Healthy Zucchini Bread
This amazing zucchini bread recipe is made healthy with whole grains, honey (or maple syrup) and coconut oil instead of butter. Easily vegan/gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
My dog, Cookie, is wild for zucchini. Also cauliflower, broccoli, kale, and cabbage. You could say that my pup has a healthy appetite. This morning, I left a slice of zucchini bread on my desk where I thought she couldn’t reach. Then I heard some scuffling, followed by some gobbling. She swiped that slice of bread and ate half before I could grab it.
This dog is my soulmate, I tell you. That was all to say that this zucchini bread recipe is Cookie and Kate approved. It’s fluffy and moist, lightly spiced, and full of confetti-like green flecks of zucchini.
If you’ve enjoyed zucchini bread before, let me point out a few differences between my recipe and standard recipes. Here are five reasons to love this healthier zucchini bread:
- I used one-half cup honey (or maple syrup) instead a full cup of white sugar. It’s not overtly sweet, but you could add another drizzle of honey or maple sweetener to individual slices, if desired.
- I also used white whole wheat flour instead of refined flour, so this bread is made with 100 percent whole grains.
- I used coconut oil instead of butter, which means this bread is easily made without any dairy at all.
- Most zucchini bread recipes call for one cup of grated zucchini, but I liked mine better with one-and-a-half cups. Even then, I can’t say there’s a pronounced zucchini flavor to it, because zucchini doesn’t have a ton of flavor in itself.
- It’s easily made vegan and/or gluten-free, too—just check my recipe notes.
Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments! Your feedback is so important to me.
If you love this zucchini bread, you’ll also enjoy my banana bread, apple muffins, carrot muffins or banana muffins, you’re going to love this one. Don’t miss the maple-sweetened blueberry muffins in my cookbook!
Watch How to Make Zucchini Bread
Healthy Zucchini Bread
This fluffy zucchini bread recipe is made healthier with whole grains, honey (or maple syrup) and coconut oil instead of butter. It is easily made vegan and/or gluten free (see notes). Recipe yields 1 loaf.
Ingredients
- Optional: ¾ cup roughly chopped raw walnuts or pecans
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk of choice or water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon + more to swirl on top
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (you’ll need 1 small-to-medium zucchini, about 7 ounces—gently squeeze out excess moisture over the sink before stirring it into the batter)
- 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan to prevent the bread from sticking. If you’ll be toasting the nuts, line a small, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Toast the nuts: Once the oven has finished preheating, pour the chopped nuts onto your prepared baking sheet. Bake until the nuts are fragrant and toasted, about 5 minutes, stirring halfway.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut oil and honey. Beat them with a whisk until they are combined. Add the eggs and beat well. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 20 seconds in the microwave.)
- Add the milk, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla, salt and nutmeg, and whisk to blend. Switch to a big spoon and stir in the zucchini (be sure to squeeze excess moisture out of the zucchini first). Add the flour and stir just until combined. Some lumps are ok! Gently fold in the toasted nuts now, if using.
- Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with additional cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
- Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the center of the loaf springs back to the touch. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack. Use a serrated knife to cut individual slices.
- This bread is moist, so it will keep for just 2 to 3 days at room temperature. Store it in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months or so. I like to slice the bread before freezing and defrost individual slices, either by lightly toasting them or defrosting them in the microwave.
Notes
Recipe adapted from my banana bread and carrot muffins, with references to Once Upon a Chef and All Recipes.
*A note on oils: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil will lend an herbal note to the bread, if you’re into that. Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
Change it up: Use chocolate chips or small/chopped dried fruit instead of the nuts.
Make muffins: Follow this recipe!
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup instead of honey, replace the eggs with flax eggs and choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it dairy free: Choose non-dairy milk (I used almond milk) or water.
Make it egg free: Replace the eggs with flax eggs.
