This recipe for Chai Zucchini Pumpkin Muffins are made with healthy ingredients including whole grain flour, coconut sugar and coconut oil. They’re seasoned with chai spices and come with a boost of protein making for a great snack or on the go breakfast!
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photos updated and recipe *slightly* tweaked August 2018.
Oh happy dayyyy (oh happy day)… Random story. When my Pal and I were younger, probably 12 or 13, we used to put on lip syncing shows for her mom. One of our favorite songs to “sing” was that song from Sister Act II. For some reason we just loved that song, and loved putting on a show for her mom. (I guess we thought we were funny?) When they start busting out “HE TAUGHT ME HOW” and that young, shy boy surprises everyone. Epic moment. And it made for a great lip syncing moment too. 😉
What does that have to do with these muffins? Hhhmmm other than the fact those literally were the first words that came to mind, not a whole lot. But these muffins are certainly something to be joyous about.
Chai Zucchini Pumpkin Muffins
I made these on a whim Friday night. I was testing out some ingredients for a no-bake protein ball recipe with canned pumpkin. It didn’t quite turn out the way I planned in my head (it happens… often). So I had about half a cup left over and wanted to make sure it didn’t go to waste. I also had a zucchini that I kind of forgot about. Therefore, MUFFINS happened. But not just any muffins, CHAI spiced muffins. I am a huge lover of chai. So a while back when I looked up how to make your own chai latte at home, I went out and bought some cardamom. You really can’t do chai without it.
What is so great about these Chai Zucchini Pumpkin Muffins is that if you’re not a HUGE fan of pumpkin (ahem, my husband), I’m betting you’ll still like these. Chai is actually the star of the show here. The pumpkin just helps keep them moist, as does the shredded zucchini and coconut oil. I went with a little less sugar than your standard muffin recipe, but if you prefer a sweeter taste you might want to increase the sugar a touch. (See notes in recipe page)
what you need
- whole grain flour
- protein powder (see notes)
- baking powder
- chai spices – made up of cinnamon, cardamom (that’s the key one), nutmeg, ginger, cloves and all-spice. Or buy a blend here.
- salt
- zucchini
- pumpkin puree
- sugar
- egg
- oil
- vanilla
- milk
More about these pumpkin muffins
- Typically with muffins and quick bread I prefer to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately to ensure the flour and baking powder get evenly distributed. If you can’t be bothered with dirtying another bowl you can mix it all in one. But make sure to mix the wet ingredients first (sans the shredded zucchini) then incorporate the dry.
- This recipe is for 9 muffins – which honestly I find to be the perfect amount for two people.
- The muffins are best enjoyed within a few days and best kept in the refrigerator.
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One more note… If you don’t like chai (or you like it and don’t feel like buying cardamom) you could certainly leave it out, and increase some of the other spices like cinnamon or ginger. Feel free to play around with – you can never go wrong with more cinnamon.
And these muffins are best enjoyed with a dollop (or two) of your favorite nut butter.
You just can’t go wrong with these.
Leave me a comment and review on the blog if you try them! Always love hearing from you and seeing what you’ve made. Xx
Zucchini Pumpkin Chai Muffins [with protein]
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup vanilla protein powder*, I used this
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 cloves
- 1/8 tsp all spice
WET INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup shredded zucchini, water squeezed out (about 1 medium)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar, or dry sweetener of choice
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and line standard muffin tin, or grease with coconut oil, or use silicone muffin pan.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt, and spices; set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, oil and egg. Gently stir in milk and vanilla until combined.
- Add flour mixture to large bowl of wet ingredients; gently stir until almost combined, then shredded zucchini and stir until batter comes together. Batter should be somewhat thick. (Try not to over-mix or texture of muffins may come out rubbery)
- Fill 9 muffin cavities almost to the very top. (I use my cookie scoop to make things easier.)
- Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. (I checked mine at 15, and they were done at 20). Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.
- Muffins best enjoyed within 3 days and will keep longer stored in fridge.
Recipe Notes:
- *If you don’t want to use protein powder, use another 1/4 cup of white whole wheat flour. (You may also use regular all purpose flour. If you use regular whole wheat flour, your muffins may be a little dense)
- You could also use 1.5 tsp of pumpkin spice in place of the ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves. If you don’t care for cardamom, leave out and add more cinnamon, ginger and/or nutmeg.
- Increase sugar to 1/2 cup if you prefer a sweeter muffin. Use a dry sweetener of choice.
- When working with coconut oil, it is a good idea to make sure the rest of your ingredients are at room temperature to ensure even mixing, and so coconut oil does not solidify.
Nutrition Information
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