I'm entering baking mode for recipe testing since it has cooled down in the Seattle area. I'm trying save the good stuff for the book, but since it's raining zucchinis, this recipe for zucchini bread seems timely.
Here's a moist, subtly sweet bread recipe that will take some of those extra zucchinis sitting on your counter, or garden floor, and put them to good use.
Zucchini is one of those standard summer fruits (even though it's treated like a vegetable), that is taken for granted. No matter though, since it has proven that it is highly versatile. I'm finding it quite useful in several grain-free recipes.
The array of shapes and vibrant colors is what really attracts me to summer squash. There are long ones, round ones, crooked-necked ones, patty pans, rondelles, and the undefined shapes. They are yellow and green, striped, and in-between. Most summer squash have been cultivated in the Americas, however zucchini was originally cultivated in Italy and elsewhere in Europe and then brought to North America in the early 1900s.
While zucchini can grow quite large, the flavor is sweetest when it is picked young, when the seeds are soft, and squash isn't as fibrous. You can tell when they're ready by their large yellow flowers beginning to bloom, and their delicate spongy flesh. Zucchinis can be stored in the refrigerator in a perforated bag for a week or so.
Zucchini Bread {almond flour}
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups grated zucchini (with green peel, not packed)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F/190°C.
- Grease your baking pan or line it with parchment paper.
- Combine the almond flour, salt, baking soda, and spices and blend well.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend well.
- Pour the batter into your baking pan, and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Cool and slice. Store covered at room temperature for a few days, or the refrigerator for a week or so. I haven't done so yet, but you can probably seal it and freeze it for a few months.
Andy Schneider says
Only added one cup zucchini and roughly a half a cup blueberries (of course a little extra) turned out great.
Thanks, Andy! Love the blueberry addition.
Linda says
Hi Erica,
I just made this zucchini bread and it’s amazing!
I can always count on your recipes for breads and muffins to turn out perfectly. Thank you for all you do and for sharing your recipes. You make me look like a great baker!
Erica says
Hi Linda! Always good to hear!
Kerstin Soukoreff says
I will try it out soon, just wondered, when you say Servings: 8 servings / Calories: 311kcal
311 kcal are for one serving or all 8 servings? how much calories? as I am counting the calorie intake
Erica says
The calories is for 1 serving based on 8 servings from the total.
Karen says
Made it exactly as written. Had to bake for 55 minutes so that toothpick would come out clean and had to tent with foil for last 5 minutes because the top was getting dark. Sad after cooling that the middle is too moist. A big waste of ingredients, although the 2 end pieces were perfect. I think this would turn out much better in 4 mini loaf pans.
Erica says
It depends on how wet your zucchini is. A lot of folks have used this recipe successfully but you must make sure the batter is not overly moist. All that said, you can bake it longer at a slightly lower temperature to bake the inside more fully if it's just taking a bit longer to bake. Ovens vary as well.
Karen says
Thank you. I'm going to try it again today, because my son did like the flavor!
Marion says
Just made this today..it. Turned out wonderful and so delicious....I also added some raisins,,,dried cranberries and no dairy chocolate chips!!! YUMMY
Erica says
oh my, that does sound delicious!
Atasch says
Hi! I made this a few days ago and it turned out amazing! Have you tried making it with less baking soda? I Want to try it with 1/4-1/3 but wanted to see if you had tried this before, thank you!
Dana Lundin says
I baked this and based on other reviews, left it in the oven for 65 minutes. I used a toothpick to test doneness and since it came out clean, took it out of the oven. It was still a bit undercooked in the center but still held together and was delicious! I added dried cranberries and pecans for extra flavor and visual appeal, Next time I'll bake another 10 minutes.
Erica says
Thanks, Dana! The more moist it is, the longer it will take. I tend to use the convection setting on my oven for heavy breads, but yes it may take longer.
Sarah says
This bread failed for me. 🙁 it was totally concave in he middle and never cooked all the way through even though I left it in for at least 15 min longer than the recipe said. The only thing I can think of is hat I doubled the recipe and split it between two loaf pans. I also used flax eggs instead of eggs. Any ideas? The flavor was still good but I had to toss it.
Erica says
Flax eggs don't work for me beyond 2 eggs, so that might have been why.
Eileen Meals says
looks like a really good recpe. Has anyone tired adding raisins or dried cranberries? How about boiled cider instead of honey/maple syrup?
