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.
OH MY!!! I LOVE Zucchini loaf and this was BY FAR the best I have ever had!
I kept the recipe the same. I used fresh Maple Syrup and coconut oil as above. SOOO moist. I honestly snuck at least a 2″ piece just as it came out of the oven. PERFECTION.
Awesome all around, Laura!
I have had zucchini bread in the past, but I’ve learned that it, like most things, is loaded with added sugar unfortunately. I love that your recipe contains a natural source of sugar and the ability to be dairy free, GF, and vegan! As a Nutritional Science major, I appreciate this recipe!:) I used almond milk, walnuts, and whole wheat flour and it turned out perfectly. It was just the right amount of sweetness and the deep cinnamon flavor was just lovely. I’m planning on making it GF next time for my brother! (P.S.Your banana bread is delicious as well- I made that yesterday!)
Also, I’m enjoying a slice of bread as I write this! Delicious way to start the day! :)
Thank you, Riley! Delighted to hear that your bread turned out great. Your version sounds perfect!
I just baked up a loaf of this for my ladies as a pre-Women’s March fuel-up, but I had to sneak an early slice for quality control! So delicious! Tender and hearty with just the right amount of sweetness. I subbed avocado oil, regular whole wheat flour, and chopped hazelnuts for their respective ingredients. Perfect breakfast/tea-time snack!
So happy you decided to bring this along, Diana! I hope your crew enjoyed :)
I was super excited to make this, but unfortunately I found that it didn’t cook in the middle at all, even after nearly two hours in the oven :/ Apart from replacing the eggs with flax eggs, I followed this recipe to the letter and my oven definitely runs at the right temperature (they’re brand new!)- any ideas on what went wrong?
Thanks!
I am so bummed to hear that, Elise! I can’t imagine how it couldn’t bake through after two hours. You might actually want to invest in an oven thermometer to be sure. Some other thoughts—are you sure you used baking soda, not baking powder? And/or, was your zucchini super watery? Some recipes suggest squeezing excess moisture out of the zucchini, but I couldn’t get a drop out of mine, so I didn’t suggest doing so.
I made this bread using Spelt flour in place of the whole wheat flour and it came out wonderful!! Thank you for posting!!
You’re welcome, Paula! Glad the Spelt substitution turned out great.
Hello!!!
Love your banana bread recipe and I was looking if you had something similar for carrot bread/loaf, but didn’t see anything. Do you think I could switch the zucchini for carrots in this recipe??
Hi Marie! Yes, I bet that would work.
Actually, I do have carrot muffins over here!
This recipe looks delicious! I never thought of using zucchini in a bread recipe but after seeing this I must imagine that the zucchini definitely gives moisture to the bread. This is so creative! Can’t wait to try it!
Let me know how it goes!
This was delicious! A very easy recipe to follow and the bread came out perfectly. I will definitely be making this again!! :)
Wonderful! So glad to hear this, Erin.
Came out delicious and nutritious. Thank you!!!
You’re welcome, Jennifer!
Made the recipe GLUTEN FREE using 2 cups King Arthur All Purpose Baking Flour… with olive oil, 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup maple syrup, and almond milk. Delicious and no one knew the difference!!!
Perfect! Thanks, Colleen!
Hi Kate, thanks for this great recipe! I wanted a quick bread to eat with veggie soup (because I was too late for the bread machine) so I used 1/3 cup honey to make it less sweet. It was perfect. Have saved the recipe for the future–my husband wants to try it with the 1/2 cup honey as a dessert bread. BTW, I used frozen grated zucchini, and it normally makes about 1/2 cup “zucchini juice” to 1 1/2 cups grated,(when it thaws) so I just used that instead of the milk or water. And it was fun to have an excuse to hand-grate my special nutmeg — gathered from the forest floor from ancient trees in Barbados!
Oh my goodness, that nutmeg sounds heavenly! I’m glad this worked out well for you, Elisa!
I just made this with a mashed banana in place of some of the honey, a bit nervy seeing how I haven’t made it before but I’ll let you know how it goes. This is partly because I think my family might be more inclined to eat Banana Bread (((with zucchini))) than self-proclaimed Zucchini Bread. We’re not a zucchini family. I’m a convert and I’m trying to bring my family around. Super excited either way! I’ll eat the whole loaf myself if necessary.
I think that’s an excellent way to deceive your family into eating more vegetables, which is the best thing deceit has ever been used for. I hope it went well!
