Paleo Zucchini Bread – moist, tender, and naturally sweetened. Enjoy along side a cup of coffee or as a light snack any time of day! Gluten Free + Dairy Free
Homemade Paleo Zucchini Bread
I’ve been making this paleo zucchini bread recipe every zucchini season for years since I originally shared it back in 2016.
Though this has been a favorite in my home and in many of yours throughout the years – I figured it was a good time to revisit the recipe and tweak a few things based off the feedback I’ve been given.
What’s changed?
- Pan Size: I now recommend using an 8×4 inch loaf pan instead of a 9×5. The loaf doesn’t rise much in the end, so the smaller pan allows it to bake up into a neater, taller loaf.
- More Almond Flour: The old recipe asked for 1/2 cup almond flour. I’ve increased it to 2/3 cup. The extra flour adds a bit more fat (moisture), flavor and texture to compliment the coconut flour.
- More Cinnamon: One of the biggest comments I have received over the years is that many readers loved the bread, but wished it had more cinnamon. Frankly, I agree and don’t know why I made it so low before!
- Oven Position: I now recommend baking the bread in the lower third of the oven to keep the top of the bread from browning too quickly (this happens with almond flour baked goods).
Key Ingredients
- Coconut Flour: Coconut flour is an extremely absorbent flour and need a lot of moisture to work. If using cups to measure the flour, I recommend you spoon the flour into the measuring cup instead of scooping.
- Almond Flour: Almond flour provides a nice texture and flavor balance along side the coconut flour.
- Eggs: This recipe needs the moisture and binding of the eggs to work with the coconut flour. If you’d like to see some egg free zucchini bakes I recommend you check out some of my other vegan friendly recipes: Gluten Free Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Banana Zucchini Muffins, Vegan Zucchini Brownies
- Coconut Oil: You can use butter in place of coconut oil if desired.
- Maple Syrup or Honey: Either work! You can try a combo of maple and honey.
- Fresh Zucchini: The star of the show! Check out the tips before for zucchini selection and prep.
Steps
Altogether this is a super easy recipe to throw together. The process basically comes down to three main steps:
- Mix the wet ingredients: Whisk together the eggs, oil, sweetener and vanilla extract until combined then stir in the grated zucchini.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a different, large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- Combine & bake: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Mix until no pockets of flour remain, then transfer to the prepared bread pan and bake.
Tips for Baking with Zucchini
A few final tips and notes when working with zucchini:
Weigh the Zucchini
For best results, a kitchen scale will give you the most accurate zucchini amount. If you don’t have a scale, a good old fashioned measuring cup will still do the job.
As a general rule of thumb: One loosely-packed and blotted cup of zucchini weighs about 4 oz or 115 grams. You may find that this amount vary depending on the recipe creator, but this is the amount I use in all my zucchini recipes.
Select the Right Zucchini
- Size: Look for small to medium zucchinis, about 6-8 inches. Large zucchinis are typically more watery, and pulpy. They also are more likely to have large seeds inside.
- Stem: Choose a zucchini that still has the stem attached. Zucchini with longer stems will last longer.
Prep the Zucchini
- Skin: No need to peel the skin. Just wash and dry the outside and you’re ready to peel.
- Seeds: Unless you’re working with a large zucchini with large seeds inside, you don’t need to worry about removing the seeds.
- Grate: Use a regular box grater (cheese grater) or food processor with a fitted grating attachment.
- Blot: Don’t worry about squeezing out the excess moisture before baking. A quick blot with some paper towels is more than enough.
How to Store Homemade Zucchini Bread
After baking, allow the zucchini bread to cool completely before storing.
Once cooled, store the bread in an airtight container or wrapped up tightly in plastic wrap/aluminum foil. Leave it out at room temperature for about 2-3 days or store in the fridge for up to a week.
Freeze for Later
You can make the bread ahead of time and store for a later date. Bake, cool, then wrap in foil and freeze the loaf as a whole. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature. Once thawed, go ahead and cut into slices before serving.
Alternatively, you can freeze individual slices of bread for fast and easy storage and defrosting. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and or foil then store in a freezer safe bag. Let thaw at room temperature or reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Enjoy
This bread makes for a great healthy dessert or snack! Enjoy a thick slice with a spread of nut butter. I recently tried this with some homemade hazelnut butter and it did not disappoint!
More Delicious Zucchini Recipes To Check Out
If you still have spare squash hanging around I have plenty more zucchini bread recipes and bakes to choose from!
- Zucchini Oatmeal Cookies – GF & Vegan (all purpose gluten-free flour & oats)
- Banana Zucchini Muffins (all purpose gluten-free flour)
- Gluten Free Zucchini Bread (all purpose gluten-free flour)
- Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Zucchini Cookies (almond flour)
- Almond Flour Paleo Zucchini Brownies (almond flour)
- Vegan Zucchini Brownies (chickpea flour)
Paleo Zucchini Bread
Paleo Zucchini Bread - moist, tender, and naturally sweetened. Enjoy along side a cup of coffee or as a light snack any time of day!
