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Even picky eaters love these Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins! They may be mini muffins, but they are a big hit with moms and kids! Bake up a bite-sized breakfast or snack you can feel good about since they have lots of vegetables but are sweetened with only a bit of maple syrup.
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free, Dairy-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
Kid-Favorite Gluten Free Mini Muffins
So many people love my original Carrot Zucchini Muffins made with whole wheat flour that I had to make them into gluten free mini muffins. Those muffins have gotten so many picky kids to eat vegetables that the GF kids and moms needed an easy snack solution too. Here’s why these are sure to be a hit in your house…
- So many veggies. It seems like a lot of carrots and zucchini being held together by just a little batter, but if you fill a 24-cup mini muffin tin, they will bake up perfectly and fully loaded with veggie goodness.
- Kid-approved. They may only have a little maple syrup, but they have just enough sweetness to entice the kiddos despite those sneaky vegetables.
- Freeze well. They are a perfect way to use up all the summertime bumper crops of zucchini when everyone is looking for more zucchini recipes.
- Lunchbox-friendly. The small size makes them a great packable snack or easy kids lunch idea. But the other advantage is that they have no nuts, making them perfect for a nut-free school environment. They are also adaptable to other allergies since they are gluten free and can easily be made with substitutes for the butter and eggs.
Recipe Ingredients
A couple of veggies and basic pantry ingredients are all you need to whip up a batch of these gluten free mini muffins. Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need. The full quantities are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Gluten free flour. The gluten free flour mixture is a simple blend of brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. You can also replace these flours and starches with 1:1 GF baking flour.
- Cinnamon.
- Salt.
- Baking soda.
- Unsalted butter. Melted and cooled. You can substitute vegan butter or coconut oil for a dairy-free option.
- Maple syrup. You can also use honey to sweeten these mini muffins, but I prefer the flavor of pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup).
- Egg. Lightly beaten.
- Vanilla extract
- Zucchini. Finely grated, but you do NOT need to squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Carrots. Finely grated, but again, it is NOT necessary to squeeze out the excess moisture.
- Raisins. Regular or golden raisins can be used interchangeably, or switch things up with dried cranberries.
How to Make Gluten Free Mini Muffins
These muffins are so easy to make. Preheat your oven and grease your mini muffin pan. Then I’ll give you a brief rundown, but be sure to follow the detailed instructions at the bottom of the post.
- Make wet and dry mixtures. Sift or whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside. Then in a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla extract.
- Mix the muffin batter. Gently stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just barely combined. Fold in the zucchini, carrots, and raisins.
- Fill the pan. Scoop into the prepared pan, dividing the batter evenly between the 24 wells.
- Bake and cool. Bake the muffins in the 350°F oven for 15-20 minutes or a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for a few minutes and remove the carrot zucchini muffins from the pan.
Quick Tips
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you make these gluten free carrot zucchini muffins:
- Don’t get stuck. I’ve never used cupcake liners and I’ve never had a problem with sticking. I simply coat my muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- Measure carefully. As with all gluten free baking recipes, be sure to lightly spoon the flours and starches into the measure cups and level off with a knife. Then you can either sift or whisk all the dry ingredients together.
- Meet your needs. You can use the individual flours and starches or a 1:1 flour. Vegan butter or melted coconut oil will work fine. Honey can be swapped for the maple syrup. And while I haven’t tested it, I suspect different egg substitutes for baking will work well.
- Shred, don’t squeeze. The carrots and zucchini should be finely shredded. A box grater with a side for finely shredding is perfect. There is no need to squeeze out the excess moisture. It actually helps keep the muffins moist.
- Don’t panic. It might seem like a lot of veggies with just a little batter, but trust me. Divide it evenly between a 24-cup mini muffin tin (I like to used a small scoop) and you’ll be just fine.
Proper Storage
- Countertop. In an airtight container, you can store the muffins at room temperature for a couple of days. I wouldn’t leave them out much longer because all of the moisture from the veggies can cause them to get moldy very quick.
