Don't know what to do with a bunch of basil or an abundance of zucchini? Try these delicious and convenient zucchini and pesto muffins. Those savory muffins are vegan, paleo and AIP compliant.
Zucchini and pesto muffins: a delicious savory baking recipe!
Like I've said before, since I started this diet, I have found that one of the most difficult thing is "to go food". You know, the kind of food you just grab and go, for travel or you take with you in your lunch box at work or school.
Although I know that in some countries, savory zucchini breads or muffins are quite intriguing, in France, they are very common. So I figured, these would be my new "travel food". Of course, I had to create my own recipes, according to my intolerances. Because let's face it, pretty much all French savory muffins contain gluten, eggs and cheese (especially cheese, or they wouldn't be French lol). What with being intolerant to eggs, cow dairy and gluten, I ended up creating those gluten free vegan savory muffins.
What I love about these vegan savory muffins, is that you can either have them for breakfast, appetizers, bring them to a picnic or a potluck, eat them with a salad for a quick lunch, bring them in your lunch box...
How to make those savory muffins
- In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (tigernut/almond flour, baking soda, arrow root and salt). Stir
- In a small blender, mix together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, basil and garlic. Process until you get a smooth pesto.
- Add the pesto and grated zucchini to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined. As you keep mixing with your spoon, the humidity of the shredded zucchini will allow you to form a dough.
- Line or lightly oil a muffin pan (or a a rectangular 4 x 8 inches (10 x 20 cm) baking tin). Fill each muffin cup with dough, you should get about 6 muffins depending on your pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes for the muffins (or for about 30 minutes for the loaf). To make sure that they are cooked, insert a thin bladed knife into the centre of one the zucchini muffins, the knife should come out clean. And voilà! Wait for them to cool down before removing from the tin. Serve at room temperature.
Can I make a loaf instead of muffins
Yes, you can make this, either as a loaf or muffins. Just follow the instructions in the recipe card below.
Can I freeze them?
Yes, they freeze very well. That's another reason why they are so convenient! Right this second, as I'm writing this post before going to work, I have 2 of those savory muffins on my counter that just got out of the freezer. They will be thawed out by lunch time. I also prepared myself a salad and voilà, my lunch box was ready in under 5 minutes.
Personally, if I know in advance that I want to freeze my batch, I will make it as muffins, because they look better in a muffin shape. I also think they freeze better as muffins VS as loaf slices. Also, it is better to freeze your savory muffins (or loaf) when they are still fresh. So freeze them on the day you make them or the day after.
Other savory baking recipes
If you want to try another savory baking recipe, you can try these :
- Zucchini and tuna bread (Gluten free, AIP, paleo)
- Chicken muffins (Gluten free, AIP, paleo)
- Sweet potato and bacon muffins (AIP, paleo)
Zucchini and pesto muffins (AIP, paleo, vegan)
Ingredients
- 200 g grated zucchini
- 150 g tigernut flour (or almond flour if you are not on AIP nor nut intolerant)
- 50 g arrowroot (see notes)
- 1 large bunch of fresh basil (see notes about how much is a large bunch)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 garlic clove
- Pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 360° F (180° C)
- In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (tigernut/almond flour, baking soda, arrow root and salt). Stir
- In a small blender, mix together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar basil and garlic. Process until you get a smooth pesto.
- Add the pesto and grated zucchini to the dry ingredients and mix with a spoon until well combined. As you keep mixing with your spoon, the humidity of the shredded zucchini will allow you to form a dough.
- Line or lightly oil a muffin pan (or a a rectangular 4 x 8 inches (10 x 20 cm) baking tin). Fill each muffin cup with dough, you should get about 6 muffins depending on your pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes for the muffins (or for about 30 minutes for the loaf). To make sure that they are cooked, insert a thin bladed knife into the centre of one the zucchini muffins, the knife should come out clean. And voilà! Wait for them to cool down before removing from the tin. Serve at room temperature.Bon appétit !
Notes
Nutrition facts per serving
This zucchini and pesto muffins recipe has been selected as one of the featured recipes in the “reader favorites” category from Phoenix Helix Paleo AIP Recipe #336!! 😍 Thank you!!!
FOODHEAL
Miam, these sounds delicious. A better way to use zucchini now that they are in season.
gohealthywithbea
Thank you. Let me know if you try this recipe, I would love to hear about your experience!
Anjsli
Hmmm...I was short on basil, only had about 2/3 c. so maybe that made a difference, mine are a bit on the dry side and grainy/crumbly. Could use a teeny bit of sweetener.
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Anjsli. Well it is hard to tell from a distance but it could have made a difference. Hope you enjoyed it anyway.
About adding sweetener, knowing that sugar, even in its natural form, is one of the main culprit in inflammation, I strongly advise against it. But that's my own personal opinion.
Jennifer
Do you know how much pesto I would add if I was using store-bought?
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Jennifer. Well, when I blend together the basil, olive oil and garlic, it makes about 1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp (95 ml) of "pesto" sauce. The thing is, this mix is fairly liquid. So using store bought pesto might alter the texture of your muffins because it will be less liquidy. So you might need to add a little bit of olive oil to your pesto or use a little less tigernut (or almond) flour.
Tonya
Another winning recipe although not as easy as the banana bread. LOL! I used the food processor because my high speed blender would not grind the basil small enough. It may have been because I was using stems in order to have enough. I wanted to make a second batch because 1 zucchini made so much grated. I didn't have anymore basil nor garlic cloves, so I used the green tops from carrots and I added salt and garlic powder and some dried basil. The dough tastes great so I can't wait for them to come out of the oven. Thank you!
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Tonya! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe! ❤️❤️❤️ Thank you so much for your kind words!! And great subs for your second batch!
Diana Caron
Bea - I enjoy your recipes and especially the metric and weight measure. In the recipe for zucchini savoury muffins you describe basil as “large bunch” - as I grow my own basil would how would you suggest I measure a large bunch ?
Thx for your help
gohealthywithbea
Bonjour Diana. I'm actually not surprised by your question because I asked myself how I could explain it correctly and I was not really satisfied by my "a large bunch". I even took pictures of the bunch but came to the conclusion that it wasn't helping. lol Thanks to your question I will add notes right this second. Thank you for asking!
Diana Caron
These savoury muffins were outstanding - I need to hide them -selfish me 😘
gohealthywithbea
Thank you so much for both the amazing compliment and making me laugh!!! ❤️❤️❤️ I'm so glad you like this recipe!