This Healthy Zucchini Bread Recipe is easy, delicious and makes for a great snack, breakfast or healthy dessert. Naturally sweetened, made from whole grains & kid-approved!
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Zucchini Bread is a classic veggie-loaded sweet treat! It is a great way to put those giant zucchinis to use during the summer months but also a great way to sneak in veggies at breakfast, snack or even a dessert. Traditional recipes, however, often have a lot of added sugar and are made from bleached flours. For this Healthy Zucchini Bread, I’ve used natural sweeteners to bring this summer treat to life and used good-for-you whole grains!
Tips for make Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Let it cool completely. If you want to dive right in and enjoy a slice warm (because that is kinda the best thing ever), go for it. But don’t freak out if the bread is slightly soft in the middle and the bread sticks to the parchment paper a but. Both are normal and as the muffins cool, both issues will resolve as the bread cools.
- Don’t skip on squeezing out the zucchini. Zucchini naturally has a lot of water. Squeezing out some of the zucchini’s natural moisture is essential so that this bread comes out perfectly moist instead of mushy.
- If making this for a child under 1, use maple syrup instead of honey. I remember hearing that recommendation since my daughter was a baby, but never knew why exactly. The reason is because something called Clostridium bacteria can be present in honey and is no good for those developing little infant guts. It is usually not an issue for children over age 1 thought. Check out this article for more info.
Suggested adaptations for Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Make it gluten free. Replace the white whole wheat flour with a gluten free cup-for-cup flour blend. I like this one.
- Make it egg-free. Replace the eggs with 2 flax eggs.
- Make it dairy-free. Use unsweetened almond milk , coconut milk or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Replace the zucchini with grated summer squash.
- Make it as muffins. Bake at the same temperature for 15-20 minutes in a 12-hole muffin tin.
- Reduce the sugar. Skip the chocolate chips and enjoy the natural sweetness from the applesauce and honey or maple syrup
- No white whole wheat flour? Replace it with 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat.
More healthy zucchini recipes you are going to adore…
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Paleo Almond Butter Zucchini Cookies
- Fudgy Chocolate Zucchini Cookies
- Healthy Gluten Free Brownies (with zucchini)
- Flourless Peanut Butter Carrot Zucchini Cookies
Did you try this veggie-loaded bread recipe and now you’re hungry for more?
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Healthy Zucchini Bread
This Healthy Zucchini Bread Recipe is easy, delicious and makes for a great snack, breakfast or healthy dessert. Naturally sweetened, made from whole grains & kid-approved!
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 204kcal
Equipment
- loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/3 cup honey* or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup milk of choice I used unsweetened almond milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour or sub cup-for-cup gluten free flour blend
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a 8×4 loaf pan with parchment paper or grease it with a little extra oil.
- Take the grated zucchini and place it in the middle of a clean dish towel or large paper towel. Wrap the zucchini in the towel and squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine olive oil, eggs, vanilla extract, applesauce, honey/maple syrup, and milk. Mix.
- Add remaining ingredients except zucchini and chocolate chips to the bowl. Mix well until batter has an even consistency.
- Add drained zucchini and chocolate chips to the batter. Fold them in.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and top with extra chocolate chips if desired
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until bread is golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Allow bread to cool in pan for 20 minutes before slicing and enjoying.
- Once cool completely, store in fridge for 4-5 days or in freezer for up to a month.
Notes
*If making bread for a child under age 1, use maple syrup instead of honey.
Suggested adaptations for Healthy Zucchini Bread
- Make it gluten free. Replace the white whole wheat flour with a gluten free cup-for-cup flour blend. I like this one.
- Make it egg-free. Replace the eggs with 2 flax eggs.
- Make it dairy-free. Use unsweetened almond milk , coconut milk or your favorite plant-based milk.
- Replace the zucchini with grated summer squash.
- Make it as muffins. Bake at the same temperature for 15-20 minutes in a 12-hole muffin tin.
- Reduce the sugar. Skip the chocolate chips and enjoy the natural sweetness from the applesauce and honey or maple syrup
- No white whole wheat flour? Replace it with 1 cup all-purpose and 1 cup whole wheat.
Nutrition
Serving: 1slice | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 39mg | Sodium: 194mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 117IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
I’ve made this recipe twice in one week. Perfection!
Yay! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
My son cannot have apples, so how much sugar would I use?
You can replace the applesauce with mashed bananas! Not sure about the sugar, as it is a dry ingredient and I haven’t tested it with that.
I put this recipe through a nutrition calculator and, for 1/8 of the loaf it had 221 calories, 5.7 Gms fat, 38 Gms carbs, 3 Gms fiber, 6 Gms protein. Much, much better than regular zucchini bread AND it tastes great!
WOW, this was really good! I loved everything about it from the texture, to the perfect amount of sweetness. Definitely adding this to my recipe folder! Thanks!!
I am so glad, Johanna!
I’ve made this as zucchini bread and also as muffins several times already. It’s absolutely delicious and everyone loves them!
So glad you enjoy it!