This dairy free zucchini bread is soft, moist, with a light cinnamon spice and pockets of rich dark chocolate chips. It’s the perfect recipe to use up any extra zucchini! Plus, it’s made in one bowl and uses simple everyday baking ingredients. Enjoy this classic bread for morning tea or keep slices in the freezer for easy snacks.
Zucchini is not my favourite vegetable I’ll confess, but in certain recipes like my favourite zucchini fritters or packed into a classic zucchini slice I do really enjoy it. But when combined with some sugar and chocolate, it becomes next level incredible.
While I am completely obsessed with banana bread, I’ve always been hesitant to try zucchini bread as it didn’t particularly sound appealing to me. But after testing a few zucchini bread recipes I can safely say that I have definitely been missing out all these years!
You really can’t taste the zucchini at all, it just melts into the batter and keeps everything super soft and moist. If you’ve got loads of zucchini to use up, or you’re just looking for more ways to enjoy it while it’s in season, this bread is for you.
What’s the difference between a quick bread and a loaf cake?
Zucchini bread is what’s known as a quick bread. Unlike a cake, there’s no creaming of butter and sugar, and unlike a traditional bread, there’s no yeast. Instead it’s leavened with baking powder and bicarb soda and mixed quickly by hand, which is where the name comes from.
If you love a quick bread like I do, you’ll also want my dairy free pumpkin bread and my apple cinnamon bread.
Key Ingredients
This chocolate chip zucchini bread uses simple everyday baking ingredients, and it all comes together in one bowl.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Zucchini – You’ll need about 2 zucchini’s for this recipe, grated and lightly squeezed. You want to remove some of the moisture but not all of it, as a little dampness keeps the loaf tender.
- Canola oil – or any light tasting oil, for a soft, moist crumb.
- White and brown sugar – the brown sugar adds a little extra depth as well as moisture. I don’t recommend reducing the sugar in this recipe as you won’t get the same texture.
- Eggs – I originally tested this recipe as an egg-free version, but found eggs to be important to get the perfect zucchini bread texture.
- Vanilla extract – for flavour.
- Plain flour – also known as all purpose flour.
- Cinnamon – just a little bit gives a lovely warm spiced flavour without being overpowering.
- Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda/baking soda – the combination of both in this recipe are important to ensuring the proper rise and lift over a long bake time.
- Dairy free chocolate chips – optional, but the little pockets of dark chocolate are so good. Leave them out for a plain zucchini bread if you prefer.
When is zucchini in season?
Zucchini is a summer vegetable in the US, but here in Australia it’s in season in winter. So it’s one of those vegetables that’s somehow in season on both sides of the world at the same time.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Place the grated zucchini in a clean tea towel or paper towel and gently squeeze out some of the moisture. It should still feel damp, not dry.
Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the canola oil, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth and well combined.
Step 3: Stir the grated zucchini through the wet mixture.
Step 4: Add the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, bicarb soda and salt. Using a spatula, gently mix everything together. Fold through the chocolate chips.
Step 5: Transfer the batter to the tin and smooth the top. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cover loosely with foil if it’s browning too quickly.
Step 6: Let the bread cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
👉 Tip! Don’t fuss too much when squeezing the liquid from the grated zucchini. You want to remove the excess water, but it should still be a little damp as that is what keeps the loaf soft and tender rather than dry.
Storage Instructions
This bread keeps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It’s also brilliant for the freezer, either as a whole loaf or in individual slices, for up to 3 months.
To freeze, wrap first tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap whole loaves in aluminium foil, or place individually wrapped slices in a zip lock bag. This prevents freezer burn and ensures your zucchini bread tastes fresh when defrosted.
To serve, let it thaw at room temperature, or zap a slice in the microwave for a few seconds to bring back that warm, freshly baked taste.
Recipe FAQs
No, leave the skin on. It softens completely as the bread bakes, so you won’t notice it, and it adds little flecks of green through the loaf.
While I haven’t tested it, I would recommend using a good quality 1-1 gluten free plain flour blend in place of the plain flour. I recommend Bob’s Red Mill.
When I was testing this recipe, I really needed the eggs to get the texture right. Without them, the loaf was quite dry and crumbly, so I don’t have a vegan version or substitution I’d recommend at this point.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More dairy free loaves:
Coffee and Walnut Loaf Cake
Healthy Banana Bread with Oats
Vegan Lemon and Raspberry Loaf Cake
Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake
Dairy Free Zucchini Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 grams (2 cups) grated zucchini
- 125 ml (½ cup) canola oil
- 100 grams (½ cup) white sugar/granulated sugar
- 110 grams (½ cup) brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 265 grams (1 ¾ cups) plain flour/all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 90 grams (½ cup) dairy free chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F. Line a 20 x 10 cm / 8 x 4 inch loaf tin with baking paper and lightly grease with cooking spray.
- Place the 250 grams grated zucchini in a clean tea towel or several sheets of paper towel and gently squeeze out some of the excess moisture. The zucchini should still feel damp. You don't want to squeeze it completely dry.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 125 ml canola oil, 100 grams white sugar/granulated sugar, 110 grams brown sugar, 2 large eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract until smooth and well combined.
- Stir through the grated zucchini.
- Add the 265 grams plain flour/all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda and ½ teaspoon salt. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, gently fold the ingredients together until no streaks of flour remain. Be careful not to overmix.
- If using, fold through the 90 grams dairy free chocolate chips.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf tin and smooth the top. Run a butter knife through the centre of the batter to create a shallow line, which helps the loaf rise evenly.
- Bake for 60–70 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached. If the loaf begins browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminium foil for the remaining baking time.
- Allow the zucchini bread to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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