Healthy Zucchini Bread

Is Zucchini Bread Healthy?

It can be! This particular recipe is lightened up to be much healthier than traditional zucchini bread, which typically has loads of sugar, quite a bit of butter/oil and white flour, tasting more like a treat than a healthy snack.

But in this is a zucchini bread recipe with applesauce, AND we’re using Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour – a delicious way to get some whole grains into your diet.

Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour is ground from hard red spring wheat on slow-moving, cool-running quartz millstones. Their Whole Wheat Flour comes with all of the nutrients from the bran and germ still intact. 

If you have Whole Wheat Pastry Flour on hand, you can use that as well! More notes on flour subs in the recipe card below.

We’re also using just 2/3 cup sugar for some sweetness and avocado oil for a perfectly moist zucchini bread recipe.

Oh, and zucchini, of course!

How to Shred Zucchini

1. Rinse off zucchini and pat dry with towel.
2. Using a sharp knife, slice off both ends of the zucchini.
3. Start pushing the end of the zucchini into the grater and slide back and forth until the zucchini is fully shredded.

I prefer to use the fine side of a box grater for zucchini bread and zucchini muffins. This allows the shredded zucchini to easily mix into the batter, and (bonus) is a great way to sneak some zucchini into baked goods for little ones.

How to Make

Here’s a quick overview of how to make this healthy zucchini bread, with full written instructions and more notes in the recipe card below.

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Shred zucchini and make sure all water is squeezed out before measuring. Then add the shredded zucchini into a measuring cup, slightly pack in until you have 1.5 cups.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
4. In a separate large bowl whisk together wet ingredients.
5. Slowly begin to add about half of the flour mixture, stir a couple times, then add in the rest of the flour and milk until almost combined, then fold in shredded zucchini until fully incorporated.
6. Transfer the batter to the lined loaf pan and bake for 30 minutes uncovered. Then an additional 15 minutes covered with foil. Edges and top will be golden brown. Check for doneness with inserted toothpick in the center.
7. Allow bread to cool in pan for 15 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.

Flavor Variations

This easy zucchini bread recipe is the perfect base and it’s easy to add in your own favorite flavor additions.

Banana – use well mashed banana in place of the applesauce, or use this recipe for a more pronounced banana flavor.

Nuts – chopped walnuts or pecans are great here. Use about 1/2 cup chopped nuts.

Chocolate Chips – who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip zucchini bread? Just add 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, about about 2/3 cup regular sized morsels.

Add more spice – if you love additional spice, feel free to add pumpkin pie spice, or even a chai spice blend. Or simply add 1/2 tsp nutmeg with the cinnamon already in the recipe.