This delicious vegan zucchini bread is moist, fluffy and easy to make in 1 bowl! A perfect way to use up leftover zucchinis.
Everybody needs a good zucchini bread recipe, and this is mine. It’s easy, delicious, perfectly sweet and made in 1 bowl so easy clean up. This vegan zucchini bread is also extremely versatile. Sub whole wheat flour for the white, gluten free if needed, add walnuts or chocolate chips, or make it oil free by subbing applesauce.
If you have extra zucchini that you don’t know what to do with, make a double batch of this bread and freeze a loaf for later. You won’t be sorry you did!
How to make vegan zucchini bread:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, or spray with oil.
In a large bowl, add all the wet ingredients except for the grated zucchini and whisk to combine. Now, lightly blot the grated zucchini with paper towels and add to the bowl. Stir to mix.
Next, add the flour, then sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon on top of the flour. Stir gently to just combine, being careful not to over mix or your loaf will be dense.
Next, fold in the chocolate chips or walnuts, if using. I placed some of the chocolate chips on top of the loaf as well. Check the ingredients to ensure your chocolate chips are dairy free, I used Trader Joe’s brand. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. This will depend on what kind of pan you use (glass or metal) as well as other factors.
Let the loaf cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Slice, serve and enjoy!
Can you make vegan zucchini muffins instead?
Absolutely! This recipe will make about 12 muffins. Pour the batter into paper liners in a 12 cup muffin tin, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
What is the best way to store zucchini bread?
Store zucchini bread at room temperature for 2-3 days. It will need to be covered well to prevent dryness. I use plastic wrap, or place it in a covered, airtight container.
Can vegan zucchini bread be frozen?
Yes! Zucchini bread freezes very well, so double the recipe and freeze a loaf for later. To freeze, let it cool completely at room temperature. Then, double wrap it in plastic wrap, then wrap in foil or place in a freezer bag. When ready to eat, unwrap the foil and let it thaw.
Can you make vegan zucchini bread gluten free?
I haven’t tested it myself, but it would probably work with a decent gluten free flour mix, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. I would not just sub almond flour or coconut flour, as that will probably not work.
Can you make it oil free?
Yes, simply substitute applesauce for the oil. Pureed pumpkin would also work instead of oil.
Want more vegan quick breads or muffin recipes?
- Easy Vegan Banana Bread
- Quick & Easy Vegan Banana Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 Bowl Vegan Blueberry Muffins
1 Bowl Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup canola oil | may sub melted coconut oil or vegan butter, or applesauce for oil free
- 1/3 cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseeds
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated zucchini | about 1 medium zucchini
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour | or white whole wheat
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- optional: 1 cup dairy free chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a standard loaf pan (9 x 5 inch) with parchment paper or spray with oil.
- In a large bowl, add the oil, almond milk, ground flaxseeds, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk well until combined.
- Lightly blot the grated zucchini with paper towels, and add it to the bowl. Stir the zucchini into the wet ingredients.
- Now add the flour to the wet ingredients. Sprinkle the baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon on top of the flour. Stir gently until just combined, being careful not to over mix, or your loaf will be dense.
- Fold in the walnuts or chocolate chips, if using. Pour into the prepared pan, and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer the loaf to parchment paper or a cooling rack. Slice carefully right away, or let cool completely for easier slicing and serving.
Notes
- Calories listed do not include added chocolate chips or walnuts.
- To Make Muffins: If you want to make muffins instead of a loaf, you can. Simply line a 12 count muffin pan with liners. Spoon batter nearly to the top of each liner, and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Will make 12 muffins.
- For oil free: sub applesauce for the oil.
- For gluten free: sub a gluten free flour mix. May also use a whole grain flour like white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry or even spelt flour.
Made a loaf for my sister in law who just had a baby. But it looked so good, I had to make another one for me and my partner!! Added sultanas and pistachios as that’s what I had in the pantry. Plus some allspice and ground clove. I think it’s even better than banana bread! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Hi Arielle. Congratulations to your family on the new baby! Your zucchini bread sounds amazing! Thank you for taking time to share your stellar review and recipe experience and ideas! Wishing you happy cooking!
Very nice, not dry and did a decent job of rising. I will save this recipe
Hi Cindy. Thank you for sharing your recipe experience and great review! I’m glad you enjoyed the bread recipe!
I want to try this recipe as my daughter can’t have gluten, dairy or eggs so I’m super excited ! My only question is I don’t have flaxseed so do I need something to replace with that? Or can I just omit ? Thanks so much !
You can leave them out if needed, it works! I hope you both enjoy the zucchini bread.
Doubled the recipe and made 2 lovely loaves. Very tasty. Didn’t stick to vegan but used 10%cream and milk to dilute and was moist and tasty. Choc chips make this a dessert. No flax seed either (heavens!).
I make 6-8 loaves every summer and freeze them. Delicious! Easy! Everyone loves them. Thanks Nora for ALL your recipes.
You are welcome, Chrystine! Thank you for your glowing review and feedback! I’m so glad that you are enjoying my recipes! Wishing you a happy cooking!
Delicious! I did add chopped walnuts and cranberries (yum) and cut back sugar by 1/4 cup. I also sprinkled a little s
Hawaiian smoked salt on top before baking (a trick from my Kumu) Made 2 perfect little mini loaves! Thank you so much! It’s so yummy!
You are welcome, Leesa! Thank you for sharing your recipe ideas! I’m so glad that you loved the zucchini bread and I appreciate your glowing review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
I make the muffins and they are so good. Thank you for this recipe!
I am a Nora Cooks loyalist. Your baked goods have never steered me wrong. I tried this tonight, and the smell alone was heavenly. It’s a good way to use up any zucchini you’ve got sitting around.
