These cozy, delicious (and EASY) Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins are like little bites of heaven – sweet vanilla bean icing sits atop a spice-filled, zucchini-packed mini muffin.

Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins

I’ll be honest, a big reason I made this recipe is to confirm that I’m not the only one who frequently forgets about that lone zucchini in the back of the fridge. Now, we love zucchini, and I always buy it with the best intentions. Stir fry with some bell peppers? Yes! Add it to my spaghetti sauce? Of course! Bake it into a sweet cake, cookie, or muffin? OBVIOUSLY. But days go by, weeks get busy, and that one remaining zucchini gets pushed to the back of the veggie drawer to only be forgotten about until fridge clean-out day. Well, not today. I’m here to remind you of that zucchini…and to give you this delicious recipe to fulfill the need to use your produce before it goes bad. You’re welcome. ILY. Let’s bake!

Here’s Why You’ll Love These Muffins

Quick & easy to bake
Cinnamon + cardamom = a winner every time
Mini size for perfect snack-ability
Perfect icing to muffin ratio
Guaranteed not to last too long in the fridge

What You’ll Need + Possible Substitutions

Coconut sugar is a low-GI granulated sugar that can replace white granulated sugar 1:1. It tastes less sweet and is better for you than cane sugar, which is why I love baking with it in recipes that have a sweet icing. For these muffins, you can use raw sugar, unrefined cane sugar, or white granulated sugar in place of coconut sugar (all a 1:1 swap). NOTE: the gram measurement will vary depending on the kind of sugar.
Olive oil adds moisture. You can also use melted butter or plant-based butter, avocado oil, or melted coconut oil – if using melted coconut oil, be sure the rest of your ingredients are room temperature so the coconut oil stays liquid.
Almond milk also adds moisture to the muffins and gets the icing to the right consistency. Any plant-based milk will work (for both the batter and icing). Regular milk will also work.
Eggs help bind ingredients together. I’ve had success making this recipe with flax “eggs” in place of eggs: mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 6 Tbsp warm water and allow to thicken for 5 minutes.
Vanilla bean paste makes these muffins. There’s just something special about seeing the little specks of vanilla bean…and tasting that classic vanilla bean flavor. This recipe will definitely work with vanilla extract as a 1:1 replacement – just call these Zucchini Muffins with Vanilla Icing instead 😉

Continued…

All-purpose flour is my go-to baking flour. Feel free to use a bleached or unbleached variety. For healthier muffins, you can replace up to 1/2 of the AP flour with a whole wheat flour.
Baking soda + baking powder work together to lift these muffins to the perfect height. I don’t recommend any substitutes.
Salt enhances the flavor of the muffins. You don’t want to skip it.
Cinnamon adds flavor to the muffins. Feel free to add more or less, depending on your taste preferences.
Cardamom has a lovely flavor that pairs perfectly with the cinnamon. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use ground nutmeg, or more ground cinnamon, in its place. I highly recommend stocking your pantry with ground cardamom – it’s amazing in so many bakes!
Zucchini (duh) really makes these muffins. You’ll need a whole cup and a half of shredded zucchini, and, no, you can’t taste it!
Powdered sugar is used to make the icing. I don’t recommend any substitutes. For a slightly healthier muffin, you can drizzle the icing over the muffins instead of dipping them in the icing.

More Zucchini Recipes

Spiced Zucchini Sheet Cake

Zucchini Tahini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Healthier Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Brownies

Yield: 18 Mini Muffins or 8 Standard Muffins

Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins

Name: Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 18
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/2 cup (83g) coconut sugar (or other sugar - see Note 2); 1/4 cup (45g) olive oil; 1/4 cup (60g) almond milk; 2 large eggs; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract); 3/4 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground cardamom; 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour; 1 1/2 cups (275g) finely shredded zucchini (~1 large zucchini); 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar; 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract); ~4 tsp almond milk

Sweet, spice-filled Vanilla Bean Zucchini Muffins topped with a vanilla bean glaze. These cozy, delicious muffins are like little bites of heaven.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 52 minutes

Ingredients

Muffins

1/2 cup (83g) coconut sugar (or other sugar - see Note 2)
1/4 cup (45g) olive oil
1/4 cup (60g) almond milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups (275g) finely shredded zucchini (~1 large zucchini)

Icing

1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
~4 tsp almond milk

Instructions

Bake the Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350°F and prepare a mini muffin pan (see Note 1 for standard muffins) with paper liners or non-stick spray.
Place the shredded zucchini on a cheesecloth or paper towel and squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can (NOTE: zucchini should be measured pre-squeeze); set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut sugar, olive oil, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla bean paste (or extract).
Whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and cardamom. Add the flour and gently mix with a large spoon until nearly combined.
Add the shredded (and squeezed) zucchini and gently mix, breaking up the zucchini as you mix until all is combined.
Scoop/spoon the batter into the prepared muffin wells, filling to the top. Bake at 350°F for 12-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Ice the Muffins

Once the muffins are totally cool, you can make the icing. In a small bowl, add the powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste (or extract) and mix.
Add almond milk 1 tsp at a time until the icing reaches the proper consistency - it should take 4-5 seconds for the icing to disappear into itself when drizzled from a spoon.
Carefully dip the top of each muffin into the icing, allowing the excess icing to drip off. Immediately turn each muffin over and onto a cooling rack to set.
Once the icing is set (no longer looks shiny), you can store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If left at room temperature, the icing may melt into the muffins.