CMK says
I drained my zucchini very well but the end product had the consistency of polenta :/
Erica says
Very weird. I would check your measurements.
Kerstin Soukoreff says
I will try it out soon, just wondered, when you say Servings: 8 servings / Calories: 311kcal
311 kcal are for one serving or all 8 servings? how much calories? as I am counting the calorie intake
CK says
I made this recipe today as I have recently had to use the SCD diet. As others have said, it is a very dense recipe and actually took less time in my oven then the specified time. I took it out just as the edges were blackening. (for me the time would probably be adjusted to 40 to 45 minutes). It is yummy but I had imagined the Zucchini Bread from my childhood. Don't get me wrong, still yummy, but I guess I need to get away from the image in my head of bread made with regular flour. This is the first bread I have tried with Almond Flour. Also thinking maybe using a little less flour next time as the mix was quite solid even when putting it into the loaf pan.
Erica says
I adjusted the time again, but it will vary based on the moisture from the zucchini. Almond flour can be denser and this is a dense bread for sure. You might want to try some of the muffin recipes, which are lighter, and maybe coconut flour, which does make lighter baked goods. Thanks for the feedback!
Betty says
How many carb in the loaf of the zucchini bread? I was looking for nutritional facts
Erica says
I don't list them, but you can find out online. Try http://www.myfitnesspal.com, or nutritiondata.self.com.
Sara says
I freeze it and it's great. I always make it in mini loaves and freeze one or two 🙂
Erica says
Great to know it freezes well as mini loaves!
Janice says
Can u use splinda instead of honey?
Erica says
Sorry, I haven't tried it.
Michelle says
Thanks for another fantastic recipe. I plan to make
again and bake longer because it was a little too moist, but was still delicious. Worked well as muffins also. Can always count on you for great recipes❣️Had tried a different recipe and it was not a success.
Erica says
Thanks, Michelle! yes, sometimes it just takes a bit longer to firm the center.
Sparkles Pedersen says
The mixture is more like cookie dough than batter. The shredded zucchini was drained very well, could that be why?
Erica says
Hmmm. Possibly. Did you bake it?
Janet says
Just made this bread again for the 3rd or 4th time. It's a keeper!!! So easy and delicious. I like adding my essential oils (cinnamon, clove, ginger) to enhance the flavor even more. The recipe seems foolproof so some day I think I'll try carrots or maybe chocolate...hmmmmmm.....lol
(I have the recipe locked on my toolbar. 😉 )
Erica says
Thanks 🙂 Yes to carrots and chocolate!
diana says
Hi,
I have a request. I am currently on the SCD diet. I have found out that I am allergic to eggs and dairy, which makes baking SCD loaf bread and flat bread difficult. I was wondering if you can try to make an SCD bread or wrap without eggs and dairy. It would mean so much to me and other SCDers who suffer from the same allergies. Please let me know if you have any advice.
Thank you in advance
Erica says
It's hard and I haven't tested it, but possibly bananas or apple sauce might work. Best of luck!
Sara says
Yumm!!!! I made this into muffins and the cooked up in 30 min. I also was short on zucchini (had about 3/4 cup) so I added a couple small shredded carrots. Great recipe! Definitely will make these again!!
S. Koeneke says
Have you tried making this with the addition of crushed pineapple?
How much would you add and would you have to have more flour?
Thanks
Erica says
Great idea - I haven't but I would drain the fruit of all or most juice; I guess you could add a bit more flour but not much - or try a teaspoon of coconut flour if you like it.
Patty Frahm says
I LOVE this recipe. I made it a couple weeks ago and my husband is not willing to do the Paleo or Wheat Belly way of eating. I ate this whole loaf all by myself and didn't have to feel guilty one bit. I added a couple other ingredients, chopped walnuts, orange zest, vanilla, dark cocoa powder and chia seeds. I'm sure its great without those ingredients, but its REALLY good.
Erica says
Great additions! Yes, this can be very basic, or dressed up. Thanks for sharing your fave!
Steve says
G'Day: For the Zucchini bread, I have a question:
Makes 1 loaf
Servings: 8; Calories: 311; Fat: 22 g; Carb 24 g ; Fiber 3 g; Protein 8 g; Sugar 19 g; Sodium 245 mg; Cholesterol 47 mg.
The 19 grams of sugar - is it a total 19 grams for the entire loaf, OR is it 19 grams per one of those 8-slice servings?
Thanks.
