Healthy Vegan Zucchini Bread
With freshly grated zucchini, apple sauce, vanilla, and allspice, this deliciously easy-to-make healthy Vegan Zucchini Bread can be enjoyed for breakfast, snack, or even dessert. It’s moist and satisfying without being overly sweet.
Zucchini is usually pretty easy to find all year round here in North Carolina, so I love being able to make this healthy zucchini bread any time we get a hankering for it. We have other delicious bread recipes like this whole wheat oil-free bread, my vegan banana bread, and our vegan pumpkin spice bread.
This recipe for zucchini bread is so good, that it was even published on the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies website sometime back and got great reviews.
Reasons you will love this bread recipe
- Moist and Flavorful: Despite being oil-free, this zucchini bread is incredibly moist and packed with warm, comforting flavors, making it a delicious and satisfying treat.
- Healthy and Guilt-Free: Made with wholesome ingredients and no added oils, this vegan zucchini bread is a nutritious option that you can enjoy without the guilt, perfect for a healthy snack or breakfast.
- Easy to Make: With simple, easy-to-follow steps and minimal preparation time, this zucchini bread recipe is perfect for both novice and experienced bakers looking for a quick and tasty vegan dessert.
- Naturally Sweetened: This recipe uses natural sweeteners like maple syrup and applesauce, providing just the right amount of sweetness while keeping the bread refined sugar-free and wholesome.
Ingredients you will need
- Zucchini- Adds nutritional benefits, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber, while its mild flavor blends seamlessly with the other ingredients, allowing for a healthier, delicious treat.
- Flour- Using whole wheat flour to make zucchini bread adds a nutty flavor and boosts the nutritional value by providing more fiber, vitamins, and minerals compared to refined flour.
- Sweetener- Applesauce, apple juice concentrate, and maple syrup are the natural sweeteners used to create this bread. No need for refined sugars.
- Spices- I use cinnamon, allspice, and vanilla to cream a warm delicious flavor.
How to make vegan zucchini bread
The recipe card at the bottom of the page has the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions.
STEP #1: Begin by preheating the oven to 350°F. Wash your zucchini well. I like to leave the peelings on and highly recommend it because grated zucchini can get pretty mushy if you don’t. It also adds lots of fiber.
STEP #2: After washing the zucchini well, grate it whole on a cutting board or in a bowl. You’ll notice that it is full of water which will be great for keeping this bread moist.
STEP #3: In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients–flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice and whisk together.
STEP #4: In a separate bowl, whisk together apple sauce, apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, and vanilla.
STEP #5: Pour the well-blended wet ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients. Add walnuts, if using, and mix well.
STEP #6: Add the grated zucchini to the bowl and blend thoroughly. You’ll notice this is a nice thick batter. Make sure to combine so that there are no dry places left.
STEP #7: Pour the batter into a baking loaf pan that is lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking, or use a silicone baking pan that requires no oil.
Place in the preheated oven and bake at 350°F for approximately 50 minutes. Remember that oven temperatures vary.
STEP #8: About 40 minutes into cooking, test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done; otherwise, place it back into the oven and test it again in 5-10 minutes.
Remove from oven when done, allow to cool, and serve warm.
If you love zucchini like we do, try my chocolate zucchini vegan muffins, this zucchini corn salad, and our crispy baked zucchini and squash.
This recipe was adapted from Breaking the Food Seduction by Dr. Neal Barnard, President of the Physicians Committee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Though I haven’t tried it, I’m sure it can. Minimalist Baker has a gluten-free baking guide that can help with that.
Absolutely! Simply use a muffin pan instead of a loaf pan and reduce the cooking time to about 25 minutes. Remember to check around the 20-minute mark for doneness using the tips above. Be sure to try my Chocolate Zucchini Oil-Free Muffins.
To replace the concentrate, you can use apple juice undiluted. The bread won’t be quite as sweet, because apple juice concentrate is much sweeter, but it still will be good.
I like to keep my cooked loaves in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and it lasts for up to a week.
Yes. This recipe freezes well in an airtight container for about 3-4 months.
More Healthy Vegan Bread Recipes
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Healthy Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 1/2 cup apple sauce
- 1/4 cup apple juice concentrate (thawed & undiluted)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F.
- Wash your zucchini well. I like to leave the peelings on and highly recommend it because grated zucchini can get pretty mushy if you don't. It also adds lots of fiber.
- After washing the zucchini well, grate it whole on a cutting board or in a bowl. You'll notice that it is full of water which will be great for keeping this bread moist.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients--flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice and whisk together.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together apple sauce, apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, and vanilla.
- Pour the well-blended wet ingredients into the larger bowl with the dry ingredients. Add walnuts, if using.
- Add the grated zucchini to the bowl and mix well.
- Pour the batter into a baking loaf pan that is lined with parchment paper to prevent sticking, or use a silicone baking pan that requires no oil.
- Place in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 50 minutes.
- About 40 minutes into cooking, test for doneness. To do this, insert a toothpick into the center point. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done, otherwise place back into the oven and test again in 5-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven when done, allow to cool, and serve warm.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
I didn’t have whole wheat flour, so I subbed half oat flour and half regular flour. Upped the baking soda 1/2 tsp. It’s ok, but pretty heavy and dry. Cooked in silicone for 40 mins. I did drain my frozen zucchini fairly well, will try leaving the moisture next time