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. I captured it on video, if you’d like to see it. 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 the 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
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 55 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
- Category: Baked good
- Method: By hand
- Cuisine: American
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°F. 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 reference 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.
If you love this recipe: You will also love my pumpkin bread, banana muffins and pumpkin muffins and banana nut scones!
Recommended equipment: I am totally in love with my Fiesta Loaf Pan in turquoise (affiliate link).
▸ Nutrition Information
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Simone
Made this last night. I didn’t read the comment section first. I also noticed the mix was extremely watery. I endend up using a about 3 cups of flour because I was afraid it would be to moist. Convect baked for 60 min. The result came out great, the whole family loved it. Sweetness is very subtle and well balanced with the cinnamon and walnuts so my mother who has diabetes could also enjoy it!
★★★★
Sabs
Can I use regular table salt since I don’t have sea salt?
Kate
Hi Sabs! As long as it is fine-grain that should work.
Kristy
I made this with a little extra flour as I’d read the comments about moisture and it turned out absolutely delish!! What do you recommend as a spread or topping to go with this?
Thanks
★★★★★
Kate
Glad to hear it, Kristy! I like this bread with peanut or almond butter, or regular butter, maybe a drizzle of honey.
Sheri
The first few times I made this it was always too moist. Then I weighed the zucchini using exactly 7 oz and pressed every last drop of water from it. It was perfect and has been ever since. All your healthy breads are awesome!!
★★★★★
Beverly Klein
I made it with a little coconut oil and applesauce. I probably used too much zucchini and used a food processor to grate instead of a hand held one. Pieces too big maybe came out too moist and a little chewy. Tasty though. Will stick to the recipe next time!
★★★★★
Erika
Hi Kate, Do you think I can successfully use a nut flour like coconut or almond? I can’t eat grains (for now, for medical reason) otherwise this is ok for me. I am not accustomed to baking with alternate flours. Thanks!
Kate
Hi Erika! Unfortunately, those flours are not simple swaps. For coconut flour, I’d stick to recipes that are specifically designed for it. Coconut flour absorbs moisture like crazy, so you can end up with very dense baked goods if you try to substitute it for grain flours. Almond flour is also tricky. I’ve found it works best in recipes like this when you double the eggs (so 4 eggs for this bread). That’s because gluten provides structure to baked goods—without it, you’ll need extra structure from the eggs (hope you can eat eggs!). Also, when substituting almond flour for regular flour, you’ll want to measure it differently—pack the almond flour into the cups for a proper conversion rate. (If you’re using a recipe specifically designed for almond flour, you’d measure it as normal, by spooning it into the cups and leveling off the top with a knife). Sorry for the complicated answer. Hope it helps!
Erika
Oh my gosh that is so helpful! (I can have eggs.) I appreciate the quick response! And these flours are quite pricey so I didn’t want a failure if you know what I mean! You are already on my IG and I’ve seen a bunch of good recipes, love your content, look forward to seeing more.
Debbie
Yum! We enjoyed this bread as much as the banana bread. I get rave reviews every time I make your recipes.
★★★★★
CINDY A HART
I wonder if casava flour would work since it can be a sub for wheat flour 1:1? Just a thought.
Kate
Hi Cindy! I don’t have much experience with casava flour. Let me know if you try it!
Joy Chen
Can I sub the flour with oat flour?
Kate
Hi Joy! I haven’t tried oat flour with this recipe, but I know it works in my banana bread. Check out my blog post about oat flour for guidance.
Rae
I made this recipe, and oh man is it a keeper! I gave a loaf to my mom, who took it to work, and she said it was gone before she even had a chance to slice herself a piece. She told me all her co-workers raved about it. I also added chocolate chips, which made it extra yummy. Will be making this again!!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Rae! Thanks for sharing.
Anita
The last time I made this loaf, the recipe was with castor sugar. Your ingredients with the honey & coconut oil were the perfect substitutes & made for a tastier/healthier loaf. Thankyou
Great recipe to do with your children
★★★★★
Basheer
I loved this so much!! Never thought we could make something so tasty with zucchini!! Thank you for such an easy recipe for a novice like me!!
Danielle
I’ve made this bread many times. I never have a soggy bread issue like some commenters post. But, I think many are doing something wrong here. The key is to wring out the zucchini, or blot with 5 or so paper towels. You need the excess water out of the zucchini. Once combined, it should be quite thick.
