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.
About Terri Edwards
Hi guys! I am the content creator behind EatPlant-Based and a licensed Food for Life instructor with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. I am passionate about sharing healthy recipes and tips to empower others to get healthy. I’m so glad you’re here! Read More…
Made this today with zucchini from a neighbor! Delicious! Made 2 smaller loaves, and shared one with the neighbor.
Hey there Lauren! I sure wish I was your lucky neighbor, lol!
I had made this a couple times as a bread. This time I made muffins. Either way, love the taste of it! This past summer I shredded up a lot of zucchini for the freezer, putting them in ziplock bags w/2 cups each specifically for this recipe. I let the zucchini thaw, drained a bit off of it & it worked out great.
Hi Juls- What a great idea to shred and freeze your summer zucchini! I wasn’t even sure how well zucchini would do frozen. So glad to hear that it works. Thanks for letting me know that you love the recipe.
Day 17 of Plant Based journey and I love your recipes. I made this and replaced flour with oat flour (made in blender). The loaf was very dense but flavorful. Wondering if the flour causes it?
Hi Paige- Congrats on your new healthy journey! Perhaps add 1 more tsp of baking soda to help balance out the texture of oat flour. Wishing you all the best as you continue with a plant-based diet and lifestyle.
I’m out of apple sauce but I have apple cider and I have ripe bananas? I also have dates.. I’m hoping to figure out a combination of those things that will work instead of the apple sauce and apple juice concentrate?
Hi Cheryl- I think I would try a banana and maybe 1/2 cup apple cider and see how it turns out. I would love to hear the results.
Can I add bran to this recipe?
Hi Michal- I haven’t added bran to it myself but see no reason not to. Sounds like a good idea to me.
Can I add a banana to this recipe?
Hi Teresa- Sure, I think a banana would be a great addition. You shouldn’t need to adjust any of the other ingredients.
Have you ever baked as muffins vrs. bread? If so, what was your timing? Also I’m thinking of pineapple juice instead of apple juice concentrate. What do you think?
Hi Char- I love your idea of subbing pineapple juice for apple juice concentrate. That would add a very unique flavor. If I were turning this recipe into muffins, shorten the cooking time to 25-30 minutes. Hope the muffins turn out great, and I would love to hear about it.
Do you think I could sub orange juice for the apple juice? I have that at home and wouldn’t have to go to the store. Just wondering.
Hi Susan- I think that would be just fine if you don’t mind a bit of citrus flavor in the bread. To me, it sounds like a yummy idea.
Another Winner recipe!
Made this last week, wanting toddler appropriate foods for my grandson. (16 months) His parents not plant based eaters, I have been for 10 years.
At least, when he spends time with his Nana, his little body will be free from dairy, oil, eggs and meat.
Also made your apple muffins…He loved both of your recipes and so did I!!
Susan.
Hi Susan- What a wonderful thing you are doing for your grandson! I’m so glad that both of you enjoyed the zucchini bread and apple muffins. I polished off the last of our zucchini bread over the weekend. Time to make some more! 😀
curios why this recipe doesn’t call for a flax egg? Wouldn’t it make lighter?
thanks
I’ve never made it with flax egg before because it’s so delicious as is. However, I would love to hear how it turns out if you give it a try with the flax egg.
Can this be made gluten-free?
Though I have not made it gluten-free, I’m sure it can be done. This is a link to Minimalist Baker’s gluten-free guide that might help with figuring out the GF flours and measurements. I hope it turns out great for you! https://minimalistbaker.com/guide-to-gluten-free-flours/
Hi Terri this is my first time on your website as I was looking for a vegan no oil zucchini bread recipe.
Your recipe calls for apple juice concentrate (thawed and diluted). I am not sure what that totallly means, but I don’t have any frozen apple juice and don’t usually buy it. However, I have 100% pure apple juice snack boxes (no sugar added). Can I just use that and if so, does it need diluted and how much.
Thanks Terri.
Hi Lois, so glad you found my blog! Yes, 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. Hope you enjoy the bread and other recipes on my site!
Terri, this is very yummy ! Thank you ! Of course I had to add raisins 🙂
I LOVE raisins, and that sounds like a great addition! So glad that you like the recipe! 🙂
How can I adapt this for a low-sugar diet?
Yum!