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Blueberry Zucchini Muffins – Healthy Zucchini Muffins w/ Applesauce

Bread, Dessert, Healthy Snacks, Recipes

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Blueberry zucchini muffin on a white plate with a muffin tin in the background.
Popular blueberry zucchini muffin recipe. These are so good and you can't even tell they have zucchini in them, a healthy twist but so good we eat them for dessert as well as breakfast!

Blueberry zucchini muffins are one of the few ways I can sneak a vegetable into my son's snack or breakfast. They're also an excellent way to take advantage of the summer harvest, but you should totally freeze some of the bounty to make these year round as a good pioneer!

For those of you with zucchini coming out of your ears, here's instructions on how to freeze & preserve your extra zucchini.

One trick to keep picky eaters in the dark (hey, don't judge a homesteading Mamma) is to puree the zucchini up in the blender until all those little flecks of green are undetectable to the picky eater's eye.

Popular blueberry zucchini muffin recipe. These are so good and you can't even tell they have zucchini in them, a healthy twist but so good we eat them for dessert as well as breakfast!

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

Cream together eggs, applesauce, butter, sugar, and vanilla. This homemade vanilla extract makes exceptionally yummy baked goods.

Fold in zucchini. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Stir in blueberries.

Grease muffin tins and loaf pans. Pour into pans. Sprinkle with raw sugar crystals (optional, but it gives a nice texture and extra bit of flavor).

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven. Muffins for 18 to 20 minutes and loaves 40 minutes. Pull out just when set, check center with a toothpick. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan then finish cooling on wire rack.

Because these blueberry zucchini muffins don't have any preservatives in them, they'll keep longer if you store them in the fridge if they're not all devoured within the first two days. They also freeze really well.

Popular blueberry zucchini muffin recipe. These are so good and you can't even tell they have zucchini in them, a healthy twist but so good we eat them for dessert as well as breakfast!

Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

MelissaKNorris
These blueberry zucchini muffins are a healthy version featuring applesauce
4.35 from 20 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 18 mins
Total Time 28 mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 24

Ingredients
  

  • 3 eggs lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 and 2/3 cups raw sugar
  • 2 cups shredded zucchini
  • 3 cups all-purpose flour spelt, or soft white wheat
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 to 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Cream together eggs, applesauce, butter, sugar, and vanilla. Fold in zucchini. Add flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Stir in blueberries. Grease muffin tins and loaf pans. Pour into pans. Sprinkle with raw sugar crystals.
  • Bake in preheated 350 degree oven. Muffins for 18 to 20 minutes and loaves 40 minutes. Pull out just when set, check center with toothpick. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes in pan then finish cooling on wire rack.

Notes

  • If you have picky eaters, shred the zucchini in a food processor until it's almost pulverized and they won't know it's in there!
  • Don't have applesauce? Use 1/2 cup melted butter in it's place or coconut oil (I think butter tastes better personally)
Keyword blueberry muffins, blueberry zucchini muffins, healthy zucchini muffins with applesauce
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Melissa Norris

Melissa K. Norris inspires people's faith and pioneer roots with her books, podcast, and blog. Melissa lives with her husband and two children in their own little house in the big woods in the foothills of the North Cascade Mountains. When she's not wrangling chickens and cattle, you can find her stuffing Mason jars with homegrown food and playing with flour and sugar in the kitchen.

Read more about Melissa

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Comments:

  1. Mart Ramirez

    11 years ago

    I think my mouth just watered. Yup. Delish!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      11 years ago

      lol, I kept snitching bites all night until an entire muffin was gone. They’re pretty healthy w/ the fruits and veggies, or at least, that’s what I keep consoling myself with.

      Reply
  2. overZealous Zucchini Round Up | Stitching Hearts Together

    10 years ago

    […] Blueberry Zucchini Muffins from Pioneering Today […]

    Reply
  3. Gretchen

    May 29, 2016 at 1:25 am

    Have you used freshly ground flour instead of all purpose flour?

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      7 years ago

      Yes, I typically use spelt and with fresh ground spelt I up it by a 1/4 cup for every 1 cup of all purpose flour when altering.

      Reply
  4. Deb

    7 years ago

    Melissa, will soft white wheat berries work in this recipe? If so, will the amount or liquid fluctuate at all? Also, after you blend the zucchini, do you squeeze out excess water? Thank you ??

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      7 years ago

      Deb,
      Yes, you could use soft white wheat berries. I used the last of our frozen zucchini from last year and blended it, I’d drained it before I froze it, so I didn’t drain it, after going the blender it was pretty much thick juice already. But when using fresh or before freezing I do squeeze it out.

      Reply
  5. Connie Gardner

    6 years ago

    Hi Melissa,
    If your family likes pineapple, try substituting drained crushed pineapple for the blueberries.
    You can even add finely chopped nuts (my family loves pecans) for even more goodness!

    Thank you for your wonderful website, I enjoy it immensely.

    Reply
  6. Carol Ann

    6 years ago

    Hi Melissa, can I substitute gluten free flour in this recipe? thanks, I love all you post!!!!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      May 8, 2017 at 12:29 am

      Hi Carol,
      If you do, you’ll need to increase the liquid a little bit, usually gluten free flour requires more.

      Reply
  7. Melody C.

    June 28, 2017 at 1:04 am

    Looks delicious, and I have an abundance of zucchini right now! Is there something I can sub for the applesauce? I don’t have any on hand, and I want to try to make do with what I do have. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      June 28, 2017 at 1:19 am

      Any pureed fruit or sub in any liquid oil for the equal amount.