One other tip is that I like the taste of maple syrup better in this bread than honey. Both are good, but I found the honey to be sweeter.
★★★★★
Maggie
Do you think I could substitute monkfruit sugar for the sweetener? If so, would it be a 1:1 ratio?
Kate
Hi Maggie! I’m not too familiar with monkfruit sugar, but know the liquid sweetener here helps with the overall moisture of the recipe.
Maggie
I did half monk fruit and half maple syrup. It turned out fantastic and yummy! Thank you for this recipe as I have a lot of zucchini to put to good use now
Jen
I made this recipe with my 20 month old son today and it Was easy to make and came out delicious! We made it into 12 muffins as opposed to a loaf (I like chocolate chips in my zucchini bread but my husband doesn’t so muffins allow me to make a little of each. Saving this recipe to make again
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jen! I appreciate it.
Donna
How long did you bake the muffins for? Thanks
Lule
I used olive oil. I skipped the milk/ water and soaked up the natural water supply from the zucchini. I doubled the recipe and up the zucchini to 2 cups/per recipe. I baked for an hour and It came out moist. Definitely a keeper. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Lica Pineda
Can I use almond flour? Thank you in advance.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Lica! Unfortunately, I don’t find almond flour works as a good 1:1 substitute.
Gina
I love this zucchini bread. I have made it vegan and subbed the oil for applesauce and it was great. Recently, I am avoiding sugar and maple syrup. I was wondering if I omitted the maple syrup if I could replace it with 1/2 cup smashed banana and leave in the water from the grated zucchini to make up for the liquid. What you think? Thanks for your help.
Gina
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Gina, I wouldn’t know without trying it. Sorry! I’m not sure leaving the water in the zucchini will get you what you are after.
Kyle
Love and appreciate your recipes SO MUCH! My LITTLE kids cook with me and are making this today! Your directions are always super easy. We did just as you said to do, and squeezed the zucchini first so the batter wasn’t runny. Easy peezy. You are the go to person for recipes and we love the newer feature of tripling it for us. Thank you for all you do!!!
★★★★★
Gina
Love this recipe. I made it vegan. I also reduced the maple syrup to 1/3 cup since I used applesauce in place of the oil. Thank you for substitution notes.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Gina! I’m glad you loved it and found the notes helpful.
Lotti L. Quick
I made mine into small loads and it’s very good. Thank you for the recipe!!
Mary Anne Smith
Hey Ladies!!
Let me tell you, when my kids come running through that door the FIRST thing they want is food. And many of our gardens are overflowing with zucchini’s during this time.I am sure you all can agree. This delicious “treat” is a house fav and a great way to use up those zucchini’s. It tastes wonderful and my kids would never suspect that it is actually healthy!! Thank you Cookie and Kate for this scrumptious bread.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mary Anne! I’m so glad this is a hit and that you can use your garden fresh zucchini. Thanks for your review!
Linda
Awesome recipe. I used agave nectar and Pamela’s gluten free baking mix. I made 24 loaves from big home grown zucchini.
★★★★★
Tracy
I’ve made this zucchini bread three times in the last three weeks (zucchini is in season in my CSA boxes). This is the easiest and best tasting zucchini bread I’ve ever made. Some takeaways: twice I’ve used almond milk and maple syrup and once I used water and honey. The breads made with the almond milk and maple syrup were better tasting than with water and honey. I’ve found it’s important to drain the zucchini beforehand and then really squeeze out excess moisture. Enjoy!
★★★★★
Lawnna
This is a great! Zuccine bread recipe, I had a zuccine bread recipe I used for years however I had to change my diet ( due to age ) the coconut oil and honey was very beneficial. I want to try it with gluten free flour, if that turns out good, then it will be perfect for me. The long time favorite recipe had 2 cups of sugar this one is 1cup of honey, it seemed plenty sweet.
Victoria Hungerford
I just have to say Thank You! You have become my new best friend. Everytime I google a recipe, you are at the top because I have used so many of your recipes lately. After losing my 23 year old daughter in March, 2018=9 due to an eating disorder, I developed a heart condition literally called “Broken Heart Syndrome.” Part of my healing has been changing my diet to eat healthier. I also love to bake, as did my daughter -she worked in a bakery. Your recipes make me so happy. I bought your cookbook and have recommended it to friends. Right now, your banana bread is in my oven. Thank you for joining me on my journey!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Victoria, thank you for your kind note. My heart hurts for your loss. Sending you love!
