This truly is the BEST-EVER vegan Zucchini Bread. It is a simple and delicious vegan bread that is filled with zucchini and walnuts in every bite. Spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, you’re going to love the flavors.
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Things are growing in my garden! Right now it’s just snap peas and kale but pretty soon there’s going to be beets, onions, and – you guessed it – ZUCCHINI.
Zucchini is a prolific vegetable and most of my friends who have vegetable gardens, mine included, find ourselves with more zucchini than we can eat. Sure, there are many vegan zucchini recipes worth trying, but when we are done making zucchini noodle lasagna and pesto zoodles, what are we to do?
Make vegan zucchini bread, of course.
And this is the zucchini bread recipe you are going to want to try. It is moist, sweet, NEARLY FAIL-PROOF, and so so good!
And, it really is the BEST egg free zucchini bread on the internet. Read the comments below to find out what others are saying about this AMAZING zucchini bread recipe.
Recipe Video
Recommended Ingredients
This zucchini bread is a fan favorite. It is moist, sweet, hearty, and super easy to master. Even my kids love it! And while I don’t love all the sugar they are getting with a piece, I am thrilled that they are getting veggies, fruits, and nuts with their sweet snack.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- White and Brown Sugar – Check out my guide to vegan sugars and alternative sugar replacements. For a healthier sugar alternative, I recommend coconut sugar.
- Applesauce – This is the binder of the recipe. You could replace it with 1 mashed banana, 1 cup of pumpkin puree, or a variety of other egg replacers.
- Oil – This recipe calls for canola oil because it creates the best texture without added flavor. If you want to avoid hydrogenated oils, try avocado or melted coconut oil. Olive oil also works but adds a slightly savory flavor. If you want to eliminate the oil altogether, swap it out for the same amount of applesauce.
- All-Purpose Flour – For healthier flour options, you can use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, buckwheat, or whole wheat.
- Spices – You will need a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom
- Zucchini – This recipe calls for 1 heaping cup which is typically 1 medium-sized zucchini.
- Walnuts – Feel free to omit for a nut-free option or swap them out for chocolate chips for a chocolate zucchini bread recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One – Combine the Ingredients
In a small bowl combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl whisk together your wet ingredients. That’s your oil, sugars, applesauce, and vanilla extract.
Pro Tip: Applesauce varies a lot in texture. If your applesauce seems thin, first strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to get the excess liquid out.
Step Two – Shred the Zucchini
With the shredding attachment of your food processor or handheld grater, shred the zucchini. Using a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer, squeeze any excess liquid out of the zucchini. If you’re not sure how to do it, check out this tutorial on how to wring out a zucchini.
Pro Tip: Do not forget to squeeze out excess liquid! Zucchini has a ton of water in it and when not properly squeezed, it will add too much liquid to your batter causing your bread to improperly bake.
Add the zucchini to your wet ingredients and combine
Step Three – Combine and Bake
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently mix in until the flour is evenly hydrated. Use a rubber spatula to fully incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
Pro Tip: Take care not to over mix your batter. Over mixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense bread.
Generously spray a loaf pan. Transfer the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 50-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Serving and Storing
Serving – Let the bread cool at least 10 minutes in the loaf pan before flipping it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Otherwise, the bread may break apart as they finish setting. Serve the zucchini bread warm with vegan butter or homemade pumpkin butter.
Storing – Tightly wrap uneaten bread and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. For best results, wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in a large ziplock bag. This bread can also be frozen for up to two months. To thaw, let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. Once it is thawed, it should be eaten within 3 days.
Tips and Tricks
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense bread.
- Squeeze out the excess liquid of the zucchini to prevent your batter from becoming too wet.
- Applesauce varies a lot. If your applesauce seems thin, first strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to get the excess liquid out.
- Generously spray your loaf pan to ensure the bread doesn’t stick to the pan. For extra protection, you can line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Let the bread cool at least 10 minutes in the loaf pan before flipping it onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Otherwise, the bread may break apart as they finish setting.
- Want variation? Add chocolate chips for chocolate chip zucchini bread.
Frequently Asked Questions
For sure! This recipe makes about 12 muffins. Fill the muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20 minutes before checking for doneness. You can also try this Chocolate Zucchini Muffin recipe.
Yes! I’ve had luck both with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend as well as buckwheat flour.
Indeed! Simply replace the oil with an additional 1/4 cup applesauce for an oil-free bread.
While I haven’t tried it personally, I’ve had readers who have reduced the sugar by omitting the brown sugar entirely with luck. You can also check out my guide on healthier sugar alternatives for some ideas on how to replace the sugar.
Occasionally, I’ll have a reader who cannot get their zucchini bread to bake in the middle. This most commonly happens when there is excess liquid in the zucchini. Make sure to squeeze the zucchini thoroughly before adding it to the batter. Additionally, if your applesauce is very thin, consider staining it through a fine-mesh strainer to get out the excess liquid.
If you have extra shredded zucchini, you can freeze it by placing it in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once the zucchini is frozen all the way solid, transfer it to small glass jars or Ziplock bags. Leftover zucchini is great for adding moisture to brownies, muffins, or used as an egg replacer in common baked goods.
If you want to make this bread batter in advance, store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. To bake the bread, preheat the oven and bake according to the instructions.
