finding this recipe a little late but it is amazing. The first recipe I’ve immediately made after seeing it on Pinterest.
i’m so glad to hear that!!
Is there a nutrition/fat content available?
sorry I don’t have it…but you could put the recipe into my fitness pal or spark people to get it!
These look great–do you have a calorie count and nutritional values per muffin?
Sorry I don’t have it…but you could also put the recipe into my fitness pal or spark people to get it!
These are awesome! They are my go-to muffins. I tweak them a bit by:
adding extra cinnamon and vanilla, cutting back on the ginger (it’s not my fave), swapping coconut oil for the canola, and adding walnuts. Then, I make a triple, yup triple batch. I keep them in the freezer. They are great for breakfast, lunch and snacks for the kiddies and me. Thank you so much for the recipe!!! 🙂
i so excited to hear that! love triple batches and good to know they freeze well!
Could you give the carrots and zucchini as measurements when grated? I grow my own carrots (not baby carrots) and zucchini (and my zucchini is 8-ball zucchini so it’s not the same size as a regular ‘long’ zucchini). Thanks!
it doesn’t need to be exact. Try about 3/4 cup of each.
Hey i was just wondering what kind of apple you used in this recipe?
hmmm can’t remember. sorry! maybe braeburn?
I just made these last night and they are very delicious! I threw in a banana and reduced the sugar by half. Thank you!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed them!
Ive made these so many times! LOVE them! i always add more cinnamon and vanilla and they turn out so flavorful and moist 🙂 the best!
yay! so glad to hear that!
These muffins are amazing! I just made them and doubled the recipe to get rid of some veggies in the fridge. This is the perfect way to get my daughter to eat veggies without knowing it. I did substitute the honey for agave and it turned out amazing! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
so glad to hear that!!
I just made these muffins tonight and wanted to thank you, they are so delish!
I’m having a hard time getting my 2.5 yr old son to eat both fruits & veggies so wanted to try this.
I made your recipe to a T, just as mini muffins. Cooked 13 mins and were perfect. Taste like a carrot cakey consistency to me – so good!
Thank you! Hoping my little guys loves them too 🙂
So glad you liked them! hope they’re a hit!
I would love to share this on my page but I don’t see the nutritional information and I try and provide that when sharing recipes.
Please tell me where it’s listed
Sorry, i don’t have it available.
I’m going to set this one aside for back-to-school breakfasts and school lunches. Right up my alley!
★★★★★
These look SO yummy!! I love zucchini muffins – adding carrots and applesauce sounds like a great addition.
this is s a great way of getting in my fruits and veggies once. thank you 🙂
I just love how your combined 3 of my favorite sweet bread into one amazing muffin!
I definitely have some zucchini rolling around in my veggie drawer that need to be baked! Pinning this recipe 🙂
I love these healthy and yummy muffins! Perfect weekend breakfast! Yum!
Can I please have the original recipe? My daughter loved them that way!
i’m so sorry. i had some technical difficulties and lost the original recipe.
found it! Here are the ingredients:
2 c white whole wheat flour
1 medium zucchini
1 large handful of baby carrots (approx. 10-15)
1 medium apple, cored and quartered
2 eggs
1/3 c sugar
¼ c honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp vegetable/canola oil
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
Thank you!!
I made the new recipe (omitting butter, and substituting banana for egg since my youngest is allergic) and my oldest proclaimed it ‘very yummy’
good!!
Thanks so much! For some reason, my 2-year-old didn’t like the new version (I thought it was good!). But she gobbled down one of the ones I just made using the old version. Picky, picky!
glad one of them worked!
do you still have the original dairy free recipe? I make them for my kids every week (yet somehow I didn’t memorize it)
i’m so sorry. had technical difficulties and lost it!
ahh! I found it!! Here are the ingredients:
2 c white whole wheat flour
1 medium zucchini
1 large handful of baby carrots (approx. 10-15)
1 medium apple, cored and quartered
2 eggs
1/3 c sugar
¼ c honey
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c unsweetened applesauce
2 Tbsp vegetable/canola oil
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
Hi! I see you updated the recipe recently and I was wondering if you could send me the original recipe because my mom and I liked how those turned out but we didn’t write it down?
Thank you!
check a few comments up! i posted it there!