Jenei
Aloha!
I was just about to make the zucchini bread and decided to read some of the comments first For recipe tweaks. this is heartbreaking and heartwarming exchange. a I’m a firm believer that food can heal and it brings people together. Im a foodie and holistic herbalist and Kate, your recipes are the real deal! Victoria. there is a flower essence by FES called bleeding heart and also a tincture by herbalist alchemist with Mimosa bark/Hawthorne that can greatly assist you with your healing from a great loss and subsequent broken heart syndrome. I hope that helps. Wanted to thank you both for your inspiration to be better and healthier! God bless
★★
Robyn Gibbs
Do you prefer pecans or walnuts and do you recommend toasting them first?
Kate
I prefer pecans, but both work! See step 2 :)
Susan
I followed your recipe using coconut oil and honey. The only difference was that I used Bob’s Red Mill GF Mix instead of the flour as per your note. It was a total fail. After an hour in the oven it was the consistency of pudding, except for the top 1/8 inch or so which seemed kind of cooked. Do you or your readers have any idea what happened? I am wondering if 325 was the right temperature. I have been using the oven regularly for baking so I know the temperature is accurate.
Kate
Hi Susan! Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that. I haven’t tried it myself gluten free so I can’t say for sure what may have happened. Did you squeeze out any additional moisture from your zucchini?
Susan
I didn’t, because the zucchini seemed quite dry. But next time I will!
Premlata Vazirani
Kate
I am not a baker but it came out very good. I used 1-1/2 C wheat flour and 1/4 C ground almond, little less than 1C sugar, 3/4 C grated carrots, 1/2 butter and 1/2 olive oil. Next time I am going to double up quantity for ground nutmeg and add 1/4 tsp of ground cloves and 1/4 tsp of ginger powder. Your recipe is great❤️
★★★★★
Lynda Schuh
bread was undone at 325 degrees.
I had drained the zucchini for about an hour ahead of time.
Jackie
I hear this is wonderful. Can’t access the nutrition info and really want it before I bake. I click on the link but nothing happens. Can you help please?
Kate
Hi Jackie! It is working for me. Sometimes it can take a second to load. Let me know if you are still having issues. You may also try clearing your cache too.
Alexis
It wasn’t good for me. I’ve tried the recipe twice and both times it was raw inside. I was doing the vegan version with almond milk, flax eggs, and maple syrup. I made sure to squeeze all of the moisture out of the zucchini and measured all of my ingredients correctly. I’m not sure where I went wrong. The first time I left it in the oven trying to get it to cook as an experiment and after three hours all I had was a rock hard crust and raw bread inside. Same on the second. I tried increasing the oven temperature as well. It didn’t help. It tastes good, but it was a lot of time and ingredients wasted on something I can’t eat.
★★
Lady T
I tried this recipe and my batter did not come out wet it was very dry and lumpy I put it in the oven anyway and tried to cook it it never turned into bread.
★
Niamh
Hi! I am wondering if it is possible to make this with a Gluten free flour mix?
Kate
Hi! This has worked for others with Bob’s Red Mill gluten free mix. Let em know if you try it!
McKenzie
I made this with fage plain Greek yogurt instead of the oil and semi sweet chocolate chips instead of nuts and it was delicious! Will definitely be making this often!
★★★★★
Patricia Aldred
Turned out great and I appreciate that it is much healthier than other reeipes, as I’m trying to limit/eliminate my sugar
★★★★★
Clare L
Made this tonight and boy it’s a hit with my OH he didn’t even realise it had zucchini. I did add ginger instead of cinnamon and it had a lovely almost Christmas aroma. Was very tasty with some butter. Also added some dates instead of nuts so extra fibre for me.
Will be adding this to the lunchbox list of treats.
★★★★★
London
It tasted really good! We made a loaf with the honey and one loaf with the maple. My family and I all preferred the maple.
