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Cream Cheese Zucchini Muffins

Cream cheese zucchini muffins with a bakery-style tender crumb and a hidden pocket of creamy, slightly tangy filling. Grated zucchini is folded into batter and the muffins are baked until golden and pull-apart reveal shows the cream cheese center.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
chill 10 minutes
Total Time 52 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 350
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cream cheese filling
  • 6 oz cream cheese softened
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
Muffins
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 0.25 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1.5 cup zucchini grated and squeezed dry

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep and chill filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, then set aside for filling assembly.
  2. Beat cream cheese, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract together until smooth, then transfer to a small piping bag or zip-lock bag and refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes (visual cue: thick, pipeable filling).
Make muffin batter
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl until evenly combined (visual cue: uniform color with no spice clumps).
  2. Beat eggs, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until smooth.
  3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined, then fold in grated zucchini (visual cue: batter is streak-free but don’t overmix).
Fill and bake
  1. Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter, then pipe a heaped teaspoon of cream cheese filling into the center.
  2. Cover with the remaining batter until each cup is about 3/4 full (visual cue: filling is fully surrounded).
  3. Bake at 350°F for 20–22 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted at the edge (not center) comes out clean (visual cue: tops spring back lightly).
  4. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring, then serve warm or at room temperature (visual cue: cream cheese pocket looks set, with a slight smear when pulled apart).

Notes

For the best “oozing” center, squeeze the grated zucchini very dry and refrigerate the filling until it’s thick enough to pipe. Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days (rewarm 10–15 minutes in a 325°F oven if desired); freeze up to 2 months for best texture. Swap option: use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream for a slightly tangier, higher-protein muffin.