These zucchini cornbread muffins have a light and fluffy cornbread base loaded with shredded zucchini, corn, green onions, and cheddar cheese! They're the perfect complement to chili or barbecue, or great for snacking on by itself!
These zucchini cornbread muffins are the perfect side dish for classic slow cooker beef chili or my favorite creamy white chicken chili
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a few ingredients to make these white cheddar zucchini cornbread muffins!
Flour - A mix of flour and cornmeal yields cornbread that's light and fluffy but still has a classic corn flavor! All purpose flour works best for this cornbread.
Cornmeal - There are several different types of cornmeal (this is a great article that breaks it down) but for these cornbread muffins I recommend using either fine or medium ground yellow cornmeal. You should be able to find it next to the flour in the baking aisle! [Do NOT use self-rising cornmeal for this recipe.]
Honey - Just a little bit of honey adds the right amount of sweetness to the cornbread. Opt for a runnier variety of honey so that it mixes into the batter more easily.
Fresh Zucchini - You just need one small to medium sized zucchini for this recipe!
Corn - This is optional, but I love adding whole fresh corn kernels to cornbread! Fresh corn tastes best but frozen or canned will work just as well. If using frozen corn, let it thaw before adding to the batter.
Green Onions - Also optional, but diced green onions add some extra flavor to the muffins!
Cheddar Cheese - I prefer sharp white cheddar, but use whatever you like best! I also recommend using blocks of cheese and shredding it yourself as opposed to pre-shredded cheese because it melts better in the muffins.
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Zucchini Cornbread Muffins
Using a large box grater, finely grate the zucchini and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and mix. Then set aside for about 20 minutes.
Gently squeeze the excess liquid out of the zucchini (you can just use your hands, or squeeze the liquid out using a cheesecloth). Be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible! Any amount of zucchini between ¾ cup and 1 ½ cups is fine!
Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray.
Thinly slice the green onions and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey. Then whisk in the milk and eggs until fully combined and smooth.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
Then gently fold in the zucchini, green onions, corn kernels, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and fill the muffin cups about ¾ full.
Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet). Rotate the pan about halfway through baking so that the muffins brown evenly.
Remove the muffins and let cool on wire rack (they'll get soggy if you leave them in the muffin pan).
These cheddar zucchini cornbread muffins are best served immediately while they're still warm!
Tips for the Best Baked Goods
Use room temperature ingredients! Always make sure ingredients like butter, eggs, milk, yogurt, etc. are at room temperature before baking (unless the recipe indicates otherwise)! This ensures they'll incorporate into the batter more easily and leads to overall better texture. Remove all ingredients from the fridge 30 minutes to an hour before baking for best results.
Measure your flour correctly! It's most accurate to use a kitchen scale, but if you're measuring by volume you want to spoon and level! Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, and then spoon flour into the measuring cup. Once it's overflowing, use the back of a knife to level it off. Don't ever pack flour into the measuring cup or you'll end up with way too much! Improperly measured flour can lead to dry, dense baked goods. [Measure cocoa powder the same way!]
Use an oven thermometer! Just because your oven says it's 350, doesn't mean it is! If you oven hasn't been calibrated recently, it can be as much as 30 degrees off, which will negatively affect all baked goods from cakes to macarons! An oven thermometer is the easiest/cheapest way to ensure your oven is always at the proper temperature.
Make sure you baking powder is fresh! Baking powder is important for helping baked goods rise properly, but it has a relatively short shelf life once opened, so it's one of the few items I never buy in bulk! To test if your baking powder is still fresh, add a small amount to boiling water. If it bubbles it's still good to use, but if not it's time to toss it!
Recipe FAQ's
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For best results, wrap the muffins indivuvally and then store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature before reheating.
If the zucchini cornbread muffins have been in the fridge or freezer, you definitely want to reheat them! Reheat in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until warmed.
Yes! Pour the batter into a greased cast iron skillet and bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet).
Sometimes older nonstick pans can start to lose their nonstick capabilities which can cause the muffins to stick. So be sure to use a high quality nonstick pan and pan spray (my favorites are Everbake or Bakers Joy) or you can just use muffin liners if you're worried about sticking.
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Zucchini Cornbread Muffins
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Zucchini
- 1 medium zucchini
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Muffins
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal, fine or medium ground
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup honey
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup fresh corn kernels , substitute frozen or canned
- ½ cup white cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Zucchini
- Using a large box grater, finely grate the zucchini and place in a bowl. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt and mix. Then set aside for about 20 minutes.
- Gently squeeze the excess liquid out of the zucchini (you can just use your hands, or squeeze the liquid out using a cheesecloth). Be sure to squeeze out as much liquid as possible! Any amount of zucchini between ¾ cup and 1 ½ cups is fine!
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and spray a nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray.
- Thinly slice the green onions and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the melted butter and honey. Then whisk in the milk and eggs until fully combined and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. It's okay if the batter is still a little lumpy.
- Then gently fold in the zucchini, green onions, corn kernels, and shredded cheddar cheese.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan and fill the muffin cups about ¾ full.
- Bake at 375°F for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (it may be crumby but not wet). Rotate the pan about halfway through baking so that the muffins brown evenly.
- Remove the muffins and let cool on wire rack (they'll get soggy if you leave them in the muffin pan).
- These cheddar zucchini cornbread muffins are best served immediately while they're still warm!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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