Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins – Project Meal Plan

What are the ingredients in these pancake mix zucchini muffins?

• zucchini – Grate up one medium or two small zucchinis. Make sure to squeeze the grated zucchini in cheesecloth or paper towels to remove the excess liquid. More info below.
• pancake mix – Any ‘just-add-water” pancake mix will work here! Keep reading for my recommendations.
• milk – I use unsweetened almond milk because I always have it on hand and I prefer to not use dairy milk. Any milk will do here!
• brown sugar – I really like the flavor that brown sugar adds here but I also think honey or maple syrup would work too.
• egg – Helps with rise and fluff!
• vanilla extract – Great background flavor, you’d notice if it was missing 🧐
• cinnamon – I love cinnamon, and I especially love it in these muffins. Helps mask zucchini taste while also adding to the vanilla and chocolate goodness.
• chocolate chips – All zucchini muffins should have chocolate!!! But if you don’t have any, some blueberries would also be delicious.

Related: Need more quick breakfast ideas? Check out my list of 15 Grab-And-Go Meal Prep Breakfast Ideas For Work!

Equipment you’ll need to make these muffins:

Here are my recommendations on equipment you’ll need to make this recipe:

• You’ll need a cutting board, and I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). The XL size is perfect but not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For mixing bowls, I always go for one from the 8-Piece Pyrex Sculptured Mixing Bowl Set (affiliate link!). This set has 4 sizes with lids, and I use them nearly every day.
• A box grater is required to shred the zucchini. Any good one will work just fine, but mine is an OXO Box Grater (affiliate link!).

How do you prepare the zucchini for these muffins?

Zucchini is made up of about 95-96% water, so it’s important to remove some of that excess water before baking, or your baked goods may not get the rise you want.

I use an OXO box grater (affiliate link!) to shred my zucchini (it goes pretty fast!). One medium zucchini is a little over a cup of grated zucchini. You can use it all in the recipe 🙂

Next, use a bit of cheesecloth or paper towel to squeeze all the zucchini shreds and remove excess water. Now, your zucchini is ready to go into the batter!

How to make these Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins:

This is one of the most simple muffin recipes you’ll find on the interwebs! Using pancake mix reduces the total number of ingredients you need to find and measure, which saves times overall. Here’s how you make these super easy zucchini pancake muffins:

Start with prep and make sure the zucchini is ready to go into the batter. Preheat the oven to 350F. Wash the zucchini and then use a box grater to shred it completely (more on this process in the section above).

After preparing the zucchini, mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. The batter should nearly resemble a pancake batter, or perhaps a tiny bit thicker. Remember to save a few chocolate chips for topping.

Use cooking spray or avocado oil to grease a 12 count muffin pan, or use baking muffin liners. I did notice that paper liners made these muffins stick, but I didn’t try to grease those. It ended up being easier to just grease the muffin tin really well.

For scooping the batter into the wells, I like to use a cookie dough scoop. This helps reduce mess and divide all the batter equally. The better should nearly reach the top of the muffin tin wells. Be sure to sprinkle the top with chocolate chips for super photogenic muffins!

Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes. Remove from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes, then remove from the pan using a butter knife for leverage, and serve or store for later.

If you like these muffins…

If you like these zucchini muffins, you’ll love my Pumpkin Spice Pancake Mix Muffins! Springy, moist, and full of the best fall flavor!

Get the recipe

Options to customize these muffins:

• Swap the chocolate chips for blueberries (wild frozen blueberries are great for muffins!)
• Add a streusel topping or some sparkling sugar to the tops
• Add a shredded carrot! Don’t add too many things (they will overflow), but one small shredded carrot would be great.

What pancake mixes do you recommend to make pancake mix muffins?

I believe any ‘just-add-water’ pancake mix will work for this recipe. The key is to make sure the mix has a leavener, usually with baking soda. 

My favorite pancake mix to use for both pancakes and not pancakes is Kodiak Cakes Pancake & Waffle Mix (affiliate link!). I buy this at Costco and we always use it up!

Other brands of pancake mix that would work include Bisquik, Krusteaz, or the Trader Joe’s brand.

What other desserts can you make with pancake mix?

You can make a lot more than pancakes with most pancake mixes! The most popular pancake mix recipe on my site are these Chocolate Chip Pancake Mix Cookies. SO many ways to customize! I’ve also created these Banana Bread Pancake Mix Cookies and I like them even more!

You could also just go the classic route and try my Banana Protein Pancakes. They’re honestly some of my favorite pancakes ever, and you can’t even tell they’re packed with protein!

How to store Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins:

These muffins will last about 4 days in a sealed container on the counter. 

How to freeze these zucchini muffins:

You can freeze these muffins in an airtight sealed container or wrapped well in foil. They’ll be good for 3-6 months in the freezer.

Recipe

Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins

Prep: 10 minutesCook: 20 minutesTotal: 30 minutes

Fluffy, soft, and delicious zucchini muffins made without flour! These Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins are meal prep friendly, freezer-friendly, and made in one bowl. Perfect for busy mornings or snack on the go!

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F. Prep your zucchini (1, grated) by grating with a box grater. Use a bit of cheesecloth or paper towel to squeeze all the zucchini shreds and remove excess water. Use cooking spray or avocado oil to grease a 12 count muffin pan, or use silicone baking liners (I do not recommend paper for these, they’ll stick!).
2. Mix: In a large mixing bowl, mix the drained zucchini shreds, pancake mix (2 1/4 cups), milk (1 1/4 cups), brown sugar (1/3 cup), egg (1), vanilla (1 teaspoon) and cinnamon (1 teaspoon) until well combined. Add the chocolate chips (1/2 cup) and mix them in. Divide all the batter between the prepared 12 muffin tin wells. They’ll be filled almost to the top. Sprinkle the tops with extra chocolate chips if desired.
3. Bake: Bake muffins in the preheated oven for 20-22 minutes. Muffins are done baking when they’re golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
4. Serve & store: Let the muffins cool for a couple minutes, then use a butter knife around the edges of the muffins to gently loosen from the sides. Place muffins on a cooling rack and let them cool completely. Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days.

Nutrition Information

• Serving Size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 153
• Fat: 5g
• Carbohydrates: 24g
• Fiber: 3g
• Protein: 4g

Cuisine: American Method: Baked

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does pancake mix work in place of flour?

The cool thing about ‘just add water’ pancake mix is that it the mix will have its own flour and its own leavening agent. You can double check this by reviewing the ingredients list. It should have “leavener” or “leavening agents” listed, and baking soda should be one of them.