Could you substitute soy or oat milk for the almond milk?
Yes, soy or oat milk are great choices. I usually use unsweetened soy milk these days for all my baking needs.
I’ve made this recipe probably a half dozen times and most of the time I use soy or whatever non-dairy milk is in the fridge. Soy works great.
Phenomenal recipe! Delicious bread. I’ll be making it again in the future for sure!
Hi Monica. Thank you for sharing your awesome review and feedback! I’m so glad that you loved the bread recipe! Wishing you happy cooking!
It came out perfectly moist! The edges got slightly crispy and the center was chewy with the right amount of sweetness. I added walnuts and pecans, which gave it a nice crunch. The whole family loved it!
Hi Pedro. How fabulous that the bread was a hit with your family! It sounds really delicious! Thank you for sharing your stellar review and fun feedback! Wishing you lots of happy cooking.
I made it with applesauce instead of oil, and I subbed gluten free flour which I always sub for reg flour. I made it in 4 mini loaves. I baked it for a very long time and it never did seem to ‘get done’ inside, very gooey and sticky, can’t really slice it. So very disappointed. I can’t imagine why it didn’t work?
Hi there – well, you changed a few things and that made your bread not bake properly. Applesauce instead of oil is usually going to make your quick breads doughy and they won’t have the best texture. Also, I don’t know what gluten free flour you used, but that will have a huge effect on the outcome. I have made this with a quality gluten free flour mix like Better Batter and King Arthur Measure for Measure flour, but not every kind will work the same (especially when you also sub applesauce for oil.)
I already used this recipe several times, it always was a hit! It is definitely a keeper! Thank you Nora! Your recipes are the best, you definitely are my number 1 vegan food blogger and vegan recipe creator. Staple ingredients, one bowl, clear explanation, no fail result. Perfection!
You are too kind, thank you! I’m so happy you’re enjoying my recipes, it means the world to me. 🙂
It’s my go to recipe, everyone loves it including fussy kids, picky teenagers and non vegan adults. I use half of the sugar and add a pinch of nutmeg. It’s moist, fluffy, cinnamonny and delicious
Thank you for your fantastic review and comments! I’m so honored that my zucchini bread recipe is your go to recipe! I appreciate your support, and wish you lots of happy cooking!
I’m going to make it tomorrow!
If I replace the sugar with a couple of bananas, do you think I need to add more flour (or maybe cacao)?
I’m not sure but I’m afraid the bread will turn out far too wet with a few mashed bananas added and taking away the sugar. You’ll have to play around a bit, and it will be quite a different recipe than this one. It can be fun to experiment though!
Delish. Doubled the recipe, reduced the sugar by 1/4(ish), used 2/3 whole wheat, scattered a few vegan dark chocolate chips in each muffin tin, and planned on making one batch of muffins (12) and a loaf. After filling the 12 muffin tins there was no way I could get a loaf out of the remaining batter. Made 3 mini loafs instead (each one about 12% bigger than the muffins). Not sure how this volume discrepancy occured with a doubled batch… regular muffin tin size. Weird. My batter was gaslighting me.
I also baked them in a 425° oven for the first 8 minutes then turned the temp down to 350° for another 9 minutes. Do NOT open the oven door between these temp changes! Came out with gorgeous domes fluffy and toasty. Recipe is a keeper, though I may increase it by 2.5 to get the 12 muffins and a loaf.
Thanks as always for the recipe and nutritional deets.
So easy and delish! I used pecans instead because I had them on hand and my husband ate 1/3 of the loaf before it cooled! We will definitely make this again.
Made this tonight to use up some yellow squash that is overflowing in our garden! It was so yummy and easy. Highly recommend.
I’m so glad you loved the bread recipe, Jenny! I see lots of bread in your future! Thanks for your fabulous review! Wishing you lots of happy cooking!
Can I use chia instead of flaxseed?
That should be fine, ground is best.
Thank you.
Deliciousness! Our graden is overflowing with zucchinis so I’m grateful for this recipe. I cut the sugar by 1/3 and it was perfect as we don’t love super sweet. Also I can vouch that the 3x recipe works!
Hi Nina. Thanks for sharing your baking experience and stellar review! I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
Really good!!!
I used apple puree instead of the oil, so I then reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup. I also used half plain flour and half wholemeal spelt flour. Came out great 🙂
Hi Nora!
Can I use egg replacer (Bob’s Red Mill) instead of the flaxseeds?
Hi Linda. Yes, 1 “egg” would work here. Enjoy!
Awesome…..used baking cups and put in my toaster oven. Was short on vanilla extract and it still came out great. Also used 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 date sugar! Yummm!
Hi Linda. Thanks for your glowing review! I’m so glad you loved the bread recipe! Wishing you happy cooking!
The flavor and texture were just about perfect, but I really didn’t get the loaf to rise very much. Any tips to get better rise? Thank you!
Hi Sarah. I’m so glad you liked the flavor of the bread! If it didn’t rise, then it’s likely that the air was knocked out of the batter. It’s important to gently stir the ingredients together until they’re just combined and no flour streaks remain. I hope this helps!
Turned out great, tried it with apple sauce. Kids loved it, would have preferred without the chocolate chips tho.
Another fantastic recipe – and only using one bowl! Thanks, Nora. The whole family loved it.
You are welcome, Bonnie. I’m thrilled you loved the bread! Thank for sharing your glowing 5 star review! Happy cooking!
Nora always comes through with fantastic recipes. Thank you!!
This recipe is phenomenal!! Thanks so much!
You are welcome, Amanda! Thanks for sharing your glowing review!