I would like to make these edible for my 10 month old, and maybe omit the sugar. Could I add more apple sauce, or maybe agave (not sure if that’s safe). Thank you… Really looking forward to making these 🙂
you could try replacing the sugar with mashed banana?
This is great! I have apples, carrots and zucchini in my fridge right now, so I know what I’m making this rainy afternoon! 🙂
★★★★★
Absolutely love these muffins
I can’t see the recipe! I love these for the kids- is there some sort of glitch on your site? I have been here many times to bake these and was going to double batch it today!
It should work on a computer or tablet. Having trouble with the mobile view but working on getting it fixed asap!
Ooh I’m going to try these for my 10-month old! She loves muffins and always looking for some healthy options. 🙂
Want to make these for p what should I use instead of flour?
i think the flour is necessary! sorry!
These look so yummy! I I have everything except the whole what flour, can I use all purpose flour and would it be the same amount? Thanks, can’t wait to try these!
Yep all purpose will be fine. Same amount!
Can these be made with all purpose flour or regular whole wheat flour?
Nevermind I see a respone above!
yep all purpose will work just fine. whole wheat will work too, they’ll just be a bit denser
Silly question, but do you cook the fruit and veggies first since it says excess water removed?
nope, just shred them and then wrap them in a clean dish towel or some paper towels and squeeze them really well to remove the excess water.
These muffins were amazing!! My 4 year old and I ate about 8 immediately in rapid succession. I just swapped out the butter for avocado and used whole grain flour. They were on the sweeter side for me maybe because I added chocolate chips too. I would cut out half the sugar next time, but maybe little man would not like them so much will have to try and see. He is extremely picky when it comes to veggies so this is the perfect recipe to pack a lot in without him noticing. Thanks for the recipe!
glad they were a hit!
I made these tonight and they are delicious, you mentioned you didn’t put them in an airtight container, do you mean you just left them on the counter on a plate uncovered? Will these keep 3 or 4 days doing that?
Thanks.
yep i just cover loosely with foil. They should be fine. They’re just a little moist so if you close them up tight they’ll get moldy more quickly. You could also store them in the fridge in a ziploc bag!
Do you think you could freeze these and then microwave them when ready to eat?
yep i think they’d be fine!
I put them into My Fitness Pal and they came out at 146 calories each. Worth every one of those calories!
Can I use coconut flour and can I replace the butter with coconut oil or something else?
i think you could sub coconut oil for butter but i’m not sure about coconut flour….i’ve never baked with it but i’ve heard it requires more liquid?
Hi Lindsay,
Just a note: when I went to print the recipe for ease of use in the kitchen, your “Shares” strip on the side of the page covered all of the measurements for the ingredients and I was unable to print this recipe. Disappointed 🙁
I did take a “snip” of the website…but the .jpg image that results is harder to use/print/etc…
Looks like a great recipe though, I’ll likely hand write it out so I can still use it.
should be fixed now!
I love muffins like this!! I make a batch ahead of time and freeze them to pop into my husband’s lunch for a mid morning snack. 🙂 Perfect!! (and it uses yummy summer zucchini!)
Perfect for all the zucchini my garden gives me
Love the looks of these muffins! Can’t wait to give them a try!
Made these this afternoon. Delicious! I didn’t have white whole wheat, so I used 3/4c of whole wheat and 3/4c of all purpose flour. I also had to add some applesauce to the shredded apple because I didn’t have enough. So flavorful and my 2 year old gobbled hers up!
so glad to hear it!
I used flax seeds and added raisins but used no sugar since I’m really trying to cut down. They could have been a bit sweeter, but really were delicious and moist! Thanks for the recipe
glad you liked them!
I have a question about the Zuchinni/Carrot/Apple Muffin recipe. For the shredded zucchini and apple do you leave the skin on or do you peel it off before shredding it and adding it to the recipe? I was thinking I would leave the zucchini peel but wasn’t sure about the apple peel. Thanks!
i leave the peels on the zucchini and apple but peel the carrots!
And what kind of Apple do you recommend for this recipe? I have a granny Smith in my kitchen now will that work? Or do I need to get a sweet or Apple?
i’d probably recommend a sweet one typically, but i think it would probably work!
I’m curious, are the zucchini, carrot, and apple measurements made before or after squeezing out the juice? Thank you
after!
