This Healthy Zucchini Bread is fluffy, moist and made in one bowl with not a drop of oil. Make it with your surplus garden zucchini or anytime of the year for healthy breakfast or snack!
We also love this healthy zucchini banana bread, healthy chocolate zucchini bread and cottage cheese zucchini bread.
This recipe is a result of my local farmer’s zucchini season in full swing. It’s super easy and truly healthy zucchini bread with no white flour, no refined sugar and no oil without sacrificing the flavor or moistness.
Most zucchini breads are full of oil and refined sugars, which cancels the fact that you are eating a vegetable. Not my zucchini breads! We also enjoy this healthy lemon zucchini bread and almond flour zucchini bread for without eating “dessert for breakfast”.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to make: Made in one bowl, you don’t even need to squeeze excess water out of zucchini! Less work and less dishes to wash, means you can be in and out of the kitchen in less time.
- Whole grain: Made with whole wheat or spelt flour, means you are consuming less refined carbohydrates. You will stay full longer as well as consume good for you nutrients.
- No refined sugar: Honey or maple syrup are lower on the glycemic index which allows your body to burn sugar more efficiently and avoid the “crash and burn” that can come from white refined sugar.
- Moist: It’s no secret using zucchini in quick breads adds moisture due to its high water content. Freshly grated zucchini and applesauce make it moist, low fat and oil free!
Ingredients for Healthy Zucchini Bread
Healthy zucchini bread recipe ingredients are simple, wholesome and most likely in your pantry now:
- Zucchini: Can also use green or yellow summer squash. No need to peel or squeeze zucchini. If you can find locally sourced zucchini during the summer season, that is the best! Otherwise, look for organic zucchini since you do not peel the zucchini and will be eating the skin.
- Honey or maple syrup: Also any liquid sweetener like agave, brown rice syrup or sugar-free syrup will work.
- Applesauce: Makes bread moist without using oil. I like to use unsweetened applesauce or Instant Pot applesauce. If all you have is sweetened that is fine, your bread will just be sweeter.
- Egg: Acts like “a glue” and helps with good texture.
- Whole wheat or spelt flour: These are the only flours I have tested in this recipe. Baking is a science and it is super important to follow the recipe. See FAQs below for other flours info.
- Cinnamon and salt: Salt to enhance the flavor of ingredients and cinnamon to add a sweet, earthy taste.
- Vanilla extract: Enhances the overall flavor of all the ingredients in baking.
- Baking powder and baking soda: Leavening agents make bread rise.
How to Make Healthy Zucchini Bread
This is one bowl recipe!
- Prep zucchini: Grate zucchini on large holes for prominent flecks or on medium size holes “to hide the veggies” of a box grater. Do not squeeze!
- Mix wet ingredients: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, except zucchini and flour, and whisk well. Mixture will be foamy and bubbly because applesauce reacts with baking soda right away.
- Make batter: Add flour and stir until well mixed. I wouldn’t be too concerned with over mixing but folding ingredients into the batter gently is always a good baking practice. Batter won’t be as thick as traditional quick bread or muffin batter.
- Bake: Pour into a loaf pan and bake for 60 mins. Photo shows a longer and skinnier loaf pan because I like to experiment. However, regular sized 9 x 5 inches loaf pan is all you need.
Recipe Tip
Don’t over bake the bread. Remove from the oven when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bread continues to bake with residual heat as it it cooling off in a loaf pan and then on a wire rack.
Add-Ins and Variations
- Chocolate: Add up to a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate.
- Nuts: Up to 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, pecans or pistachios for some crunch.
- Dried fruit: Raisins, dried chopped apricots or dates, or unsweetened cranberries add additional texture. I would start with 1/4 cup and add up to a 1/2 cup.
- Coconut: Look for unsweetened coconut flakes in the baking aisle.
- Blueberries: Before adding, toss berries with a small amount of flour to prevent them sinking to the bottom. Or use to stud the top of the bread.
- Dash of nutmeg: For additional earthy flavor.
- Egg free: I think it will work although I haven’t tested with this bread, but let me know in the comments. Try flax egg or chia seed egg.
