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Moist, delicious, and not-too-sweet gluten free zucchini bread that has a warm hint of cinnamon. And the best part? It's super easy to make!
You can make it plain or customize it with your favourite add-ins like nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins. Keep reading for all the details about my vegan gluten free version of this classic favourite!
I plant zucchini in my garden every year and usually, I end up with a lot of them to make all of my favourite gluten free zucchini recipes, like these:
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
- Banana Zucchini Bread
- Zucchini Fritters
BUT...this year, my zucchini did not do well. To date, I've brought in a grand total of...ZERO.
The blossoms would bloom, the zucchini would start growing and then, like clockwork, something (likely a squirrel), would come along and nibble on the growing zucchini. It didn't eat the whole thing, it would just take a few bites and then be on its way.
We tried some of the tips and tricks to keep the squirrel away, but they didn't work. So I'm going to have to work on that next year. I missed my garden zucchini!
So this year, I had to rely on store bought zucchini, which is just fine since they're currently abundant and in season.
One of the things I make every year is the recipe I'm sharing with you today, my gluten free zucchini bread. It's wheat free, egg free, dairy free, and SO delicious!
How Do You Prepare and Shred Zucchini for Vegan Gluten Free Zucchini Bread?
When making my zucchini bread, I don't peel the zucchini, I like to see those little pieces of green in the bread, but if you have a picky eater who won't appreciate seeing the green, feel free to peel.
I shred the zucchini on the smaller shred side of my box grater (see the picture below to see exactly what I'm talking about). You can also use a food processor if you have a shredding disc that will shred the zucchini to this same size.
And one last very important thing: DO NOT SQUEEZE THE LIQUID OUT OF THE SHREDDED ZUCCHINI!
Other recipes call for you to squeeze the moisture out after shredding, but you'll need all of that zucchini liquid for this recipe. If you squeeze it out, the batter won't have enough moisture and the recipe will not turn out.
Ingredients for GF Zucchini Bread
The ingredients are simple, like they are for all of my other recipes!
You'll need a gluten free flour blend (see below for more info), coconut sugar (brown sugar can be used, instead), coconut oil, zucchini, flax eggs, spices, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and your favourite add-ins.
I like to change my add-ins every time I make this recipe, but my absolute favourite combo is walnuts and raisins together (I love this combo for banana bread, too!)
You can add chocolate chips to make it a gluten free chocolate chip zucchini bread, but feel free to experiment with the add-ins to find what you like best.
What Kind of Gluten Free Flour Blend Should I Use?
I make my zucchini bread with gluten free flour, Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour, to be exact (the one with the red label, not the blue label!)
If you want to use a substitute gluten-free flour blend, proceed with caution since I have not personally tested it. The Bob's blend I use does not contain any xanthan gum, so if you don't have access to this flour and must use another, keep those things in mind.
Another thing to keep in mind is that this recipe will not work with one single flour, it must be a blend.
If you’re new to gluten-free baking, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten free baking tips.
How to Make Vegan Zucchini Bread
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step for this easy gluten free zucchini bread here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions at the end of this post.)
First, you'll whisk all the dry ingredients together in one bowl, mix the wet ingredients in another, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mix, and then fold in your add-ins.
Then, you'll pour the batter into a loaf pan and bake. Told you it was a simple gluten free zucchini bread! So easy!
What Should the Batter Look Like?
I often get questions asking what the consistency of the batter for my recipes should look like. Because of this, I've been trying to include pictures so you can see how your loaf and muffin batters should look to let you know you're on the right track, so see below!
Note that if you go rogue and make a bunch of substitutions (especially with the type of gluten-free flour blend!), your batter and final result may not look like mine, so best to always stick to the recipe as it's written 🙂
Can I Use a Different Oil? Or Omit the Oil
The coconut oil in this recipe contributes to the moistness of your gluten free zucchini loaf, but if you don’t have coconut oil, you can use another oil that does not have a strong flavour, such as avocado or safflower.
If you’re trying to stay away from oil, you can replace the oil with plain, unsweetened applesauce.
And instead of greasing your baking dish, you can use a high-quality non-stick baking pan (like this one!) or line your pan with parchment paper.
With this substitution, the loaf will end up a little less moist, but still delicious.
How to Store Gluten Free Dairy Free Zucchini Bread
You can store it in an airtight container or wrapped up, at room temperature, for two to three days.
If it lasts longer than that, wrap it tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to another four days.
