If you like quick breads, you'll love how easy and delicious this vegan zucchini bread is.
Our recipe strikes a balance between healthy and tasty. We found a formula to make a loaf of moist vegan zucchini bread with less fat and reduced sugar; without compromising flavor.
Check out our Best Zucchini Recipes
Zucchini bread is the perfect recipe to make vegan, and possibly one of the easiest and yummiest quick breads we've ever tried.
All you need is one bowl, a grater, and a few pantry staples. No need for fancy vegan ingredients to replace eggs and butter.
As with most of our recipes, we try to provide you with really easy and super tasty food, while keeping an eye on health. And this easy vegan zucchini bread is no different.
We developed a recipe with reduced sugar, less oil, more healthy fats, and more fiber, without affecting the taste of course.
We've also made the process simpler, using only really necessary steps, and the simplest ingredients. There's no need for flax egg or for draining the zucchini for instance.
Even if you've never baked before, this recipe will be a success. Follow our recipe and tips to get a vegan zucchini bread that is perfectly moist, yet fully baked and not soggy in the center.
The crumb is light and it almost melts in your mouth, yet it slices easily without crumbling away.
And for the non-vegans out there: give this a try! You won't miss the eggs or the butter, and you are going to feel fabulous after eating it. Let's see how is made!
Ingredients
Zucchini
Use green zucchini. There's no need to peel or drain them. All you have to do is grate them with the large holes of a box grater.
Zucchini adds the right amount of moisture and it also acts as a binder or egg replacer. This means that there's no need to use a flax egg to make vegan zucchini bread.
Flour
We like to use a mix of all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. If you don't have whole wheat, don't worry, and just go for all-purpose flour.
We add in some whole wheat flour for a couple of reasons. First, it's healthier and it adds dietary fiber to the zucchini bread. Fiber helps with gut health, and digestion, and it also slows down sugar absorption, which is good because your blood sugar won't spike as much.
Whole wheat flour also adds taste. So your zucchini bread will have more depth and a nuttier flavor. Finally, some whole wheat flour makes the bread lighter and less compact. Which we love! To make gluten-free, replace with a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix made for cakes. We can't recommend almond flour or oat flour as we haven't tried them.
Sugar
We use brown sugar, but any other granulated sugar would do, including white sugar, coconut sugar, and palm sugar. We do use less sugar than most other recipes online, however, we do think that some sugar is required to make a zucchini bread that tastes great.
Oil
Neutral vegetable oil, such as canola oil or sunflower oil. Coconut oil works too. Again, we don't put much oil, but some is required to achieve a perfectly soft and moist vegan zucchini bread.
If you are on an oil-free diet, then replace the oil with applesauce in the same amount. You can also use vegan butter if you want. Just take our oil measurement and multiply by 1.2 to get the butter amount.
Plant milk
We tried almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, and rice milk, and they all worked perfectly. If you want a more nutritious zucchini bread, we would recommend soy milk.
Spices and Aromas
Cinnamon and vanilla extract. Other spices that go well in zucchini bread are grated nutmeg, ginger, and cardamon. We made it once with grated orange zest and it was awesome.
Baking powder and baking soda
Classic for helping the bread rise. If you don't have baking soda, just double the baking powder amount.
Salt
Just a little to help bring out the taste of the other ingredients. If you are on a low-sodium diet you can omit the salt.
Add-ins
We add dark chocolate chips (dairy-free) and chopped walnuts into this vegan zucchini bread recipe.
You can also use a dark chocolate bar cut into small pieces with a knife. Dark chocolate and nuts improve the taste, nutrition, and texture of the bread.
Good substitutes are pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, and dried cranberries.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
To a large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients: plant milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well with a silicone spatula or with a wooden spoon.
Grate the zucchini with the large holes of a box grater. Add the grated zucchini to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
There is no need to peel, squeeze, or drain the zucchini.
Add dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Mix by hand with a spatula or spoon (we don't recommend using a whisk) to incorporate the ingredients. Do not overmix. Overmixing will result in dense, gummy zucchini bread.
You should get a dense, thick bread batter, almost like a loose dough. We want the batter to be dense because the zucchini will release moisture when cooking.
Add the add-ins: we add dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. Give another quick mix to incorporate them into the batter. You can reserve a handful of add-ins to sprinkle on top of the loaf.
Transfer into the baking loaf and bake at 350°F or 180°C for 45 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
To make sure the vegan zucchini bread is fully cooked, poke it diagonally with a skewer or toothpick. If the skewer comes out dry, the bread is ready. If not, keep baking in increments of 3 minutes.
Take the bread out of the loaf pan, put it on a cooling rack, and let cool down completely at room temperature before slicing it and eating it. We recommend slicing with a bread knife.
Variations
Vegan zucchini bread muffins
Same recipe, different shape. Vegan zucchini bread muffins are awesome because they are super portable, and perfect for a quick breakfast on the go or as a snack (I love eating them after a good workout).
With this exact recipe, you can make about 10 regular-size zucchini muffins (or 12 smaller ones).
Here's a separate blog post with the exact measurements for 12 zucchini bread muffins. They are so soft, moist, and tasty. You will fall in love with them!
Similar Recipes
Easy Vegan Banana Bread
Another way of making plant-based dessert is with this vegan banana bread. One-bowl, one-fork, 7-ingredient vegan banana bread.
We developed this recipe so that you can make the best, easiest vegan banana bread any time you feel like it, without needing complicated vegan ingredients.
