We already have a recipe for chocolate zucchini bread (it’s a fan favorite!), but we were missing a more classic version of this delicious loaf! Not anymore. Meet moist, nutty, subtly spiced zucchini bread that’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free!
This quick bread is perfectly sweet with a touch of wholesomeness and requires just 1 bowl and simple ingredients. You in? We thought so! Let us show you how it’s done!
How to Make Vegan Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
We start this recipe off with grating the zucchini and squeezing out its excess moisture. This step prevents the bread from being too dense or gummy and it’s an especially important one with gluten-free and vegan baking because it’s more prone to those issues (don’t worry, no gumminess here at MB, friends).
Next, we mix the zucchini with the remaining wet ingredients. Avocado or coconut oil provides richness, almond milk (or other milk) adds enough moisture to help it rise, and vanilla adds flavor. We found a combination of coconut sugar + maple syrup provided the best combination of natural sweetness, flavor, and texture.
A trio of gluten-free flours is important for making the texture of this zucchini bread undetectably gluten-free. While almond flour gives it a beautiful crumb, potato starch keeps it light and fluffy, and brown rice flour adds structure.
The remaining ingredients include flaxseed meal to keep it from crumbling, baking powder and baking soda for rise, cinnamon for classic zucchini bread flavor, and salt to enhance it all.
Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean from the center. For best texture, let cool fully to allow the gluten-free flours to absorb any remaining moisture.
We hope you LOVE this zucchini bread! It’s:
Moist
Fluffy
Wholesome
Comforting
Perfectly sweet
Cinnamon-infused
& Classic!
Enjoy as a healthier dessert, sweet snack, or on-the-go breakfast. It’s especially delicious served warm the next day topped with your favorite butter and a drizzle of maple syrup (or honey if not vegan).
It would also be amazing as part of a brunch spread with fresh fruit, Spicy Tempeh Breakfast Sausages, Fluffy Vegan Scrambled Eggs, and Lemon Ginger Turmeric Wellness Shots. Can we come over?
More Zucchini Recipes
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
The BEST Vegan Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup avocado oil (or other neutral oil — see notes*)
- 1/4 cup plain unsweetened dairy-free milk (we used almond)
- 1/3 cup coconut sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup grated zucchini, squeezed dry and lightly packed in measuring cup
- 1 ½ cups almond flour*
- 2/3 cup potato starch* (NOT potato flour)
- 1/4 cup brown rice flour*
- 2 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds)
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (176 C) and line an 8×4-inch (or similar size) loaf pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- If you haven’t already prepped your zucchini, do so now by grating and squeezing it dry. We like using a nut milk bag or clean dish towel to squeeze excess moisture from the zucchini. Set the prepped zucchini aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the avocado oil, dairy-free milk, coconut sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla, and whisk well to combine. Next, add the zucchini to the mixture and stir, being sure to break up any clumps. Lastly, add all the dry ingredients: almond flour, potato starch, brown rice flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir to fully combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake on the center rack for 60-70 minutes, until the outside is slightly crackly and a rich golden color. A toothpick or knife should come out clean (or with very few crumbs). Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 15 minutes, then pull up on the parchment paper to transfer to a cooling rack. We recommend letting it cool completely before cutting or it will be too moist and may crumble. It’s even better the next day!
- Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. Slice and freeze for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or toaster oven until tender and warmed through. It’s especially delicious topped with vegan butter and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Video
Notes
*If not gluten-free, you can try subbing ~1 cup all-purpose flour in place of the almond flour, potato starch, and brown rice flour (the lesser amount is because all-purpose flour is more absorbent than almond flour), but we haven’t tested it this way and can’t guarantee the result.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with avocado oil and almond milk.
Nancy Palmadessa says
Hello,
Do you have any guidance about how to best store this zucchini bread?
Thank you,
Nancy
Hi Nancy, for best texture, store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 2-3 days. It can also be sliced and frozen to keep for longer. Hope that helps!
Candice says
Mine is in the oven now! Anxious to see how it turns out…only complaint so far is I wish I’d known ahead of time not to use melted coconut oil–I hope it’s not an issue. I didn’t realize I didn’t have almond flour so I tried subbing with oat flour. Again, we’ll see how it turns out. In the future, can GF all purpose flour be subbed out for the rice, almond & potato flour?
So grateful for something vegan AND GF! (And clean besides)! That’s a rarity!