★★★★
Candis Mrumlinski
I followed the recipe exactly and because I read the comments beforehand, even weighed out the grated zucchini to exactly 7 ozs. The texture turned out perfect! It was not too moist and not to dry. I was surprised though that it was not as sweet as I thought it would be. I bake many items using honey or syrup so I somewhat know what to expect but I think it needs to be sweeter.
★★★★
Tosha
Absolutely delicious, used Bob’s gluten free one for one and used maple syrup, loved it!
★★★★★
MS
Making this for a second time right now and it’s in the oven. Last time I made this, it was delicious but I made a rookie mistake and didn’t press the zucchini to eliminate water. It was far too wet. Learning from that I was anxious to try again. I used KA Whole Wheat Flour, Almond Milk, and Honey. I could tell from the batter this time that my consistency was much better and I can’t wait to eat it when it’s out of the oven!
★★★★★
Karen Rose
I increased this by 50% (because my husband but a huge loaf pan!) and I’m wondering how much longer I should bake it. The first time I did it this way it took about 20 minutes loner. What’s your suggestion?
Kate
Hi Karen! I would start at the recommended amount and slowly increase from there. I’m not sure without testing it myself, sorry!
Janice
Thankyou
CBS
This was delicious!!! I used avocado oil and cut the honey a bit because I used chopped honeyed pecans. Also used about 2 cups of grated zucchini and regular whole wheat flour. Result was superb!!! Baked for a shorter time in a 9 inch square baking pan. Absolutely delicious. Definitely going into the rotation. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
CB
This was delicious!!! I used avocado oil and cut the honey a bit because I used chopped honeyed pecans. Also used about 2 cups of grated zucchini and regular whole wheat flour. Result was superb!!! Baked for a shorter time in a 9 inch square baking pan. Absolutely delicious. Definitely going into the rotation. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Kimberley Frezel
Help! It’s been in for nearly 2 hours and still very moist/wet in the middle. Is there anyway I can save it!? Really don’t want to waste it! Please help me! :)
Kate
Hi Kimberley! I’m sorry this didn’t turn out perfect for you. Did you squeeze moisture out of your zucchini? It sounds like you may have either needed to get more moisture out and/or cook a little longer.
Jlynn
Made three loaves yesterday afternoon and tasted one about two hours after they left the oven. (Still warm on the inside.) I did everything as stated in the recipe except used nearly two cups of zucchini per loaf. Texture was fine, but I don’t think there was enough sweetness for my taste. Not sure family will eat it as it isn’t the normal recipe, which is why I chose to try it. I think I will definitely have to butter this and or add something that will sweeten it up. (I am trying to eat healthier, so for a first attempt I am grateful it is edible.) No complaints on the recipe or Cookie and Kate, just not accustomed to wheat flour and low sugar “sweet” breads.
★★★★
Angie
I made this bread with 3 tsp orange zest, and ommitted the spices altogether. Though a little moist, it tastes great. Perfect sweetness and perfectly healthy.
★★★★
Joan O’Neill
Made this yesterday with all organic ingredients including walnuts and raw honey. The most stellar addition was using Dark Chocolate Olive Oil from Queen Creek Olive Mill. Incredibly good. I box grated the zucchini on a folded tea towel and rolled that up to drain while I did the rest of the recipe. It was the perfect amount of moist for the finished product with minimum of fuss. Love Cookie and Kate!
★★★★★
Sapien
Thanks for the delicious recipe! I used chopped 1/2 cup dates and 1/2 maple syrup. I think next time I’m going to try it with 1 tsp of salt. I wasn’t expecting the salt to be so noticeable
★★★★★
Angela
have you cooked at higher altitude before? I know the temperature needs to increase and most likely lightly squeeze zucchini as it’s drier here. But can you tell me how firm it needs to be? Because I will most likely have to cook it longer.
Kate
Hi Angela! Unfortunately living in Kansas City, I don’t have the opportunity to try at different elevations.
Meena Gehani
I started growing zucchini for the very first time. And had my very first zucchini today that was used to make these muffins!!! They are the best zucchini muffins I’ve ever had! I have diabetes and these low sugar, whole wheat muffins are the best breakfast items for me! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear! Thank you or sharing, Meena.
Joylene
Thanks for the recipe! I have been craving zucchini bread and even a very picky child friend of ours enjoyed this. I used spelt flour bc I’m allergic to wheat but not spelt. I used a colander to squeeze out excess zucchini moisture and while it is very moist my son said it was the perfect amount. Kids ended up putting Nutella on it making it a delicious dessert.