Blueberry lemon pound cake
Slightly more indulgent, and with a glossy lemon icing - this blueberry lemon pound cake is a treat! It's perfect with fresh blueberries and the lemon glaze combination is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
More Vegan Brunch Recipes
Vegan zucchini bread is great as a sweet addition to a vegan brunch. It pairs well with these brunch favorites:
- Oat muffins for a healthier and fiber-rich brunch option.
- Quick vegan french toast with fresh berries and syrup on top.
- Vegan crepes with a (generous) drizzle of hazelnut spread.
- Fluffy pancakes with apple compote or fresh banana on top.
- Vegan cinnamon rolls with frosting for special occasions, such as holidays and Sunday mornings.
- Or check out our vegan brunch collection and breakfast ideas for more inspiration.
More Zucchini Recipes
If you get as excited about cooking with zucchini as we do, check out our other zucchini recipes:
- Sauteed zucchini: easy to make and ready in just 10 mins.
- Zucchini frittata: a reader favorite, our egg-free frittata is perfect for picnics, brunch, and lunch.
- Zucchini boats: a nutritious zucchini dinner with a protein-rich lentil and tomato sauce in the stuffed zucchini.
- Zucchini pesto: a vibrant green condiment with plenty of good fats and vitamins. A great addition to pasta and vegan salads.
- Roasted zucchini easy baked zucchini in 2 ways that you can serve as a flavorful side dish or appetizer.
- Zucchini risotto: a creamy and indulgent dinner idea perfect for social gatherings.
- Tofu soup: one of our favorite easy dinners as it's ready in just 20 mins.
- Air fryer zucchini: the quickest way to add zucchini to your meals, ready in just 10 mins.
Tips
Thick batter: the batter for a perfectly moist zucchini bread that is not wet in the center should be quite thick, almost like a soft dough. This is because the zucchini will release water while it cooks, and will make the zucchini bread just the right amount of moisture.
Don't overmix: with quick bread in general you should only mix for a few seconds, to bring the ingredients together, and no more. Overmixing will develop the gluten in the flour, and our bread will turn out too compact and dense.
Keep it simple: we find that in vegan baking simple is often better and tastier. In this case, for instance, there's absolutely no need for an egg replacer, like flax egg, banana, or apple sauce. Grated zucchini is binding enough.
Bake immediately: once the baking powder is added to the batter it starts being activated and gradually loses some of its rising properties. That's why we want to preheat the oven as a first step and bake as soon as possible once the batter is ready.
Don't open the oven door: this is true for most baked goods. Don't open the oven door during the first 30 minutes or your bread won't rise.
Questions
No, there's no need to squeeze water out of zucchini to make zucchini bread. Just follow our recipe to make a batter of the right consistency which will yield a perfectly moist zucchini bread that is NOT soggy in the center.
No, there's no need to peel the zucchini to make zucchini bread. The peel adds texture, flavor, fiber, color, and nutrients.
No, there's no need to take the seeds out. Just make sure your zucchini is very fresh.
You can use a box grater to grate the zucchini bread. You can use both large holes and small holes for grating. We like to use large holes since the zucchini shrinks a lot while baking. Grate the zucchini with the skin on!
If your zucchini bread is wet in the middle the recipe you used is probably wrong. There's either too much liquid, too much batter in the loaf pan, you haven't cooked it long enough, or you haven't let it cool down completely.
Check out our recipe for a zucchini bread that is perfectly moist, without being wet in the center.
Yes, you can replace the oil with the same amount of apple sauce.
Storage
Store vegan zucchini bread at room temperature wrapped in plastic wrap or put in a plastic bag for about 2 to 3 days. Wrapping the bread is important to prevent the first slice and the outer part from drying.
To extend storage time you can store it in the fridge, well wrapped, for up to 4 - 5 days. Reheat it in the microwave for a few seconds if you don't like it cold.
Freeze zucchini bread wrapped in plastic wrap or foil, then put it in an airtight container or in a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Warm up in the microwave if desired.
For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.
Recipe
Vegan Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 1 Loaf pan 9x5 inch
- 1 Silicone spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup almond milk or other plant milk
- ¼ cup canola oil or sunflower oil
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1½ cup zucchini grated
- 1½ cup flour 1 cup all-purpose flour + ½ cup whole wheat flour*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips
- ½ cup crushed walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
- To a large bowl, add plant milk, sugar, oil, and vanilla extract. Mix well with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.
- Grate the zucchini with the large holes of a box grater, add them to the bowl, and mix until combined.There is no need to peel, squeeze, or drain the zucchini.
- Add all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Stir with the spatula to incorporate the ingredients. Do not overmix. Overmixing will result in dense, gummy zucchini bread.You should get a dense, thick batter, almost like a loose dough. We want the batter to be dense because the zucchini will release moisture when cooking.
- Add dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and give a quick stir to incorporate.You can reserve a handful of add-ins to sprinkle on top of the loaf.
- Transfer into the baking loaf and bake at 360°F or 180°C for 45 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.
- To ensure the vegan zucchini bread is fully cooked, poke it diagonally with a skewer or toothpick. If the skewer comes out dry, the bread is ready. If not, keep baking in increments of 3 minutes.
- Take the bread out of the loaf pan, put it on a cooling rack, and let cool down completely at room temperature before slicing it and eating it. We recommend slicing with a bread knife.
Notes
Nutritional Values
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Jonathan Young
Best vegan zucchini bread I have tried. Works great with shredded frozen zucchini, and with blueberries instead of chocolate chips
Louise
Hi Jonathan,
I'm delighted you liked the zucchini bread!
Thank you very much for the useful suggestions for frozen zucchini - and for taking the time to leave a comment here.
Have a great week ahead.
Kindest,
Louise