Zucchini Tips for Best Results
All zucchini bread recipes differ. Here is what I recommend to do with your zucchini for this healthy zucchini bread recipe:
- Do not peel: Squash’s skin is very soft and once cooked it becomes very tender. So, do not waste your time and discard valuable nutrients.
- Do not squeeze: You do not have to pat dry or squeeze zucchini for my recipe because we want all the water to make the bread moist. It plays a crucial role in this recipe!
- Remove large seeds: Only if you use very large garden zucchini, its seeds will be almost as large as pumpkin seeds. Then remove them before grating, otherwise there is no need to de-seed the courgettes.
- Grating it: Grate on large or medium size holes of a grater. The only difference is that coarsely grated zucchini will have more prominent flecks of zucchini in baked bread. If you would rather “hide the veggies”, use medium holes. I have tried and loved both methods. Also, I do not recommend to grate or “zest” zucchini.
- Pack in a cup: You want 2 cups packed of shredded zucchini. As you fill up the cup with handfuls, gently press on zucchini before adding more. Don’t go crazy but just pat it inside.
- Frozen zucchini: I have heard from a few readers they freeze shredded zucchini and then use in baking. I have not tried. But if you are wondering, I would thaw frozen shredded zucchini for a bit so it’s not one blob and try. Please let me know if you do.
Recipe Tip
Please follow the recipe: I can’t stress enough that baking is a science and 99% times deviations from original recipe result in baking fails.
Serving Recommendations
While most of the time, our family enjoys this bread as is fresh from the oven, here are some other fun ways to serve it!
- Butter: This is my favorite way – simply spread some softened salted butter on bread, yum!
- French toast zucchini bread: This is best if your bread is nearing the end of its “lifecycle”. Make an egg dip batter by combining egg, your preferred milk and a pinch of salt and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. Whisk to combine. Soak a slice of bread in the mixture for only a few minutes and fry both sides of the bread in a pan over medium-high heat.
- Drizzle with a glaze: This works especially great if your bread is doubling as a dessert! Try the glaze from healthy lemon poppy seed bread. Alternatively, spread it with some Greek yogurt frosting.
How to Store and Freeze
Store: Quick bread dries out fast if you leave it in the open. I like to place zucchini bread in a resealable Ziploc bag and store in a pantry away from direct sunlight for up to 3 days.
I doubt you will have any leftovers past day 3 but if you do, then freeze it.
Freeze: Bake zucchini bread and cool completely. I recommend you do not slice bread before freezing. It retains its moisture better this way.
Place in a gallon size Ziploc bag, let out as much air as possible and seal. Keep in a freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw: Defrost on a counter. Takes about 3-4 hours. Zucchini bread will taste just like freshly baked. Pop it in a toaster for a minute for that freshly baked bread warmth and aromas.
FAQs
The only other flours I may suggest is white whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour with a 1:1 ratio. Please let me know if you try.
All-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blend may make bread dry. I would reduce to 1 3/4 cups and possibly it will work but I haven’t tried. I think you can get away with half whole wheat and half white flour, for sure.
Almond flour is ground up almonds and acts differently. Coconut flour will not work as it is very “thirsty”. Oat flour will not work as it will make bread gummy. However, I believe one of the readers tried successfully 50% whole wheat flour and 50% oat flour.
While I have not tested this, some readers have reduced the sweetener to 1/2 cup with good results. The key is to keep the balance of wet to dry ingredients. So possibly, add equal amount of applesauce for reduced amount of liquid sweetener.
Also as I have more experience with baking, you can use dry monk fruit sweetener or erythritol like Lakanto. I would add more, about 1/2 cup, applesauce though. Again, please let me know if you try.
I don’t recommend to do so because bread will be less sweet. However, if you are OK with that, go for it. Also Greek yogurt has less liquid than applesauce or regular yogurt, so bread might be a tad less moist.
Some readers have used grated apple, mashed banana or pumpkin puree and had great results! Let me know in the comments, if this works for you.
