This Vegan Zucchini Bran Muffin Recipe is chock full of plant-based goodies like raisins, shredded zucchini and whole grains, leaving you feeling satisfied!
I love sneaking zucchini into anything and everything. I've made Zucchini Bread Baked Oatmeal, Creamy Tomato Zucchini Soup, Zucchini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and even Vegan Zucchini Brownies. However, my favorite way to add zucchini into our diet is in this vegan zucchini bran muffin recipe! Even my kids who don't like zucchini love these muffins. We hope you do too!
Why This Recipe Works
- Despite this recipe not containing any milk or eggs, these zucchini bran muffins are super fluffy and moist (yes, I just used that word). Plus, they are great for anyone with egg or dairy allergies.
- I love that these muffins not only taste amazing, but also allow you to sneak some veggies into your morning. Not a lot, I know, but some!
- Outside of some flax eggs, this recipe requires only one bowl, making for easy clean up.
- This recipe is super adaptable. Use oat bran instead of wheat bran. Use shredded carrot instead of zucchini. Mix in nuts or craisins or chocolate chips instead of raisins. Use any neutral oil that you have on hand. Make this recipe your own!
Ingredients
- Wheat Bran - Wheat bran is the hard, outer layer of a grain of wheat. It's a good source of fiber and gives these zucchini bran muffins that classic bran flavor. You should be able to find wheat bran at your local grocery store, either in the baking section or the health food section.
- Whole Wheat Flour - I love to bake with whole wheat flour whenever I can. The whole wheat flour pairs beautifully with the wheat bran.
- Maple Syrup - For sweetness, this zucchini muffin recipe calls for maple syrup. It's a natural sweetener that my whole family loves and it gives these muffins a rich, maple flavor.
- Non-Dairy Milk - You can use whatever non-dairy milk you have on hand. Homemade oat milk is the most affordable. You can also use homemade almond milk or any kind of store-bought non-dairy milk from a carton.
- Oil - Coconut, light olive and vegetable oil have all worked great for me in this recipe, but use whatever neutral flavored oil you have on hand.
- Flax Eggs - Instead of eggs, you'll be using flax eggs for this recipe. To make a flax egg, simply whisk together 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with 3 tablespoons of water. Set the mixture aside until thick. Then use the thickened flax mixture as you would a regular egg in baking.
- Mix-ins - Use whatever mix-ins you enjoy with bran. I love to use walnuts, raisins, craisins or even chocolate chips.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Wheat Bran - I use wheat bran and oat bran interchangeably, so if you have one or the other on hand, just use the one you already have.
- Whole Wheat Flour - I've only tested this recipe with whole wheat flour, but I believe spelt or white flour would also work. If you use white flour, you may just need less non-dairy milk as wheat flour absorbs more liquid.
- Maple Syrup - Agave syrup would probably be the best maple syrup substitution for maple syrup as it's a runnier liquid sweetener.
- Non-Dairy Milk - Again, any non-dairy milk from a carton will work in this recipe!
- Oil - Any neutral oil will work for this Zucchini Bran Muffin Recipe. Like I mentioned above, I like to use either coconut oil, light olive oil or vegetable oil.
- Mix-ins - Mix-ins are just small chopped up pieces that you fold into the batter right before baking. I love bran with chopped nuts, raisins or craisins and or chocolate chips.
How To Make Zucchini Bran Muffins
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon and salt).
Step 2: Add in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Step 3: Fold in the shredded zucchini and raisins.
Step 4: Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing from the pan.
Storage
These muffins will store well at room temperature for a day or two, depending on the climate you live in. If you need them to last longer, simply place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. They will also freeze for 1-2 months when stored well in a freezer safe container or bag.
Expert Tips
- I like to squeeze out all the excess water from my shredded zucchini before storing it into the muffin batter. It's not always necessary, but I like the way the muffins turn out when I do.
- Don't over-mix your muffin batter! As soon as the wet and dry ingredients are mixed together, stop stirring. If there is a little bit of dry flour still in the batter, that's fine.
Recipe FAQs
Nope! I love to leave my zucchini skin on whenever I shred it for baking. It adds beautiful color and added nutrition.
I usually use the small holes on a box grater to shred zucchini for either zucchini muffins or zucchini bread. However, the smaller you shred your zucchini, the more water it will release, so you may need to squeeze out some of the extra water.
I personally like to squeeze out the water whenever I shred zucchini, especially when I shredded it on the fine holes of my box grater. Squeezing out the extra water helps me to control the amount of liquid in my baking and gets rid of some of the zucchini taste. However, just follow whatever the recipe says to do!
Healthy is such a relative term, but I usually find that adding more vegetables to my diet makes me feel better. Baking with zucchini is also a great way to get your kids to try a vegetable that maybe isn't their favorite.
More Vegan Zucchini Recipe
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Vegan Zucchini Bread Bran Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- ½ cup wheat bran
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 flax egg 3 tablespoons water + 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- ¾ cup non-dairy milk
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup oil neutral flavored
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
ADD-INS:
- 1 cup shredded zucchini excess water squeezed out
- ⅓ cup raisins or mix-ins of choice
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 °F and spray a muffin tray with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, prepare your flax egg by whisking 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water. Set aside to gel while you prepare the rest of the batter.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, wheat bran, baking powder, cinnamon and salt).
- Add in the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Fold in the shredded zucchini and raisins.
- Evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin tins and bake for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool slightly before removing from the pan.
Meghan says
That is lucky that you had your ID! And also that your wallet was with your sister rather than in a random restaurant or store. I once left my entire purse at a winery in the Shenandoah Valley and had to drive a long ways back to get it. I feel like these "senior moments" shouldn't be kicking in yet, but I really find it hard to remember to grab everything sometimes. Maybe technology/mutli-tasking has ruined our attention to detail on this? Anyway - thanks for the muffin recipe! And thank goodness for nice people at Jamba Juice.
Faith says
I know right!? I'm a mess, but it worked out okay in the end...yay Jamba Juice! But what a bummer about your purse! I'm glad you knew where it was at least. And I agree completely, "senior moments" and happening too often for my liking:) So good to hear from you Meghan!