- Refrigerator. You can refrigerate the gluten free carrot zucchini muffins for up to 4 or 5 days, and possibly even a week if they are sealed properly.
- Freezer. You can also freeze them for up to 2 to 3 months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, plastic freezer storage bags, or an airtight container. In fact, they are safe to eat for much longer, but after time they can start to get dry or have their flavor impacted. That being said, if you are only going to take out a couple at a time, I do recommend wrapping them individually or several together. Then place them in a zip-top plastic freezer storage bag or another airtight container. This allows you to pull out just a few at a time without affecting the rest of the batch.
More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes
- Flourless Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal Muffins have the perfect combo of bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate chips.
- Gluten Free Double Chocolate Muffins are so full of rich chocolate flavor.
- Flourless Almond Blueberry Mini Muffins are perfect with that Maple Cream Cheese Drizzle.
- Flourless Oatmeal Nutella Pumpkin Muffins have a crazy delicious combination of flavors.
- Gluten Free Raspberry Chocolate Chip Muffins are bursting with berry goodness.
- Gluten Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins from Texanerin have even more yummy summertime flavors.
- Gluten Free Fall Spice Mini Muffins from Boulder Locavore have lots of lovely warm spices.
Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins
Even picky eaters love these Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins! They may be mini muffins, but they are a big hit with moms and kids! Packed with veggies and sweetened with just a bit of maple syrup!
Servings: 24
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour *See Note
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 2 Tablespoons potato starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup finely grated carrot
- 1/2 cup raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in the center of the oven, and coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Sift or whisk together 3/4 cup brown rice flour, 1/4 cup tapioca starch, 2 Tablespoons potato starch (or 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons 1:1 gluten free baking flour) 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, (melted and cooled), 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir together until just barely combined.
- Add 1 cup finely grated zucchini1/2 cup finely grated carrot, and 1/2 cup raisins, and stir gently until just distributed.
- Fill each cup in the mini muffin pan approximately ¾ full (I use a small cookie scoop slightly overfilled).
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Let cool slightly before running a butter knife around the edge and removing the muffins from the pan.
Notes
You can also replace the brown rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch with 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Gluten Free 1:1 Baking Flour.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten Free Carrot Zucchini Muffins
Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)
Calories 70
Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 89mg4%
Potassium 97mg3%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Vitamin A 520IU10%
Vitamin C 2.1mg3%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Did you make this?
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Hi! Great recipe! When I tried using the 1:1 flour instead of brown rice flour, I accidentally added in the tapioca and arrowroot even though I was supposed to leave those out in the subbed version. How would you rescue the recipe in this situation? 😛
Honestly, I’d add the brown rice and double everything else for a double batch of muffins. They freeze great!
Would it be possible to make this into larger muffins or even a bread loaf?
You can do larger muffins but I don’t think it is enough batter to fill a bread pan. I have not tested doing 1.5 or 2 times the amount, but I think that will be needed.
I really like this recipe and have a question for the next time i make them – I couldn’t find tapioca starch so I used tapioca flour. Are these interchangeable? There was something that tasted a little bit bitter in these muffins and I cannot quite figure out where that comes from. I bought brown rice flour, tapioca flour and potato starch specifically for this recipe, so i know they are not out of date. Thanks for any information you can provide!
Yes, tapioca starch and tapioca flour are the same thing! I am really not sure what would cause a bitter flavor. Some gluten free recipes call for extra baking powder or baking soda, which can cause bitterness, but there isn’t extra here.
Thank you! I will report back next time I make them!
I made this with I cup pillsbury gluten free flour. It’s AMAZING! They are so moist and taste great!
Easy, delicious and a great snacking muffin when on the go. Thank you!
So happy you enjoy them!
Hi. You can sub butter with coconut oil and use a flax egg to make this vegan and it works great. Xx
Thank you so much for letting me know this, Tayy. I’m happy that you were able to make it egg-free!
Loved this recipe! So easy and very delicious. My sons loved these muffins as well!
Thank you, Shelli! I’m so glad to hear that you and your sons enjoyed the muffins. Thank you for rating the recipe, too!