These are amazing! I have been making them for several months now – usually a double batch every 2 weeks – and I freeze them. Both my 17 month old and my 9 year old love them! Great for their breakfast, a snack…. whatever! And I know they are getting a super healthy dose of veggies with out a lot of added sugar. I HIGHLY recommend these! Best of all the “zucchini muffin” recipes I’ve tried!
so glad to hear it!
YUM! Hidden veggies for the win!!
I make these ALL THE TIME, they’re the best sneaky way to get the Tiny Dictator to eat her veggies. If I want to continue to use the applesauce, is it just half a cup? I think I remember 4 oz, because one time I was out and just used one of my daughter’s applesauce pouches!
PS – sometimes I add a banana, or raisins. It’s such a great recipe, and I freeze them for on the go breakfasts or snacks.
i honestly couldn’t remember if it was 1/3 or 1/2 cup applesauce. I think either would be fine! Glad you like them.
Do you have the oriinal recipe posted anyplace, the one that includes the applesauce? That one says to cook them at 350 right? We love that one and make it all the time but I never printed it out. Thanks so much!
unfortunately that one got lost. But i believe 1/3- 1/2 cup applesauce and 350 degrees but i think baking them at 350 or 375 would be just fine.
Love these! Would likely bake for 15 minutes and check on them since I baked for 20 minutes and they are a little overcooked. Would you replace a mashed banana 1:1 with the 1/3 cup of sugar also? Thanks!
You could def try with banana!
Just made these for my 1.5 year old and they’re a big hit. Thank you! If anyone is interested, I didn’t have any apples, so I threw in a mashed, very ripe banana and some applesauce. I cut the sugar in half since the banana would be sweeter than a fresh apple. They still turned out great. Hooray for extra veggies!
★★★★★
awesome! so glad to hear it!
Oh my word, these are SOO tasty! I subbed the sugar for honey and used half of the amount along with using coconut oil instead of butter and they were still so tasty! I don’t feel like I’ve eaten a load of sweets when I enjoy these with breakfast! So tasty.
★★★★★
so glad you liked them!
Did you update the recipe recently? The last time I made these was April 2018. Today I made them and they came out really dry. I remember them having apple sauce in them before and I think omitting that caused the dryness. My son and I prefer the previous version. Can you share it with me? Thanks!!
i mentioned in the text above the recipe that i retested several times without the applesauce and it worked for me but that you can feel free to add it back in!
If I put it back in, do I need to adjust any of the other ingredients?
nope!
I made these last week and they turned out great. I used almond flour instead and just added and extra egg. And also replaced the sugar with Splenda. Still very good!
My kid is an incredibly picky eater so hiding veggies in something he likes is awesome. He devoured 2 muffins without looking up. Two thumbs way up!
★★★★★
so glad to hear it!
Delicious!!
★★★★★
So good!!
★★★★★
The best muffin I have ever tasted…hands down. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.
★★★★★
so glad you liked them!
My four year old great grandkids love these. I have made them numerous times and they can’t wait to gobble them up. And they’re getting their veggies without knowing it. Great recipe!
This is by far the best zucchini muffin recipe I have ever made. Made 2 dozen and they were gone in two days. Cant wait to try other recipes from you
ah yay!!! so glad to hear it!
Just taking the time to send you a BIG !! THANK YOU!! Sooo moist and Delish !!! Will be making them again and again
★★★★★
I have made this recipe both with and without squeezing the water from the fruit and vegetables. I prefer them made without squeezing. That little bit of extra moisture makes for a muffin that is less dry and keeps quite well. It is really delicious either way, though. Thanks!
These are so delicious and perfect for a rainy day like today! They are wonderful with coffee and perfect for fall! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Love that this recipe has veggies and can’t wait to try it.
Can I omit the honey and sugar, it’s for my 9m old little?
Thanks
yes you can sub mashed banana or babyfood prunes for sweetness
I made it without the sugar and added a banana and my little one loved it. It wasn’t too sweet and nice and soft for his gums to nom on.
Thanks for your recipe ❤️
Mmmm another delicious muffin recipe from you! I subbed avocado oil for the butter to keep these dairy free and baked them as mini muffins for 13 minutes. Such a great way to use up some late summer produce! Thank you! I am on a winning streak with your recipes lately!
★★★★★
So yummy! First I tried making these in using a food processor. They came out a bit dry. I tried a second time mixing by hand in a bowl, and they were moist and wonderful!
★★★★★