Notes

Standard Muffins: fill 7-9 prepared muffin wells to the top with batter. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Sugar: you can use your favorite granulated sugar in this recipe. Find some of the gram measurements below.

1/2 cup white granulated sugar = 113g
1/2 cup raw sugar = 107g
1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar = 120g

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see!

Tag @sugaredandstirred on Instagram and hashtag #sugaredandstirred

A couple of mornings ago, I was really in the mood for muffins (a common occurrence this pregnancy), so I asked my toddler what kind she wanted to make. She’s two and she loves chocolate, so that was her answer: chocolate muffins. I thought about it and determined that I couldn’t just make a plain ole chocolate muffin. I needed to make them mini. Add walnuts. And top them with homemade caramel sauce and flakey sea salt. Extra? Totally. Delicious and worth it? Yes!

The muffins themselves are so easy. One bowl. Hardly a mess. And if you have a 24-count mini muffin pan, you can bake them all in one batch that takes less than 10 minutes to bake! And these muffins are good. Like, if you want to forget about the caramel and sea salt all together, then I’m here for it. After all, there’s nothing like a fresh, warm muffin. Especially when melty chocolate chips are involved!

But the caramel drizzle will take these muffins to the next level. It’s a simple recipe and method that I learned from watching Cupcake Jemma, and I highly recommend checking out her Caramel Masterclass video! If you’ve never made caramel before and you’re intimidated, I get it. I won’t even fault you if you choose to go for store-bought for these muffins. But if you make your own, then you’ll feel super accomplished and have tons of delicious caramel leftover to pop onto anything you’d like!

Since my vegan caramels tend to come out thinner and too runny for a drizzle, I re-boil my mixture for 5-10 minutes to thicken them up. You don’t need a candy thermometer and the whole caramel making process (aside from the cooling) should take around 30 minutes. You can even make your caramel the night before, let it totally cool, and then store it in the refrigerator to drizzle on the muffins later. Whatever you choose, have fun and enjoy these bite-sized pieces of dessert heaven!

Some of the ingredients I love for this recipe:

Coconut oil lends lots of moisture to these muffins. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to use another vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil).

Instant coffee adds depth to the chocolate flavor. You can also use espresso powder if you have that on hand. This ingredient is totally optional.

Coconut sugar is my go-to sweetener. It’s low GI and unrefined and tastes nothing like coconut! It’s a perfect replacement for regular white sugar.

Yield: ~24 Mini Muffins

Double Chocolate Mini Muffins with Salted Caramel

Bite-sized chocolate mini muffins filled with chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. All topped off with a drizzle of homemade dairy-free caramel sauce and a sprinkling of sea salt!

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Ingredients

Vegan Caramel Sauce

1/2 cup coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup water

Chocolate Muffins

1/2 cup coconut oil, liquid
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 large eggs, room temp (or 2 flax eggs if vegan - see note)
1 tsp instant coffee (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup coconut sugar (or cane sugar)
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup dairy-free chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup chopped walnuts pieces (optional)

Instructions

Make the caramel sauce: combine liquid coconut cream and vanilla extract; set aside. In a medium, heavy bottomed saucepan, add the sugar and then the water - don't stir. Swirl the pan gently until sugar is soaked.
Place sugar mixture over medium heat and bring to a boil. Without stirring, boil the mixture until it turns amber in color. The sugar will go from amber to burnt quickly, so keep an eye on it! And do not stir it!
Once the amber color is reached, immediately remove from the heat and place on a towel or hot pad. Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in the coconut cream mixture, being cautious as the mixture is extremely hot and will bubble up!
Return caramel sauce to medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes or until caramel thickens. Transfer caramel to a room temp, heatproof bowl to cool.
Make the muffins: bring your eggs to room temperature by placing them in a glass of warm water for around 10 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350°F and generously spray your mini muffin pan with non-stick spray or line with paper cups/liners.
In a medium bowl, combine the oil, plant-based milk, and eggs. Whisk in the instant coffee and vanilla, and then whisk in the sugar. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a large spatula to gently mix until just combined. Add in 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips and the walnuts and mix.
Scoop about 1.5 Tbsp of batter into each mini muffin well - nearly to the top. I used a cookie scoop for quick and easy filling. Top the unbaked muffins with the extra 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, lightly pressing the chips into the batter.
Bake muffins at 350°F for 6-10 minutes or until toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out with a few crumbs. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes and then gently remove them to cool on a cooling rack.
Once muffins are cool, spread the caramel sauce over the tops and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
Allow caramel to set before storing any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. Store leftover (and cooled!) caramel sauce in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator.

Notes

For vegan muffins: use 2 flax eggs (mix 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal + 6 Tbsp warm water, allow to thicken for five minutes)
Be sure to use at least a medium sized pot to make your caramel. The hot sugar mixture will bubble up when you add the coconut cream!
To ensure no sugar crystals form in your caramel sauce, do not stir the caramel while it's boiling the first round. Don't scrape the sides of the pan at any point, or otherwise mess with it! Also, allow your caramel sauce to totally cool before transferring it to your refrigerator.
When boiling the caramel the second round (to thicken it up) it's okay to stir it a bit.
If using melted coconut oil, you'll want the rest of your ingredients, including your eggs, to be room temperature. This ensure your coconut oil will remain in a liquid states while making your batter.