Easy, fluffy, and perfectly spiced Vegan Zucchini Bread! It's loaded with shredded zucchini and mix-ins of choice. You can use nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips and unlike most recipes you don't need to squeeze/blot the zucchini!
Vegan Zucchini Bread is here just in time for zucchini season! And when I say 'bread" I really mean "cake" but cooked in a loaf pan.
This dairy-free and eggless zucchini bread is a moist, sweet, deliciously spiced cake that is soft, fluffy and hearty all at the same time. It's so good for breakfast or snacks, spread with some vegan butter and vegan honey. I love bumble bloom!
Prefer muffins? Check out my Vegan Zucchini Muffins instead!
Ingredients
Let's take a look at what you need to make Vegan Zucchini Bread:
And some ingredient notes:
- Zucchini - For those in the UK we're talking courgettes ;o)
- Flour - You can use all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, spelt flour or gluten-free flour in this recipe.
- Plant milk - Any such as almond milk, oat milk or cashew milk will do. Unsweetened and unflavoured is best.
- Sugar - Any sugar will work in this recipe. White sugar, cane sugar, brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Oil - Any liquid oil such as canola oil, liquid coconut oil, light olive oil, sunflower or vegetable oil.
- Spices - The cinnamon and nutmeg taste amazing with zucchini. They can however be replaced with allspice.
- Ground flax - Really important in this recipe. It binds and is also super absorbent, soaking up a lot of moisture from the zucchini.
- Mix-ins - For texture, flavor and interest. Use nuts such as walnuts or pecans, dried fruit or chocolate chips.
Success Tip - If using melted coconut oil, make sure your plant milk is at room temperature before mixing up the batter otherwise it will solidify and make things difficult to mix up properly.
How to make Vegan Zucchini Bread
Vegan Zucchini Bread is easy to make. Here's how:
- Grate the zucchini. No need to peel it or squeeze/blot it. I use my food processor and it literally takes seconds, but even if you have to so it manually it won't take long. Then mix the grated zucchini with the other wet ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
- Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture then add the mix-ins.
- Spoon into a parchment paper lined loaf pan, top with a few more chopped nuts (or chocolate chips) and a sprinkle of sugar then bake. Check with a toothpick for doneness.
Success Tip - The batter is very thick. Don't be tempted to add more milk. The zucchini will release enough moisture to ensure your loaf is perfect.
The sugar that gets sprinkled on the top before baking gets irresistibly crunchy and delicious!
Variations
This Vegan Zucchini Bread recipe is great as it is or switch things up:
- Once cool, smother in vegan cream cheese frosting.
- Skip the sugary topping and add some vegan streusel before baking instead.
- Use vegan chocolate chips instead of the golden raisins to make Vegan Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.
Recipe FAQs
No. They will not work in this recipe.
No. Zucchini bread is already very moist. Apple sauce will add too much extra moisture. Cashew butter is a better choice to make this recipe oil-free. Details of how to use it are given in the recipe card.
No. Maple syrup will make the batter too wet.
If you try this recipe, let me know how you like it by leaving a comment and rating below! And be sure to join my mailing list for more deliciousness!
Recipe Video
Recipe
Vegan Zucchini Bread
Author:Ingredients
- 1¼ packed cups (250 grams) grated zucchini (courgette) , about 2 small or 1 medium zucchini
- 2 cups (250 grams) flour , spelt, all purpose flour (plain in the UK), wholewheat or 1 to 1 GF baking flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ¾ cup (150 grams) sugar , white or brown, plus a little more for sprinkling on the top.
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon , (or replace the cinnamon & nutmeg with 1½ teaspoons allspice).
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seed , (it must be ground and not whole seeds)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150 mls) plant milk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (60 mls) liquid oil of choice , use cashew or almond butter instead for oil-free (blend it into the milk before adding).
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar , or lemon juice (important - do not omit)
- 1 cup (145 grams) mix-ins of choice , chopped nuts, dried fruit or chocolate chips
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and grease and line a loaf pan.
- Grate the zucchini. I use the grating attachment on my food processor. Then add it along with the plant milk, vanilla extract, oil and apple cider vinegar to a bowl and stir together.
- Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and ground flax seed to another large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet zucchini mixture into the dry mixture and stir together with a spatula until just combined. It's a stiff batter, and at first will feel and look too dry, but be patient and it will come together as the zucchini lets out it's moisture.
- Add mix-ins of choice and stir gently to combine.
- Spoon into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle on a generous amount of sugar and some extra nuts or chocolate chips if using, then bake for 70 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted comes out clean.
- Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave for 10 to 15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a cooling rack.
