This delicious and perfectly textured Zucchini bread is gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free! Incredible flavor – this bread has some healthy swaps with no sacrifice of taste!
Definition of the perfect zucchini bread:
Perfectly textured with incredible flavor – zesty orange, fragrant cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg and lightly sweetened with honey, coconut sugar and maple syrup. Holy yum.
If you are like me, you are swimming up to your eyeballs in zucchini right now. And in my book, that is never a bad thing! What are some of your favorite zucchini dishes? Mexican zucchini boats, zucchini noodles, zucchini pancakes… I could go on and on. One of my all time favorite ways to use zucchini though, is to make zucchini bread!
This recipe took me six attempts to perfect – that is true determination right there! I knew I wanted to make this bread something my husband could eat, so that meant gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free. Now finding a recipe without those three items (that is NOT paleo) is very hard to do. I did try some Paleo recipes, but they all lacked flavor and had a very spongy/gummy texture. So I ditched all the recipes I’d tried to adapt, and created my own!
The two things I look for in my zucchini bread are texture and flavor.
FLAVOR: The easier one of the two is the flavor. And let me tell you, this recipe won’t disappoint! It has the perfect balance of ingredients. I added a little orange juice and zest for a nice tang as well as some acidity that would help with the rising of the bread. Also, spices like cinnamon, clove and ginger pair perfectly with the zucchini and orange. Lastly, it’s lightly sweetened with honey, coconut sugar and maple syrup. If you don’t have all of these natural sweeteners on hand, you’re welcome to replace them with just one or two, however I feel like the combination of all three helped with the texture and also balanced the flavors.
TEXTURE: Now let’s discuss the texture. Baking gluten free is hard folks. Really hard. Often times the best case scenario is a loaf that rises and looks amazing, but has a little bit of a spongy (or gummy) texture. Some people will even say that all gluten free bread has a little bit of this. Well, I was not buying it. I wanted to have my cake and eat it too… or maybe in this case just really yummy zucchini bread that wasn’t gummy in texture.
So did I give up? No. I researched like crazy and learned that the issues from the texture of gluten free bread often has to do with the ratio of flours to starches. If the ratio is out of balance, you will end up with a gummy, undercooked, doughy bread that has a very unappealing look and taste.
Usually, for the sake of time, I like to use a gluten free flour blend such as Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour or King Arthurs Gluten Free Flour. They often work perfectly because their flour to starch ratio is already balanced! However, zucchini bread is especially tricky because it has so much moisture from the zucchini. So there are two critical parts of this recipe that go into fixing the texture:
Tips for Perfectly Textured Gluten Free Zucchini Bread:
- Grate your zucchini (food processor or box grater), wrap in a thin towel and wring out to remove the excess moisture. Then spread out between paper towels to continue removing moisture while you prep the rest of the ingredients for the bread.
- I added a little oat and brown rice flour (to the already prepared gluten free baking flour mix) to help balance out the flour to starch ratio, especially since there is more moisture in this type of bread due to the zucchini. For the oat flour, I just took whole oats and blended them up in my blender till they turned into flour. I like to leave a little bit of texture, so not completely smooth. You are welcome to just use store bought oat flour though if you don’t have oats or just to save time.
I also think that using mini loaf pans when baking gluten free is key to texture. Mini loaves bake perfectly through on the middle without getting over-baked on the outside. Also, they rise better and are easier to slice and serve!
Although I personally am not gluten-free, I’ve tried a LOT of gluten free breads over the years due to my husband’s allergies, and I can firmly say that this recipe is one of the BEST I’ve ever had. Homemade or store bought, hands down this has been my favorite so far, and the whole family would agree with how fast these mini loaves were devoured. It’s fantastic.
So if you have loads of zucchini growing in your garden and are looking for a healthier yet delicious way to use them up, then this is the recipe for you! And if you don’t, then go buy some just so you can make this delicious zucchini bread!
PrintThe BEST Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
This delicious and perfectly textured Zucchini bread is gluten, dairy and refined-sugar free! Incredible flavor – this bread has some healthy swaps with no sacrifice of taste!
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 mini loaf pans 1x
Ingredients
Dry
- 2 cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour*
- 1/4 cup oat flour*
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon clove
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Wet
- 2 1/2 cups zucchini, excess water removed
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3 mini loaf pans (or regular loaf pan) with spray or coconut oil, and then line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Cut off the ends of the zucchini and shred in a food processor or with a box grater.
- Place zucchini in a thin towel and wring out excess water over a bowl/sink. Lay the zucchini on a dry paper towel and cover with more paper towel to continue to soak up the moisture while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Combine and mix all dry ingredients in a medium to large mixing bowl.
- Melt coconut oil and set aside.