Make it gluten free: I haven’t tried myself, but I have heard from a reader that Bob’s Red Mill’s all-purpose gluten-free mix worked well here.
Make it nut free: Just omit the nuts, and don’t use nut milk.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet.
Recommended equipment: I am totally in love with my Fiesta Loaf Pan in turquoise (affiliate link).
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I’m pretty sure that your dog and my dog are doggie soul mates. My hound thinks carrots are a treat, so we almost always have a 3lb bag of carrots in the fridge for him. The funniest thing he loves is romaine lettuce, he goes crazy for it!
I love using coconut oil in these quick breads. It makes it so moist and adds a yummy flavor. Can’t wait to give this a try.
Agreed! Thanks, Karen. Hope you love this zucchini bread.
Aren’t dogs just unbelievable? (in a good way, obviously)
I mean, you cannot really be mad at them for long, if at all, and in this case, I’m almost certain your four-legged friend just wanted to find a find a way to compliment what you do. Or, if we were to think even further, perhaps she knew an act like that would guarantee her a mention in your next post, as well as some social media attention ;)
Either way, enjoy the rest of your loaf, pay more heed to it than you think you have to, and have a great day!
Haha! She does love attention. I’m onto you, Cookie… :) Hope you are having a lovely week!
I am WILD for zucchinis. This loaf is a definite must–and you and Cookie are SO cute on your Snapchat!
Well, thank you! :)
Hi kate, love your banana bread. Made a gluten and dairy free one on Sunday and we have had to finish it off today!
Thinking of making your zucchini (courgette in the UK!) Bread. How do you eat yours? Is it good breakfast bread?
I’m glad you enjoy the banana bread! I eat this zucchini bread the same way as the banana—it’s great for breakfast, as a snack or a lightly sweet dessert!
Thanks Kate! Going to make it at the weekend! :)
Hey Jules, what kind of milk did you use to make it dairy free?
Hi Monica, Kate always give substitutes at the bottom of her recipes but I just used soya milk and an all purpose gluten free flour from the supermarket. Hope that helps! x
I know almond milk works well.
Jules, what did you substitute for the wheat flour to make it gluten free? Sorry forgot to add that too.
Not at home so googled it – it is Doves Farm Gluten Free Plain white Flour 1Kg. x
Hi Kate, the moment I saw this bread, I told myself I would try. I have baked the healthy banana several times! Can I request from you to provide metric to the ingredients?
Hi Kate, and thanks again for a wonderful recipe. Would a couple of flax eggs work in this recipe, to veganise it? Thanks again, we really appreciate all your hard work. Layne from Brisbane, Aus.
I made banana bread a few days ago with flax egg–turned out perfect, nothing changed at all :)
Yes, that should work well! Check my recipe notes.
I have loved all the “loaf” variations you have posted on your blog. Zucchini bread is one of my faves, so I will definitely be checking this out!
Thanks, Jessie! Hope you love this one!
I’d always wanted to try zucchini bread so this is a good reason to try! Looks amazing. Do you put anything on it or eat it on its own?
I like it on its own, or with a drizzle of honey, or even some peanut butter!
My dog Kona loves vegetables. She gets kale stems on her breakfast every morning.
Lucky pup! Cookie loves kale stems, too.
I just found some zucchini that didn’t get used last week in my fridge and we just killed the banana bread, so, great timing! Will be giving this a try with the vegan alterations :)
Hope it turns out great for you, K!
You gals need to look at your print process as when went to print the recipe 15 pages came out what a waste of toner and paper.
Does the zucchini have to be dried out at all? Or can I add it to the batter in all its watery goodness?
Noe, I didn’t need to drain it first.
It sounds like you and Cookie are the perfect pair! She looked so happy in that video :) And I LOVE that hexagon plate – where is it from?!
Thanks, Ellie! I found the plate in the craft section at Target.
I just came to your website with the purpose to find a zucchini bread recipe. :) What perfect timing! I can’t wait to try it.
