Gluten free zucchini bread is made with a handful of ingredients for a soft, moist, fluffy bread that’s studded with chocolate chips in every bite. Combined in one bowl, it bakes in under an hour and is perfect for breakfast, snacks, and dessert!
If you’re anything like me, you get a little overzealous at the summer farmer’s markets and occasionally end up with way too much zucchini. However, if I’m being honest, it’s one of my favorite problems to have, because it just means I get to spend more time in the kitchen experimenting with recipes!
While I love savory dishes like zucchini involtini and zucchini pizza bites, I don’t think zucchini gets enough credit in the baked goods department. A true unsung hero, it’s perfect for adding to muffins and breads like this almond flour zucchini bread recipe!
Don’t worry, it won’t taste like veggies. Instead, the zucchini works fabulously to add more volume and moisture, creating a tender crumb and soft zucchini paleo bread that’s secretly full of nutrients and bursting with sweet chocolate in every bite. Recipes don’t get better than this!
For more gluten free bread recipes, check out my gluten free healthy chocolate chip banana bread and gluten free cinnamon swirl banana bread, too!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Gluten free, dairy free, and paleo
- Secretly full of fiber and nutrients
- Bakes in less than an hour
- Stores well
- Customizable
Ingredients & Notes
- Eggs - Crucial to the structure of the bread, creating a rich flavor and helping it hold its shape.
- Nut butter - Cashew butter is my favorite to use in this gluten free zucchini bread, but any nut or seed butter will work.
- Coconut sugar - Used to sweeten the bread.
- Lemon juice - Freshly squeezed lemon juice is best, but store-bought varieties work well, too.
- Vanilla extract - Used to add a touch of vanilla flavor. This will help enhance the sweetness of the bread.
- Flours - A combination of almond flour and coconut flour works to create a gluten free bread that is soft, fluffy, and able to hold its shape.
- Zucchini - Use a ripe, fresh zucchini, and make sure to wash it well before using. You will need 1 large zucchini or 2 medium-sized zucchini that have been finely grated and strained.
- Chocolate chips - Technically optional, but highly recommend, these take your paleo zucchini bread to a new level of deliciousness. I opt for dairy free chocolate chips, but any kind can be used.
How to choose the best zucchini
Zucchini is in season over the summer months (May - August). So, it’s best to shop for it then. Choose zucchini that are medium to large in size and have a bright green color. Firm zucchini with minimal brown spots and blemishes are best as zucchini can go bad quickly if they already have bruises and dents.
Step-by-Step Instructions
All you need to make this gluten free zucchini bread is a hand grater, a large mixing bowl, an 8-inch loaf pan, and some parchment paper!
Step 1: Grate the zucchini. Use a hand grater to finely grate the zucchini. Then use a towel to squeeze out any excess water. This step is important!
Step 2: Whisk the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, nut butter, coconut sugar, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, and whisk until they’re well combined.
Step 3: Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt to the bowl of wet ingredients. Gently fold to incorporate them into the mixture.
Add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips to the bowl, and gently fold again to distribute them evenly.
Step 4: Bake. Grease a loaf pan with oil, and line it with parchment paper. Then, transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top.
Transfer the pan to the oven, and bake until the bread is fluffy and golden brown on top.
Step 5: Serve. Allow the almond flour zucchini bread to cool slightly. Then, slice, serve, and enjoy!
Variations
- Swap the chocolate chips with chopped walnuts for a nutty version of paleo zucchini bread.
- Add ½ teaspoon of nutmeg and ½ teaspoon allspice for a spiced-up gluten free zucchini bread.
- Add ½ cup grated carrots to the batter for a zucchini and carrot bread.
- Substitute the chocolate chips for a cup of fresh blueberries to add a fruity flavor to the bread.
Expert Tips
- Use the small side of a hand grater to grate the zucchini. You want very small pieces of zucchini so that they can be evenly dispersed in the batter.
- Press the water out of the grated zucchini with a towel a few times. I usually do this at least 2 times to make sure most of the water is out. After the first squeeze, the zucchini should be molded into a large ball. Grab another dry towel or paper towel and squeeze again. You can throw the zucchini water into a smoothie later!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients go into the batter (the flours and baking powder) only mix until the flour is 90% combined. Then, add the grated zucchini and chocolate chips and fold just a few times to incorporate. Mixing too much can lead to dry almond flour zucchini bread, and you want the zucchini to be lightly sprinkled into the batter.
- Use a toothpick to make sure the zucchini paleo bread is done baking before you pull it out of the oven. Stick it in the center of the loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. If there is residual batter on the toothpick then the bread needs another few minutes to bake.
- Use a piece of parchment paper inside your loaf pan. This will help remove the loaf when it’s done baking.
- Allow the bread to cool down for about 5 minutes before removing it from the pan to let it cool down further on a wire rack or plate. This prevents the sides of the bread from becoming soggy and moist as the bread will develop condensation as it cools down in the pan.
How to Store
Store leftover gluten free zucchini bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or out on the counter for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, I highly recommend warming up a slice in the microwave for 10 seconds and spreading some butter or nut butter on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, there is no need to remove the skin from the zucchini. Simply chop off the top and bottom “stumps” of the zucchini and grate the entire thing with a grater. The skin has loads of nutrients and will almost dissolve into the bread when it’s baked so you won’t even taste it.
YES! This is probably the most important thing to do. Zucchini has a lot of water in it and adding all of that to the batter will yield gummy bread…which isn’t what we’re going for. Simply grate the zucchini. Then, squeeze the excess water from it with a dish towel or paper towel. I like to do this at least 2 times to make sure I’ve removed all of the water.
The eggs are usually very important in gluten free baking. This almond flour zucchini bread recipe calls for 3 eggs total. These are what help bind all the ingredients together. I haven’t tried the recipe with a vegan alternative. So, I can’t recommend one at this time.
Yes, this bread is gluten free and dairy free, and paleo as it uses almond flour and coconut flour.
for more sweet bread recipes, check out my:
PS : If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a star review and comment below! Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram and Pinterest to stay up to date on all tasty recipes here at The Fit Peach!
Recipe
Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 1 Grater
- 1 9-inch Loaf Pan https://amzn.to/450bEjv
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup cashew butter - or any nut butter
- ½ cup coconut sugar - or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - you can also use apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 tablespoon coconut flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup zucchini - finely grated and strained
- 1 cup chocolate chips - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- If you haven’t already, finely grate the zucchini and squeeze out any excess water with a towel (this is super important as zucchini can hold a lot of excess moisture that will make the bread too wet). Be sure to pack the measuring cup well with the grated zucchini and set aside.1 cup zucchini
- In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs, cashew butter, coconut sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and whisk well to combine.3 eggs, ½ cup cashew butter, ½ cup coconut sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Add the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt to the bowl and gently fold into the batter.1 cup almond flour, 3 tablespoon coconut flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Add the grated zucchini it to the bowl along with the chocolate chips and gently fold to distribute.1 cup zucchini, 1 cup chocolate chips
- Grease an 8-inch loaf pan with oil and line with parchment paper (this will make it easier to remove). Transfer the batter to the pan and sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top. Bake in the oven for 40 - 44 minutes until golden brown on top. Let the bread sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing into pieces.
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