Hi Candice, we hope it turned out well for you! Did something go wrong with the coconut oil? It should work as long as you make sure your dairy-free milk is at room temperature (see notes). We wouldn’t recommend using GF all purpose flour – it won’t turn out the same.
Pauline says
I just made this with the only substitution was olive oil for the avocado oil. It is delicious and you’d never know it was GF. Stays together and is very moist.
Yay! We’re so glad it turned out well. Thank you for sharing, Pauline! xo
Ron says
After years of trying different recipes, this one earned me desert-baking rights for my family’s get togethers. The last time I made it I ran out of zucchini and just replaced the remaining 1/2 cup with carrots and I didn’t feel the texture or anything changed drastically. So yummy with perfect texture, thank you.
WE’re so glad you and your family enjoy it, Ron! Thanks so much for the lovely review.
Lenore says
Absolutely delicious and moist! I made this but wanted a savory bread so didn’t add the maple syrup or sugar and added 1 tsp dried herbs, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/2 tsp of onion powder instead. I grated too much zucchini so put in 2 cups instead of 1 cup. One thing I forgot to add was the potato starch but it still held together. I’ll remember the potato starch next time because I will definitely be making this one again.
Amrit says
This cake is so good, light, fluffy and airy despite being gf! I substituted the milk for water to reduce the fat content and used olive oil instead of avocado oil. Love it :) Cannot wait to try some of the other cake/gf bread recipes.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Amrit! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Laurel Keller says
A bit too crumble-y. Have you ever thought of having weight measurements for your flours?? wondering if we could get more consistent results then…
Hi Laurel, you can find the weight measurements by clicking “metric” beneath the ingredients header. The majority of our readers don’t have a kitchen scale, which is why we default to cup measurements.
Lucy Gorham says
Thank you for another excellent recipe, which I made as written. I have found GF and vegan baking to be tricky, with a few epic fails along the way that my son and I still laugh about, so I especially appreciate the care with which you test and test again for the optimal mix of GF flours, etc. MB is my go-to source for fantastic recipes. Next up — the chocolate version of this which sounds equally amazing.
Aw, we’re SO glad you enjoy our recipes, Lucy! Thank you for your kind words and lovely review! xo
Lisa Jones says
Very good! I had to make a few subs due to lack of ingredients, but it turned out great! (Tapioca starch for the potato starch, raw sugar for the coconut sugar, and chia seeds for the ground flax. All same measurements as original ingredients. The chia gave it a little subtle crunch.) It was very moist and delicious. I do wonder if it was denser than the original, but it was to my liking (like banana bread).
Hi Lisa, we’re so glad it was a success! Thank you for sharing! Potato starch makes it light and fluffy, while tapioca starch makes it more dense.
Natalie says
Turned out beautifully. I made muffins and I would recommend to try 10 muffins. I did 12 and they were a little small. And bake closer to 25 minutes.
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Natalie!
Ani D says
So yummy, also crumbly. :-(
I used avocado oil, the recommended flours (my rice flour was a bit old), fresh baking powder (baking soda also may have been on the old side) and even threw in an egg in addition to the flax as someone else mentioned they did since we are not vegan but it still was so crumbly! Also subbed brown sugar for coconut sugar so it tasted a bit more like a coffee cake, which may be your jam but I wouldn’t have minded the coconut sugar if we weren’t out. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll make this again for the crumble factor.
Hi Ani, so sorry that was your experience! Adding egg in addition to flax could cause it to dry out and be more prone to crumbling. It’s also possible that the brown sugar led to a more dry result vs. coconut sugar.
Kerry says
I don’t know what I did wrong. This turned out terrible. It was extremely dry and crumbled completely when trying to cut. I have made other of your recipes but this one didn’t work.
Hi Kerry, we’re so sorry this one didn’t work out for you! Did you make any modifications?
Kerry says
Followed recipe exactly. I was reading through comments and did use superfine almond flour so not sure if that was it. I have made other zucchini bread recipes with the same almond flour but didn’t have this problem.
Hmm… that could have something to do with it. Has your baking powder expired?
Kim says
Delicious! I would absolutely make again but I did want to report that mine came out pretty crumbly like a lot of other reviewers had mentioned. I followed the recipe to a T. I saw you had asked for specifics on the type of ingredient used so in case it’s helpful, I used super fine almond flour and sprouted brown rice flour. Not sure if either of those things caused the crumbliness.
