Don't know what to do with a bunch of basil or an abundance of zucchini? Try these delicious and flavorful savoury zucchini muffins.
They are a great savoury breakfast option. But you can also serve them as an appetizer, bring them to a picnic or in your lunch box. They are easy to make and easy to transport. Perfect for a meal on-the-go.Those savory muffins are vegan, gluten free, paleo and AIP compliant.
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⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
- Like I've said before, since I started this diet, I have found that one of the most difficult things is "packable 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, savoury 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 savoury muffins.
- What I love about these savoury zucchini 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...
- Those savoury zucchini muffins are gluten free, vegan, paleo and AIP compliant!
Looking for more easy zucchini recipes? Try these:
📖 Ingredient notes
- Tigernut flour (or almond flour for those who are not on AIP nor nut free). If you don't know what tigernut flour is and want to learn all about it, you can read my complete guide to tigernut flour. If you are on AIP and still in the elimination phase, you have to use tigernut flour (because almond flour is not AIP compliant). Those who are not on AIP nor allergic to nuts can use almond flour instead of tigernut flour.
- Zucchini. Do not peel the zucchini before grating or blending (leave the skin on). And do not drain out, or squeeze out any of the liquid from the zucchini as you will need all the moisture from the zucchini to make the batter.
- Arrowroot. It is a starch. See below for substitutions.
For the quantities and complete list of ingredients for these savoury zucchini muffins, please see the recipe card below.
💭 Substitutions
- Arrowroot substitutions. If you are not cassava intolerant, you can substitute it with tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour). If you are not on AIP nor Paleo diets: you can use potato starch or corn starch instead of arrowroot.
🥣 Step by step instructions
- 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.
👩🏻🍳Top tips
- Tip #1. In order to create tall muffin tops, I fill my muffin tins all the way to the top.
- Tip #2. Never open the oven door before the end of the baking time (unless, of course, in case of a danger or problem with your oven). If you open the oven door during the baking time, just to "check how they look", they will fall down or won't rise.
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can make this recipe, either as a loaf or muffins. Just follow the instructions in the recipe card below.
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 recipes you might like
Did you like this recipe? Please leave a 5 star rating on the recipe card and leave a nice review below! Tag @gohealthywithbea on Instagram and hashtag #gohealthywithbea! Also, let's stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
📋 Recipe / Recette
Savoury Zucchini Muffins (Vegan, gluten free)
Ingredients
- 200 grams (2 cups) grated zucchini
- 150 grams (1 cup + ⅓ cup) tigernut flour (or almond flour if you are not on AIP nor nut intolerant)
- 50 grams (¼ cup + 1 Tbsp) arrowroot (see notes)
- 1 large bunch of (1 cup tightly packed) fresh basil (see notes about how much is a large bunch)
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice)
- 4 Tablespoons 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!
Jen
Two things I always have a love of in my garden: basil and zucchini! Thanks for the healthy recipe!
gohealthywithbea
Oh yes! I know what you mean. Each summer, my parents' garden has a TON of these 2!! I'm thrilled that you love this recipe.❤️