Steve
Erica says
The stats are for one serving, or one slice. I have to say though, I'm going to remove the nutritional info because I'm finding it inconsistent. I was using a program that the NYTimes uses but I've had some readers say it's not accurate. Without a way to check, I'm not going to include this info any longer. thanks for asking!
Susan says
What brand of almond flour do you use in your recipes?
Same question re coconut flour?
I find that the textures/absorption rates between brands can vary a lot so I'd like to be successful on first try. Thanks!
Doris says
I don't know what I did wrong, but this did not turn out for me at all. The mixture did not make a batter at all. It was very dry and crumbly. Not nearly enough liquid in the mix.
Dree says
This might sound like a silly question but what do you mean by blend? Use a food processor or use beater?
Erica says
blend or mix with a mixer or by hand
Gabrielle says
This zucchini bread looks great. I was wondering if you could substitute cashew flour for the almond and still get good results. I have lots of cashew flour and was looking to use.
Erica says
yes, in general, you can swap nut flours. I haven't tried it, but I bet it will taste only slightly different due to the subtle flavor difference between the two flours.
jenn says
Delicious. I doubled the batch and added some cardamom. Half the batch went into a loaf topped with walnuts, the other I added a teaspoon of Hershey dark coco powder and a handful of chocolate chips. It was amazing! Also reduced honey to 1/3 vs 1/2.
Sara says
This was delicious! My husband and I are on GAPS and this fits perfectly! I wrung out my zucchini and only used 1/4 cup of honey. PERFECT! I only needed about 40-45 mins or so, but I'm at high altitude which might have made a difference? THANK YOU! I'm trying to save the piece I brought to work with me but that's going to be really hard....!
Carole says
I made this recipe for my daughter. She loved it. She has not had zuccini bread for 2 1/2 years. I used the maple syrup instead of honey and added 2 tsp vanilla. From all the comments that I read, I squeezed the water out of the zucchini. I also made muffins and sprinkled raw pumpkin seeds on top of half of them. The muffins baked in 24 minutes and were very moist inside. Going to try banana nut breas/muffins mext. Great recipe. Thanks!
Erica says
good to hear! Love the addition of pumpkin seeds!
Julie says
Hi I just found this recipe and I'm excited to try it soon. I wanted to comment on the question of "will it freeze well?" I have made plenty of almond flour muffins, and they have taken to the freezer quite well. The only issue is defrosting them. If you defrost them in a microwave they get super hard. You must let them thaw out on the counter in room temperature. I assume a bread like this would be similar. Thanks for sharing the recipe! - Julie | alonewithmytea.blogspot.com
Erica says
Thanks for the tip, Julie!
Katharine says
I made this to accommodate my need for a lower carb baked good (for blood sugar control). Instead of honey I used 1/2 cup swerve, and added 2-4T water to the batter. I also used ghee. I cooked it in 2 mini loaf pans for 50 min, at 350. DELICIOUS!!
Erica says
So glad this worked for you. Good to know! I'm curious about swerve so thanks for sharing this change-up.
Juliann Mehall says
I am so happy to find a zucchini recipe w/o wheat flour. I am trying to get away from it. I will try this tonight for our camping vacation during the week. Can't wait!!
Suzanne Wurster says
Super yummy! Made it today and had a slice of it warm! So good! Thanks for the great recipe!
Kristen says
Thanks for this great recipe! I am sampling it directly off my cooling rack, and it tastes awesome!
I made a couple of minor adjustments based on what I had on hand, which I will record here in case others are interested:
- Squeezed the shredded zucchini tightly in a tea towel to remove more of the liquid
- Used Trader Joe's almond meal instead of blanched almond flour
- Was out of ginger powder, but added a sprinkle of clove powder
- Added a few drops of both vanilla and orange extract
- Sprinkled chopped walnuts on top
- Cooked in an 8x8 brownie pan (reducing the cooking time to ~35 min)
I also used maybe a tablespoon less than 1/2 cup of honey and thought it was plenty sweet. I may even reduce the honey a bit more next time (purely for health reasons--it tastes awesome as is!)
Thanks again for sharing!
Erica says
Nice! Love the variation in the size so you cut small square-like cake pieces.
KarenB says
I loved this recipe! I used 1-1/2 cups ground almond flour with 1/4 cup white rice flour. I also used a scant 1/2 cup of honey with 1/8 cup of dark molasses. Absolutely amazing flavor, and I'll definitely bookmark your site to visit often.
