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Home | Recipes | Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

Published on July 25, 2024 by Stephanie Kay

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Filled with fresh zucchini, rolled oats, and naturally sweetened, these zucchini breakfast cookies are a healthy recipe that the whole family can enjoy to start the day.

Plate with two zucchini breakfast cookies with a bite taken out of one.

If you’re looking for a new grab-and-go summer breakfast, give this zucchini oatmeal breakfast cookies recipe a try! Not only is it great for busy mornings, but it’s a fun and different way to use up all of that extra zucchini and a good way to eat more veggies too.

Plus, while I designed these cookies as a healthy breakfast recipe, you could add some extra sweetness with some chocolate chips and enjoy them as a simple snack instead.

Stack of zucchini oatmeal breakfast cookies on a white plate with a cup of tea, bottle of milk, and cookies cooling on a wire rack in the background.

Why You’ll Love Them

  • Kid Friendly – These zucchini breakfast cookies are moist, flavorful, and low in sugar, which makes them a great breakfast or snack for toddlers and kids.
  • Full of Fiber – The combination of rolled oats and zucchini ensures that each cookie contains over 2 grams of fiber.
  • Freeze Well – These cookies keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months so they are great for meal prep or batch cooking.
Ingredients for zucchini breakfast cookies; rolled oats, all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, zucchini, butter, applesauce, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla.

Ingredients + Substitutions

  • Zucchini – To add moisture and fiber to the cookies, and help add some more veggies to your day!
  • Oats – You can use rolled oats, old-fashioned oats, or quick oats; however, instant oats and steel-cut oats are not recommended.
  • Flour – The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you can use whole wheat flour if you’d like to add a little more fiber. You can also make them gluten-free by using 1-to-1 gluten-free flour, oat flour, or almond flour.
  • Butter – To add some healthy fats and ensure the cookies are moist.
  • Maple Syrup – To sweeten the cookies. You can use honey or brown sugar instead.
  • Egg – To bind the cookies. You can use a “flax egg” if needed.
  • Vanilla – To add flavorful.
  • Baking Powder – To ensure the cookies are fluffy.
  • Salt – To season.

While I didn’t include any, you can add some chocolate chips for a hint of sweetness if desired. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.

Large mixing bowl with maple syrup, melted butter, egg, and vanilla.
Large mixing bowl with mixed wet ingredients and shredded zucchini on top.

Dietary Adaptions

To Make them Gluten-Free: Swap the all-purpose flour for 1-to1- gluten-free flour, oat flour, or almond flour, and use certified gluten-free oats.

To Make them Dairy-Free: Swap the butter for coconut oil.

To Make them Egg-Free: Swap the egg for one “flax egg”.

Large mixing bowl with mixed wet ingredients and dry ingredients on top.
Large mixing bowl with zucchini oatmeal breakfast cookie batter.

How to Make Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

  1. Grate the zucchini. Using a box grater, grate the zucchini into fine strips. Transfer the grated zucchini to a tea towel or paper towel, wrap it up, and, holding it over the sink, squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside.
  2. Mix the dry and wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine the rolled oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, stir and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract, add the grated zucchini, and mix again, then add the dry ingredients and fold until well combined.
  3. Shape into cookies. Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and shape it into large cookies.
  4. Bake until golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to an oven at 375°F and bake for 18-22 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
  5. Serve and enjoy! Once cooked, the cookies can be eaten immediately or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

You can find the detailed instructions in the recipe card below.

Zucchini oatmeal breakfast cookies cooling on parchment paper on a wire baking rack.

Red’s Nutrition Tip

When you hear the word “cookie” you may immediately think of something unhealthy, but the reality is that cookies are just a recipe and you can easily adapt a recipe to make a nutritious and delicious cookie you can enjoy for breakfast. In fact, these zucchini breakfast cookies are essentially the handheld version of a bowl of zucchini oatmeal and, with only 12 grams of natural sugar and 2 grams of fiber per cookie, they can certainly be enjoyed as a healthy breakfast by adults and kids alike.

Two zucchini breakfast cookies on a plate with a cup of tea, bottle of milk on a tea towel, and cookies cooling on a wire rack with parchment paper.

Serving Suggestions

These zucchini breakfast cookies are a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats on their own. However, to ensure they are a more balanced meal for breakfast, I would suggest serving them with a source of protein, such as:

  • Greek yogurt
  • Skyr
  • Cottage cheese
  • Boiled eggs
  • Whole milk
  • Protein shake
Four zucchini oatmeal breakfast cookies on stacked on a plate with milk in the background.