Either way, it was so good. perfect amount of sweet ness and tasted amazing so 5 stars from me!
Thanks for the review and for sharing your ingredients, Kim! So glad you enjoyed!
Amy D says
I made this yesterday and it turned out great! A few notes: subbed olive oil for the avocado oil, also subbed Trader Joe’s gluten free flour blend for the brown rice flour, and baked for 48 mins.
Turned out nice and moist with a crisp crust.
Will make again, thanks for this delicious and healthy recipe!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Amy!
Lindsey says
Can confirm I did the same and it turned out delicious!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing, Lindsey!
Trish says
I tried this recipe only using cornstarch for potato starch, the bread is so yummy! Do you think the recipe would work with 1 cup of blueberries and 1 tsp of lemon zest? Just want to try a variation here.
Hi Trish, we’re so glad it turned out well! Thank you for sharing! We haven’t tested with blueberries and lemon zest, but it might be a worth a try. Let us know if you do!
Alexis says
I used coconut oil instead of avocado and had to heat it for a few seconds in the microwave because things did start to solidify (despite leaving the milk out). This was warm, moist, a tad crumbly, but the texture was pretty good though slightly dense. This had good flavor and was easy to make. I put a little bit of butter on it, since I’m no longer vegan and loved that. I’m sure vegan butter would do just fine though. I’m happy to have found an easy recipe for when I want zucchini bread but do not want to feel bloated from gluten after–or have to worry about the sweet intake quite so much. I would make this again. I really want to try it with avocado oil next time.
Thank you for sharing, Alexis! Avocado oil should help lighten it up and prevent the oil from solidifying.
Amber says
Hi!
Could I sub 1/2 of the zucchini with grated carrots? I was also going to add pecans and make them into muffins.
Baking time suggestions for muffins?
Thank you!!
Hi Amber, we haven’t tried this with carrots but we think it would work. For muffins we’d suggest starting with ~25 minutes and testing with a toothpick until they’re done. Let us know how it goes!
Michelle says
This was a wonderful zucchini bread! I didn’t have brown rice flour, so I substituted with a 1/4 cup of gluten free flour that has brown rice flour in it. The taste was a bit sweeter than I’m used to for zucchini bread but that doesn’t mean I didn’t gobble it up with tea. Thank you for always sharing wonderful, vegan recipes! I’m happy I made two loaves :).
Woohoo! Thanks so much for the review and for sharing your modifications, Michelle. We’re so glad you enjoyed!
Debra says
I made this recipe exactly as written. One thing that you should be aware of is that mine was completely baked in 40 minutes. It was good, but not very sweet. We’re used to having a sweeter zucchini bread. Does anyone have any suggestions for making this sweeter?
Hi Debra, thank you for sharing your experience! For a sweeter bread, you could increase the coconut sugar and maple syrup.
Roslyn EITEL says
Me too! Baked much quicker for some reason!
J-F Laurin says
I have made this zucchini bread 3 times in the past 2 weeks and they all turned out great. It really is the best vegan gluten-free zucchini bread recipe and my family just can’t get enough. They are moist and tasty. Thanks for sharing this and so many other great recipes!
Hi J-F, thanks so much for the wonderful review. We’re so glad you and your family are enjoying this bread!
corinne says
My niece made them and they were perfect! I want to make them muffins instead of a loaf cake. Any tips??
Thanks!
Hi Corinne, we haven’t tested it as muffins, but it should work! Another reader had success baking it into muffins with a bake time of 28 minutes! Let us know if you try it!
Jennifer says
I made this last night and although delicious it was completely crumbly and unable to hold its shape when cut. I feel like i need to try again. I used all ingredients with no substitutes. I also cooked for only 40 min and it was completely done.
Oh no! So sorry to hear this bread was crumbly, Jennifer. By any chance did you use super-fine almond flour? Other readers have had some issues as well and we are trying to determine what the cause might be. Thanks for sharing your experience!
Sarah says
Can you suggest a gluten free substitute for the rice flour please? This looks delicious.
I have cassava flour in the cupboard, or quinoa flakes I could blitz for quinoa flour?
Hi Sarah, Sorghum or oat flour could work in place of brown rice flour, but we haven’t tried either of these substitutions so we cannot guarantee results. Cassava would likely be too dense. Quinoa flour should work in terms of texture, but it can have a strong taste. Let us know if you try it out!
