The Best Vegan Zucchini Bread

If summer had a flavor, it might taste like warm zucchini bread fresh out of the oven. With zucchini in abundance this time of year, there’s no better way to use it up than with my moist, flavorful, and completely vegan zucchini bread recipe. It’s the kind of bread you might expect to find at a roadside farm stand but mine is completely plant-based.

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Zucchini Bread

• Perfect for summer produce: When your garden (or your neighbor’s) is overflowing with zucchini, this recipe is the best way to put it to use.
• No dairy, no eggs: This loaf is soft, tender, and sweet without any animal products. We’re using cornstarch and applesauce to replace the eggs and dairy isn’t needed.
• Better than store-bought: It tastes like a homemade bakery treat, but you don’t need fancy ingredients to pull it off.
• Freezer-friendly: Bake two loaves one to enjoy now and one to freeze for later.

What you’ll need

The magic of this vegan zucchini bread is in its simplicity. You likely have most of these pantry staples already on hand:

• Fresh zucchini (grated and squeezed in paper towels or a cloth to remove excess moisture).
• All-purpose flour (or sub with part whole wheat for extra nuttiness) I have not tested a gluten free blend.
• Neutral oil (or coconut oil but make sure it’s liquid and not solid).
• Granulated and brown sugar (use organic to ensure it’s vegan).
• Warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.
• Baking powder + baking soda for that perfect rise.

Optional add-ins: try adding vegan chocolate chips (my personal fave), raisins, or shredded coconut for a little extra texture and flavor.

Tips for Success

• Don’t skip draining the zucchini! Grating and gently squeezing out excess liquid ensures your bread won’t be soggy.
• Use my reverse creaming method. This prevents over-mixing that can make your loaf too dense.
• Let it cool (if you can wait). The flavors deepen as the bread rests, making it even better the next day.
• Bake at a slightly lower temp. I bake this at 325° as quick breads bake for an hour usually and this can cause it to brown too quickly. To combat this, I place the loaf pan on a metal tray before placing in the oven and bake an extra 15 minutes until a tester comes out clean.

Serving Ideas

This bread is so versatile! Serve it warm with a pat of vegan butter, toasted with a drizzle of maple syrup, or enjoy it as-is with your morning coffee. It’s also a hit packed into lunchboxes or brought along for picnics or road trips.

This vegan zucchini bread recipe is the ultimate way to celebrate summer’s bounty. It’s nostalgic, comforting, and every bit as delicious as the kind you’d find at a farm stand but 100% plant-based. Whether you’re a seasoned baker or new to vegan baking, this loaf is simple, foolproof, and guaranteed to impress.

👉 Ready to bake your own? Scroll down for the full recipe card and start turning those zucchinis into the best vegan zucchini bread you’ve ever had.

The Best Vegan Zucchini Bread

Recipe by Kreg Sterns

5.0 from 3 votes

Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

15

minutes

When life gives you too much zucchini, make my delicious vegan zucchini bread!

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Dry Ingredients

• 2 1⁄2 cups all purpose flour

• 3⁄4 cup granulated sugar

• 1 cup brown sugar

• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch

• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons Kosher salt

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• Wet Ingredients

• 1 cup plain vegetable oil

• 1⁄2 cup unsweetened applesauce

• 1 cup water, room temperature

• 1 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

• 2 finely shredded zucchini (about 2 medium sized zucchini, squeezed in a towel to remove excess moisture)

• Mix-Ins and Topping

• 1⁄2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

• Raw or turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top

Directions

• Shred the zucchini (remove the tough ends but no need to peel) using a box grater (medium hole side) or use the shredding disc attachment on a food processor (stand the zucchini in the feed tube upright on the short round side not long side so you get shorter, smaller shreds) and then place in a clean towel or use doubled paper towels and squeeze out some excess moisture. It doesn’t need to completely dry but you need to remove as much as you can so the zucchini bread isn’t soggy. Set aside.
• I’m using the “reverse creaming” method for this quick bread which means fat is added to the dry ingredients first so they’re coated preventing them from forming gluten and then the wet are added afterwards so it’s very hard to over-mix which can often result in a tough bake. In a large bowl using a hand or stand mixer, add all of the dry ingredients (flour through nutmeg) and mix well to combine and remove any large lumps.
• Add the vegetable oil and mix well to combine and make sure the dry mixture is completely coated. It will look dry and clumpy and that is correct.
• Add the applesauce, room temperature water, vinegar or lemon juice and the reserved shredded zucchini and mix well until combined. It would be hard at this point to over-mix and form gluten but don’t go crazy and mix for 10 minutes. It should just need a minute or so to combine completely. I like to use a rubber spatula and make sure to scrape down the sides at least once during mixing and fold the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl to ensure it’s all been mixed well. Add any mix-ins at this point like nuts, dried fruits or chocolate chips and stir to combine.
• Preheat your oven to 325° and grease and flour your baking pan. I used a larger 10” loaf pan but you could use two smaller 8” loaf pans (distribute batter evenly) or bake in an oblong baking dish as a snack cake instead. (You’ll need to adjust baking times for different sized pans so check online for those and start testing with a cake tester or toothpick sooner than later.)
• Pour the batter into your prepared pan and tap the pan on the counter to remove any large air bubbles and sprinkle some turbinado sugar on top if desired. I place the loaf pan on a metal baking tray to prevent over-browning of the bottom as it does bake for a while. Bake anywhere from 65-75 minutes (or more) or until a cake tester or toothpick come out clean (make sure to get to the bottom and test in the middle as that’s often where it bakes and sets last).
• Cool for 15-20 minutes then remove from the pan. I usually invert it on a wire rack then flip it over again to finish cooling completely before slicing but you may want to serve it warm. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers wrapped well.

Recipe Video

Notes

• You can use potato starch or arrowroot in place of cornstarch. It adds tenderness and also acts a bit of an egg replacement.
• I’ve not tested this with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend but I would think it would work well.
• If you want to reduce the amount of oil, you could by 1/4 cup and add 1/4 extra applesauce to the batter.

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