Storage

Once completely cooled, these zucchini breakfast cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Zucchini Recipes:

  • Creamy Zucchini Pasta
  • Chocolate Zucchini Bread
  • Zucchini Fritters
Print
Plate with two zucchini breakfast cookies with a bite taken out of one.

Zucchini Breakfast Cookies

Author: Stephanie Kay

With a muffin-like texture, these healthy zucchini oatmeal cookies are great for a family-friendly on-the-go breakfast. Not only are they high in fiber and low in sugar, but they keep well in the fridge and freezer so they are a great meal prep idea for busy mornings.

  • Author: Stephanie Kay
  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 cookies
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup, or honey
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup grated zucchini, packed

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Using a box grater, grate the zucchini into fine strips. Transfer the grated zucchini to a tea towel or paper towel, wrap it up, and, holding it over the sink, squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, add the rolled oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt, stir to combine with a wooden spoon or spatula, and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, add the maple syrup, melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract, and whisk until well combined. Add the grated zucchini and stir again until well incorporated.
  5. Pour the dry ingredients into the large bowl of wet ingredients and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, gently fold together until well incorporated, being careful not to overmix the batter. Transfer the batter to the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
  6. Once the batter has cooled in the fridge, using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the baking sheet, and shape it into a large cookie. The mixture should make 8 cookies.
  7. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven for 18-22 minutes until the cookie edges are golden brown and the top is set.
  8. Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  9. Once cooled, the cookies can be enjoyed immediately or stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Notes

To Add Chocolate Chips: Add 1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips to the batter once mixed and gently fold to combine.

To Use Gluten-Free Flour, Oat Flour, or Almond Flour: Swap the all-purpose flour for 1 cup of 1-to-1 gluten-free flour, oat flour, or almond flour. To make oat flour, add 1 cup of rolled oats to a blender or food processor and blitz until fine flour is formed.

To Use Coconut Oil: Swap the butter for 1/2 cup melted coconut oil.

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    Comments

    1. Dee says

      July 26, 2024 at 8:44 am

      Hello, this recipe looks great but I have a question about the sweetener. In the post, you note “you can use honey or brown sugar instead”. I hate giving up my expensive maple syrup and while I could use a blend of syrup and honey, would this work with SF maple syrup? As well, if I used brown sugar, would it be 1:1? I am not sure if these would be too dry if I substitute a dry replacement with a liquid one. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        July 26, 2024 at 5:10 pm

        You can substitute for equal parts brown sugar or honey/SF syrup!

        Reply
    2. Isabelle Lapierre says

      July 29, 2024 at 3:08 pm

      They are excellents ! And easy to do ☺️ Can we freeze the dough and bake some cookies after ?
      Merci beaucoup!

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        July 29, 2024 at 3:14 pm

        I’m so happy you like them, Isabelle! I’ve not tested freezing the dough, but you can definitely freeze the cookies.

        Reply
    3. Cathy Birkas says

      August 3, 2024 at 11:20 am

      These zucchini cookies are like a cookie met a muffin! So good with chocolate chips! Make a double batch – you won’t regret it.

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        August 4, 2024 at 8:07 am

        Wow! I’m so happy you liked them, thank you so much for sharing, Cathy. And a double batch is always a good idea. 😉

        Reply
    4. Stefanie says

      August 9, 2024 at 1:39 pm

      Made these cookies to use up the never ending supply of zucchini from the garden. These are delicious!!! Made a double batch, baked one batch and then added chocolate chips to the second batch! Will definitely do these again!

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        August 9, 2024 at 3:52 pm

        Yay! I’m so happy you liked them, Stefanie, thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    5. Leann Sestak says

      August 10, 2024 at 8:49 pm

      Deeeeelightful, soft, cinnamony cookie! Will make again.

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        August 12, 2024 at 7:47 am

        Thank you for sharing, Leann!

        Reply
    6. Shelagh says

      September 9, 2024 at 4:12 pm

      Delicious and nutritious! Texture was perfect and easy to prepare! Mini chocolate chips were added for an added treat! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        September 10, 2024 at 5:56 am

        Thank you for sharing!

        Reply
    7. Doreen Haddad says

      November 5, 2024 at 4:52 pm

      Make them all the time. Grandchildren love them too.

      Reply
      • Stephanie Kay says

        November 6, 2024 at 7:59 am

        Thank you so much for sharing, Doreen!

        Reply
    8. Anonymous says

      November 5, 2024 at 7:29 pm

      Recipe are fantastique easy to make and so delicious

      Reply
    Stephanie Kay Nutrition

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