This recipe has been on my list forever! Harley devours these tiny Zucchini Banana Muffins, and guess what makes them amazing? Zero added sugar! There's always a stash in our freezer for grab-and-go snacks or to toss onto her plate. A quick warm-up in the toaster oven does the trick, and she can't get enough. They're incredibly tender, bursting with flavor, and ideal for both little ones and grown-ups.
Did you realize that children under two should skip ALL added refined sweeteners? The only "sweetness" in their meals ought to come from naturally occurring sugars in whole ingredients (such as the natural sugars packed inside a ripe banana).
Still, the packaged food world shows no concern – refined sweetener gets dumped into practically every product. Nearly every commercial toddler snack on the market contains added refined sweetener, artificial flavoring, and a laundry list of processed additives I'd rather not feed my daughter on a routine basis… even the so-called organic varieties!
I make it a point to include vegetables at every sitting for Harley, and luckily she's a huge fan. If your little ones haven't warmed up to greens yet, the zucchini tucked into these muffins is a brilliant stealth veggie – completely undetectable. Opt for organic zucchini to sidestep any GMO concerns.
When I'm whipping up baked treats for Harley, I gravitate toward organic oat flour – it's minimally processed and loaded with fiber and nutrients. Oat flour consists of nothing but 100% whole oats. By the way, if your local shop doesn't stock it, you can DIY by tossing organic steel-cut or rolled oats into a food processor or spice grinder and pulsing away until you hit a fine, floury texture.
To whip up these Zucchini Banana Muffins, kick things off by cranking the oven to 350 degrees. Next, scoop out one and a half cups of oat flour into a medium glass mixing bowl. Stir in a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of baking soda, a quarter teaspoon of baking powder, and half a teaspoon of sea salt. Stir until everything is evenly distributed…
In a roomy separate bowl, you'll combine all the moisture-rich ingredients… two eggs, half a cup of applesauce, one mashed banana, a full cup of shredded zucchini, and a third of a cup of organic butter or coconut oil…
I haven't experimented with it personally, but "flax eggs" should work to veganize these muffins. For every single egg (this recipe calls for two) just blend one tablespoon of organic ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water (Allow the mixture to rest for 15 minutes so it gels up before incorporating.)
Stir the wet mixture just enough to bring it together…
Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet and stir only until incorporated. Fight the temptation to overwork the batter…
A small ice-cream scoop is a lifesaver for this next move. Pop unbleached paper liners into a mini muffin tin or coat the pan with coconut oil. Spoon the batter into each cavity only three-quarters of the way up to prevent spillage…
Slide them into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes until set.
You could likely use a standard muffin tin for these as well. In that scenario, the bake time roughly doubles (I'd estimate 20-22 minutes).
Allow them to rest briefly before devouring so the muffins hold their shape. Patience pays off here… trust me!
Toss any extras into the freezer for safekeeping. A quick toaster oven or oven warm-up brings them back to life… or simply leave them out on the counter or in the fridge overnight to defrost when you're ready to enjoy them.
Food Babe's Mini Zucchini Banana Muffins
- 1½ cups oat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup apple sauce
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- ⅓ cup butter or coconut oil, melted
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.
- In a separate bowl mix together the wet ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Line a mini muffin pan with liners or grease with coconut oil. Fill until ¾ way full. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Store extra muffins in the freezer – reheat in a toaster oven or oven or thaw overnight in the fridge or on counter the day you want to eat them. Enjoy!
Please use all organic ingredients if possible
I hope your household falls for these muffins as hard as mine does. If you know someone hunting for wholesome kid-friendly snacks, do them a favor and pass this recipe along!
Xo,
Vani
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