Zucchini Spice Muffins Recipe Whole Wheat Muffins

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by Todd + Diane

Zucchini spice muffins made from whole wheat with this awesome topping will fill your home with delicious smells and love.

Every once in a while we’ll crave muffins so much that we’ll make a big batch, some for immediate consumption and freeze some for future breakfasts. Unless it’s for team breakfasts at the studio, it’s next to impossible for just two of us to finish a batch ourselves. Freezing definitely has been the go-to method for the both of us to finish even a loaf of bread. That’s why we’re always inviting friends over to help us eat!

These are the muffins that we developed a few years back for our “never published” zucchini magazine. It definitely been one of our favorite recipes but we’ve been hoarding it in our archives for so long. Late Summer/Early Fall is still vibrant and productive here in Southern California so having another zucchini recipe is never overload. In fact, the more zucchini recipes the better because it’s a blast to be able to explore all the different and delicious possibilities with this amazing vegetable.We took the classic zucchini bread concept and made muffins out of it because it’s more fun and visually pretty to serve at gatherings and brunches. The zucchini gives such a wonderful, moist texture to the muffins. It’s the perfect individual serving, rather than the traditional slice of zucchini bread.

Watch video of Zucchini Spice Muffins with the Pecan Crumb Topping:

Add what ever frosting or icing you want. The possibilities for these zucchini spice muffins really are endless and if you’re not a fan of extra sugar on-top of your muffins, these are definitely scrumptious when eaten naked. But we wanted to go over-the-top and add this special pecan crumble topping for extra flavor and texture. These muffins are so amazing, they’re perfect for breakfast, brunch AND dessert.

Hope you all are having a wonderful season and we’re looking to spending the holidays in the kitchen soon. Can’t believe how fast time flies and that pumpkin recipes are right around the corner! Add a great cup of coffee with this zucchini spice muffins and you’ll have a perfect morning with your special companion.

hugs,

diane and todd

This recipe was originally published in 2016 and re-published in 2020 with updated video. Here’s a great blueberry muffin recipe and blood orange buttermilk pound cake recipe.

Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Pecan Crumble Topping

Yield: 12 Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

Muffin Ingredients

3/4 cup (90g) whole wheat flour
3/4 cup (95g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger , optional
1/4 teaspoon cardamom , optional
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup (110g) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) sugar
1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil
finely grated zest from 1 medium lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 pound (225g) zucchini , grated
1/2 cup (110g) dried apricots , cut into ½-inch pieces

Crumb Topping Ingredients

1/2 cup (63g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup (30g) chopped pecan pieces
1/4 cup (1/2 stick or 60g) cold, unsalted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line with baking cups or grease and flour muffin tray. Set aside.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, clove, and salt. Set aside.
Beat together the eggs, brown sugar, sugar, oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in the grated zucchini and dried apricots, make sure not to overmix the batter.
Make the crumb topping: Mix together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the pecan pieces. Pinch in the butter until all discernable butter chunks are broken up and it resembles coarse crumbs.
Divide the batter between the muffin molds, filling nearly to the top. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of crumb topping over each muffin. Bake for 22-28 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Allow to fully cool to room temperature.

Nutrition Information per Serving

Calories: 317kcal, Carbohydrates: 42g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 139mg, Potassium: 232mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g, Vitamin A: 399IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 47mg, Iron: 1mg

Course: Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: Baking, Breakfast/Brunch, Garden Recipes, Oven

Calories: 317

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10 comments on “Moist Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Pecan Crumble Topping”

Kylee — September 19, 2023 @ 9:06 pm Reply

I absolutely loved this recipe. The flavor combinations are killer! I used all of the suggested spices and I LOVED the final result. So moist, and delightful.
Amber — September 26, 2020 @ 7:38 pm Reply

I’m in love with these muffins. They’re perfect for breakfast. And they were also easy to make.
Cynthia Underwood — May 5, 2020 @ 6:11 pm Reply

I made these muffins and they are the 2nd most amazing muffins ever (only second to my banana blueberry muffins). These were easy to make and turned out moist with an unbelievable crumb topping! I actually doubled the recipe and made 18 large muffins. My husband, mom, mother & father-in-law, daughter and grand daughter LOVED them. I sent the last 4 home with my son and his fiancee. He didn’t think he’d like them (too healthy) but called to say they were the best muffins ever! Thanks for a great addition to my snack and desert toolbox! I was gonna upload pix but me and Instagram are strangers!
- — May 6, 2020 @ 2:01 pm Reply
  
  That’s so great to hear that your whole family enjoyed them Cynthia! Thanks so much for sharing! xo
PeggyC from Pittsburgh — August 24, 2017 @ 8:26 pm Reply

Just made a double batch–perfect! I tend to automatically cut back on sugar amounts in baking recipes, but wanted to try your recipe as written. Glad I left everything in –wasn’t too sweet at all. Also, the dried apricots added a tiny bit of tartness and were soo pretty.
- — August 29, 2017 @ 10:08 pm Reply
  
  Thanks Peggy! Glad you enjoyed the sweetness level. Thanks for letting us know.
Nikita Arora — September 18, 2016 @ 9:14 pm Reply

Sounds delicious! Mmmmmm, that looks EXTREMELY tasty.Will certainly be trying this out this week! Thank you for sharing.
Roshani Khanna — September 12, 2016 @ 3:21 am Reply

wooohoooo qualifying cookies 24-7 I LOOOOOVVEE it. That sounds like a sweet life to me.
2pots2cook — September 9, 2016 @ 6:42 am Reply

Wow,
You are great ! I really admire your photos, style, dishes….. everything….. we all can learn so much from you and your posts…..
All the best,
2pots2cook
Marta @ What should I eat for breakfast today — September 6, 2016 @ 11:19 am Reply

I really like idea of freezing some of them. I never tried, I always give it away to friends. I need to try, my friends will be a bit unhappy but I’ll be happy one morning when I feel like one or two and I don’t need to bake them 😀

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