Zucchini Bread – Skinnytaste

This moist, delicious zucchini bread with walnuts, cinnamon and vanilla is made healthy and light with applesauce – a great way to use up summer zucchini!

zucchini bread

This easy zucchini bread recipe was modified from my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread with lots of cinnamon, walnuts and vanilla. I love how this turned out!! It’s a classic zucchini bread recipe that’s lighter and not too sweet—just enough to make it perfect with morning coffee for breakfast or as an afternoon snack. To make it healthier I used half whole wheat flour with the all purpose flour which turned out great. Some zucchini recipes to bake this summer, try this Chocolate Zucchini Bread, Banana Zucchini Cake and Pineapple Zucchini Cupcakes.

Ingredients

• Grated zucchini: from about 1 1/4 large zucchini, unwrapped, not squeezed, as the moisture in the zucchini will help keep the bread moist.
• Flour: I used a mixture of all purpose flour and white whole wheat flour. However, regular whole wheat flour would be a suitable alternative, or you could choose to use all-purpose flour exclusively.
• Sweetener: Light brown or dark brown sugar, unpackaged.
• Spices: Vanilla, ground cinnamon and salt
• propellant: baking powder and baking soda to rise the bread (make sure they haven’t expired)
• Nuts: Chopped walnuts or pecans. You can also omit it.
• Egg: 1 large egg, added for texture and flavor
• Fat: melted unsalted butter or non-dairy butter moisturizes and helps rise
• applesauce: This helps reduce calories and replaces some of the butter.

How to make zucchini bread

1. Prepare pan: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Spray a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Mix dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well.
3. Add Nuts: Add 1/2 cup walnuts and mix gently.
4. Wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla, melted butter, and applesauce, then mix in the grated zucchini.
5. Combine: Add to the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.
6. Pour the batter into the pan: Pour the batter into the prepared 9×5 inch loaf pan and top with the remaining nuts.
7. Bake: Bake the bread for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Allow to cool: Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Remove the loaf from the mold and allow to cool further before slicing.

variations

• Sweetener: If you want to use the sweetener made from brown monk fruit instead of brown sugar, that’s no problem.
• No applesauce? Swap it for banana, but know it changes the taste.
• Nuts: Substitute pecans for walnuts or omit them.
• Spices: Add some nutmeg with cinnamon for a change.
• Muffins: Make zucchini muffins instead of a loaf—bake them until a toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
• Non dairy: Swap butter for coconut oil
• Yellow Pumpkin: If you like, you can use yellow squash instead of zucchini. Avoid using the seeds.

How to shred zucchini for bread

You can grate the zucchini with a kitchen grater or with the grater attachment in a food processor. Grating zucchini by hand gives you a finer texture, while chopping creates long strands.

How to store it

To store, slice each piece and wrap in plastic wrap. Store bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. For freezing, see the instructions below.

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