Perfect!!!
When I have made zucchini bread in the past, the recipe has called for squeezing out the excess water from the grated zucchini. I didn’t see a mention of that in your recipe and I just wanted to confirm that you can skip that step (crossing my fingers you can…because I am not a fan of that process!).
Thanks!
btw…love your healthy banana bread. We make a loaf almost every week!
Thanks, Audrey! I did not squeeze excess moisture out of mine. I see no need for it.
Yum, yum, great recipe and even better with the delicious Nuts for Nature nut & seed butter I found in Costco this morning
Thank you, Christine! :)
Hi Kate!
I have great success with all the recipes I use from your blog. Thank you! My zucchini bread did not work. It is rubbery and not fluffy? Any suggestions or ideas?
Shelly, I’m so bummed to hear that! I am not sure what went wrong. Did you overmix it? If you over-beat flour, it can turn rubbery.
Oh wow, that looks so good!
Leah //www.sunmoonwars.com
Hi, Kate!
I love all your recipes, but I was just wondering if you had any advice for converting the quantities to grams – I don’t have ‘cup’ measurers.
Lizzy x
So my bread turned out a bit oily, not sure what I did wrong? No worries though. I love your site and recipes! The Thai curry is my fave, I can’t get enough. ❤️
Strange! I am not sure why that would be, as this bread uses the same amount of oil as all of my other loaves. I will investigate!
Great recipe, I will try it for sure :-)
We love zucchini in every form, ty for sharing.
made this a few nights ago and have managed to eat almost all of it myself. ooops.
do yourself a favor – make this AND add in a few chocolate chips!
Thank you, Elena! Great idea to add chocolate chips.
Dear Kate!
I tried the recipe last night, and the result was absolutely amazing!
As I was wondering what kind of quick snack I should make for the gruop og soccer-watchers i our livingroom, a one-and-a-half-week old zucchini stared at me from the bottom of the fridge after recieving my subscriber mail a few days ago.
The recipe was both quick, easy and fun to make. I substituted the honey with mashed dates (as we ran out of honey), and some of the flour with spelt flour.
The smells spreading in the house caused my guests loosing patience, so we hat to eat it a bit more moist than in the recipe. Still genius!
Even my young brother (14) ate almost haft a bread, saying that he would never ask for candies again, if I promise to make this cake more often.
Thank you!!
Thanks, Yael! I’m so glad you all enjoyed the cake. Your brother’s comment is too cute!
Haha! I love that story about your dog! Funnily enough I made your banana muffins recipe the other day and my puppy wouldn’t let me enjoy them without sharing, she LOVED them. I literally had to sneak into the kitchen to grab one and she knew and would follow me, she could smell them from a mile away. Haha!
Haha! That’s awesome. Cookie goes crazy for bananas!
Sorry but did not work for me …used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour and flax eggs…right into the trash…bummer….
Amy, I’m bummed to hear that. I’m surprised, too—I have had great results with very similar recipes using Bob’s Red Mill’s other GF flour. :(
You really need to add some xanthum gum as a binder otherwise it doesn’t work. Play with the amount, it gets kind of chewy if you get too much.
I doubled this recipe before I even tried it knowing your recipes are amazing. It was delicious!! I used whole wheat flour, coconut oil, coconut milk, walnuts and honey for the “choices.” Definitely a keeper!
Thank you, Tina! That’s so nice to hear.
This sounds delicious. I have a lot of zucchini plants in my garden this year! Will be using them up! One of my dogs is forever jumping up on the counter to eat things- currently on the list – half an avocado, some cherry tomatoes, a tub of hummus and half a pound of butter. Thankfully we caught her before she completely ate the last one!!! Had also made us neurotic about making sure everything is put away!!!
I would be in so much trouble if Cookie could reach the countertop! Yikes! One time, she scarfed down nearly an entire stick of butter before I could grab it. Be careful with avocado pits and skins; those can cause digestive trouble.