Ingredients
- 4 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup (120g) or honey (125g)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted & cooled (105g)
- 1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini, lightly blotted dry (170g | 6 oz)
- 2/3 cup almond flour (65g)
- 1/2 cup coconut flour (55g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven then preheat your 350°F (180°C). Grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan, or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, maple syrup (or honey), and oil until combined. Stir in the shredded zucchini.
- In another large mixing bowl whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Pour the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix until well combined and no pockets of flour remain. Make sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl as needed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
- Place in the oven and bake for 55-65minutes, or until a knife going into the center of the loaf comes out mostly clean (no raw batter, only crumbs). About halfway through the bake, turn the loaf pan around so ensure the top colors evenly. If you notice the top of the loaf starts to look too dark, loosely cover the pan with some foil.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let cool for about 30 minutes before removing the bread from the pan. Finish cooling on the wire rack then slice and enjoy.
- Storage: Store leftover bread in an airtight container, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, foil or a sealable bag. Leave at room temperature for about 2 days, or keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- Freeze for later: Leftover bread will keep in the freezer up to 3 months. Freeze individual slices of bread for fast and easy storage and defrosting. Wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and or foil then store in a freezer safe bag. Let thaw at room temperature or reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
Alba Green says
Thank you for a great recipe!
Sarah Nevins says
Thanks, Alba! So glad you enjoyed the bread 🙂
Gail says
Hi Sarah,
Just an FYI. You have listed Step 6 twice in the Instructions list 🙂
Sarah Nevins says
Oops! Thanks for pointing that out to me so I can fix it! 🙂
Valentina says
Hi, Is it baking soda or baking powder? The written recipe shows soda and the video shows powder.
Thanks in advance!
Sarah Nevins says
My mistake! It should say baking powder in the written recipe. Baking soda can also be used, but you’ll need to add 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar to activate it. Thanks for pointing that out to me!
Chris says
If I add 1/2 cup walnuts, 1/2 cup dried cranberries, and 3 tbsp matcha powder, would I need to increase any of the wet ingredients to compensate? Thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Chris! That should be totally fine! I don’t have much experience baking with matcha powder, given the amount I don’t think it would end up changing much here.
Helen says
Can you double this recipe and bake in a bundt pan?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Helen! I’m afraid I’m not too sure if/how it would come out doubled without first trying it out myself. I wish I could be more help here, but I’d hate to steer you wrong!
Jess says
Lovely and easy recipe and turned out delicious. A staple zucchini bread recipe to keep around. I made a few changes – two eggs plus 1/2 cup applesauce, increased the cinnamon and added some cardamon because I love it, and used an 8×4 pan, which I’m glad I did as it didn’t rise much, if at all. Very nice, thank you so much!
Sarah Nevins says
Ooh that’s great to know about the applesauce in place of the two extra eggs! So glad you enjoyed it – thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment!
Elliott says
Can I substitue almond or olive oil for the coconut oil? And can I substitute tapioca flour for the coconut flour?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Elliot! Sorry It’s taken me a few days to get back to you – your comment got stuck in my spam filter.
I’m not sure about almond oil but if you’re interested in trying this with olive oil you can check out my recipe for lemon olive oil bread (you don’t have to add the lemon zest). It’s based on this recipe but with olive oil in mind. Essentially you’ll want to cut the amount of oil in half if you’re using olive oil, but other than that it’s not too different.
When it comes to swapping out the coconut flour for tapioca that’s a little trickier. Coconut flour isn’t an easy ingredient to substitute 1:1 because it’s extremely absorbent. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to confidently give you any recommendations without trying this using almond flour/tapioca flour myself first
Emily says
Hey thanks for the recipe! I loved it- I substituted zucchini for carrot pulp and seemed to work great. I made mine in a normal standard bread pan. The top 2/3 cooked REALLY nice, the bottom third was a bit soggy and kind of eggy…what could account for this? Looking forward to your reply and thank you!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Emily! Did you make sure to squeeze out all the excess water from the carrot pulp before adding it? That can make a huge difference in recipe like this.
Coconut flour baked goods do have a reputation for being very moist and are often described as ‘eggy’. Since it’s such an absorbent flour you need to use a lot of moisture rich ingredients (like eggs) to keep it from feeling too dry. One thing I often do with my coconut flour baked goods – after it’s done baking, turn the oven off, open the door and let the bread sit and cool down in the oven. This helps take away some extra moisture without overcooking and drying out the top.
Hope that helps!
Alyssa says
Hi Sarah! I am allergic to both almonds and tapioca. Is there any way I could use cassava flour?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Alyssa! I wish I could help here but without trying it out myself I’m just not sure about using cassava in place of almond and tapioca
Kishawnie says
Hey!!! I finally found the perfect GF/Vegetarian recipe!!! Thank you! Lol I’m deleting the others that I saved. Anyways question! Am I able to use an egg substitute like flax egg? I’m vegetarian but I don’t eat eggs (lacto-vegetarian). Thanks!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Kishawnie! I’m afraid I’m not too sure about egg substitutes here. Without testing it myself first I couldn’t really say how well egg substitutes would work. Coconut flour is a tricky one to work with without using eggs as it can be a very drying flour if not enough moisture is used. If you end up trying this with a substitute could you let me know how it goes?