Could I use Agave nectar instead of honey/maple syrup? I’m trying to make the healthiest thing for my very picky, very diabetic father in law
I haven’t tried it myself, Galia, but I think it could be subbed in for the maple syrup just fine.
Wonder why you call baking soda instead of baking powder? Made this and I can’t get over the aftertaste soda gives… Followed the recipe exactly, but because of the weird taste won’t repeat
This is in the oven right now and it smells delicious. I am free of all added sugar, so used 2 small overripe bananas instead of the honey.
Also I was a bit confused as to why the ingredients were added in the order they were. I was taught to combine eggs + fat, then any other wet ingredients, while mixing all dry ingredients separately and adding them at the end… I did it this way and the batter turned out fine. May just be my virgo obsessive tendencies ;)
Thanks for the great idea! I tried and everybody loves it! Not overly sweet and totally guilt free :)
Yes! Perfect.
I have a zucchini bread recipe with brown sugar and no flour. Could that be correct?
Sorry, I’m not following. I don’t have a recipe using those ingredients, so I’m really not sure.
Hi! I just tried making this – and wow does it taste amazing, thank you! :) However, even though I used a non-stick pan AND greased it with a huge amount of olive oil, it still stuck that when I turned it over to pop out, the top half fell out, leaving the bottom stuck in. I eventually was able to get the bottom bit out easily enough – but any ideas; 1) Why it stuck in the first place & 2) Why it ‘broke in two’? Thank you in advance!!
Hi Jennie, that’s such a bummer! I’m really not sure why the bread stuck to the pan. I’ve not had that happen to me with this bread and haven’t received similar reports. Was it cooked all the way through the middle? If it was doughy in the center, it would be weak in that area. I wish I could offer more insight! I use stoneware loaf pans (both Le Creuset), if that helps at all.
I used baking spray with flour and had no problems. Cheers!
Scarfing down a slice of this delicious bread right now! I love how moist and subtly sweet it is. Exactly what I was looking for. YUM.
Perfect! Thanks, Joy.
Really yummy!!
I made this with gluten free flour, topped it with chopped pecans, and ate it with whipped cream cheese, it turned out so good!
Ooh, whipped cream cheese. Yum!
Hi Kate and Cookie, I can’t wait to try this. Even tho most blogs don’t mention Fodmap free, this recipe fits fodmap guidelines for IBS Fodmap free foods.Yay.
Oh, this is great to know, Joan! I’ll look more into those guidelines–I know we have some readers out there who are FODMAP free, so this will be helpful for them. :)
I made this recipe exactly as stated (with olive oil) and it’s way too moist. Damp. It tastes delicious tho. I even put it in for 65 minutes to try to dry it out but it didn’t work. My zucchini wasn’t very watery either. Any ide why?
Hi, Sarah. Sorry this didn’t turn out as well as we’d hope! First, what kind of flour did you use? Did you use any nut flour substitutes? Second, what type of pan? Glass, metal, dark, or light? All of these variables can change cook time and texture. Lastly, and most annoyingly, oven temperatures vary *greatly,* as do their accuracy. I hope you can change up some of these and find the right balance for the bread!
Delicious! I made it vegan by using flax seeds (instead of eggs) and maple syrup (not honey). I also added vegan chocolate chips in addition to walnuts. Thanks for recipe!
Perfect! I’m glad the flax worked out for you, Jenny. Lots of other readers will benefit from knowing that.
Delicious zucchini bread. Do you have nutritional information for the recipe?
Hi, Rachel! Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. In the meantime, here’s a nutrition calculator that might come in handy.
This bread is incredible! I used Bob’s gluten free baking flour and it came out absolutely perfect. I can’t stop eating it! Best bread ever. Thanks for another great recipe! :)
Awesome! I love Bob’s GF blend, too. I highly recommend that to anyone who is gluten free.
Can I use oatmeal flour instead?
Hey, Jazmin! Oat flour doesn’t behave the same way as wheat flour does in recipes, so it’s difficult to find the right substitution ratio. If you’re looking to make them gluten free, I’d suggest using Bob’s Red Mill GF flour blend, which is a blend of rice flours, and substitutes using a 1:1 ratio.
I changed the recipe slightly and added pistachios and dried cherries since had no walnuts. It was a little dry the first day and ended up freezing it. It was much moister once defrosted. Good flavor and texture.
