Healthy Zucchini Bread (Gluten free + Vegan)

One bowl, easy and healthy zucchini bread that’s completely vegan, dairy free, and gluten free, yet you’d never know! A healthy twist on a classic zucchini bread that’s perfect for breakfast, a snack, or dessert!

Of course, I love all things banana bread, but that’s not the only quick bread recipe around, and certainly not the best (I know, shocker that I’m saying this, as I’m the Banana Diaries haha!).

Truth be told, one of my all time favorite breads to have growing up was a classic zucchini bread! I just love the warm spices mixed with the fresh zucchini, which made it the perfect transition bread from summer to fall (entering into my favorite season, guys!).

Of course, knowing me, I always had to have chocolate chips in my zucchini bread…because chocolate is life, people! I mean, that’s really the only way to do it, am I right or am I right? 😉

I decided to try my hand at not only a gluten free zucchini bread, but a vegan one as well, and ohhhhhhhh my goodness…

I was speechless. You do not understand how fast I moved through the just loaf shots so that I could finally get to that bite shot!

I kid you not, I’ve had this healthy zucchini bread (completely refined sugar free I might add!) for breakfast, a snack, and dessert (yes, I highly considered it for lunch and dinner but I also had to share soooo). It’s the perfect healthy zucchini recipe to use up the last of that summer squash!

Healthy Zucchini Bread Ingredients

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. As I mentioned in my cinnamon sugar donut recipe, 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 (you want honesty, I give you honesty!). Love Bob’s Red Mill, but not every product is my favorite! This is just from my own experience!
• Shredded zucchini
• 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!)

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

How to make gluten free 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, applesauce, vegan butter or oil, and flaxseed “egg.” Then stir it all together!

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

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

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Tips and Tricks for the best homemade 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 ha!

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 homemade zucchini bread!
• You can also throw in some ginger to your healthy zucchini bread! 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 zucchini bread, you’ll love:

Vegan Zucchini Banana Bread

Zucchini Ratatouille

Vegan Birthday Cake Donuts

Gluten Free Vegan Cinnamon Sugar Donuts

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