What Makes This Recipe So Good
Summer is zucchini’s time to shine, and vegan zucchini bread is a delicious way to work more veggies into your day. Grate it super fine and your pickiest eaters won’t even know it’s there!This recipe gives you an incredibly moist bread that’s not dense or heavy. It’s completely dairy free and it’s so easy to make it gluten free, too.Leftover vegan zucchini bread slices will stay good up to one week – just refrigerate them in an airtight container! You can store it at room temperature (again, in an airtight container) if you’d like, but it won’t keep as long.
Key Ingredients
Applesauce – In vegan and dairy free baking, applesauce replaces the butter and some of the oil you’d use in traditional baking. It has a ton of water which helps your baked goods stay moist and fresh. Don’t worry, it won’t make your bread taste overwhelmingly like apples! If it leaves any flavor at all, it’ll be really subtle.Coconut Oil – Like applesauce, coconut oil is a great substitution for butter and other oils commonly used in baked goods. For a lighter coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil instead of virgin or extra virgin. If you don’t mind the coconut flavor, though, unrefined coconut oil may contain more antioxidants and phytonutrients than the refined version.Zucchini – For the best zucchini, you want to look for ones that are small and firm and heavy. Larger ones will be watery and have less flavor. Fresh zucchini will have a smooth, shiny, vibrant skin, and if they’ve still got some of the stem attached then that’s even better! You can use frozen zucchini if you want, but you’ll need to thaw it completely and drain all the moisture really, really well.
Chef’s Tips
Want to make vegan zucchini bread muffins instead of a loaf? You totally can! You’ll just need to reduce the baking time. See the “Notes” section of the recipe card below for specifics!Your coconut oil should be melted to start. Since the milk and maybe the applesauce (depending on how you store it) will be cold, you’ll want to whisk everything together quickly so the coconut oil doesn’t solidify when you add it. If it does, no problem, just warm the mixture in the microwave for a few seconds to make the ingredients easier to combine.To use the right amount of zucchini, you’ll want to grate it and drain it before you measure it out. Use a box grater or a food processor with the shredder attachment to grate your zucchini into fine pieces. Lay the grated zucchini on layers of paper towels, then place more paper towels on top. Press and roll the paper towels to extract as much of the moisture from the zucchini as possible, then measure out the 1 cup of zucchini you need for your vegan zucchini bread.For a sweet twist, fold in vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of walnuts for a vegan chocolate chip zucchini bread. You can also try using a chocolate plant-based milk in combination with or in place of the plant-based milk the recipe calls for.
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