It's hard to find great recipes when trying to avoid wheat flour, but this bread recipe beats my "wheat" recipe hands-down.
Thanks so much!
Anna says
I wonder would this freeze well? Wanting to make a double batch
Erica says
probably but I haven't tried. Wrap/seal it well.
Aileen says
Hi Erica,
I did make and have now eaten this zucchini bread. I followed your recipe to a T and it was perfect, delicious and I am so excited to keep making it! Oh, I ran out of honey and used some agave to make up.. The spice ratio is also perfect for me, I wasn't looking for a spice cake taste and this combo / amount was perfect to add flavor without overpowering. I did use 11/2 loose packed cups of zucchini that I laid between paper towels and even pressed a bit before mixing in - I cook a lot and recall how you need the moisture to come out of things like eggplant for recipes to work.. Lastly I baked at 350 in regular oven for 60 minutes exactly, came out golden brown all around. Look forward to using more of your recipes!! Thanks again!!
Amber Branson says
This looks devine! Wondering if I could sub the almond flour with coconut flour and add some coconut flakes for more of a zucchini "cake"? Thanks for the recipe, definitely going to try it out! !
Erica says
The ratios using coconut flour would be different, so it would most likely not work out.
Amber says
Ah, thanks for the heads up! I will stick to the original recipe then. Thanks.
Colleen says
Erica, this is absolutely amazing! I actually made two versions of the recipe (my son has dozens of food allergies, so his version had a combo of buckwheat-quinoa-brown-rice flour; and then a batch for my hubs and me with almond and quinoa flour, as well as coconut oil). My husband and I devoured most of our batch last night, and now we're finishing the last two pieces for breakfast. 😉 This is marvelously moist and perfectly sweet. Thank you for such a keeper!!!
Erica says
Wow, glad this recipe can stand up to multiple variations!
Stacie says
Has anyone tried making this without the eggs? Would flax meal work? I have egg replacers mix but am nervous about using it. I tried using it when making the Simple Yellow Cake recipe and it was a disaster! lol!
Diane says
I made this yesterday, my first try using almond flour, but I didnt get the "rise". Your picture looks nothing like mine. Though it cane out delicious and moist, it was kinda dense. Any ideas on what I did wrong?
Erica says
It's not a light bread if that's what you're looking for. It should rise though. Did you leave out baking soda?
Diane says
Hi Erica, I did use the amount of baking soda that the recipe called for, (I remember useing the 1/2 teaspoon for both the sea salt and baking soda) I even went back and checked the expiration date on the box (2016)..it was a new box. I wasnt expecting a "fluffy" bread...but I did expect it to rise higher than the height of the poured batter before it went into the oven! It's not too soggy, the zucchini was drained/patted dry after grating. I used a 5x8 pan and added some chopped nuts, that is the only difference that I can see.
Erica says
hmmm. it shouldn't be too dense, just moist and a bit heavier than a cake - sort of like the banana bread. If it's just low, then that would explain it's appearance, but other than that I'm not sure. sorry!
Sarah says
I love this recipe!
Do you happen to know of the carbohydrate count per serving or an easy way to figure that out?
Thank you!
Erica says
thanks. I don't but try http://www.ehow.com/how_8281977_calculate-nutritionals.html, or http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Christy Hitchens says
Can this be made without sweeteners like honey? i"m diabetic and don't want to use the sweetener.
Erica says
I haven't tried it (yet) but I bet it could because it's very moist. You'll need to account for most of the lost liquid if you use Stevia. Another option is to replace with dates; 1/4 cup of honey is about 1/4 cup of chopped dates.
Christy Hitchens says
How many servings would you estimate in a loaf (the sparkpeople calculator requires # of servings when you put in the recipe.
Christy Hitchens says
Help! this calculator insists on having the almond flour in grams! And other ingredients maybe too.
Lorraine says
There are U.S. to metric calculators on Google and vice versa. Just do a search on Google.
Margaret says
I made this today and it was so delicious!! I think I will cut the oil in half next time or use applesauce instead. It did take about 1 hour 20 min in my oven...
Erica says
wow, 1 hour 20 minutes. You may be able to bake at a slightly higher temperature (depending on your oven). Was it burnt on the outside? If you try this without oil, let us know how it turns out. I'm tempted but I don't have zuchinis at the moment. One more thought: it's possible that the applesauce is providing too much moisture.
Lily says
This was amazing! Very moist and the spices were great. I'm thinking of swapping out the zucchini next time for carrots. Seems like it would be a good fit with these spices as well.
