This Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins recipe is a favourite. It makes moist, fluffy, warmly-spiced muffins packed with flavor and moisture-adding vegetables.
Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins offer the best of two worlds: the rich, fall taste of pumpkin and the softness and gentle flavor of zucchini.
These muffins are not only delicious but also incredibly moist and filling, making them a perfect breakfast or snack. Try my Pumpkin Banana Bread, too!
Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins: Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree: Use 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Zucchini
- Eggs: Or one of the best egg substitutes.
- Buttermilk: or buttermilk substitute.
- Vegetable oil
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves Classic pumpkin spice blend for warmth.
- Optional mix-ins: Chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans. Chocolate is my fav – try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins!
Full recipe quantities listed in recipe card at the bottom of the article.
If you love these fall flavors, you must also try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, Apple Muffins and my favorite Pumpkin Bread recipe – it’s so tender and moist, everyone who tries it loves it!
Variations and Substitutions
A few smart swaps keep these freezer-friendly zucchini pumpkin muffins flexible.
- Gluten-free Use a quality 1:1 gluten blend for all-purpose flour.
- Dairy-free Choose plant milk with 1 tsp vinegar or lemon as a substitute for buttermilk.
- Whole wheat Replace up to half the flour with whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour.
- Spices: Use pumpkin pie spice instead of separate cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. I love these spices in my Moist Zucchini Bread Recipe, too.
Grab These Tools
- Muffin pan A standard 12-cup muffin tin works well for this batch.
- Muffin liners Paper liners or nonstick cooking spray for easy release.
- Large bowl Mix wet ingredients without splashing.
- Medium bowl Whisk dry ingredients for even distribution.
- Box grater For zucchini with just-right shreds.
- Kitchen scale Optional, but great for consistent muffins.
- Cooling rack Prevents soggy bottoms after baking.
How to Make the Best Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins: An Easy Guide
Prep the Produce and Pans
Grate zucchini, then squeeze out excess moisture with a paper towel. Line muffin cups with liners or spray the muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat the oven so the muffins bake tall.
Combine Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, stir pumpkin puree, zucchini, eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth. This step hydrates sugars and disperses spices for balanced flavor.
Whisk Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisking prevents pockets of powder and keeps the crumb tender.
Make the Batter
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Stir gently until almost combined, with some dry streaks remaining. Fold in chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans if using. Overmixing toughens texture, so stop when the batter looks thick and slightly lumpy.
Fill and Bake
Spoon batter into muffin cups, about three-quarters full. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. OR take out the guesswork and use a thermometer. They’re done when the middles reach 190ºF.
Psst. I wouldn’t judge you if you added cream cheese frosting and called them dessert!
Make Ahead and Storage
Bake once, enjoy all week. Here’s how to keep them at their best.
Storing Leftovers
- Room temperature Store in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to three days. Don’t store in the refrigerator.
- Next-day freshness Refresh in the microwave for 30-45 seconds to restore a tender crumb.
Freezing
- Freeze fast Cool completely, then freeze on a tray. Wrap in plastic wrap then transfer to bags for a freezer-friendly stash.
- Thaw smart Counter-thaw one muffin in a lunch bag or warm gently in the microwave.
Other Favorite Pumpkin Recipes:
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies or Pumpkin Cupcakes (no cream cheese)for a sweet treat.
- Sweet Potato Cupcakes with marshmallow frosting (I’m obsessed).
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce for a creamy, savory pumpkin dinner.
- Pumpkin Enchiladas with Black Beans: again, obsessed.
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars: my fav.
- Banana Zucchini Bread for another snack with veggies kids love.
Moist Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins (That Stay Soft for DAYS!)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 cups grated zucchini
- 1 ¼ cup buttermilk
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs lightly beaten
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp salt
Mix-ins (choose up to 3):
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup walnuts or pecans
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup dried fresh or frozen (thawing not necessary) cranberries
- ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup chopped dates
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare 3 12-cup muffin pans by lining with paper muffin cups, greasing well or spraying with nonstick spray.
Mix Wet Ingredients
- In a large bowl, stir together all the wet ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients.
Combine
- Using a wooden spoon, dig a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet ingredients. Use a light hand to incorporate the wet into the dry, stirring only until almost combined, with floury streaks and dry pockets remaining. Gently fold in the mix-ins (if using). Don't overmix (or your muffins will get tougher!)
Fill and Bake
- Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. Bake 20-25 minutes, until tops spring back when lightly pressed.For foolproof results, use a meat thermometer. They're perfectly baked when the center reaches 190ºF.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good. Tasty and moist.
Yum!! We had a little less than 2 cups of both the pumpkin and zucchini so we omitted the 4th cup of flour and the 1/4 cup of milk. Also used whole milk. But they came out so good! Note didn’t need the 20mins, more like 16-18 minutes. Thank you for this yummy fall recipe!
Love this recipe! I switched it up a bit though. I used banana and date sauce for the wet ingredients instead of sugar,also coconut oil. Coconut sugar and wheat flour for dry ingredients.
Awesome! Easy, my kid helped, tasted great and passed some on to friends who also loved them! They do freeze well and with so many mix in options can be changed up. Loved them!
These are the BEST Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins Ever! I cannot live without them. I watched the move ‘Love, Of Course’, and these were being made in the beginning and I knew I had to find the recipe. It took me some time but this recipe was exactly the one.
Thank you so much and A Very Merry Christmas and New Year!
I used your recipe and put my twist on it. These came out amazing. So moist. Here’s what I did. On the wet ingredients, I used Apple sauce and grated 1 medium Apple, grated zest of one large navel Orange and juice of that Orange, in place of the buttermilk. On the dry ingredients, I used 2 cups flour and added 2 cups ground flax seeds to replace the other flour. I added oatmeal instead of sugar. My add ins were sunflower seeds and cranberries. Simply amazing. Thank you for the are structure of this recipe. These will be on my 2021 Thanksgiving table.
❤Elaine
Great recipe. I omitted the 1 c of sugar in the dry mixture and they were plenty satisfyingly sweet with golden raisins used for the mixin.