This vegan zucchini bread recipe has a soft, moist inside and a crunchy, sweet crust. It's super easy to make and uses classic ingredients!
Zucchini bread is a staple at my family's house. Just taking a bite of a warm slice of zucchini bread slathered with a layer of butter transports me back to my favorite summer dinners.
Recipe features
- Soft, moist and filled with warming spices
- Quick & easy to make
- Made with traditional baking ingredients (no tofu, applesauce, etc.)
- Can be made into zucchini muffins instead of a loaf
Even though it's contains an entire cup of shredded zucchini, you would never know that it's made with vegetables (just like these carrot cake muffins!).
Ingredients
It's easy to take a classic loaf of zucchini bread and make it vegan.
Like my popular vegan gingerbread loaf and vegan strawberry cake, we only use traditional pantry ingredients to make this recipe.
- Zucchini: One medium zucchini makes about one heaping cup of grated zucchini.
- Vinegar, baking soda and baking powder act as the main leaveners in place of egg.
- Non-dairy milk: I use unsweetened soy milk because it has the most neutral flavor. Almond, oat, or other non-dairy milk work.
- White and brown sugar: Choose organic sugars to ensure that they are vegan.
Step by step instructions
This recipe is made like most other classic quick breads: add dry ingredients, then wet ingredients, mix and bake.
Step 1. Mix together all dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
Step 2. In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. With a fork, mix until just combined into a thick batter.
Step 3. Using a spatula, fold the grated zucchini into the batter.
Step 4. Spoon the batter into a well-greased, 8" x 4" (or similarly sized) loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 50-60 minutes.
Recipes FAQ and expert tips
- To grate zucchini, I use my trusty box grater to grate to hashbrown or matchstick carrots consistency. You can use leftover shredded zucchini in zucchini corn fritters.
- Add-ins: Fold in any add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts or dry fruit with the grated zucchini.
- Chocolate zucchini bread: Try using chocolate non-dairy milk in place of regular milk for a chocolate-y twist.
- Spoon and level flour into the measuring cup for best results. To do this, use a spoon to scoop flour into your measuring cup until overflowing. Use the back of a knife to wipe off excess flour.
- Serving ideas: I like to serve it with three bean vegetarian chili or vegetable soup. The best way to eat zucchini bread is warmed up on its own and spread with a light coat of vegan butter.
You do not need to refrigerate zucchini bread, but it will last longer in the fridge than at room temperature. Keep zucchini bread in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, or refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Because it a very moist bread, refrigeration will not dry it out as much as it would with regular bread.
Yes! You can freeze a whole loaf or slice the bread before freezing. Wrap in foil and place in an air-tight container for best quality. Let the loaf thaw overnight in the fridge. Individual slices will thaw quickly at room temp.
I haven't tested this myself but others have had success with using equal amounts of applesauce in place of oil. You can also try half oil and half applesauce. The loaf will end up denser but the flavor will be the same.
You can make muffins instead of a loaf. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners or lightly grease with cooking spray. Spoon batter into the muffin tins until almost at the top. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Check out my vegan zucchini banana muffins or vegan pumpkin muffins for more ideas.
No, you don't need to peel the zucchini before grating it. The zucchini cooks down so much in the bread that you will barely notice it's there.
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Classic Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 heaping cup grated zucchini (from one medium zucchini) see note #1
- 1 and ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 and ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice (optional)
- ⅛ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup organic light brown sugar
- ½ cup organic white sugar
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ½ cup non-dairy milk see note #2
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a small bowl, mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, salt.
- In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients: white sugar, brown sugar, oil, non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Fold in the grated zucchini.
- Lightly grease an 8" x 4" loaf pan. Scoop the zucchini mixture into the bread pan, smoothing as needed.
- Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The top should be lightly browned and slightly sticky, but not wet.
- Remove the zucchini bread from the oven and let rest for ten minutes. After 10 minutes, turn out onto a cool rack to cool completely.
- Slices best when fully cooled. Store bread covered in the fridge for several days.
Video
Notes
- To grate zucchini, I use my trusty box grater to grate to hashbrown or matchstick carrots consistency.
- Milk: You can substitute soy milk with almond, oat, hemp milk etc. Most non-dairy milk options will work.