Yes. You should be able to make 14 regular sized muffins and bake at 22-25 minutes. Make 4 small loaves and bake at 20-25 minutes. Make mini muffins and bake at 10-12 minutes.
More Healthy Zucchini Recipes
- Healthy zucchini brownies
- Healthy zucchini muffins
- Almond flour zucchini muffins
- Lemon zucchini bread
- Chocolate zucchini muffins
- Zucchini chocolate chip muffins
Or find a recipe that appeals to you among these 45 healthy zucchini recipes!
Healthy Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely or medium shredded zucchini packed and not squeezed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole wheat or spelt flour
- Cooking spray I use Misto
- 1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, line 9 x 5 loaf pan with unbleached parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add egg, applesauce, honey, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt; whisk until combined. Add zucchini and stir.
- Add flour and mix gently with a spatula just enough to combine.
- Pour batter into previously prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack to cool off for 10 minutes. Then holding onto the flaps of parchment paper remove bread from a loaf pan and let it cool off for another 30 minutes or completely.
- Using sharp serrated knife cut into 12 slices and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- All-purpose flour and gluten-free flour blend may make bread dry. I would reduce to 1 3/4 cups and possibly it will work but I haven’t tried. I think you can get away with half whole wheat and half white flour, for sure.
- White whole wheat and whole wheat pastry flour more likely will work 1:1 ratio. Please let me know if you try.
- Coconut flour will not work as it is very “thirsty”.
- Almond flour is ground up almonds and acts differently. Try this almond flour zucchini bread recipe.
- Oat flour will not work as it will make bread gummy. However, I believe one of the readers tried successfully 50% whole wheat flour and 50% oat flour.
I was naughty and despite your warning to stray from the exact recipe, I had Hachiya persimmons from my tree that I want to use up so I substituted the apple sauce portion and honey portion with the persimmon pulp (1 1/4 cups). I would not have left a review had it not worked, but it absolutely did! The bread came out great! Moist, flavorful, perfect texture! (I also used chocolate chips and walnuts 😉 ) Just wanted to say thank you for the proportional recipe. Best Wishes!
Thanks for sharing Natalie!
I have made this a few times following the recipe exactly. Very delicious every time! Makes a nice gift for those friends who don’t want a store bought item.
That’s great Karen!
Hi! I made the bread and cut the honey down to 1/2 cup (just to make it a little less sweet) and added walnuts and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe. I will be definitely be making the bread again! 🙂
That’s great! Thanks for sharing Donna 🙂
Can I substitute swerve sweetener for the honey, or will it affect the consistency?
Hi Diana. I haven’t baked with swerve sweetener before. Honey can be substituted with any other liquid sweetener so the wet/dry ingredients ratio isn’t affected.
Added 1/2 cup of pecans, used fresh milled white wheat flour and baked in muffin tins – delicious!
Thanks for sharing your additions and variations Annejet!
Wonderful, thank you! I’m grateful to find a recipe that is both tasty and healthy! I will make this again!
I am so happy to hear this Lin!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe, I’m always looking for healthy versions of baked goods for my family & this looks delicious.
Can you clarify what size the zucchini should be grated? I see one part of the directions that say finely and another that says coarsely.
Thank you!
Finely shredded, like in the video. I clarified the writing. Thanks and enjoy!
Can I substitute raw honey or maple syrup for sugar free syrup?
I think so.
I am glad I tried your recipe! This very sweet batter made a Loaf that was not. Cooked it 1 hour and that was as far as it could go without catching. A lovely crusty top. Yet very wet. cooked not doughy but wet. I had to let it cool fully, then it was better. I like a warm fresh loaf and this one makes me wait for the best result. I thought I could squeeze the Zucchini pulp to reduce the water but that does not seem right. Amazing. Thank you.
Olena,
I was about to make the loaf, but only have 1 cup of shredded zucchini. Will that work, any added substitute to compensate for the other 1 cup?
Oh no. Unfortunately I don’t think so.
I had a similar incident recently, I used frozen zucchini, and it was only half the original pre-frozen volume after thawing! Anyway, I already had a recipe started, and I grated enough apple to make up for zucchini. Just an idea, it worked for me…..