- Measure the wet ingredients (except coconut oil and zucchini) into a medium mixing bowl. With a hand mixer (or you could use a kitchen aid) mix the ingredients and slowly add the coconut oil to combine. Continue to mix until well incorporated and then add in the zucchini and mix until just combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined with a large spoon (or mixer).
- Pour the batter into the mini loaf pans and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If using a regular loaf pan, you will need to increase the cooking time.
Notes
* For the oat flour I just blended up some regular oats in my blender until it was mostly smooth, resembling flour. You can use prepackaged, store bought oat flour as well.
Keywords: zucchini, bread, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free, healthy
For those who are Paleo, is there a substitution for the oat flour and rice flour?
Hi! Yes, my best advice for making this zucchini bread paleo friendly, would be to make them into muffins (the texture usually works better) and I would substitute almond flour for the oat and rice flours. I’ve never tried this before but making paleo zucchini bread is definitely next on my list to try!
Hi! I’m wondering if you’ve tried baking these as muffins and if so how they turned out? any insight on adjusting baking time?
★★★★★
Hi Bonnie! So I’ve never tried making them as muffins, but I’m sure they would work! I think gluten free baked goods actually work best in smaller portions (it allows them to cook more evenly through without becoming gummy in texture) which is why I always make this bread in mini bread loaf pans. If you are making them as muffins, that’s probably half the size of a mini loaf so I would estimate 15-18 minutes for them to cook. I would recommend just keeping an eye on them though and always check to see if they are done with a toothpick or sharp knife to make sure the center is cooked. Hope this helps!
What a wonderfully delicious bread! I want to try this recipe so bad!
★★★★★
Thanks! It really is so good. I’m not gluten-free but my husband is, and usually I don’t like to eat his bread, but this was a completely different story! The whole family kept asking for more!
Wow this LOAF looks to die for!! I LOVE THAT IT IS MADE WITH ZUCCHINI SO IT IS ACTUALLY HEALTHY. I need this in my life asap!
Thank you! Don’t we all need healthier options like this!?!
After 6 tries it must be the best ever! I love that this option is dairy and refined sugar free, gluten free being just an added bonus for me. This will be perfect for a no fuss breakfast.
Thank you! It definitely was worth the effort!
I have never been overly blown away by the thought of zucchini bread. I have to be honest though, the pictures in this recipe make it look delicious! I can totally see myself eating it for breakfast any day of the week! Now I need to try and grow my own zucchini.
Thank you! Growing zucchini is a breeze. It’s seriously like a weed and will take over your garden!! Best of luck!
Isn’t Bob’s 1 to 1 great? I don’t bake gluten free very often, but when I do, that’s my go to!
High five to that! Love Bob’s Red Mill!
Mmmmm! Your zucchini bread recipe sounds divine! LOVE that you added orange flavor to it. I bet that really makes it over-the-top delish!
★★★★★
Thank you! The first few times I made it, I noticed it needed more flavor and the orange juice and zest definitely does the trick!!
i love zucchini bread. it’s a summer staple that i always look forward to it. this gluten free version looks so good, can’t wait to try it.
★★★★★
It is one of our favorite summer recipes as well!
There is a zucchini sitting IN my fridge waiting to be made into bread – when I find a good gluten free recipe. How useful! LOL And yeah, I also think too much starch is the problem in many gf recipes… I know what they are trying to do, but it just ends up mucky… I like your solution! (Though I need to be sure the oats are certified gluten free…)
Nice! Hope it turns out well for you! And yes, definitely GF oats if you are celiac or gluten intolerant!
When I make zucchini bread, the spices are what makes it for me so I’m glad to see you’ve added the best of them. I’ve never tried making zucchini bread with oat flour or brown rice flour though so I’d be really interested to give this recipe a go next time I make a batch. This looks scrumptious!
★★★★★
Thank you! Yes, the spices are key:)
That texture is spot on! I love zucchini loaf, in fact I’ve just baked a lemon zucchini loaf. Really like the orange and all the spices you have here. Lovely!
★★★★★
Mmmm. Lemon zucchini bread sounds fab. I’ll have to try that next time! And thanks:)
I love zucchini bread, is so easy to make and sooo delicious! I never tried a gluten free version before but the end result looks amazing!
Thank you! I was definitely skeptical myself, but it’s delicious!
I’m so happy that this turned out successfully. I like your addition of orange juice and zest – sounds delicious!
★★★★★
Thanks! They really added that punch of flavor I was looking for:)
I am excited to see you gave it 6 times to achieve the result you were after. It looks incredibly nice – well done!
★★★★★
Thank you! It was definitely my most challenging and yet rewarding recipe I’ve created!
Can you make this in a bread machine? I assume you have to put them in the correct order.
I’ve never tried making this recipe in a bread machine, but it could work! I would probably put the liquid ingredients in the bottom and the dry on top, and if possible use the gluten free setting on your machine (if you have one on your bread machine). Good luck!