Healthy Zucchini Bread

This healthy zucchini bread is perfectly moist in the middle and has a lovely tender crumb! No white flour, no butter, and no oil needed. 

Are zucchini plentiful at your grocery store? Try this healthy zucchini bread recipe. 

This bread is pretty darn perfect, and we can’t stop singing its praises. Moist and fluffy in the middle, each slice is studded with chocolate chips and with a hint of cinnamon throughout. The crumb is perfectly tender and you’ll shock yourself into thinking your indulging but really, it’s secretly healthy.

No butter, no oil, 100% naturally sweetened and no white flour needed: It’s also accidentally gluten free. 

Ready to whip up a loaf? 

Ingredients needed

Simple pantry staple ingredients are used to make this recipe. We do, however, have a few special ingredients that we use in our batter to ensure the bread turns out moist and delicious every single time! Here is what you’ll need for healthy zucchini bread: 

• Flour. Either white flour, white wholewheat flour (our favorite), or wholewheat flour work. 
• Brown sugar OR coconut sugar. Choose coconut sugar if you’d like this zucchini bread to be refined sugar free. 
• Baking powder and baking soda. We use both leavening agents for some rise and stability. 
• Salt. 
• Cinnamon. A must for any good quick bread. 
• Egg. Room temperature. 
• Greek yogurt. Plain Greek yogurt or natural yogurt work. 
• Bananas. The riper they are, the sweeter the bread will be. 
• Zucchini. Finely shredded with excess moisture removed.
• Chocolate chips. Optional, but highly recommended. 

How to make a healthy zucchini bread

Zucchini bread is simple to make: the only thing to remember is to squeeze out as much moisture as possible from the zucchini, so the bread can cook evenly and completely. Here is the basic idea of making it (or see the recipe below for specifics): 

• Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl. 
• Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Gently fold through the shredded zucchini and chocolate chips using a rubber spatula. 
• Transfer the bread mix into a greased 9 x 4-inch loaf pan. 
• Bake the zucchini bread for 55-60 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. 

Do you remove the skin when making zucchini bread? 

There is no need to peel the zucchini before shredded it for zucchini bread. It adds a pop of color and there are hidden nutritional benefits in the skin. 

Can I make these as muffins?

Yes, use the exact same batter to make muffins or make my healthy zucchini muffins instead.

Tips to make the best recipe

Zucchini banana bread is quick and easy to make. Here are a few tips before you get started: 

• Squeeze out all moisture. Zucchini contains a hefty amount of water. Once you’ve shredded it, squeeze out every bit of liquid you can. There are enough wet ingredients in the batter to keep the bread moist. 
• Overripe bananas are key. While there is already sugar in the batter, it’s still a considerably smaller amount than other recipes. If the bananas are super ripe, they add an extra layer of sweetness. 
• Resist the urge to over-mix. Over-mixing the batter will yield a more dense bread and not be as fluffy. 
• Do not open the oven door. Regularly opening the oven door to check on the zucchini bread affects the rise of the bread. Try to only open it towards the end of the bake time (around the 45-minute mark). 

Zucchini bread variations

What other types of healthy zucchini bread is there? Swap out some of the ingredients or make them suitable for various diets!

• Make it eggless by swapping the egg for one of these egg substitutes. 
• Cut the dairy by using coconut yogurt or soy yogurt. 
• Omit the sugar completely by using a brown sugar substitute. 
• Add mix-ins like coconut flakes, chopped chocolate, or even fresh or frozen berries. 
• Swap out the banana by using either pumpkin puree or unsweetened applesauce. 

Storage info

What’s the best way to store this healthy zucchini bread? Here are best practices for quick bread storage: 

• Up to one week: Store at room temperature in a sealed container. To keep the bread extra moist, you can add a paper towel on top. 
• 1 week or more: This zucchini bread stores well in the refrigerator as well! Let the slices of them sit at room temperature for several minutes before serving. 
• Up to 6 months: Freeze in an airtight container and store for up to 6 months. 

More quick bread recipes to try

This zucchini bread recipe is a quick bread, meaning it uses baking powder and baking soda to rise instead of yeast. Here are other quick breads you may enjoy:

• Cinnamon swirl banana bread
• Strawberry banana bread
• Healthy banana bread
• Applesauce bread
• Pumpkin bread

Frequently Asked Questions