Hey Mamas! If you’re like me and have picky eaters in your house, it can be a struggle to get kids to eat green vegetables! My solution: Sneak veggies into their favorite foods!

Great for picky eaters: I have THE BEST banana bread recipe (originally adapted from Delish.com) that I’ve converted into muffins with hidden zucchini! My kids have never once said, “Ewe,” “What’s the green stuff?” or “I can taste vegetables!” when I serve them these muffins! SCORE!

Why this is the best Banana Zucchini Bread Muffin recipe: When I say this is the best banana bread recipe, I truly mean it! During the pandemic, I made one banana bread loaf for every month we were locked down in LA County. I tried six variations of banana bread, so I can attest that this is the very best recipe! Utilizing three bananas is the perfect amount of flavor and sweetness, and the full fat sour cream makes the bread so moist! You will never need to try another banana bread recipe again… This is IT! You’re welcome.

Original recipe swaps: I make a couple swaps for these Banana Zucchini Bread Muffins from the original Banana Bread Recipe from Delish.com to make them kid-friendly and mom-approved. First, I add half of a grated zucchini. Secondly, I add mini semi-sweet chocolate chips! My kids go nuts over chocolate anything, so this is a special treat. In my opinion, regular sized chocolate chips overpower the the banana flavor, so I prefer to use mini sized chips. I haven’t tried the muffin recipe without the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips yet, but I have made the original loaf recipe without them, and it was still soooo gooood!

Make it even healthier!: Recently, I completed a 5-day wellness reset that eliminated sugar, gluten and dairy from my diet, and I saw some phenomenal health benefits (like my average resting heart rate dropping by 9 heartbeats per minute – wow!). Since then, I’ve been testing swapping out sugar and gluten in some of my favorite recipes, like this one! If you want to go gluten- or sugar-free, try Bob Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour and Truvia Sweet Complete Monk Fruit Sweetener. I could not tell the difference when we made these swaps! So good!

Mix-ins and frosting ideas: If you want to add some more oomph to this recipe, add 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans and walnuts are my favorite) or coconut! Or, add a cream cheese frosting for a real decadent treat that’s totally approved by the health food gods because we’re already eating zucchini – LOL! My favorite is a vegan cream cheese frosting recipe from Peanut Butter & Jilly found here.

Tips for the best Banana Zucchini Bread Muffins:

• You can’t have bananas that are too ripe for this recipe. The more ripe, the better!
• Shred the zucchini with a VERY fine grater. You don’t want chunky zucchini in your muffins!
• Be sure to drain and soak the moisture from the grated zucchini with a paper or cloth towel. Do not skip this step of the recipe or else you’ll have watery batter!
• This recipe makes about 18 muffins, so I always give a few to our neighbors and teachers. Everyone will love these muffins!

BANANA ZUCCHINI BREAD MUFFINS

Yields: 18 Muffins | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 c. all-purpose flour (or Bob Mills Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour* if you’re gluten free)
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. granulated sugar (or Truvia Sweet Complete Monk Fruit Sweetener if you’re limiting sugar)
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

*Note: Some people like to add Xanthum Gum to their recipes using gluten free flour, but I don’t believe it’s totally necessary if you’re making muffins. The label on Bob Mills Gluten Free Flour has instructions on how much Xanthum Gum to add if you wish to try it.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Line two muffin pans with 18 baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another large bowl, mix together melted butter, sugar, egg and egg yolk, sour cream, and vanilla. Add mashed bananas and grated zucchini and stir until combined. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just combined. 
4. Fold in mini chocolate chips and transfer to prepared muffin pan cups.
5. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

I’d love to hear what you think of this recipe! I’ve had so much fun making (and eating!) these Banana Zucchini Bread Muffins that I’m determined to add zucchini to other favorite recipes! What should I try next: a chocolate-zucchini cake, blueberry-zucchini muffins or chocolate chip-zucchini cookies?! Let me know in the comments below, or connect with me on Instagram or TikTok!

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