Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins

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!
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I’ve got zucchini on the mind because I’ve got zucchini in the garden! How about you?

This season, the powdery mildew is out of control. I’ve been lopping off the worst looking leaves and being happy with the total of six zucchini I’ve gotten from two plants.

I think it’s the limited sunlight – probly six hours max because of the trees around here, and the fact that I have been removing the affected leaves. Both of these things probably slow the growth.

But I’m super happy that the zucchini I am getting are free of slugs and look pretty perfect. It’s always a learning experience!

I’ve used most of my zucchini for baking, and I won’t stop! I need to revisit an old recipe, these Chocolate Espresso Zucchini Brownies! They’re more of a dessert, but they still have veggies so it’s fine!! 🍫

These Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins are a cross between seasonally relevant zucchini baking recipes and my recently popular pancake mix recipes! Hope you enjoy!

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!!! 

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 do you make these Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins?

Preheat the oven to 350F. Prep your zucchini as noted above.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. 

Use cooking spray or avocado oil to grease a 12 count muffin pan, or use baking muffin liners. I like to use a cookie dough scoop to divide all the batter between the muffin tin wells.

Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips for super photogenic muffins!

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from the oven when a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool for a few minutes, then serve!

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.

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!

Others that would work are Bisquik, Krusteaz, or Trader Joe’s brand.

How long do these Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins last?

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

Can you freeze zucchini muffins?

Yes! 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.

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!

More easy breakfast ideas from Project Meal Plan:

• Instant Pot Maple Brown Sugar Oatmeal
• Oatmeal Applesauce Blender Muffins
• Cheddar Veggie Instant Pot Egg Bites

Did you make these Pancake Mix Zucchini Muffins? I want to see how they turned out! Tag me in your post and use #projectmealplan to share!