Great, I’m glad that worked out, Judy!
This bread turned out beautiful and delicious. I substituted a sprite for the eggs as I’m allergic and used toasted pecans & honey. Wonderful!
Awesome! I’m glad those substitutions worked out for you, Donesa!
Great! This bread has a perfect texture for eating plain as well as for toasting. Sugar is a problem for me so this recipe gives me a delicious treat without the sugar. Like using coconut oil as an alternative to butter, also. This bread is definitely worth a try.
Thanks, Fran! I love this bread toasted, too.
I made this today and wow! It was soooooo delicious! I replaced the eggs with applesauce as my son is allergic and it worked beautifully and the end product was so moist! I love using coconut oil in things like this. Thanks for the fabulous recipe! I can’t wait to try more of your yummy recipes!
Great! I’m glad to hear the apple sauce worked out so well, Danielle.
Used the first zucchini from my garden. Didn’t have whole wheat flour, so used a combo of almond meal and white flour. Didn’t have enough honey, so used part honey and part pure maple syrup. And I used olive oil and almond milk. The result? Deliciousness! I had to give away part of the loaf so I wouldn’t eat it all myself!!
Good to hear those swaps worked so well, Debbie! I know what you mean–I’m constantly trying to pawn off food to my neighbors and friends. Thanks for commenting!
Unlike most of the commenters, I actually made this recipe. Turned out totally tasteless. Had to toss. :(
I’ve made other successful recipes from this site though. This one just did not work.
oops! Correction: I actually made this recipe after the first fail and it’s delish! The above comment was for a different website and a different recipe that turned out horrible. Sorry about that. My detail oriented nature goes out the window past 10pm apparently.
Oh good! I’m relieved to hear that this recipe worked for you, Gabe. Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Really nice! Love the nutmeg :) only thing is I had to cook it for nearly two hours at 160c (Australian here!) but that doesn’t matter. Really, really yummy.
Sorry about that extended cook time, Christine! I’m not sure what’s going on with that. It could be the moisture from the zucchini. BUT, I’m happy they tasted great.
Oh the extended cooking time is no problem at all! No apology necessary :) Will be making this recipe again and again and again… Thank so much!
This turned out great! Mine came out darker than in your photos, but I also used more cinnamon (3-4 tsp) because I love cinnamon :) I will be making this more this month with any zucchini I can get my hands on at the farmer’s market!!
That sounds warm and delicious, Stephie! Thanks!
Hey! I made the bread–love it. About how many calories would you say a slice has, if I used honey, unsweetened almond milk, and coconut oil as substitutes.
Hey, Annie! Unfortunately, I don’t have nutritional info available for my recipes just yet. I’m looking for a solution, and will update about it once I find one. In the meantime, here’s a nutrition calculator that might come in handy.
I love to cook, but actual baking is not my forte! :) However, this recipe was very easy to follow and it filled my kitchen with deliciousness while in the oven. I am now waiting for it to cool so I can try a bite, but I have no doubt it will be perfect. The zucchini came from our school garden, so that makes it even better. I tried to make those fancy zig zags w/the cinnamon, but it made the top look kind of different-yours is much prettier, but at least I didn’t burn it, or forget an ingredient! LOL! Thank you so much- plan on trying more.
Oh, I *love* that you made it with zucchini from the school garden. That’s perfect! I hope it turned out great, Rene.
Could you substitute almound or coconut flour?
Hi, Elizabeth! Unfortunately, almond and coconut flour aren’t straightforward substitutes because they don’t behave the same way in recipes that wheat flour does. If you’re looking for a gluten free option, I’d recommend Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour Blend, which is a 1:1 substitution ratio.
Hi. I made chocolate muffins from this. I made them low fat as my wife and I are doing Weight Watchers, so I used applesauce to replace the oil. I also omitted the honey and replaced that with 3/4 cup splenda (yeah, I know) And lastly, I added 1/2 cup cocoa powder cuz why not. Yum and only 2 points per muffin…
Great! I’m so glad you could make the adjustments you needed.
Thank you for this recipe! We have been making Zucchini bread for years and used 3 cups of sugar! Yikes! Well since I am now being more careful and on a weight loss journey (160 lbs lost to date!) i needed something healthier! Found this recipe! I decided to use applesauce instead of oil, and it works great! Super moist! Super duper delicious! Best of all, it tastes just the same as the fattening version! Thanks for sharing!