★★★★★
C
This was my first time making a zucchini bread and it was simple and delicious. I didn’t have whole wheat flour but used half buckwheat pancake mix and half white flour. I used half honey, half maple syrup. It is moist, tasty and the perfect amount of sweetness. It baked in the amount of time indicated. Thank you so much for this healthy delicious recipe!
Christina
I love your recipes! I have printed out the vegan gingerbread ( and made it) so many times, everyone loves it- there are never any leftovers. ( sometimes I juice butternut squash if I don’t have carrots in my fridge).
and now I have discovered this zucchini bread recipe- perfect way to deliciously use up the monster zucchinis growing in my garden.. even if I make this once a week, my kids get so excited
★★★★★
Kate Clifford
Hello, this is delicious. I have only made it once. Super moist and hearty. I think I will try more cinnamon next time. I like it to pack a little more punch. Thank you for sharing and giving me a healthier version to make at home.
jonkino
Made my version of this last night using home grown Zucchini. It was a lovely taste but the texture didn’t turn out quite right. I think often an issue with recipes from America that use cups as measurements rather than weights in grams (or ounces). I mean what size of cup? It tastes great but mine came out two solid and I baked it for hour and half waiting for the dry test to work. I might try it again next weekend as I want it to work. Maybe some more descriptive details might help.? I put the right ingredients in but it was really watery mixture and I compared it to the pictures above and no were near the same so I added two extra handfuls of flower to try to get it slightly thicker. Maybe that made is so solid! Any suggestions?
★★★★
Kate
Hi, I’m sorry it didn’t turnout for you. I think you had your measurements off. This conversion chart that may help .
jonkino
It doesn’t really help that conversion chart as your recipe is in cups. This chart doesn’t mention cups. I can do gramms and ounces that isn’t the problem its the cups that are as I don’t know the sizer of your USA cups in either gramms, ounces or ml (for liquid).
Theresa Cook
I made this zucchini bread and have put it in my recipe book. It is excellent – moist and delicious, so happy to find such a tasty zucchini bread without white sugar and poor oils. This recipe is perfect for my 3 smaller loaf pans with added dark chocolate morsels and I bake for 45-55 minutes.
Thank you Kate!
★★★★★
Susan
Hi, Kate (+ Cookie!) Just found this recipe, I’m eager to try it! PLMK if I can substitute the same quantity of white, all-purpose flour instead of whole wheat? (It’s all I have on hand. Thanks much!
Kate
Hi Susan! It should be able to work at the same amount, but there can be some variability in all purpose flour. Let me know how it goes for you!
Susan
Thanks for the quick reply, Kate! I’ll try it and let you know. :)
Jess
Can you use this recipe with fresh ground wheat flour, and if so, would anything need to be changed? TIA
Kate
Hi Jess! I actually don’t have experience with freshly ground flours (cool that you do!). If you generally have success using it, I’d say go for it.
Jess
I used 3 cups of fresh ground white wheat flour minis 3 tbls, used Almond milk, honey, and coconut oil substitutions and it was sooo yummy!! Thank you. This recipe is a keeper!
★★★★★
Chenoa
Hi, I just wanted to tell you that I made this today after scouring the Internet for a recipe that I thought would work for me I landed on yours. Specifically because you used maple syrup. So for a doubled recipe I used fresh ground whole meal Spelt for the flour, I didn’t ring the excess water Out of the zucchini and I only used a quarter cup of milk. I poured all of the batter into one 9 x 5 loaf pan for a large loaf. It came out beautifully with a moist tender crumb and perfect sweetness. Next time I make it I’m gonna replace the maple syrup with Stevia as I’m trying to cut my carbs. This is a great recipe!
★★★★★
Lynn
If you are trying to make it healthier, skip the coconut oil. Go with olive, avocado or canola. Coconut oil has 40% more saturated fat than butter. It may be okay for some, but if you are predisposed for high cholesterol, stay away from it.
