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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; it’s so easy to make.
Are zucchini plentiful at your grocery store? Great, it’s your excuse to use them to make my quick bread. This healthy zucchini bread recipe may look familiar, and that is because they are a spin on my healthy zucchini muffins. The only real difference is adding a banana and removing oil, but it’s just as delicious and as easy!
This bread is moist and fluffy in the middle, and each slice is studded with walnuts and a hint of cinnamon. It doesn’t taste healthy for such a wholesome loaf and has NO zucchini flavor.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Perfect texture. This bread is moist and fluffy in the middle with a tender crumb.
- Wholesome ingredients. No white flour or butter is needed.
- Quick and easy. All you do is give it a good mix and bake.
If you love baked goods with zucchini, try my zucchini brownies, zucchini chocolate cake, and healthy chocolate zucchini bread.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Another great recipe! It is super easy and has a nice texture. Added some extra chocolate chips in… 🙂 Again, it was sensational!!” – Megan
Key Ingredients
- All-purpose flour. Either whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour (my favorite), or whole wheat pastry flour works. You can 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. Liquid sweeteners, such as honey and maple syrup, will also work, but the baking time should be increased to compensate (approximately 5-7 minutes is sufficient).
- Baking powder and baking soda. Both leavening agents are used for some rise and stability.
- Salt. A must to balance out the sweetness.
- Spices. I like to use ground cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Egg. Room temperature, please.
- Yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt is my favorite because it’s higher in protein and lower in fat. Saying that, any plain yogurt works.
- Bananas. The riper they are, the sweeter the bread will be.
- Zucchini. Finely shredded with excess moisture removed. I like to use a box grater to shred.
- Vanilla extract. A must for any baked good.
- Mix-ins. Chocolate chips, walnuts, or anything you like.
How to make a healthy zucchini bread
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Mix. Stir the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine the two until combined.
Step 2- Combine. Gently fold through the shredded zucchini and walnuts (or mix-ins).
Step 3- Assemble. Transfer the bread mix into a greased 9 x 4-inch loaf pan.
Step 4- Bake the zucchini bread for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Arman’s recipe tips
- 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 sugar is already in the batter, it’s still considerably smaller than in other recipes. If the bananas are super ripe, they add an extra layer of sweetness.
- Avoid overmixing the batter, as it can turn the bread gummy. Just mix until no flour pockets remain.
- Do not open the oven door. Regularly opening the door to check on the zucchini bread affects its rise. Try to only open it towards the end of the bake time (around the 45-minute mark).
- If you notice the tops of the bread cooking too fast, add some aluminum foil halfway through the baking process.
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. Opt for one that is at least 9-inches.
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, if you don’t want to use bananas, I’ve had success making this with unsweetened applesauce and pumpkin puree. You will need one full cup to replace the bananas.
More healthy quick breads
If you tried this Healthy Zucchini Bread recipe or any other recipe on The Big Man’s World, please rate the recipe and let me know how it went in the comments below. It really helps others thinking of making the recipe.
Healthy Zucchini Bread
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or 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 mix-ins I use either chocolate chip or walnuts.
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 any mix-ins of choice. This loaf is using walnuts.
- Transfer the batter into a lined pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. The cooking time depends on the oven, so check at the 45 minute park.
- Remove the zucchini bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan completely, before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Make it dairy-free. Swap out the yogurt for coconut yogurt or soy yogurt.
- Make it egg-free. I tested this bread with a flax egg and a chia egg, and it did not hold up well. I did, however, have success with an egg replacer (en-er-gy brand).
- Mix-in ideas. Chocolate chips and walnuts are my go-tos, but any nut or seed can work well too.
Nutrition
Originally published June 2019, updated June 2023, and republished April 2025
Zucchinis are so much healthy.
I want to try this recipe. Usually I only cook zucchini.
So healthy bread. I will just avoid coconut sugar. Dont need sugar.
You think it should taste good if I dont use coconut sugar?
Love this wholesome zucchini bread- so moist and fluffy!
Thanks, Andria!
In my country zucchini are often on discount so for sure will try for this recipe.
What is the substitute for zucchini?
Just leave it out 🙂
Can you please tell me what you mean by a “large” zucchini; either by size or cup equivalent? The last time I made a recipe (not yours) using zucchini it was a disaster and it also called for a large zucchini. Don’t know if my large was different than what the recipe called for or what, but I learned my lesson.
So good! I had extra Zucchini that was about to go bad, and was looking for some way to use it. I found this Healthy Zucchini Bread recipe and it turned out amazing!
Best healthy zucchini bread recipe ever!
Can you sub cottage cheese for the Greek yogurt?
If you blend it, you could!
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!