Healthy Zucchini Bread (Gluten free + Vegan)

Incredibly easy and deliciously moist healthy zucchini bread that’s entirely vegan and gluten free! Made with one bowl, you’ll never believe that this wholesome zucchini bread is healthy!

Of course, when zucchini season rolls around, the last place I’m adding zucchini is into actual meals. Instead, I’d rather bake zucchini into healthy desserts.

Naturally, I mean, if I had it my way, breakfast and dessert would be the main meals of the day ha!

So when thinking of a recipe to use up my zucchini, I’m leaning on this healthy vegan zucchini bread. Packed with chocolate chips and full of warm spices, you’d never know there’s a green vegetable in here.

Plus, you can easily make this bread gluten-free and nut-free! This is not your average classic chocolate chip zucchini bread, my friend!

What makes this vegan zucchini bread healthy?

This is truly the best healthy zucchini bread, not only because it’s entirely vegan and made with simple plant-based ingredients (read: nothing that you wouldn’t know of), but it can also be easily made gluten-free and nut-free.

But it doesn’t just check off the health boxes for why this is the best zucchini bread. It’s also incredibly moist yet not dense, sweet yet not overwhelmingly so, and packed with zucchini yet you’d never know it (truly one of my favorite “hidden veggie” desserts!).

What you need for zucchini bread

What I love about this gluten free zucchini bread is that it’s made with some pretty great and simply ingredients! I’ll list a few swaps for certain ingredients in the “tips and tricks” section, but let’s go over the basics!

For this gluten free vegan chocolate chip zucchini bread, you’ll need:

• Gluten free flour: I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour or King Arthur’s 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. This is very different from Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour (notice how it doesn’t say 1:1! Tricky, I know!). The former yields a consistency that is undetectably gluten free. The latter tastes like cardboard. Love Bob’s Red Mill, but not every product is my favorite- this is just from my own experience!
• Shredded zucchini: you don’t need to peel your zucchini before you begin; just use a grater to grate the zucchini!
• Dairy-free milk
• Unsweetened applesauce: if you can’t find unsweetened, you can use regular or make your own, like in my overnight apple pie oats. I just find the zucchini bread to be very sweet already!
• Cinnamon & Nutmeg
• Coconut sugar: this makes the bread refined sugar free, but feel free to use cane sugar if you don’t have coconut on hand!
• Leavening agents
• Vanilla
• Vegan butter: I also recommend coconut oil or olive oil if you’re nut free
• Ground flaxseed mixed with water (the key!)

You can add in vegan chocolate chips as well, like I did, but it’s up to you! I personally love chocolate chip zucchini bread, but then again, I love all things chocolate so that’s no surprise as to why I’m sneaking chocolate into everything!

In terms of equipment, you’ll just need a grater and a loaf pan. Plus only one bowl (because this zucchini bread is seriously that easy!).

Once you’ve gathered these ingredients and equipment, it’s time to make the bread (and use up all of that zucchini!)!

How to make healthy vegan zucchini bread

Now, the other bonus about this recipe is that it only requires one bowl.

Yep! One bowl only here!

Makes for the easiest clean up right? So what you need to do is whisk together all of your dry ingredients: the flour, spices, and leavening agents.

Add in the wet ingredients: zucchini, dairy-free milk, applesauce, vegan butter or oil, and flaxseed “egg.” Then stir it all together!

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Add in the optional (but highly recommended) chocolate chips and give it another whirl.

Then pour the batter into a lined loaf pan and bake for just under an hour!

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How to fix soggy zucchini bread

Sometimes, you soak the zucchini for a long time and yet your bread still comes out soggy. Don’t fret, and don’t toss the loaf just yet!

To fix this, even after the bread is cooled, turn the oven back on to 350F and pop the loaf into the oven to bake for an additional 10-20 minutes. This should help any moisture left in there evaporate so that it’s more bread-like than dense and gooey mess 😉

Can this zucchini bread be baked into muffins?

Absolutely! Simply prepare a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and use a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop to scoop the batter into the muffin liners, filling them about 3/4 of the way full.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean. And enjoy!

Can I use yellow squash instead of zucchini?

Absolutely! You can also use a mix of both. Whichever you have on hand or access to.

How to store zucchini bread:

There are a few methods for storing this healthy zucchini bread. You can either store it at room temperature, in the fridge, or by freezer.

Room Temperature:

Simply wrap the zucchini bread in plastic wrap or store the slices in an airtight container. Leave at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Fridge:

Store this chocolate chip zucchini bread in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic. It will last up to 5-7 days in the fridge, depending on how cool your fridge is.

Freezer:

Of course you can also freeze zucchini bread! Simply store the bread in slices (much easier to reheat) in an airtight container or baggy, and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, simply place 1 slice on a piece of tin foil and bake for 5-7 minutes at 350F.

Additional tips and tricks for the best vegan zucchini bread

Now, because this healthy zucchini bread is both gluten free and vegan, there are a few tricks that I have to get it just right, along with ingredient swaps if necessary!

So I actually went through not one, not two, but three versions until I found the perfect ratios and consistency of ingredients. This means please do follow the ingredients exactly (don’t skimp on one or go over on another) because baking gluten free and vegan is a science man!

Weird science…just kidding, but if anyone got that reference, you’re the MVP!

Okay so here are my best tricks:

• Please please please for the love of all things bread soak that zucchini until it’s basically dry! If you use fresh zucchini and don’t take the time to soak it, you’ll end up with a veryyyyy gooey gluten free zucchini bread. This is why baking recipes to use up your zucchini can be tricky. It’s all about the moisture! I know a few recipes occasionally don’t mention this, and I’m all about risking it for the biscuit, but you don’t want to risk it here! It takes 20 minutes of prep, you can do it while the oven is preheating!
• Which brings me to my next point, and this is just a general tip for good baking, but please make sure you’ve allowed a few minutes after the oven has dinged for it to really heat up. Sometimes the temperature is not consistently 375F even thought the oven say it is right when it’s heating, so it’s always safest just to give it a few minutes post ding 😉
• For ingredient swaps, you can absolutely swap in regular flour here if you only want to do a vegan zucchini bread, and you can swap it in at equal ratios too since it’s 1:1! For the vegan butter, I do recommend using the vegan butter, but you can also use coconut oil or even olive oil. Again, it’s whatever you prefer for your healthy zucchini bread.
• Spice up your zucchini bread even more with a teaspoon of ginger. It adds a nice extra spice, but if you don’t have ground ginger on hand not to fret- just stick with nutmeg and cinnamon!
• Lastly, I really do highly recommend using some chocolate chips in there 😉 Because isn’t life better with chocolate?!

I hope you love this decadent, yet healthy zucchini bread as much as I do 🙂 It really is quite easy, and it’s even easier to eat!

Have it for breakfast, a snack, or dessert (I loveeee a little peanut butter smeared on top!), and you’ll be good to go 🙂

If you try this bread out, let me know in the comments below! And as always, I’d love to see your beautiful recreations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there!

Until next time, happy baking!

If you like this healthy zucchini bread, you’ll love these healthy zucchini dessert recipes to use up your extra zucchini:

Vegan Zucchini Banana Bread

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Fudgy Vegan Zucchini Brownies

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

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