Lindsay
I made this recipe as is with a slight change. I doubled the recipe and after adding the zucchini, I split the batter into two separate bowls of equal amounts. In one bowl, I added 1.75 cups flour and 3/4 cup walnuts (as recipe states). In the other, 1.5 cups flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, and 3/4 cup chocolate chips. I had two loaf pans so I alternately added scoops of each batter to each pan then used a butter knife to swirl the batters around (not too much!). This made for a lovely marbled loaf. I used the same cooking time. I wish I could add a picture! Thank you!
★★★★★
Lesle
Hi there!
Loved the zucchini bread, not too sweet and it’s so great that it’s whole grain.
Now I have an abundance of green tomatoes. Do you think I could substitute grated green tomatoes for the zucchini?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Lesle! I love the idea, but they are two very different ingredients and the tomatoes have too much moisture. Likely wouldn’t have a good result.
Joanne Thomas
I just ate (too much) of this recipe. I love it. I did everything you listed. I used all olive oil, no coconut oil. Half honey, half maple syrup. Not too sweet! Perfect. Thank you!
Leslie
Hi Kate,
Great recipe! Made it for the second time, this time with an abundance of rock hard green tomatoes I wound up with after a very short growing season. Used a food processor to finely chop up tomatoes and drained them until about the same moisture as my zucchini. Because they were so green, there wasn’t too much extra water to drain. The loaf turned out great! Not as sweet because I ran out of maple syrup and had to sub honey half and half but still quite tender and moist.
So it did work!
Again, this has become a house fave!
Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Leslie
★★★★★
Lynne
This is the best not dessert recipe I have found. I reduce the honey a bit more (3/4 cup for 2 loaves) and usually end up with close to 4 cups of zucchini. It come out lovely, moist, not too sweet. Perfect toasted for breakfast with some peanut butter.
★★★★★
Wonda Brown
Made it. Not sweet enough. Had no taste. Could not taste the spices. I used the syrup instead of the honey. The overall result was not good.
★
Christine
I have to guess that I did something wrong because this was god awful! My husband didn’t think it was so bad – just tasteless. The only thing I can think is that the honey I used wasn’t a good fit – I used Manuka honey (expensive so disappointed to know I’ve wasted a cup of it) which has a unique taste beyond traditional honey. This is the first recipe from Cookie and Kate that I haven’t loved.
★
Marian
I made this with 1/2 cup chocolate chips and no nuts. It was decadent! Texture was perfect! squeezed out as much water as I could. I recommended going by weight (5 oz) for the zucchini. Will definitely be making this again.
★★★★★
Marian
Ups – just saw the recipe actually calls for 7 oz zucchini. Lol. I’ll add that next time.
Ronit
Outrageously good! I doubled the recipe and did not squeeze out the zucchini. Baked it in a large loaf pan. Came out moist and not too sweet which was perfect for my husband who has to watch his sugar
Question – can I substitute apples to make a honey apple cake
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! That’s a great idea, but I don’t think you would get the expected result. Take a look at my apple muffin recipe and I believe some have tried it in a loaf (although I haven’t tried it myself).
Marsha
Can I use stevia instead for sweetener? My family don’t care for honey and I don’t have maple syrup on hand. Or anything else for an alternative for sugar?
Kate
Hi Marsha! I don’t recommend changing the wet sweetener in there as it helps with the sweetness and aids in the final product result – meaning it helps it to rise.
Pily Cerra
Thank you so much for the recipe. This is my first time preparing this kind of bread and I actually added to mine almonds and cranberries, also mine took 65 minutes to bake. It is delicious!!! I always asked my friends to do it for me and I can not believe how easy it was. Thank you again!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Pily! I’m happy you enjoyed it.
Ellie S.
I’ve made this 3 times this month. Perfect recipe. Today was the first time I had to drain excess water from the zucchini, perhaps because it was very ripe and had been put in the fridge. I also prefer regular whole wheat flour instead of white whole wheat flour.
★★★★★
Chuck Pringle
Chuck Thailand
I’ve still to try it but I’m sure its good
★★★★★
Grace
Excellent! Very moist. I added 1/4 cup cocoa powder and 2/3 cup chocolate chips.
★★★★★
Patricia Mac Govern
Yes, this zucchini bread made my day! It’s my first ever zucchini bread recipe from this site and I absolutely loved it! It’s a keeper! I added walnuts, pecans and blueberries. I first, I had doubts but the combination was perfection! My bread took about 1 hour and 10 minutes to cook, the center. I will try and use half the recipe, into a loaf pan and the remaining into muffin cup pan. Thank you for sharing. Oh, I did add some pumpkin spice, too!