- I use this bread loaf pan to bake zucchini bread and most other quick breads.
- I recommend using an oven thermometer. Oven temperatures can vary widely and the only way to know if your oven is the temperature it says it is is to use an oven thermometer.
- Add-ins: Fold in any add-ins like chocolate chips, nuts or dry fruit with the grated zucchini.
- To make muffins: You can make muffins instead of a loaf. Line a 12-count muffin tin with liners or lightly grease with cooking spray. Spoon batter into the muffin tins until almost at the top. Bake for Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Leah
Hi Cassidy! Thank you for this wonderful blog..... I am so looking forward to trying out some of the recipes! I have a question about this zucchini bread recipe...... is it possible to make it without sugar? I have been trying to cut back on refined sugars. Thank you and best wishes to you! 🙂
Cassidy Reeser
Hi Leah! First, thanks so much. The recipe would turn out the same without sugar because it contributes to the structure as well as flavor. However you could try cutting the sugar in half to at least reduce the amount. Let me know how it goes!
Mary
I use monk fruit sugar to decrease my sugar intake. It doesn’t raise the insulin levels. And it doesn’t have an after taste like other sugar free sugars. Hope that helps. My zucchini bread is in the oven now!! Thanks for this recipe Cassity!!
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks for making the recipe! I’m happy to hear that it works with monk fruit!
Lauren
I made it with half sugar - raw sugar. Yum!
Rose
I don’t have apple cider can I use something else?
Cassidy Reeser
Regular vinegar will also work.
Julie
I’ve now made this FOUR times!! It’s just so good. First time I added chocolate chips and ever since I just add 1/2 cup of walnuts. Absolutely delicious flavor and wonderfully moist.
Cassidy Reeser
Thanks so much for the review! 🙂
Mark
I substituted about 1/4 of the non-dairy milk (almond milk) with chocolate almond milk and it turned out delicious! This recipe is a keeper.
Lia C
How many calories are there per slice?
Cassidy Reeser
Hi Lia, it is roughly 235 calories per slice.
Hannah
Can you sub for whole wheat or gluten free flour?
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Yes, you can use equal amounts all-purpose gluten free flour or whole wheat flour. It may come out a bit more dense but it should work!
Sheila
I Took these out of the oven about an hour and a half ago. I got a full batch of 12 standard muffins out of this recipe. I left them in 25 minutes as they didn’t seem to be quite done in the middle. These are extremely moist muffins I need them with the full oil I did not have any allspice available and I wasn’t going to go out into the cold weather to get some. This is really good zucchini bread. I forgot to add walnuts in until I had the batter in the muffin tins so I took walnut halves and put them on the top as a decoration. They came out looking cute. I will definitely make these again.
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks Sheila! I'm glad they turned out well as muffins. Enjoy! 🙂
Alaina
I've made this twice now it's so good. Fluffy and nicely spiced. I did half apple sauce and half oil. My family couldn't tell it's vegan at all. Thank you for this tasty recipe! I'll definitely make it again.
cinnamonberg
making this recipe a second time this month! love the taste and the texture. I tried coconut this time!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thank you! That sounds like a great addition.
Gina
Where is the salt?
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
There is not any salt in this recipe but you are welcome to add a pinch!
Amy
Delicious! My boys have severe food allergies and this recipe was perfect. My non-allergic husband and me both thought it was absolutely delicious, too (no one would even know it was vegan)!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Glad to hear you all liked it! Thanks for sharing.
Connie Rednour
Made this for my little grandbaby with lots of food allergies, I give it a 10! I followed the advice of a comment and cut the oil to 1/3 cup. It’s very moist and delicious! My family will never know it’s vegan.....shhhh!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
That’s so great to hear. I love sharing secret vegan food with my family!
Claire
Fabulous recipe! Thanks for sharing. I had to tweak based on what is in the pantry, but it still was wonderful! I only had self rising flower, so I didn't add baking powder then added 1/2 baking soda. Also, didn't have brown sugar, so I added 1 c of sugar and 1 T of molasses together for that. Next time I might add mini chocolate chips and a dash of salt. Nomnomnom!
Cassidy Reeser, RDN, LD
Thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it and happy that you were able to find those substitutions!