NOTES
NUTRITION
This recipe was originally published on July 24th 2019. I've tweaked the post a bit, added a video and now I am republishing it for you. The recipe remains the same.
Rose says
Tried this and added choc chips and dried goji berries to 2 smaller loaves. the others had raisins and nuts added. Very moist and flavorful. A good vegan option! Will definitely make again.
Deb says
This is delicious! Exchanged the oil for sweet potato, and cooked it in a shallower, square pan. Will definitely make again!
Christina says
Thank you! I love this recipe. I’ve modified it slightly for my household, half spelt half gluten free flour, less sugar, 1/4 cup oats, bits of dark chocolate.
Maggie says
Really delicious. I doubled the recipe, made 6 jumbo muffins and a loaf. The extra crunch of sugar and nuts on top was so good. Who needs eggs? The flax seed works really well!
Glenn says
Made this last week for the first time and it was SEN-SA-TIONAL! Didn't have raisins on the shelf so I subbed out with an equal portion of diced carrots. Opted for applesauce over oil, and it was plenty sweet. One question though. 150g of sugar?? Whoa! I measured off 3/4 C then weighed it (same scale you have, clicked-thru your site when I bought it), and the gram weight for that amount is actually 105/6g. Which is the amount of sugar I used. Typo maybe? IDK... Anyways, it was plenty sweet, and the outcome: SEN-SA-TIONAL!! Will be making this again soon. Raisins next time! ;)
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you enjoyed it Glenn! RE the sugar. The standard weight conversion for 1 cup of sugar is 200 grams so 150 grams is correct for 3/4 cup. Obviously the weight will vary depending on what kind of sugar you are weighing. For instance 1 cup of white sugar weighs a completely different amount to 1 cup of brown sugar and the way you fill the cup affects the weight too. That's why I always recommend weighing when baking and not using cups. They are notoriously inconsistent and inaccurate.
Glenn says
Ah. Got ya! That makes sense. I was using coconut sugar, comparing the gram weight on my scale to the cup weight (based on 3 x 1/4 C's) weighed in grams on the same scale. So nerdy! I see your math, though. Thanks for clarifying.
And again, it was DELICIOUS, not to mention GONE in three days!! ?
Carla says
How would using either brown rice syrup or maple syrup work as a sweetener?
A Virtual Vegan says
I wouldn't recommend it. You'd be adding more liquid to an already really moist bread (because of the zucchini). The texture is perfect as it is written. It would likely end up a bit soggy if you add more liquid.
Sarah says
This zucchini bread really is THE BEST. My zucchini plant is out of control this year, and I think I have made about a dozen loaves of it (giving many away to friends and neighbors). Almost every single person I have shared this bread with has told me afterward that it was the most amazing zucchini bread they had ever had, and could they please have the recipe! None of them are vegans (or knew that the bread was vegan). I am obsessed. I love to warm it up in my toaster oven and top it off with a little vegan butter. So amazing!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Aaaww thank you Sarah! I'm so pleased you (and your friends and neighbours) are enjoying the recipe!
Helen Billingham says
This is one if the best breads I’ve ever made. I put the walnuts on the top as I’m not a huge fan but even they were delicious as they toasted on the top. The raisins are a great sweet and chewy addition. I will definitely make again. Only problem was waiting for it to cool!! I’ve always had such success with #virtualvegan. I always use weighing scales per her recommendation and always will. ?
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Helen and thank you for stopping by to leave a review/rating. It's much appreciated!
Graham says
Made this, with a few tweaks as needed gluten free, and gluten free flours are still very hard to get in UK. Bobs Red Mill have become very challenging and prices have shot up.
So used buckwheat flour and bobs red mill gluten free all purpose flour (50/50 mix) added some xanthum gum. Used cranberries and pecans! Plus ground chia seeds! Served to guest and no one questioned what was in it till they saw me east it!
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad it worked out ok! In the UK Dove's Gluten-Free flour is excellent and one to look out for. Tesco and Sainsbury both sell it.
Connie Moultroup says
My family has voiced their fears that I won’t make this again....like that would happen. It’s absolutely fabulous!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Ha ha! Thank you Connie. I'm really pleased you all enjoyed it!
Sara says
This turned out great and was very tasty. Thank you for the recipe.
Lisa Roberton says
Made this today and loved it, only issue I had with the recipe was having to wait till it cooled to eat!!!! lol. Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
So pleased you enjoyed it Lisa! Waiting for baked goods to cool is definitely challenging!
Sarah says
Fantastic recipe as always! I like the subtleness of the spices and the addition of walnuts and golden raisins! It's a great way to use up the abundance of zucchini at this time of year. Thanks Mel!
Melanie McDonald says
Thank you Sarah! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it. Your picture on Instagram is lovely!