The BEST Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

The BEST Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe with dairy-free and refined sugar-free options. This healthy zucchini bread recipe is perfectly moist, fluffy, and perfect for breakfast, snack, or dessert!

Strap in for what I consider to be the secret to a great life. Ready?

A thick center slice of warm fresh zucchini bread with melted butter saturated all the way through. Trust me on this one.

It’s as though your face has won the lottery and is sleeping soundly in a pile of warm clean laundry (all cotton). 

That is the secret.

But…salted butter now, you hear?

Ultra moist, crazy fluffy, perfectly sweet and cinnamony, this easy recipe is fun to make, is loved by humans of all ages, and turns out just like a classic zucchini bread recipe. 

You can easily make it dairy-free and refined sugar-free, or use what you have on hand. I have included instructions for numerous methods.

My personal favorite version is using melted butter and adding chocolate chips.

This gf zucchini bread is to throw together at a moment’s notice. All you need is one large mixing bowl and some measuring cups. No stand mixer necessary. 

You may have everything you need already, plus we have options for adapting the recipe according to what you have in your pantry.

For instance, if you aren’t dairy-free you can easily use butter instead of oil to prepare the recipe. I make it all sorts of ways, sometimes using butter or avocado oil. 

Similarly, If you typically bake with regular sugar, you can just as easily swap out the coconut sugar for cane sugar.

Here are the ingredients for the best zucchini bread.

Ingredients For Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread:

Gluten-Free Flour: I use a gluten-free flour blend, which can be used as a 1:1 replacement for regular all-purpose flour.

Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour is my top recommendation, followed by King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour (which doesn’t contain xanthan gum) and Pamela’s Artisan Gluten-Free Flour Blend.

Do note that results vary slightly depending on which gluten-free flour blend you use as each brand as a different level of absorbency and leavening agents.

If you use a different flour blend, please feel free to drop a comment below letting us all know what worked.

Don’t replace the gluten-free flour blend with a grain-free flour, as the result will not be the same!

Zucchini: The main event here is shredded zucchini! We simply grate up 1 medium-sized zucchini to generate 2 cups of grated green. While the zucchini shreds contain a lot of moisture, you won’t need to drain the zucchini first to remove the excess moisture.

I budget the moisture into the recipe, because I’m too lazy to wait for zucchini to leach excess water.

Coconut Sugar (or Granulated Sweetener of Choice): Keeping it refined sugar-free, coconut sugar has a naturally caramel-ish flavor and is lower on the glycemic index than cane sugar.

If you don’t have any on hand, swap it for brown sugar or granulated cane sugar. You can also use a sugar-free sweetener to keep it lower carb.

I don’t recommend using a liquid sweetener like pure maple syrup because it will throw off the wet to dry ratio.

Ground Cinnamon: GO WILD with the cinnamon. I use 2 to 3 teaspoons in my zucchini bread and banana bread. It does amazing things for the flavor and sweetness of a baked good. You can add in some fresh ground nutmeg too if you’d like.

Eggs: Makes the zucchini bread nice and fluffy and holds together. Bring them out of the refrigerator 15 minutes ahead of time so that they can come to room temperature. 

Avocado Oil (or Coconut Oil or Butter): The fat to lube this thing up, keep it nice and moist and help do the chemistry magic to ensure the loaf loaves itself. I know…science is sexy.

Use avocado oil, olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or melted butter as a replacement for coconut oil. If you use butter, use 14 tablespoons of butter.

Baking Powder + Sea Salt: Baking powder is used to leaven the bread, making it nice and fluffy and hold-togethery-y. Sea salt brings out the cinnamon and sweet flavors. Don’t skip it!

This tried and true recipe can be made using all sorts of variations to please all your family members. 

Recipe Adaptations:

• If you’re looking for a grain-free version of this recipe, follow The Best Almond Flour Zucchini Bread or my Keto Zucchini Bread which uses coconut flour.
• Use coconut oil or melted butter instead of avocado oil. If you’re using melted butter, use 14 tablespoons.
• Add 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
• Add ⅔ cup chopped raw walnuts or pecans.

Now that we’ve covered the simple ingredients, lets make some zucchini bread batter!

How to Make The Best Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe:

Grate the zucchini using a box grater or a food processor. There is no need to blot it dry or to let it drain. You can put it to use right away.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil until combined. Stir in the grated zucchini, the coconut sugar (or white sugar) and vanilla extract.

Combine the dry ingredients (the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and sea salt) in s separate bowl.

Stir the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients until a thick, smooth batter forms. At this point, you can stir in chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts if you’d like. 

Pour the zucchini bread batter into the parchment-line loaf pan and smooth it into an even layer. I find it’s easiest to pour thick batter like this with the help of a rubber spatula to get all of the batter out of the mixing bowl.

If you’d like, you can sprinkle the top of the bread with extra chocolate chips. Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil but leave the foil tented so that the bread can grow during the baking process.

Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown on top and tests clean.

For the best results, check the internal temperature of the loaf to verify it is fully baked. To do so, insert a digital thermometer into the center of the loaf and wait until the numbers stop moving for an accurate read.

The loaf is considered fully cooked once it has reached 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Allow bread to cool at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

How to Store Zucchini Bread:

Cover the loaf pan with plastic wrap and store on the counter for up to 2 days. 

After two days or immediately after baking the loaf, store leftover zucchini bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Wrap zucchini bread in plastic wrap then store it in a sealed zip lock bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

Make gluten-free zucchini muffins out of this recipe by baking muffins at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes (or until they test clean).

And that’s it! The best zucchini bread to enjoy during zucchini season for a lovely treat!

It’s a great way to use up an abundance of zucchini for those of you who grow a garden, as you can bake loaf after loaf for friends, family and storing in the freezer.

Make this great recipe the next time you’re craving moist zucchini bread!

If you’re always up for a good quick bread recipe, check out these reader favorites.

More Gluten-Free Bread Recipes:

• The Best Gluten-Free Banana Bread Recipe
• Paleo Morning Glory Quick Bread
• Flourless Oatmeal Banana Bread
• Chocolate Chip Paleo Pumpkin Bread
• Paleo Carrot Cake Banana Bread

This gluten free zucchini bread is where melted butter goes to thrive.

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4.41 from 22 votes

The Best Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

Moist, fluffy healthy gluten-free zucchini bread – dairy-free and refined sugar-free

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Quick Breads

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 loaf

Calories: 269kcal

Author: Julia

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini grated, 2 cups
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar*
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 2/3 cup avocado oil**

Optional Add-ins:

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup raw chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and oil (or melted butter). Stir in the grated zucchini and the coconut sugar (and vanilla extract if adding).
• In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and sea salt and stir to combine.
• Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until a thick batter forms. If you'd like, you can stir in chocolate chips and/or chopped nuts at this point.
• Transfer the zucchini bread batter to the parchment-line loaf pan and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle with extra chocolate chips if desired.
• Cover the loaf pan with aluminum foil, leaving the foil tented so that the bread has room to grow. This will keep the top from becoming too dark during the baking process. Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, or until the bread tests clean. Baked goods are fully cooked when they reach an internal temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Insert a digital thermometer into the center of the zucchini bread to verify it is fully baked before removing it from the oven.
• Allow bread to cool at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving.

Notes

*You can also use regular cane sugar, brown sugar, or maple sugar in place of coconut sugar.

**You can also use melted and cooled butter or coconut oil. If you use butter, use 14 Tablespoons instead of 2/3 cup. For coconut oil, stick with 2/3 cup.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice of 10 | Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g

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I originally shared this recipe on July 9, 2020. I made some minor changes to the recipe and updated the photos.