Vegan Zucchini Bread

Vegan zucchini bread is a great way to use up an abundance of zucchini during the summer months, and it's a perfect snack or breakfast option for anyone looking for a healthy alternative to commercial bread or pastry.

The crumb is light and moist yet perfectly cooked without being overly wet and soggy in the center. It almost melts in your mouth, yet it slices easily without crumbling away.

All you need to make it is one bowl, a grater, and a few pantry staples. There's no need for hard-to-find vegan ingredients to replace eggs and butter.

As with most of our recipes, we've made this simple, using only essential steps and the simplest ingredients.

For instance, there's no need for flax egg or for draining the zucchini.

And so whether you're a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, our vegan zucchini bread with chocolate chips is easy to make and guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser.

Give this a try! You won't miss the eggs or the butter and will feel fabulous after eating it. Let's see how it is made!

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.

Freshly grated zucchini adds the right amount of moisture and acts as a binder or egg replacer.

This means there's no need to use a flax egg to make vegan zucchini bread.

Flour

We like to use all-purpose flour, but you can also use half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.

To make gluten-free, use a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour mix made for cakes instead of wheat flour. 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.

Oil

Neutral vegetable oils, such as canola or sunflower, are excellent because they add moistness without compromising taste. Coconut oil works too. Light olive oil is also a perfect choice.

If you are on an oil-free diet, replace the oil with applesauce in the same amount. You can also use vegan butter if you want.

Just multiply our oil measurement by 1.2 to get the vegan butter amount.

Milk

We tried almond milk, soy milk, oat milk, and rice milk, and they all worked perfectly.

All dairy-free milk work fine for this recipe.

Spices and Aromas

We add cinnamon and vanilla extract.

Other spices that go well in zucchini bread are grated nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cardamom.

We even made it once with grated orange zest, which was delicious.

Baking powder and baking soda

A classic combo for helping the bread rise.

If you don't have baking soda, double the baking powder amount.

Salt

Add just a pinch of sea salt to help bring out the taste of the other ingredients.

If you are on a low-sodium diet, you can omit salt.

Add-ins

We add dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts to our vegan zucchini bread recipe.

You can also cut a dark chocolate bar into small pieces with a knife. Dark chocolate and nuts improve the bread's taste, nutrition, and texture.

Suitable substitutes are pecans, hazelnuts, raisins, and dried cranberries.

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line a 9 x 5-inch (25x11 cm) loaf pan with parchment paper.

To a large mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients: 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 and mix them with the wet ingredients.

Tip: there is no need to peel, squeeze, or drain the zucchini.

Add the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Mix with a spoon (we don't recommend using a whisk) but don't overmix, or your bread will be heavy and gummy.

Tip: 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 dark chocolate chips and chopped walnuts and stir them to incorporate them into the batter.

Tip: you can reserve a handful of add-ins to sprinkle on top of the loaf.

Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake at 350°F or 180°C for 40 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 vegan zucchini bread out of the loaf pan, put it on a cooling rack, and let it cool down for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before slicing.

Vegan zucchini bread muffins

Same recipe, different shape. Vegan zucchini bread muffins are fantastic because they are super portable and perfect for a quick breakfast on the go or as a snack.

With this recipe, you can make ten regular-sized zucchini muffins (or 12 smaller ones).

Here's a blog post with the measurements for 12 zucchini bread muffins.

They are so soft, moist, and tasty. You will fall in love with them!

Easy Vegan Banana Bread

Love quick breads? Then try our tasty and easy vegan banana bread. You can make it in one bowl with one fork and seven simple ingredients.

We developed this recipe so you can make the best, easiest vegan banana bread any time you feel like it without having to run to the store.

Blueberry lemon pound cake

Slightly more indulgent and with a glossy lemon icing - this blueberry lemon pound cake is a treat!

You can make it with fresh or frozen blueberries; the lemon glaze combination is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Banana nut bread

This easy banana nut bread is made with eight simple pantry staples in one bowl and with one fork.

It only takes 10 minutes to whip up and about 45 minutes to cook! It's tasty, nutritious, and delicious.

Lemon pound cake

A soft, moist, flavorful treat for lemon lovers. The recipe is easy, with a few pantry staples, fresh lemon juice, zest, and a soft and tasty crumb.

The lemon glaze on top is optional but highly recommended.

Thick batter: the batter for a perfectly moist zucchini bread that is not wet in the center should be pretty dense, almost like a soft dough. This is because the zucchini will release water while it cooks, making the zucchini bread with 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: in vegan baking, simple is often better and tastier. For instance, there's 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

Make Ahead: this vegan zucchini bread is an excellent recipe to make ahead. As it cools down, the crumb becomes soft and easy to slice, and the flavors have time to meld.

Room temperature: store it at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap, or in a plastic bag for 3 days. Wrapping the bread is essential to prevent the first slice and the outer part from drying.

Refrigerator: 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.

Freezer: let the bread cool down completely, wrap it in plastic or foil, then put it in an airtight container or a zip-lock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Warm up in the microwave if desired.

Vegan zucchini bread is a sweet addition to a delicious breakfast and brunch. It pairs well with the following:

• 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.

If you get as excited about cooking with zucchini as we do, check out our other zucchini recipes:

• Sautéed zucchini: easy to make and ready in just 10 mins.
• Zucchini fritters: our fritters are great for picnics, brunch, and a light dinner.
• Zucchini boats: a nutritious zucchini dinner with a protein-rich lentil and tomato sauce in the stuffed zucchini.
• 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 minutes.
• Air fryer zucchini: the quickest way to add zucchini to your meals, ready in just 10 mins.

For many more easy dessert ideas, check out our desserts category page.