Zucchini Cornbread Muffins Vegan Gluten-Free WFPB
These gluten-free cornbread zucchini muffins are the perfect savory plant-based bake. Corn and tahini dominate the warm satisfying flavor profile. Grated zucchini creates a moist, interesting texture while boosting nutrients. Lovely as a light breakfast or a nourishing side.
Equipment
- Standard Muffin Pan
- 12 Paper Baking Cups, 2½ inch
- small mixing bowl that holds at least 2 cups (for combining wet ingredients)
- whisk or fork (for combining wet ingredients)
- Large Mixing Bowl
- silicone spatula
- large spoon, optional (for scooping batter)
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup plant milk (plain unsweetened, any type is fine)
- ⅓ cup aquafaba
- 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar (lemon juice or another light vinegar are also ok)
- ¼ cup tahini
Dry Ingredients
- 1¼ cup oat flour (read about making your own in the main text)
- 1 cup cornmeal, fine or medium grind
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (regular paprika is ok too)
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ⅛ to ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Chunky Ingredients
- 1 to 1¼ cup grated fresh zucchini*
- ½ cup corn kernels**
Instructions
Prepare Oven and Pan
- Line a standard muffin pan with twelve 2½ inch paper baking cups. Parchment baking cups work best.
- Preheat oven to 400 ℉.
Combine Wet Ingredients
- Place plant milk, aquafaba and vinegar in a small mixing bowl.
- Add tahini to wet ingredients and whisk together (you can use a fork instead of a whisk if you prefer). The mixture does not have to be perfectly smooth. The idea is just to break up the tahini a bit.
- Set aside.
Create the Muffin Batter
- Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
- Pour combined wet ingredients over the dry ingredients in the large bowl and fold together using a silicone cake spatula until wet ingredients are thoroughly incorporated and a medium thick batter forms. Because this is a gluten-free batter, a little extra mixing is beneficial so don't be afraid to over-mix.
- Now add the grated zucchini and corn kernels, folding until all the chunky bits are evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Scoop and Bake
- Spoon batter into muffin pan lined with paper muffin cups. I like using a large spoon for this.
- Bake at 400 ℉ for 20 minutes. When muffins are done they should look toasty golden on top.
Cool and Serve
- When the muffins come out of the oven it's best to leave them in the muffin pan to cool completely before serving. This is the best way to minimize having the bottom layer of the muffins sticking to the baking cups.
Notes
*Coarsely grated is best. Don't squeeze out the excess moisture.
**You can use frozen kernels which don't necessarily need to be thawed, fresh kernels that are either raw or pre-cooked or canned kernels. If you use canned kernels you need to soak up excess moisture with a clean absorbent towel before measuring. If using home cooked kernels check out my favorite easy way to cook fresh corn.
Tried this recipe? Let me know how it was!