If you'd like to freeze it, cool completely, wrap it tightly, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to one month. When you’re ready for it, let it thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
If you like this gluten free zucchini bread recipe, you may also like these other recipes (all of them are also vegan and gluten-free!):
- Chocolate Pumpkin Bread
- Sweet Potato Bread
- Cranberry Orange Bread
- Coconut Raisin Banana Bread
- Vegan Gluten Free Muffin Recipes
- Gingerbread Loaf
- Vegan Gluten Free Brunch Recipes
And if you make this recipe, let me know about it in the comments below!
Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds + 6 tablespoon water
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend **see important note about flour below**
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (plus extra for greasing baking dish)
- ⅔ cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup shredded zucchini (approximately 1 large zucchini or 2 small) (see notes about shred size above and below)
- ¾ cup nuts, chocolate chips, or raisins (a combo of more than one of these add-ins may be used, see info above)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Grease a 5" x 9" (1.5 quart) loaf pan.
- Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.
- In a small bowl, mix the flax mixture, melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, vanilla, and shredded zucchini, together.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
- Fold in the nuts, chocolate chips, and/or raisins, if using.
- Pour batter into greased loaf pan.
- Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a tester comes out clean. See note below.
- Allow the zucchini bread to fully cool before cutting into it.
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the info above before making this recipe.
- It's important to know that different gluten-free flour blends use different ingredients and ratios, so results will always vary if you substitute. I have never used any other brand of flour to make this recipe (other than Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour (Amazon link) with the red label, NOT the blue label), so please know that your results may not be the same as mine if substitute with another gluten-free flour blend.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour.
- Shred zucchini using the smaller of the two shredders on your box grater. After shredding DO NOT squeeze the liquid out of the zucchini.
- Baking times will vary slightly, depending on your oven and the type of bakeware you use. I use a glass loaf dish when making this recipe. Start checking around the 50 minute mark. Be sure that you are using a 9x5-inch loaf pan like this one, or this one, and not an 8x4-inch loaf pan (or any other size) the zucchini bread will not bake properly.
- Store wrapped in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. For more storage info, see above.
- Nutrition info listed below is for 1 of 12 slices (without any of the optional add-ins) and is only to be used as a rough guide. Click here for more info on how nutrition info on this website is determined.
Brigitte says
Thank you so much ! And yes the confusion came from the unsweetened cocoa powder, I am glad I asked ! And yes, I did use the exact same flour for the zucchini bread. I will definitely try it again but on the middle rack. I have lined up 6 or 7 of your recipes that I want to try! I’m sure I will love them. I also want to add how I appreciate the details in your instructions! Being new to anything vegan gluten free, finding your blog was a gem, so thank you for helping us out with such devotion! xox
Gwen Leron says
Hi Brigitte! Yes, definitely bake on the middle rack next time. And you can test it to see if it's ready ahead of time in case your oven runs a little hot. I'm excited for you to try the recipes! If you run into any trouble or have any questions along the way, please feel free to reach out, I'm always glad to help. Enjoy!
Brigitte says
I’m new here 🙂 This is the very first recipe I have tried (vegan gluten free zucchini bread). I have followed your recipe to a T but, although it really does taste good, it was very dry and crumbled when sliced. Could it be because I baked it on the bottom oven shelf instead of my usual middle shelf rule? This second question is regarding your chocolate vegan, gf muffins. You write that you always use Dutch processed cacao but that recipe ask’s for natural cacao…
Thank you for answering me 🙂
Gwen Leron says
HI Brigitte! Welcome! Glad to have you here. For the zucchini bread that turned out crumbly, did you use the same flour I used? (Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour is the RED bag) All gluten-free flours have different ingredients in them, so they will all produce different results, including turning out crumbly.
If you did use the correct flour, then it was because of baking on the lower rack. Since it's so close to the heat source, the loaf will receive much more concentrated heat rather than a more even heat.
For your second question about the vegan gluten-free chocolate muffins, are you talking about this recipe: https://delightfuladventures.com/gluten-free-vegan-chocolate-muffins/ ? If so, that recipe definitely calls for Dutch process cocoa powder. I don't use natural cocooa powder in any of my baking. I did a quick search through my ingredients database in case there was a typo and I none of my recipes call for natural cocoa powder.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask! I hope this helps, take care.
Gwen Leron says
Hi Brigitte, just wanted to follow up on this. I refer to it as unsweetened cocoa powder which is the cause of the confusion. I have updated it to say Dutch process. So sorry for the confusion with this but it's all fixed up now! Thanks for pointing that out.
Donna Reynolds says
Wonderful crumb and moist. I made it without mix-ins, and really enjoyed it. Next time, I would double the spices so they stand out more.
Gwen Leron says
Happy to hear you liked it, Donna! I find it to be just as good without mix-ins. And yes, feel free to add more spices to suit your tastes. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your note!
Chocoviv says
Yummy!
Gwen Leron says
It's very yummy! 🙂