★★★★
Rhonda
We loved this recipe. It is very gently sweet. I used prune puree for the oil. To make prune puree use equal parts boiling water and dried prunes, allowing them to soften, and then blending thoroughly. It works well as an oil substitute (use an equal amount of prune puree as oil) in quick sweet breads like this one. Prune puree keeps a surprisingly long time in the back of your fridge or freezer. It adds a little sweet, but I doubled+ the recipe and put in 4 c of shredded zucchini. Mine came out of the pans easily right after baking. It was a real hit with all of us, especially the grandkids. I’ll be making this again.
★★★★★
Nastasia Mirani
Hey, can you try replacing the egg with some greek yogurt instead?
Kate
Hi! See the notes on making this vegan/egg free.
AJ
I made this recipe with my toddler, and it was easy and turned out to be delicious! The only problem is that my toddler wanted to eat her weight in the zucchini bread :)
★★★★★
Audrey
Hi Kate. I make your apple muffins all the time and love them. So I’m excited to try this recipe. But can I use self rising wholewheat flour? That’s what I have in the pantry. :/
Kate
Hi Audrey, I don’t typically recommend that as there can be variations by brand and baking is so precise. Sorry I don’t have a clear answer!
Lynsey
This zucchini bread is so delicious. I think I might eat the whole loaf myself!! YUM!!
★★★★★
Ingrid Langhorst
Delicious!! I used gluten free flour, 1/2 cup toasted walnuts (toasting them makes them taste so much better!), and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. My husband is not usually a fan of zucchini bread, but loves this one.Thanks for another great recipe Kate!!
★★★★★
Voramast
Can I use oatmeal instead of all-purpose flour?
Kate
Hi! You could try oat flour here. I haven’t tried it but it works as a replacement in some of my other recipes. Be sure to follow my guide on how to make oat flour.
Lexi
Loved this recipe! It is especially good with almond butter on top of a warm slice, and I added chocolate chips to the batter. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Sylvie
I love your recipes, and many of them are favorites (like your Mango Burrito Bowl with Crispy Tofu and your Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice). I’m not sure what I did wrong but my zucchini bread came out quite dry and it did not rise like yours. I did remove the extra moisture from the zucchini. I used whole wheat flower, the walnuts and maple syrup (but only half of the quantity of maple syrup). Perhaps that’s it. Can I replace the other quarter cup with applesauce? I was considering adding cranberries. And, finally, should I add baking powder to help it rise? Will any of these changes mess too much with the chemistry of the recipe? Thanks.
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry this didn’t turn out. Baking is quite precise so cutting out the maple syrup will impact your results as you found out. It helps with moisture and for it to rise properly. The baking soda listed will help to make it rise along with the sugar.
BABITA
I love the recipe, it make me happy when I can try the recipe out
★★★★★
Bandna Pal
Hello! I read a bunch of the reviews before trying the recipe. Made it for the first time and it is delicious! Some common mistakes I’ve made in the past that I learned from:
The zucchini is really watery- paper towels are not enough. I used my hands to make balls of zucchini and squished the water out of them. I added the zucchini to my mix only before I was ready to mix the dry ingredients with the wet and then put them in the oven… I was afraid that if I put the zucchini in and the baking pan sat on the counter too long before baking, then more water would come out of the zucchini… which could lead to it not cooking properly or being too watery after cooking for a really long time.
I put the baking soda in the dry ingredients separately and only mixed the wet and dry ingredients after my oven was pre- heated. This is because I’ve read that the reaction with the baking soda starts as soon as you mix it so doing it this way delays it. Also, overmixing takes out the air from the baking soda reaction … so I mixed only as little as needed.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made this and happy to hear what you did worked so well for you, Bandna.
Liza Elman
These were delish! They definitely tasted healthy, which after I made them I realized I wanted them a bit sweeter. Next time I think I’d just add a little brown sugar to sweeten them up a bit.