However, this bread may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled. The bread will also be slightly denser as the baking soda begins to activate once it’s mixed into the batter, causing it to be slightly less potent.
More Vegan Quick Bread Recipes
- Healthy Vegan Banana Bread
- Classic Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Lemon Pound Cake
Make sure to check out all my vegan quick bread recipes for more inspiration!
Best-Ever Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp cardamom
- 1 heaping cup shredded zucchini, (1 medium zucchini)
- 1/2 cup walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spray an 8×4" loaf pan and set aside.
- Using a handheld shredder or the shredding attachment of your food processor, shred 1 medium zucchini. Using a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer, squeeze any excess liquid out of the zucchini and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugars with apple sauce, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine. Fold in zucchini and walnuts.
- Transfer batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 50-65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the loaf pan before transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- The most accurate way to measure flour is to spoon it into your measuring cup, leveling it off with the back of a knife.
- Squeeze out the excess liquid of the zucchini to prevent your batter from becoming too wet.
- Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense bread.
- Applesauce varies a lot. If you applesauce is thin, strain it through a fine-mesh strainer first before adding it to the batter.
- Generously spray your loaf pan to ensure the bread doesn’t stick to the pan. For extra protection, you can line the bottom of the loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Can I make this recipe into muffins? For sure! This recipe makes about 12 muffins. Fill the muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full and bake for 20 minutes before checking for doneness. You can also try this Chocolate Zucchini Muffin recipe.
- Can I make this recipe gluten-free? Yes! I’ve had luck both with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend as well as buckwheat flour.
- Can I make this recipe oil free? Indeed! Simply replace the oil with an additional 1/4 cup applesauce for an oil-free bread.
- Can I reduce the sugar? While I haven’t tried it personally, I’ve had readers who have reduced the sugar by omitting the brown sugar entirely with luck. You can also check out my guide on healthier sugar alternatives for some ideas on how to replace the sugar.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
KArenina says
Hello there ! I am sooo gonna try this recipe! I wanted to ask you if I could do this recipe but in muffin tin?? how long would you let it bake for? Thank you so much for your help!
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, you could. I would bake them for 22-25 minutes
Nancy says
This was pretty yummy. I used slightly less applesauce as I was worried it would be gummy and my zucchini was pretty dry. The taste of the crunchy bits on this loaf are my favorite so I would maybe try this again as a cookie to get more crunchy parts. Great classic flavor and a simple recipe with simple ingredients. Thank-you!
Rob says
Wonderful recipe. I didn’t wring out my zucchini and it still came out beautifully. I only had to bake for a few minutes longer. I made 11 cupcakes. I stored mine in the fridge and popped them in my toaster oven to warm. It made the tops so delicious with a bit of crunch. Thank you so much!
Nia says
Absolutely delicious exactly as written. Moist, rich, deeply satisfying and quite easy to make!
Alex says
I didn’t have applesauce, but so instead I used crushed pineapple and it turned out great!
joan says
This is the third time we are making your recipe. Great loft . Great flavor. Such a good recipe. Thanks so much for creating it.
Connie Moultroup says
This bread is beyond delicious!!! I didn’t use any oil but used 3.17 ounces of applesauce, 1/2 cup aquafaba, and 2 cups AP flour. It is fantastic.
Nicki says
So delicious! These will be my go to zucchini bread recipe. I made the recipe as is and one batch made 6 large muffins. The texture is great and they do not crumble, which sometimes is a challenge with vegan sweet breads. Thank you for a wonderful recipe! Next up: Pumpkin bread!
Tammy says
This is sooo yummy! I will definitely make this again. I did alter the recipe slightly: I only had 1/2 cup of applesauce, so I used that plus 1 flax egg. I subbed coconut oil for vegetable oil, and added pecans and chocolate chips. So good!
Ravi Har Kaur Khalsa says
I haven’t seen this question in any of the comments: do you measure the zucchini before or after you wring it out? Thanks!
Sarah McMinn says
Measure it out first.
Susan Silva says
best every zucchini bread
Sheila says
I was amazed at how good this zucchini bread was. My son and daughter-in-law are vegan, so this was for them. They loved it and couldn’t believe it was vegan. I peeled the zucchini because I had never made a bread with it before and I thought you should. Next time I will leave the peel on. I also left out the walnuts. Best Zucchini Bread EVER.
Dee says
Hi wanted to know if I can substitute yellow summer squash in place of zucchini? My garden is currently giving me way too many of these summer squash and I am out of idea on what to cook 🙂
Thanks!
Sarah McMinn says
For sure!
Kathy says
Hi!
I’ve made this twice so far(with more to do this week)and LOVE it! Even my omnivore son and his family love it cuz its THAT good ?
The only change I made since I dont have cardamom, is I added a bit of pumpkin pie spice in its place…
FANTASTIC!
This is definitely a keeper, since it can make a non baker like me(im a better cook)look good-thanks!
Susan says
I made this bread today with no oil, only applesauce. It was delicious!
Cheryl says
I made lots of these. Recipe was easy. I added 1/2 cup each of dark chocolate chips and door county dried cherries. One batch had dried cranberries instead of cherries. Turned out very good. I had an egg white allergy so wanted a recipe without. Bread was moist and flavorful. Made about 8 different loaves.