Candice says
What a great recipe! Wow! My cake turned out so fluffy, moist and light… I added 1 egg to recipe and it came out perfectly (but non-vegan of course)! Also, I only cooked it for 30 mins @ 175 C degrees! Will definitely be making this again, delicious! Thank-you!
Yay! Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Candice! xo
Ginx says
I made this and brought it to work. Everyone loved the flavor, but it was very crumbly! I followed instructions to a T, except for using canola oil rather than avocado oil. Any recommendations to address the tendency to crumble?
Oh no! Sorry to hear you experienced some crumbliness with this loaf. It sounds like you included the ground flax, which should have helped it hold together. We haven’t tested this with canola oil and aren’t sure if it would make a difference, but too much oil/fat can make baked goods more crumbly. We also have heard of other readers using superfine almond flour, which could make the loaf more dry. Let us know if we can help trouble-shoot any more!
Marie-Michele says
Hi. I usually have great results with your recipes but unfortunately not for this one. When I cut the completely cooled loaf, it crumbled apart. I doubled the recipe and I am fairly certain I did not miss anything. I did use erythritol/monkfruit blend to replace the sugar but I have done this before for your recipes with no issues. I added coarsely ground pecans for extra nutrients. Perhaps I dried out the zucchini too much? Thoughts? Thank you.
Hi Marie-Michele, sorry to hear that happened! Cane sugar does provide structure, so perhaps the sugar substitute was the issue. Pecans will also dry it out. It’s hard to say which one of those was contributing more!
Kate says
This was so tasty! I used the AP flour modification and it seemed to work just fine (although I do not discriminate when it comes to baked goods – takes a serious fail for me to not like it!). It seemed to bake up faster (40-50 mins in my oven) with the AP flour. Can’t wait to have another slice tomorrow with breakfast!
Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! xo
emily says
May I ask if you know if white rice flour and brown are interchangeable? Or perhaps, a 1:1 GF all purpose in place of the potato starch and rice flour? Thank you in advance
Hi Emily, they aren’t interchangeable, unfortunately! Brown rice flour provides more structure than white rice flour. Potato starch is ideal because it adds fluffiness and counteracts the zucchini to help to keep the loaf from being overly moist. If using a gluten-free all purpose flour, we think it will be a little gummy. The next best option would be corn starch, but we can’t guarantee it will turn out as well. Hope that helps!
Michelle says
Hi! Made this and it was so so good, wanting to make another – could I freeze the loaf do you think?
Hi Michelle, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! We think it should freeze great!
Fatima Yusuf says
Hi,
Can the potato starch be subbed for something else?
Thanks
Fatima
Hi Fatima, Potato starch is ideal because it adds fluffiness and counteracts the zucchini to help to keep the loaf from being overly moist. If not gluten-free, you could try all purpose flour. Otherwise, we’d say the next best option would be corn starch, but we haven’t tested that way so can’t guarantee the result.
Kim Lopez says
I just made this bread and it is sooooo yummy! So moist inside and crispy top! Perfect touch of sweetness!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kim! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Fran says
Flax is a bio-estrogen. Can I substitute Chia Seeds instead?
Also rice is said to contain too much cyanide, can I use another alternative? Which one?
Hi Fran, ground chia seeds could work in place of ground flax but we would suggest using 1 Tbsp instead of 2 since chia tends to be more “gummy”. Sorghum flour could work in place of brown rice flour, but we haven’t tried either of these substitutions so we cannot guarantee results. Hope this helps!
Pam says
It seems like there’s a lot of sodium in this, so I just want to double check that the baking soda, baking powder and salt amounts are correct. If so, has anyone tried baking it with reduced amounts?
Hi Pam, those amounts are correct. You can certainly reduce or omit the salt if you prefer, since the salt is simply included for balance of flavor. We would not suggest reducing the baking powder or soda, as they are necessary for the bread to rise and bake correctly, and are especially important in a vegan loaf to prevent sogginess. Hope this helps!
Nichola says
If you’re not Worried about gluten, can you just sub a flour for the ingredients (the flour and starch)
Hi Nichola, we haven’t tried this recipe with regular all purpose flour but it could work. You could trying using 1 – 1 1/2 cups of AP flour in place of all the flours in this recipe, but we cannot guarantee results. Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Ally says
What if you’re fine with the brown rice flour but want to sub out the almond flour?