Congratulations on your journey toward a healthier life, Shawnie! I’m so glad you found this recipe–no one should miss out on zucchini bread. :)
This is my go to recipe for Zuchinni bread. Moist and delicious but not too sweet. I use half whole wheat and half white flour. Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sarah! I’m glad the half and half flour blend worked out so well.
Hi Kate I love your recipes, but I need some advice with the bread not being cooked in the middle, or drying out if I cook too long. I made the banana bread and cooked it until done and the very top middle still was almost a tad “uncooked” but the edges were almost dry. So with making this recipe I watched and tested with a tooth pick every 2-4 mins after about 45 mins. the toothpick came out clean when put straight down, but the very top middle was not cooked, so i kept putting in back in, for about an additional 15 min total. I took it out when it came out clean, but after cooling, the bread was nice and moist but the center was not done towards the top.
Do I need to cook it longer on a lower temp? Does convection or regular bake work better, i hate to dry out the rest of the bread just to get the center cooked.
Very delicious otherwise, even the 1 year old approves :)
Hi, I love all of your recipes. Is it possible to add banana to tris recipe or replace the honey with it? THanks.
Hi, Jessica! You could definitely sub out the oil with a banana, and you may want to reduce the honey a bit if you do that, since the sugars in the banana will add some sweetness.
can u sub the flour for Oat and GF combo?
I always recommend using Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour blend, as that is a 1:1 substitution ratio for whole wheat flour. Oats tend to soak up more moisture and just behave differently in the recipe, so the GF flour blend is a safe bet.
Kate,
Your recipes have changed not only my life but a handful of my friends, lives as well. We have purchased your cookbook and everyday we make a new recipe. We share them and rejoice in all the wonderful flavors. You have inspired us all to be more vegetarian.
You are all we talk about. We think you are amazing.
We would love to have you over for dinner sometime.
Thank you so much
Cheers,
June Lanoil
jlanoil@yahoo.com
Hello Kate! I hope you will see this. I tried out this recipe yesterday, but I must’ve done something wrong because I had the bread in the oven for over 70 minutes and the inside was still raw and gooey. It was also super dense and the consistency just seemed off. I did use spelt flour instead of regular flour, could that be the culprit?
Yes, I think that’s definitely it, Chiara. Most resources say that if you’re using spelt flour, only sub in 1/2 the amount, and leave the other 1/2 whole wheat. Spelt still has gluten in it, but it doesn’t yield the same kind of structure that whole wheat gives a recipe, especially for breads and cakes.
Your recipes always turn out amazing! Thank you! I can truly know that I am making something yummy if it’s off your website!
Thanks, Madina! Too kind of you. :)
I just made this tonight and even baked it for an extra ten minutes. By the time I cooked it had gone totally flat and when I cut into it, was raw all the way through. I followed the recipe to a tee. Is there something I could be missing??
Hey, Gloriana! Sorry to hear that this didn’t turn out so great. Are you sure you used baking soda, and not baking powder? That’s usually the culprit when things turn out raw in the middle and the loaf doesn’t rise.
Yes I’m sure- it rose beautifully in the oven. But as it cooled it sunk. Sure just needed to cook longer? Not sure. I’ve made your banana bread before and loved it. So not sure what happened here.
When I first made this recipe, I had never tried zucchini bread before, and this definitely pulled me in! I find that this is a great way to use extra zucchini if you have a lot. You can double or triple the recipe and freeze the loaves you don’t eat within three days. I have tried three of the recipes on this blog so far, and they have all been some of my favorites–I look forward to trying out more as they unfold :)
Thanks again, Colby! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed my recipes.
The zucchini in my garden is going crazy this summer so we have been trying all your zucchini recipes! So yummy!! We made this one with flax egg and it came out great! Thank you!!
Ps have you ever had or tried any lemon zucchini tea bread recipes? I had some in a coffee shop the other day, but haven’t been able to find a good recipe to make it myself yet.
Lucky you, with all that zucchini! And no, I haven’t tried lemon zucchini bread just yet. I’ll add that to my list of recipe suggestions–thanks!
Love the bread! I would like to make a chocolate version of it using cocoa powder. How much would you suggest I use?? And would I have to make any other changes? ?
Hey Shannon, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. I think you could add some cocoa powder without making other substitutions, but I haven’t tried it myself, so I’m not sure I can answer your questions.