★★★★★
Nisha
I e made this several times using it as a formula. I use shredded winter squash instead of summer squash and change up the flavorings, sometimes orange blossom water and a citrus zest while skipping the vanilla. I add raisins to increase the sweetness that I lose from swapping date paste for the sugar, winter squash has the same affect. I put the date paste in a leash ring cup and fill it to one cup to get to the needed liquid (honey and milk) ratio. I also use whole wheat pastry flour instead of the white wheat flour. It is a fantastic formula to fit any flavor profile I want. Thank you!
★★★★★
Rebekka
I followed this recipe and had a giant zucchini which came out to 2 cups and used it all. It was a dry zucchini, almost no water came out of it. The texture is amazing, so moist inside but it has a nice crust. However, 1/2 cup of maple syrup is not sweet enough, and so the flavor is a little bland. Next time, I’ll try 3/4.
★★★★
Deborah
Your muffins call for baking powder. The bread does not. Is that correct? I’m JUST about to measure and make your bread (the bread I’ve been making for 40 yrs has so much oil and sugar I thought I’d try yours.
Kate
Hi Deborah! These are just slightly different recipes. The muffins call for both.
Mike
Best zucchini bread I’ve ever had. Not so overly sweet and the whole wheat flour gives it a nice, hearty texture. I added an extra 1/4 c flour to make it a bit less wet. Also, I use a high protein milk, which adds a few extra grams of protein to make this bread perfect for a healthy breakfast. The whole family loved it. This will be our standard recipe from now on. Thanks!
★★★★★
Gargi Bajaj
My grandkids love the bread and I do too as it’s healthy for them. I preferred the time I made it without squeezing the zucchini water
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Jess
I don’t know why everyone keeps mentioning they needed to add extra flour. I followed the recipe with very minor changes and it turned out perfect! It’s so moist and tender and full of flavor. I did not add walnuts but they would have been great. I did half honey and half maple syrup. And used a splash of almond extract in addition to the vanilla, and regular table salt, And I pureed my zucchini instead of shredding it. Although I did need to reduce cooking time by 5-7 minutes. It’s so yummy! Thanks so much for the recipe! & happy new year :)
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jess!
LC LIN
I just did the banana bread according to your wonderful recipe and really happy to know that you also have the zucchini bread one. Will definitely try it next time.
Tasty and healthy recipe!
Thanks a lot!
LIN
★★★★★
MB
This turned out really well. Made without the nuts and used whole wheat flour, and just under the specified amount of zucchini. Was done in about 40 mins for me. Quite moist for a wheat flour bread.
★★★★★
Patti Lagoe
This is THE BEST. Thank You!!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Patti!
Dana
This was delicious! I liked that it wasn’t too sweet. I used whole wheat pastry flour because that’s what I had on hand and it came out perfectly as written.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Dana! I’m happy to hear that.
Annalise
I’ve seen lots of people asking for grain-free flour alternative. Although almond or coconut flour are not good as a 1:1 sub, a great paleo/grain free flour sub is to make a mix of almond flour, tapioca starch and coconut flour in the ratio 3:2:1 (via weight). I make a big batch of the flour and keep it in a jar in my fridge. That way it’s always within reach when I get want to adapt a gluten-free or glutinous recipe to meet my family’s dietary restrictions.
I haven’t tried this recipe yet but will use my AP blend and some frozen grated zucchini from this past summer. Which, speaking of! If you want to bake with zucchini, I HIGHLY recommend freezing grated zucchini when it’s in season. Freezing breaks down the zucchini a bit and when it’s defrosted, it will release its water much, much easier.
Judy
Do you press out the liquid from zucchini before or after you measure it?
Do you measure coconut oil before or after you melt it?
Thank you,
Judy
Kate
Hi! It’s measured before squeezing out the excess. Coconut oil is measured melted, but it should be similar either way. I hope this helps!
Judith
Made recipe. Finishing up the last slices for breakfast. Yum!
Question: Zucchini, do you shred coarsely or fine?
I shed fine and came out great! Awesome!
★★★★
Nicole Podpirka
Hi Kate – love all of your recipes! Thank you for sharing. I have made this one before, but am coming back to it – have a zucchini bread craving! I was wondering… Do you think I could add shredded carrots?
Thanks!
Nicole
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Nicole! Thank you for making this recipe and reviewing. As for using carrots, baking is so precise and the moisture levels vary I don’t know if it will work. But, try my Healthy Carrot Muffins if you haven’t yet!