Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles are loaded with flavor, and anyone who likes green chiles and cheese is going to love this recipe. These savory zucchini muffins are made with white whole wheat flour so they do have a few carbs; check in the post for links to flourless zucchini muffins if you prefer that option.

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Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles shown lined up on cutting board

If you have a garden or you get zucchini in your CSA box, by now you may have made grilled zucchini, stuffed zucchini, cheesy zucchini, zucchini salad, or are starting to think about leaving some zucchini on your neighbor’s porch!  When I’m overloaded with zucchini and I’ve tried all the recipes I can think of, I start thinking about zucchini bread or muffins.

I’ve made a few variations of sweet zucchini breads and muffins, but for this recipe I wanted a savory zucchini muffin. I also wanted a muffin that included cheese and a fair amount of zucchini, and it took me seven tries to get a recipe I was satisfied with, but the happy result was these Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles.

I’m glad I persisted until I had a winner because I loved these muffins eaten warm with a bit of butter! The zucchini muffins with green chiles do use white whole wheat flour, so check the nutritional information to see if that makes this recipe too much of a carb splurge for you. And if you prefer a flourless zucchini muffin, scroll down to see zucchini muffin recipes that are lower in carbs and gluten-free.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What makes these Savory Zucchini Muffins so flavorful?

These zucchini muffins have roasted green chiles, Mexican blend cheese, grated parmesan, and buttermilk, for so much savory flavor.

Want low-carb and gluten-free zucchini muffins?

If you like the idea of zucchini muffins but need a recipe that’s low-carb and gluten-free check out Flourless Breakfast Muffins with Zucchini and Feta or Flourless Zucchini Muffins for more tasty options.

Want more recipes for using Zucchini?

Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles collage photo of recipe steps

How to make Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I used a combination of grated yellow squash and zucchini, but use whichever you have a surplus of. I grated it with my food processor, but a large hand grater will work too.
  2. My first few tries were way too wet, so some good bakers gave me the tip of putting the zucchini inside a dish towel and squeezing out all the liquid. I highly recommend doing that!  You’ll be amazed at how much water comes out.
  3. Drain a small can of whole green chiles, then stack them up and chop into very small pieces. Then take a paper towel and cover the diced chiles, pressing down so the towel absorbs even more of the juice. They should look fairly dry like this when you put them into the bowl. (When I used green chiles that come already diced, they were too wet.)
  4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the grated zucchini or squash, diced green chiles, grated cheese, and finely grated Parmesan. Then beat together the buttermilk and eggs and mix it into these wet ingredients.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the White Whole Wheat Flour (affiliate link), sweetener, sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
  6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the flour is all incorporated into the batter. (The dough will be stiff and hard to stir.)
  7. Spray muffin tins or silicone baking cups and fill them full but not overflowing.  (I had a tiny bit of dough left, which I baked in a mini-loaf pan.)
  8. Bake the muffins at 350F/180C for about 45-50 minutes, or until the outside is nicely browned and muffins are cooked through. I would start checking them a bit sooner than that in case your oven cooks hotter than mine. (They will be moist inside when they’re still hot.  I was surprised they took so long to bake until I realized how many wet ingredients there were.)
  9. Let muffins cool about 15 minutes before eating them.  They keep well in the fridge and reheat well in the microwave (only about 30 seconds.)

Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles vertical image showing muffins in rows.

More Tasty Ideas for Zucchini:

Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles and Cheese on cutting board
Yield: 15 small muffins

Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles are loaded with cheese and other amazing savory flavors.

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini or yellow squash, squeezed in a dish towel until no more liquid comes out
  • one 4 oz. can whole green chiles, drained well and finely diced
  • 3/4 cup grated Mexican Blend cheese
  • 1/4 cup very finely grated Parmesan (the kind in a can is fine)
  • 1/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2 eggs

Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup Granulated Monkfruit Sweetener
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. baking powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350F/180C.
  2. Spray muffin pan or silicone muffin cups with non-stick spray or oil.
  3. Grate zucchini or squash, using a food processor or the large side of a hand grater.
  4. Put grated squash into a dish towel and squeeze until no more water comes out.
  5. Measure the squash and put into a medium-sized bowl.
  6. Drain the whole green chiles, and pick off any seeds (unless you want it extra spicy.)
  7. Stack up the chiles on a cutting board and dice them into small pieces, then place a paper towel over the diced chiles and press down to absorb any extra water.  (You may need to do this with a couple of towels.)
  8. Add chiles and both types of cheese to the bowl with the squash.
  9. Beat together the eggs and buttermilk and then mix into the wet ingredients.
  10. In a smaller bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, sweetener, sea salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
  11. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring together until all the flour is incorporated. (The batter will be stiff and hard to stir.)
  12. Fill muffin cups so they are full but not overflowing. (If you only have a small muffin pan with 12 cups, bake the extra in a small loaf pan.)
  13. Bake muffins about 45-50 minutes, or until the outside is nicely browned and muffins are cooked through. I would start checking them a bit sooner than that in case your oven cooks hotter than mine.
  14. Muffins will have a slightly crisp crust and be somewhat moist inside.
  15. Let muffins cool about 15 minutes before eating.
  16. These muffins kept well in the fridge and were easily reheated (in a microwave for about 30 seconds.)
  17. I liked them hot, with a bit of butter.

Notes

You can make about 15 small zucchini muffins or 12 muffins and a small mini-loaf of zucchini bread. Or if you have larger muffin cups, this recipe will be perfect to make 12 muffins. I'm a fan of Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), but use any sweetener of your choice.

Recipe created by Kalyn after many tries and a lot of consulting zucchini bread recipes on other blogs.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

15

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 339mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles vertical photo of rows of muffins on cutting board

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Using white whole wheat flour and mostly low-fat cheese plus a generous amount of zucchini makes these Savory Zucchini Muffins with Green Chiles a good choice for phase 2 or 3 of the original South Beach Diet and they’re suitable for most low-glycemic eating plans. Muffins with flour may be too high in carbs for a low-carb diet, although with all the zucchini and cheese these are not too terribly high in net carbs.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Desserts and Baking to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2011. It was updated with more information in 2023.

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