Erica says
Thanks! Carrots, interesting. Let us know how it turns out.
Lori says
Made this and it was great! Not too zucchini-y for the kids. Great texture for a gluten-free bread. Thanks for posting!
Dani Weiss says
Hi Erica,
I just made this bread this weekend and used coconut oil instead of olive or butter. It is amazing. I will agree that it took a lot longer than the recipe says in the regular oven. At 40 minutes, it was still very loose in the middle. I took it out and put it into my convection toaster oven and 20 minutes later it was done. I would perhaps try it again in a regular oven and see how long it actually takes. I have had several of the baking recipes take longer in a regular oven. Fantastic recipe, very yummy!
Erica says
Thanks Dani! Yes, I just adjusted the time (I tend to use the convection setting).
Celine says
I love all of your recipes, but I had trouble with this one!
I made the loaf last night, and after an hour in the over the loaf was still pretty much raw on the inside 🙁
Any ideas why this may have happened??
Thanks!
Erica says
I knew this might be tricky depending on how you measure stuff and your oven setting. For the zucchini, I don't pack it down - it's a "light" 2 cups, but try going down to 1 1/2 cups. And dry the zucchini off with a paper towel to get rid of some moisture. Also, I use the convection setting in my oven a lot to speed things up. So it might take a bit longer to bake at a regular oven setting. but it should be longer than another 10 minutes.
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Excellent! I've been craving a nice slice of zucchini bread lately.
Erica says
oh good :). I just gave a loaf to an elderly neighbor, who was in heaven. I never knew it but she said she has always been grain-free! And she has 14 grandchildren and has baked with almond flour for 30 years!
Terry says
How wonderful Erica!
I would imagine that your neighbour has a TON of killer recipes....I would go to the source and ask for as many as possible. Perhaps you could even get her to compose a cookbook as a legacy!
Loretta E. says
This sounds so delicious and easy! Part of me wants to jump into fall recipes, but another part of me can't give up my summer produce quite yet!
Erica says
I know how you feel. I'm not ready to give up berries :). It is a "summer squash" 🙂
Alex@Spoonful of Sugar Free says
I love the simplicity of the recipe, but I have yet to buy almond flour. Oh the joys of living on a college budget...
Erica says
I hear you. I don't know if I would have invested in almond flour while in college.
I just did some quick math: 2 cups of almond flour is about 7.2 ounces. A 5 pound bag of almond flour is about $30. So, the cost of almond flour to make this loaf of bread is $2.70. Not that bad. But shelling out $30 seems like a lot. It's not as bad as I thought it would be though.
Pete says
I like to make my own almond flour, its really simple and costs a lot less. You can get a pound of raw almonds for about 4 bucks. Blanch them, dry and then grind them up in a processor. I prefer doing this because I don't know how long that almond flour has been sitting on a shelf and chances are its already starting to go rancid.
Erica says
It's the blanching part that stops me in my tracks.
anita says
Erica,
the blanching is so easy! it takes literally one minute having them in the hot water then transfer to ice water. The skins come right off.
Pamela Stewart says
Costco has Almond Flour much cheaper than $30
Dana Lundin says
Thirteen dollars at Sam's Club for 3 lbs of Bob's Red Mill super fine almond flour.
.
Diana Brewsaugh says
could be older, only problem buying from big box places
Patricia Valiquette says
I know Costco, has I worked there for 11 years, and I can assure that there is nothing old, as the turnover is weekly, they have rules and dates are carefully controlled, if things are not selling within a certain time ,they are shipped back to the company, as nothing is owned by Costco, as companies rent out by the square foot ( pallet size ) except the Kirkland brand, which they own , plus their guaranty is honored, as they don't fool around with returns.( don't over do it tho, that is not nice )
Gail Holcomb says
Like Pete we make our own almond flour, but use the leftover pulp from making almond milk. We first dry the pulp on a cookie sheet in the oven, then whirl it in a food processor to get a flour consistency because the pulp is more like almond meal. So you get double the goodness from one cup of almonds - a quart of almond milk plus about a cup and a half of almond flour.
Teri says
I grind my own almond flour with a coffee grinder. Trader Joes or Vitamin Cottage have reasonably priced almonds.
Jan says
Buy it at Costco. Very reasonable. Large bag for $11.
Paleo Weight Loss Coach on Facebook says
Sounds super yummy, almond flour breads are great 🙂