You are in for a special treat if you love sweet quick bread. This old-fashioned Gluten Free Zucchini Bread is one of the best! It is tender and full of delicious flavor. It makes a delicious breakfast or snack. A special bonus, this moist zucchini bread is also dairy-free with a refined sugar-free option!!
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You are going to love my recipe for gluten free zucchini bread. I have made and tested this recipe multiple times with perfect results.
My zucchini bread is easy to make from scratch, and it is my favorite way to hide veggies...Mr. Fearless Dining and my kids are not fans of zucchini. Mr. Fearless Dining will put on a brave face at the dinner table, but the kids...nope.
If you love zucchini as much as I do (but need to hide it in recipes to get your hubby to eat it.) Check out these delicious gluten free muffins recipes too.
Why This GF Zucchini Bread Is Great:
- Wait until you take a bite of this gf zucchini bread; you are going to love the cinnamon and sweetness. It tastes like you bought a loaf at a bakery!
- Nobody will know this recipe is both gluten free and dairy-free! It is that good!
- This zucchini bread with almond flour has no refined sugars but still tastes good.
- I include several flavor options and recipe variations.
If you love bakery quality sweet quickbread, try this easy Gluten Free Banana Strawberry Bread recipe.
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
Ingredient Notes:
- Zucchini
- Gluten Free Flour Blend - I tested this recipe using Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur's Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn't mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum - If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon. See the substitutions section for a gum-free flour blend option.
- Almond Flour - I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your gluten free zucchini bread grainy. See the substitutions for a nut-free option.
- Coconut Sugar - I use this to eliminate refined sugar, but you can also use brown sugar.
- Flaxseed Meal - Full of omega 3s and healthy stuff. For best results, make sure to use the ground meal and NOT the whole seeds!
- Ground Cinnamon
- Baking Powder/Baking Soda - Use aluminum-free baking powder.
- Oil - Use coconut oil or another light oil. Canola oil and avocado oil also worked well when I tested them in this recipe. I don't recommend olive oil because it adds too much olive flavor.
- Almond Milk - I used almond milk, but other dairy-free milk will work. I do not recommend canned coconut milk. You can also use regular milk if you are not dairy-free.
- Eggs - Use size large.
- Vanilla Extract - Use pure vanilla extract if possible.
- Walnuts or Pecans
Substitutions and Flavor Variations:
There are many ways to change this delicious gluten free zucchini bread recipe. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Chocolate Chips - Add chips! Use Enjoy Life brand chocolate chips if you are dairy-free.)
- Raisins add even more fruit sweetness.
- Make it nut-free. Omit the almond flour and add ½ cup of additional gluten free flour blend. Do not use nut-based plant milk.
- Make it gum-free. If you can't eat xanthan or guar gum, use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend to make this gluten free zucchini bread recipe.
How To Shred Zucchini:
- Put a grater over a bowl and shred the zucchini straight into a bowl.
- Use a food processor.
- You can use a vegetable mandolin. (Just make sure the one you have has a handle to protect your fingers.)
I have had my Hamilton Beach Food Processor for years. It is durable and never lets me down.
Tips For Sucess:
- Do not over-mix the bread batter. This will deflate the air bubbles from mixing and make your bread denser. For this reason, I do not recommend using a stand mixer.
- Line your loaf pan with parchment paper so the zucchini bread slides out easily.
- Use a clean dishcloth or paper towel to squeeze the water out of the shredded zucchini. This will prevent your bread from being soggy.
For more tips, check out my Gluten Free Cake Troubleshooting Guide, which is applicable for all quick breads.
Tools For Quick Bread:
How To Make Gluten Free Zucchini Bread:
Step 1: Grate the zucchini, squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini shreds, and add it to a medium-sized
Step 2: Add the remaining wet ingredients to the zucchini shreds and whisk to blend.
Add the dry ingredients to a large
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently. If you over-mix the batter, your cake will be denser.
