Cheesy Cornbread Zucchini Muffins

A twist on the classic zucchini muffin recipe, these cheesy cornbread zucchini muffins are made with cornbread batter instead of traditional zucchini bread batter and topped with cheddar cheese.

Zucchini bread is great, but sometimes you need a change. Enter the cheesy cornbread zucchini bread muffins.

These muffins are a cross between a cornbread muffin and a zucchini muffin with all of the right flavors melding together. You get that classic cornbread taste with the hint of zucchini and the decadence of the melted cheese.

You definitely don’t want to skip the cheese on top – it just adds that extra bit of flavor that makes these cheesy cornbread zucchini muffins amazing.

Origin of this recipe for cheesy cornbread zucchini muffins

This recipe is adapted from the recipe I shared a few years ago for cheesy cornbread with summer squash. At the time, I was just a little anti-zucchini. I didn’t like the taste of it fresh, so I didn’t want to bake with it.

The thought of this totally cracks me up now. I really just didn’t have a good recipe for preparing zucchini as a healthy side dish (like these zucchini fritters, parmesan zucchini rounds, and parmesan zucchini fries) and I certainly didn’t understand the versatility of baking zucchini into something delicious. Oh well.

I know now and I’m determined to share all of the good things I have discovered along the way. Make sure you check out this instant pot double chocolate zucchini bread recipe, too.

How to shred zucchini

There are two different ways to shred zucchini. You can use either a box grater and shred it as you would cheese. Or you can use the grater attachment on a food processor. Although the ladder requires more clean-up, it is my go-to for shredding zucchini because it gets the job done in just a few seconds. This is the food processor I have and love. (affiliate link)

Yield: 18 muffins

Cheesy Cornbread Zucchini Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A twist on the classic zucchini muffin recipe, these cheesy cornbread zucchini muffins are made with cornbread batter instead of traditional zucchini bread batter and topped with cheddar cheese. 

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Ingredients

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs, large
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup zucchini, shredded
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with baking cups and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and melted butter. 
5. Make a well in the dry mixture and pour in the wet mixture. Mix just until combined. 
6. Fold in the zucchini and 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. 
7. Spoon the cheesy cornbread zucchini muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each space 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheddar cheese. 
8. Bake for 20 minutes. 
9. Let cool on a cooling rack. 
10. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for 3 days or freezer up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information

Amount Per Serving Calories 124

Nutrition information is an estimate.

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