Healthy Zucchini Bread – Eat Lean

Moist, fluffy, healthier Zucchini Bread made with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini, and zero butter or refined sugar. Loaded with warm flavors and chunks of chocolate in every bite!

It’s almost pumpkin spice season and what better way to kick off my favorite time of year than with a moist and delicious pumpkin bread! This recipe is healthier than typical pumpkin breads because we’re using 100% whole grains, hidden veggies, Greek yogurt, coconut oil instead of butter, and sweetened with maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Crazy pumpkin flavor all packed with melted chocolate chips for the perfect fall quick bread!

Why you’ll love this pumpkin bread

• Pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla and warm spices make this the perfect fall gift!
• Made with 100% whole grains, grated zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.
• Easily customizable with fun combinations like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, dried fruit or fresh berries.
• It can easily make mini loaves, standard muffins or even bite-sized mini muffins for little hands.
• Freezer safe, so I recommend doubling or tripling this batch!

Ingredients you will need

• Wholemeal pastry flour – I love baking with whole wheat pastry flour as it has all the nutritional benefits of whole wheat flour while giving this bread a light and fluffy texture. I recommend using this, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can use white wholemeal or regular all-purpose flour.
• Bicarbonate of sodium – acts as a leavening agent to help the bread rise
• Courgette – You will need a medium zucchini and this not only adds nutritional benefits but also makes this quick bread nice and moist, just make sure you really squeeze the water out of the zucchini after grating.
• Pumpkin puree – I used canned pumpkin puree for this, just make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling as it is loaded with tons of sugar
• eggs – adds protein and gives this bread its structure and height
• maple syrup – sweeten this bread without using refined sugar, but you can also use honey or regular sugar
• coconut oil – for extra moisture and fluffiness! Feel free to replace it with another type of oil if you prefer or even butter
• greek yogurt – This helps reduce the amount of oil we have to use and helps keep the bread moist. You can also use applesauce or mashed banana
• milk – I used almond milk, but any kind of milk will work in this recipe
• Warm flavors – a delicious combination of pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips – I used Lily’s chocolate chips, which are gluten free, vegan, and sweetened with stevia, making the sugar content very low, while still having that delicious chocolate flavor! You can also use regular or even dark chocolate chips, but the sugar content will be much higher.

How to make pumpkin and zucchini bread

This particular recipe makes a standard loaf of bread, but you can also make 3 mini loaves (your neighbors will thank you!) or even muffins! See below for different cooking times depending on how you choose to do it.

1. Grate the zucchini. Using a box grater, mash the zucchini and remove all moisture with a cheesecloth or paper towel, squeezing out all the liquid in the sink.
2. Mix the ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, then set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and shredded zucchini, mixing until combined.
3. Make the dough. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined, being very careful not to over mix the batter, then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into a 9×5-inch pan sprayed with nonstick spray and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
4. BAKE! Bake the Pumpkin Zucchini Bread in the oven at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave the bread in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting onto a wire rack to cool. Slice and enjoy!

Tips, tricks and substitutions

• Make sure NOT to over mix the batter. This results in a super dense bread that we don’t want. Go for fluffy and soft!
• It is important to squeeze as much water as you can from the shredded zucchini. No need to peel the zucchini.
• Feel free to dip the whole wheat pastry flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour or even all-purpose flour. I do not recommend using almond flour or coconut flour in this recipe.
• You can easily swap out the Greek yogurt for mashed banana, applesauce, or extra pumpkin puree.
• Mix in other fun additions if you don’t want to use chocolate chips like chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans, coconut flakes, dried fruit or fresh berries.

Other cooking methods

• If making three mini loaves, bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. When I make for friends and family, I like to double this recipe and make 6 mini loaves!
• This recipe also makes delicious zucchini muffins. Simply spread the batter into 12 muffin cups sprayed with nonstick spray (or muffin liners) and bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes.
• Alternatively, you can make 24 mini muffins for bite-sized treats! Just bake these at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 17 minutes.

Preparation and storage

To save: This zucchini bread can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 3 days, but be sure to refrigerate after that to keep it longer. This bread will last up to a week in the fridge.

To freeze: This bread also freezes great! You can wrap the entire loaf in plastic wrap, foil, or a freezer-safe bag, or freeze individual slices. When ready to serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before slicing. This bread will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

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More healthy zucchini recipes you’ll love