Step 4: Here is the batter so you can see the consistency. Note every gluten free flour blend behaves a little differently. Starchier blends may need more liquid.
Did you know?
If your batter sits for 10-15 minutes before baking, your baked goods will not turn out gritty. Grittiness comes from the rice flour in gluten free flour blends. Letting the batter sit allows the rice flour time to soften.
Step 5: Spray coconut oil or this gluten free baking spray in a bread loaf pan and sprinkle coarse sugar on top. Bake at 350º F.
This recipe will make two small loaves of zucchini bread or one big loaf and 6 muffins. If you love this recipe, you will want to also try my easy Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins recipe.
Storage:
Wrap the leftovers in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container. Gluten free baked goods tend to spoil quickly due to the lack of preservatives, so I recommend storing it in the refrigerator. If you are not going to eat it in two days, I recommend freezing it. See the FAQ for directions to freeze this bread.
Recipe FAQ:
Many people often wonder if they should peel the zucchini for this recipe. Definitely not! Those zucchini peels not only add fiber to this zucchini loaf, but it also adds beautiful specs of green :-). Which is awesome unless you have a child who has a green veggie radar!!
I like to use the toothpick test :-). Grab a toothpick and insert it into the middle of your loaf. If the toothpick comes out clean, your gluten free zucchini bread is ready. If you see batter or crumbs, you will need to bake it a bit longer.
Yes, you can easily freeze this zucchini bread. When your loaf is fully cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap. Next, wrap it in aluminum foil. I then put it into a large ziplock freezer bag and freeze it. This zucchini bread will keep in the freezer for 3-4 months. (It will keep longer, but you can risk it becoming freezer burned.)
More Quick Bread Recipes:
- Gluten Free Banana Bread
- Easy Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
- Gluten Free Cranberry Bread
- The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- 1 cup almond flour * see note
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 1 ½ cups almond milk * see note
- 3 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup coconut oil melted, or another light oil
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425º F.
- Spray coconut oil in two loaf pans and set aside.
- Shred your zucchini and use a paper towel to squeeze out the extra liquid.
- In a large bowl, add dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a smaller bowl, add wet ingredients (including shredded zucchini).
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix gently. Do not overmix your batter, or your bread will turn out dense.
- Pour the batter into the two prepared bread loaf tins. Spray oil in the pans and line with parchment paper.
- Optional, sprinkle course sugar on top of the loaves.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425º F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350º F and bake 35-40 minutes until done. (Baking at high heat for 5 minutes makes your loaf dome up in a beautiful way!) The actual baking time will vary depending on the size of your loaf pans.
- Remove from the oven and carefully remove the cakes from the hot pans to a cooling rack. Do not slice the bread until it is cooled.
Notes
- It is important to squeeze your zucchini shreds into paper towels to absorb the extra liquid before adding them to the wet ingredients.
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn't mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain Xanthan Gum or Guar Gum, please add 1 teaspoon. You can use my DIY Gluten Free Flour Blend if you are gum-free.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your donuts grainy.
- To make this recipe nut-free, omit the almond flour and substitute an additional ½ cup gluten free flour blend.
- Other dairy-free milk will work, but I do not recommend canned coconut milk.
- This bread will keep up to 2 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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*Note, this post was updated from an older post in February 2017. See below for a photo of the old post.
Kimberly
I want to make this for a family who has a child allergic to almonds. What flour can i use instead of almond (I'm aware that different flours act differently in baking)?
Also, 8 have frozen shredded zucchini. I will drain off water when it thaws. Should I use 1 1/2 cups of the thawed, drained zucchini?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Kimberly, you can use more flour instead of the almond meal. Try 1/2 cup additional gluten free flour blend and skip the almond flour. You may need to adjust wet ingredients a little based on the frozen zucchini (which I have never tried in baking)
Kelly
This reminds me of my grandma's recipe and it's delicious!
Sandi Gaertner
It tastes like Grandma's too 🙂