Hi,
wow, the zucchini bread recipe looks amazing :-)
I just bought some duck eggs at a local farmers market. Have you heard that they are better for baking?
I bake with them occasionally. One duck egg is about equivalent to 2 medium chicken eggs. So be careful.
They do add some richness I have found.
I tried this recipe twice and on both occasions it sunk and came out gooey. The flavour is delicious though so I’d like to get it right. Any idea what went wrong?
I’m so bummed to hear that! You used eggs and baking soda, right? You might check to make sure your baking soda hasn’t expired.
A keeper! Used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour, maple syrup and 1/2 pecans and 1/2 walnuts. Thank You!
Thank you, Joanne! Happy to hear it!
Kate,
Absolutely loved this zucchini bread. It rocked! Everybody that tried it enjoyed it. The only change I made was that, like some other commenters, I added some semisweet chocolate chips to the mix.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Thanks, Heather! I’m so glad!
Haven’t baked for years. Been too unwell. Waking up from illness I felt the need to do something creative with stuff from local shop and found your blog. I had very few ingredients..
I hit on this and made an apple bread instead. I had no zucchini (I didn’t know what zucchini was (I’m in the uk and we call it courgette here!). I knew it had to be something I could grate! So I used the apples in my fruit bowl.
It was just gorgeous. I’m sorry for twisting up your recipe so badly.
Now I know what zucchini is I might try the original version.
Your recipe is very forgiving!
Xx
Hi Helen, I’m so glad you are feeling better now. And, I’m glad your apple bread turned out well!
Oh, my goodness, just have to say…most amazing recipe-came out sooo good. I just made this zucchini bread this morning. We’re gluten free, so used about a cup of garbanzo flour, and split the other 3/4 cup between millet flour and potato starch, added about a tsp of xanthan gum to be sure it would hold together-also, used 1/4 cup agave and 1/4 cup of maple syrup for sweeter, pecans for nuts.
Really yummy! And so healthy! Guilt free treat. Real food! Thank you so much, Kate, for sharing and letting me know that it could work gluten free. I have had trouble in the past trying to make things like gluten free pancakes from scratch, where, they would just turn into moosh and never cook right, no matter how long they stayed over the heat, in the frying pan, so this was a delight!
Thank you, Deb! I’m so glad you enjoyed the bread. Thank you for sharing your gluten-free notes with us. My gluten-free waffles are really popular, and I have some oat-based pancakes that work out great for most people, so you might check those out! The buckwheat pancakes are great, too.
I’m seriously devastated that I’ve now failed for the 2nd time at making a healthy zucchini bread. I’m sure this is a good recipe, but my attempt failed.
I used applesauce instead of milk/water, avocado oil instead of coconut/olive, flax eggs, honey mixed with molasses, and 1/2 cup of toasted/chopped walnuts.
I looked at a ton of zucchini bread recipes and read up on the role of sugar, baking soda/powder, and alternatives to sugar in baking. Some people squeezed the moisture out of the zucchini but I tried a few ways and didn’t find it easy to do. I also used 1 1/2 zucchini’s to get 1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini as opposed to the one you mention in the recipe.
It just isn’t clear to me why the alterations I made in this recipe and the other both resulted in a bread that looked good on the outside but was nearly fully uncooked inside. There are just too many things it could be it seems.
I have a new respect for the alchemy of baking. I doubt I’ll find a pre-made bread without all the stuff I don’t want in it, but I can’t waste anymore ingredients or time on this one. Very sad.
Hi Bunny, I’m sorry your bread didn’t turn out well. That’s always such a bummer. It’s hard to tell what went wrong given all of your substitutions, but it’s possible that your bread needed the leavening power of real eggs to work. Applesauce could have also made the batter thicker. Did you use gluten-free flour? That’s a real wild card.