      Reply
    • Deanna

      3 years ago

      i have been thinking of subbing mandarin oranges in this recipe . alternating them & blueberries . hope it works 🙂

      Reply
  8. Denise

    6 years ago

    My daughter and I made these this afternoon. The garden is bursting with zucchini and blueberries and we were looking for a new way to use them. Mercy!!! These are the BEST muffins! We used freshly ground spelt flour and substituted oil for the applesauce as we didn’t have anymore sauce on the shelves. Excellent!! I can’t recommend these enough. We’ll be making (and freezing) lots of these! Thanks for a great recipe.

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      6 years ago

      Yay, I’m so glad you guys enjoyed them, woo hoo!

      Reply
  9. Christa

    4 years ago

    I have a lot of dehydrated zucchini.. I wonder if I pulse chop it in the blender or food processor and then soak it a little. Looks tasty!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      4 years ago

      I would definitely try it!

      Reply
  10. Becky

    4 years ago

    I’ve been using this recipe for over a year now. I double it and put away 3-4 dozen in the freezer at a time. They freeze beautifully! Also, I’m not a fan of blueberries in my muffins, but I purée them and it’s divine! I just swirl the blueberry purée into the finished batter and voila! Blueberry muffins without the large chunks of blueberry. ? Thank you for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  11. Kelly

    3 years ago

    What is the Nutritional information and calories on these muffins

    Reply
  12. Victoria Trent

    3 years ago

    This recipe looks amazing!

    How woould you suggest making low carb friendly?
    Almond Flour and/or Coconut Flour?
    Sugar substitute?

    Thanks so much!

    Reply
  13. Mary Baker

    3 years ago

    Hello Melissa, I found you recently and am so enjoying your videos/blogs. I love to garden and want to learn as much as possible to make it more successful. We have had a different summer as well weather wise and this summer I have never had to water as much as I have, ever. I live on the east coast in Canada. It was discouraging mid summer when new bugs arrived to chow down on my vegatables but they have moved on and I am presevering. Not as good harvests as normal due to the dryness. My hope is that you might comment on Brandwine tomatoes. I love the fruit. Only had one growing and pulled it several weeks ago as I feared it may have been developing a desease. Not sure that it was but it appeared at times to have a dark tinge to the edges of the leaves. Is this normal for brandywine? THere were only 6 fruit on the plant and they all ripened fine. My other few plants are not heirloom and have reistance built into them. None of them are at all affected. In fact it has been so dry the tomatoes in general are looking heathier than ususal as there is not blight, etc. – common problems for us too normally. Thank-you and I should also mention that your videos on sourdough were helpful too!

    Reply
  14. Lee Stainbrook

    August 23, 2020 at 1:37 am

    I love you recipes, I will send your e-mail address to my sister in Hot Springs Arkansas if it’s Ok with you. Think she would enjoy them too. I will wait for an answer from you first. Thank you Mellisa.

    Reply
  15. Jennifer Patterson

    3 years ago

    Hi Melissa, this recipe sounds good, but I am supposed to cut calories and the easiest place to cut them is to eliminate fats. Do you think this recipe would work with no butter but extra applesauce?

    I am not technically a homesteader, but I have been gardening and preserving food for more than 40 years. Your blog is a great resource.

    Jenny P

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      3 years ago

      Yes, but you may want to research macro and micronutrients for weight loss, as fat calories don’t make you fat, it’s sugars (even those found in fruit) that cause weight gain. I’d cut back the sugar if I was concerned about calories before the butter personally. But if you want to omit the butter you can try all applesauce.

      Reply
  16. hecto

    3 years ago

    disappointed with the amount of sugar in your blueberry zucchini muffins… a great way to get a sugar high for breakfast!

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      3 years ago

      You can adjust the sugar to your preference, no need to be rude.

      Reply
  17. Scarlett

    3 years ago

    If not using applesauce, then you would use 1/2 c butter plus the 1/2 c that’s already in the receipe for a total of 1 cup?

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      3 years ago

      Correct!

      Reply
  18. Maureen Albee

    August 26, 2020 at 1:27 am

    If I wanted to use honey in this recipe instead of the sugar. How much honey could be used

    Reply
  19. Mary

    December 14, 2020 at 7:37 am

    5 stars
    Can I make this recipe in loaf pans? I love the muffins so much, that I want to make them as mini loafs for Christmas gifts.
    Thanks so much!
    Mary

    Reply
    • Melissa Norris

      December 14, 2020 at 10:10 am

      Yes, you’ll just have to bake longer 🙂

      Reply
      • Mary

        December 15, 2020 at 8:59 am

        5 stars
        Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! My friends are going to love these mini loaves.

        Reply
  20. Dixean M Grimes

    2 years ago

    There is already butter in the recipe. If I omit applesauce do I still add another 1/2 cup of melted butter? Or 1/2 C total butter?

    Reply
  21. Cindy

    2 years ago

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness! This bread recipe is sooo good! I added a half cup chia seeds to mine too and it gives it the tiniest little crunch. Yum.

    Reply
    • Peyton Wright

      2 years ago

      Thanks for the tip about the chia seeds!!

      Reply
  22. Peyton Wright

    July 26, 2021 at 6:22 am

    5 stars
    Hello Melissa, I tried the recipe for the first time yesterday and it was
    AH-MAY-ZING!!! I didn’t have applesauce so I used your suggestion for coconut oil. They were moist and the flavor was delicious. I will definetly bake them again.

    I have one question for clarity, I wrang out most of the water in the zucchini before I realized that it was not a part of the directions. Should I extract the excess liquid or leave it in?

    Thank you for sharing,

    Peyton

    Reply

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