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This healthy zucchini bread is perfectly moist in the middle and has a lovely tender crumb! No white flour, no butter, and no oil needed.
Are zucchini plentiful at your grocery store? Great, because it’s your excuse to use them to make desserts!
If you’ve tried our zucchini brownies or zucchini chocolate cake, you know that they taste incredible and the zucchini in them is noticeable. Another baked good that hides the summer vegetable perfectly? Healthy zucchini bread.
Why you’ll love this healthy zucchini bread recipe
- Perfect texture. Like vegan zucchini bread, this is moist and fluffy in the middle, each slice is studded with chocolate chips and with a hint of cinnamon throughout.
- Doesn’t taste healthy! Even though this recipe is loads healthier than traditional zucchini bread, you’d never tell!
- Wholesome ingredients. No white flour or butter is needed.
- No zucchini flavor. Seriously, there is nothing worse than knowing there is zucchini hidden in a baked good, but trust me- you won’t know it is in there!
What we love about this zucchini bread recipe is just how quick and easy it is to make. It needs little prep, so the hard part is waiting for it to cool down so you can dig into it!
Looking for more healthy zucchini recipes? Try pancakes, bars, or cookies!
Ingredients needed
Simple pantry staple ingredients are used to make this recipe. We do, however, have a few special ingredients that we use in our batter to ensure the bread turns out moist and delicious every single time! Here is what you’ll need to make it:
- Flour. Either white flour, white whole wheat flour (our favorite), or whole wheat pastry flour work.
Dietary swap
Easily make this gluten-free by using a cup for cup gluten-free flour.
- Brown sugar OR coconut sugar. Choose coconut sugar if you’d like this zucchini bread to be refined sugar free.
Ingredient swap
You can replace the granulated sugar for a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
- Baking powder and baking soda. We use both leavening agents for some rise and stability.
- Salt.
- Spices. I like to use ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Egg. Room temperature.
- Greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt or natural yogurt work.
Dietary swap
Not a fan of dairy? Swap this out with your favorite dairy-free yogurt.
- Bananas. The riper they are, the sweeter the bread will be.
Ingredient swap
Swap out the bananas for equal amounts of unsweetened applesauce.
- Zucchini. Finely shredded with excess moisture removed.
- Chocolate chips. Optional, but highly recommended.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any good baked good.
How to make a healthy zucchini bread
Step 1- Make the batter
Stir the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Gently fold through the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
Step 2- Bake the zucchini bread
Transfer the bread mix into a greased 9 x 4-inch loaf pan. Bake the zucchini bread for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Tips to make the best recipe
Zucchini banana bread is quick and easy to make. Here are a few tips before you get started:
- Squeeze out all moisture. Zucchini contains a hefty amount of water. Once you’ve shredded it, squeeze out every bit of liquid you can. There are enough wet ingredients in the batter to keep the bread moist.
- Overripe bananas are key. While there is already sugar in the batter, it’s still a considerably smaller amount than in other recipes. If the bananas are super ripe, they add an extra layer of sweetness.
- Resist the urge to over-mix. Over-mixing the batter will yield a more dense bread and not be as fluffy.
- Do not open the oven door. Regularly opening the oven door to check on the zucchini bread affects the rise of the bread. Try to only open it towards the end of the bake time (around the 45-minute mark).
- Add mix-ins. Fold through some chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts.
- Add aluminum foil. If you notice the tops of the bread cooking too fast, add some aluminum foil halfway through the baking process.
Storage instructions
To store: Place leftover zucchini bread in an airtight container at room temperature. You can add a paper towel on top to keep the bread extra moist. If you’d like the bread to keep longer, store it in a fridge for up to one week.
To freeze: Place slices of the zucchini bread in a ziplock bag and store it in the freezer for up top 6 months.
Recommended tools to make this recipe
- Box grater. For the perfectly shredded zucchini.
- Food processor. Another option to shred the zucchini.
- Wire rack. To let the zucchini bread cool evenly and completely on.
More quick bread recipes to try
This zucchini bread recipe is a quick bread, meaning it uses baking powder and baking soda to rise instead of yeast. Here are other quick breads you may enjoy:
- Cinnamon swirl banana bread
- Strawberry banana bread
- Oatmeal banana bread
- Applesauce bread
- Pumpkin bread
- Concha
Frequently Asked Questions
If you place the loaf pan on the top rack of the oven, you risk the exterior of the bread cooking quickly while the inside remains raw. To ensure this doesn’t happen, bake the bread on the lower or middle rack.
Using a smaller loaf pan will yield a heavy zucchini bread.
There is no need to peel the zucchini before shredding it for zucchini bread. It adds a pop of color, and there are hidden nutritional benefits in the skin.
Yes, use the exact same batter to make muffins or make my healthy zucchini muffins instead.
Healthy Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 2 large bananas mashed
- 1 large zucchini shredded
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease and line a 9 x 5-inch pan and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, yogurt, and bananas.
- Gently add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Fold through the zucchini and chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter into a lined pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
- Remove the zucchini bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan completely, before slicing and serving.
Hi there,
Can I use Lakanto brown sugar instead of crown sugar or coconut sugar?
You can try 🙂
Another great recipe! Super easy and nice texture. Added some extra chocolate chips in… 🙂 Again, cook time was a bit over an hour for me, but still came out tasty!!
Hey Arman! If I wanted to substitute eggs and applesauce, what would we do?
You can use real eggs (2) or the flax eggs provided.
As for applesauce, I haven’t tried it at all.
This zucchini bread looks freaking fabulous! I’m also a huge fan of using applesauce and pumpkin in recipes, preferably applesauce since pumpkin tends to yield orange baked products. Not saying that’s negative, but sometimes you need a loaf that looks more brown or beige!
Can this recipe be made as muffins? It looks delicious, I’m making it today!
Absolutely! 🙂 Just cook for a little less!