Yellow Squash Muffins are sweet, spiced, and fluff up perfectly nice. These delicious grab-and-go breakfast bites are kid-approved and they’re brimming with veggies. A simple muffin recipe celebrating the buttery flavor of summer squash.
We love fun breakfast muffins like Blueberry Muffins with Crumb Topping, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins, and Zucchini Muffins. This recipe was a bit of a happy accident. My lovely little garden produced a HUGE bumper crop of summer squash.
And now, I’m asked for the recipe nearly every time someone bites into one of these petite breakfast muffins. They’re seriously SO fluffy, flavorful, moist, infused with sweet cinnamon flavor and a nice pecan crunch.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A slightly sweet, buttery flavor with a touch of cinnamon.
- These bite-size quick breads are brimming with hidden veggie goodness.
- Yellow Squash muffins bake up moist & fluffy without fail.
- Less oil with a secret weapon ingredient.
- Store muffins in the freezer for an easy grab-and-go breakfast option.
Ingredients and Notes
Here’s an overview of the ingredients you’ll need to create this recipe:
Flour: I use all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour will work as a 1:1 substitution in the muffins.
Yellow Squash: You need roughly 2 cups of shredded squash. Use the entire squash including the seeds and skin.
Oil: Vegetable or canola oil are the preferred choice. Melted butter or coconut oil will work as a substitute; I haven’t experimented with either.
Nuts: I prefer chopped pecans. Choose walnuts, macadamia nuts, or another nut of choice.
Unsweetened Applesauce: This makes the homemade muffins lighter in calories and balances the flavors. In most of my recipes, the applesauce is a substitute for ½ of the oil. Sweetened or cinnamon flavored will work in a pinch. The little 6-packs for kid’s lunches are perfectly sized.
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
- Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
- Fresh Lemon Juice or Zest
- Fresh or Frozen Blueberries
- Raisins or Dried Cranberries
- Nutmeg or Ginger
- Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
How to Prep Squash
- When handling fresh squash, there’s excess moisture present. To help with moisture absorption, rest slices on paper towels for at least 30 minutes. Blot as necessary.
- If using frozen squash, thaw and drain a small amount of water. Press into a colander to remove as much liquid as possible and blot with a paper towel.
- Chop squash in a food processor until it’s diced to the size of corn kernels. It’s fine if a few pieces in the squash mixture are a bit larger.
PRO TIP: This is the same technique used to shred zucchini in baking recipes such as Zucchini Muffins or Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread!
Tips for Making Perfect Muffins
- Choosing Squash. It should feel firm and evenly bright. While scratches are common, don’t choose squash with soft spots. Small squash typically have fewer or smaller seeds than large squash.
- Use fresh baking powder. This will ensure that the muffins rise properly. Replace your baking powder if it’s older than a year.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Mix the flour into your wet ingredients until it’s just combined. The batter will be thick. If you overmix the batter your muffins may turn out too dense.
- Fill muffin tin cups to ¾ full. Add some chocolate chips or nuts to the top of the muffins for a little something extra if you’d like.
More Hidden Vegetable Recipes
- Zucchini Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread with Cheesecake Swirl
- Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake
- The Best Carrot Cake
Serving and Storing Suggestions
Serving Ideas: Muffins are always best served warm, and these Summer Squash Muffins are no exception. Heat them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds and enjoy!
Store: Store in a cool, dry place in an airtight container, away from bright lights or heat sources. Muffins can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. If properly covered, they’ll keep 4-6 months in the freezer and approximately 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Freeze: Allow muffins to cool completely before storing in the freezer in an airtight container.
Make Ahead: These are great to make ahead and store. I don’t recommend storing uncooked batter because the muffins won’t rise as well.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! Sometimes I grow more yellow squash than I know what to do with! I love to create great food like this muffin recipe to put all my fresh veggies to good use, but I end up freezing the excess often.
If you’re not a big fan of nuts, feel free to omit them entirely. Or swap out the pecans with walnuts, macadamia, or any other kind of nut you prefer. Try swapping the nuts out for raisins or an alternative bite-size dried fruit.
Nope! There’s no rule about this, it comes down to personal preference.
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Yellow Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups squash shredded or petite diced
- 3 cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ¾ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- ½ cup Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 cup Chopped Pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Grease muffin tins or use muffin liners.
- Prepare squash. For fresh, slice and place on paper towels for at least 30 minutes and blot as necessary. If using frozen squash, thaw and drain. Press into colander to remove as much liquid as possible. Chop squash in a food processor until diced (about the size of corn kernels).
- In a mixing bowl, blend oil, applesauce, and eggs together. Add vanilla, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix until smooth.
- In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together.
- One cup at a time, add dry mixture to wet and blend before adding next cup until all are just mixed.
- Using a spoon, fold in the squash and nuts. Spoon batter to ¾ full in muffin tins.
- Bake for 16-20 minutes or until golden brown. Increase baking time for larger muffins.
Jenny says
I substituted, 1 cup of normal sugar for allulose sweetener. Also, I substituted the vegetable oil for 1/2 of butter and 1/2 of coconut oil, and used wheat flour.
It was delicious!
Amanda says
I made these last year and my husband took them to work and everyone loved them so I was making them weekly for him to take to work and then was making them for my kids at home. These are a huge hit!
I also made the with Gluten-free and they was yummy
Rachel says
Glad you enjoyed them so much! And thank you for mentioning the gluten free version as I had not tried that before.
Carolyn Thoms says
Made these my only modification was I bobs mill gluten free all purpose flour and xanthan gum. They were very good! Will make again!
Max says
I actually messed up on this recipe and only put 1/4 of the brown sugar In and they were still absolutely amazing!!!
Susan says
I love these muffins. I put the batter in a loaf pan and made bread. but was wondering about if one batch would make a cake? 9 x 13
Amy says
These muffins are amazing. This is my third time making them. (This time adding some mini chocolate chips per my daughters request) everyone raves about them. And thank you because my garden grew tons of summer squash this year.
Sienna says
I’m going to have to make a double batch next time. They didn’t last very long in our house!
Gabriella says
This was such a great idea! I loved them!
Melanie says
Delicious! I love to make these for a healthy grab-and-go breakfast!
Kelly says
These were so good!