Followed your recipe to a T and received two scrumptious loaves ( I doubled the recipe) of zucchini bread! Very moist with a nicely browned top and low on the sweet scale! Thank you.
Thank you very much, Riya! I’m glad you enjoyed the bread.
This was great – one of the better zucchini muffin recipes I’ve tried. Modifications that I used: added a little cooked quinoa (added protein), substituted 1/2 of the maple syrup for molasses (added iron), added carob chips to some
Thanks, Melissa! I have never thought to add quinoa to muffins!
What is the calorie count / carb count for this bread???
My son has type I diabetes… I have to count carbs for everything he eats….. This seems like low in carbs. It would be helpful if u could post nutrition info for your recipes…
Thanks
Hi Swetha, I’m sorry, I would offer the nutrition facts if I had them, but I don’t. I am considering adding them soon, but as I have over 500 recipes, it’s quite an undertaking. All of my recipes are made with whole grain flours and are typically naturally sweetened.
This is a nice way to lighten up a zucchini bread recipe. Thanks for sharing =)
My bread turned out very undercooked at 325. I tried it again at 345 and it was cooked further, but still very soft inside. Any tips? Perhaps I should have squeezed out the water from the zucchini?
Hi Rachael, I’m not sure what happened there! Maybe it just needed longer in the oven? You might want to buy an oven thermometer (about $10 on Amazon) to make sure your oven is operating at the proper temperature.
The garden is producing zucchini! Wanted to find a healthy zucchini bread recipe and found your recipe on pinterest. I also pinned a lot of your muffin recipes. My husband is on his third slice so I guess it turned out pretty good! : ) Thanks!
Thank you, Kaye! I’m glad you found my recipe and that it turned out well. I bet it was extra tasty with your home-grown zucchini!
I really enjoy your recipes very much. I can not eat regular flour and would like to make this zucchini bread using almond flour. Could you recommend how I could modify it and if you think it would work. Thanks for your time.GG
Hi Gilda, that’s a good question. I think this would work well with gluten-free all-purpose flour, but I am not sure about almond flour. I’m sorry.
I usually love your recipes and have had great success with the muffins, but I made this yesterday and it never cooked through (despite me leaving in the oven for an extra 20 minutes). Any idea what could have gone wrong? Was very sad to have to throw it all out after all that work!
Hey Elli, I’m so bummed this one didn’t turn out great for you. Are you sure you didn’t forget the eggs or baking soda? Is it possible that your baking soda has expired? If not, I wonder if your oven wasn’t operating at the right temp?
This recipe is Awesome!! The only thing I did different from the original recipe is add raisins. We have some gluten free and vegan, family and friends so I will definitely be trying some of the other versions as well! Thank you!
This turned out beautifully thank you!! :) I made muffins out of the recipe. I added cardamom and clove to the spices already included, for a “chai” inspired flavour. They are sweet and moist despite containing no refined sugar. Much appreciated!
Hi Kate,
Looks delish and can’t wait to make it! Wanted to know what I could use instead of the flour? Maybe coconut flour or buckwheat?
Thanks in advance
Lucy :)
Hi Kate…I saw your post this morning about zucchini and decided to make some of the healthy zucchini bread. Of course it was SO delicious and it came out perfectly! I only used 1/4 of honey and threw in 2TBSP of light brown sugar (I know bad right…but figured since I didn’t have choc chips why not!) Tx for the tip on roasting the walnuts prior to adding to the recipe. The nuts definitely add to the overall consistency and flavor. Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Do you need to wring the zucchini out? And do you think almonds or cashews would be good nut substitutes? Excited to try this!
Yummy! I’ve made vegan Zucchini-bread muffins with flax eggs and maple sirup and they are really fantastic – not too sweet, fluffy and juicy with those crisp and tasty walnuts – perfect for me!
Thank you for sharing the recipe! I really like your blog, it is very inspiring for me.
My vote is of course 5 stars!