Hi Ally, unfortunately almond flour is pretty key for the right texture! You could try cashew flour with a similar result. If nut-free, you could experiment with a lesser amount of GF blend in place of the almond flour, but it’s going to be more dense and floury.
Tina says
Have you made this adding vegan chocolate chips or cacao powder for a chocolate zucchini bread version?
Hi Tina, we have a chocolate zucchini bread recipe here. Hope that helps!
Nichola says
I’ll say I only use vegan chocolate chips and they work for everything!
Chaz says
Can this recipe be made in a bread machine ?
Hi Chaz, we don’t have any experience making quick breads (breads that use baking powder/soda instead of yeast) in a bread machine. Because this recipe does not need to “proof” or “rise” we aren’t sure if it would work. We cannot guarantee results, but let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
Marie Feeley says
Would love to make this but I have an allergy to almond nuts.
I am strictly gluten free and wonder if you would recommend an
alternative to almonds please.
I enjoy your recipes.
Thank you so much
Marie
Hi Marie, we’re so glad you enjoy our recipes! If you can have cashew flour, that might be the next best option! Otherwise, perhaps a lesser amount of buckwheat flour (ground in a blender from buckwheat groats)? We haven’t tested with cashew or buckwheat flour though so can’t guarantee the result. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Becky says
I’m excited to try this! Can you recommend a flour other than almond flour? We have some nut allergies in our home. Thanks!
Hi Becky, unfortunately almond flour is pretty key for the right texture, but if not gluten-free, you could try a lesser amount of all purpose flour. Hope that helps!
Marie-Josee says
I am looking forward to adding this recipe to my Sunday Brunches :)
Can we swap the Potato Starch for Arrowroot Starch ?
Bye for now !
Yay! Potato starch is ideal because it adds fluffiness and counteracts the zucchini to help to keep the loaf from being overly moist. We haven’t tested it with tapioca or arrowroot, but think it might turn out gummy. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Shannon says
I made it with arrowroot and although it’s fairly dense and sticky (maybe you would call it slightly gummy) it’s still delicious. When I mixed up the batter at first it seemed awfully sweet, so then I doubled the recipe without adding more sweetener, so I effectively halved the sweetener and I prefer it like that.
Christina says
Would cornstarch work well as a substitute for the potato starch? Thanks!
Hi Christina, unfortunately potato starch is ideal for the right texture in this loaf, it helps keep it fluffy! We haven’t tried it with cornstarch and cannot guarantee results, but it might work. Hope this helps!
Livia says
Hi, can I use tapioca Starch or Arrowroot, instead of potato starch?
Thanks!
Hi Livia, Potato starch is ideal because it adds fluffiness and counteracts the zucchini to help to keep the loaf from being overly moist. We haven’t tested it with tapioca or arrowroot, but think it might turn out gummy. Let us know if you do some experimenting!
Livia says
Thanks! I’ve tried it with tapioca starch and I really liked the texture. I don’t know how it is with potato starch, it is a bit gooey but perfect for me. :)
Great! Thank you for sharing, Livia!
Melissa says
Thank you for your response, I will give that a try! Also, I am a big fan of your work! I own your cookbooks and am often checking your website for new recipes. Your delicious recipes and beautiful photos encourage me to eat better and adopt a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for your inspiring work!
Melissa
Aw, this is SO great to hear, Melissa! Thank you for your kind words! xoxo
JG says
Do you think it would work to substitute applesauce for the oil? I have tried it in cake recipes with success.
Hi, Unfortunately we don’t think that would work as well. This loaf is already quite moist and the oil helps create a crumb texture. But let us know if you try it out!
Marena says
I didn’t add the milk. I put about 1 1/2 cups chopped zucchini in the blender with the rest of the wet ingredients. Subbed sorghum for the rice flour and did not add the baking soda. I chopped a dark chocolate bar and folded in the chunks. Put it in a muffin tin and baked for 28 minutes. Turned out perfectly and not too sweet. Thanks!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing, Marena!
Melissa says
I’m excited to try this! Could I try with a gluten free flour blend I bought at the store?
Thanks!
Hi Melissa, we did try this bread with our DIY blend and it was too dense, even a bit underdone in the middle. Depending on what brand of flour you got, it might work, but we cannot guarantee results. If you do try it, we would suggest only swapping it for the potato starch and brown rice flour, and keeping the almond flour if possible.