Once upon a time, I attempted to grow a garden. Garden growing should be an innate skill all Midwesterners have, right? Wrong. Apparently driving past a cornfield everyday for 20+ years does not give you an ounce of knowledge as to how to grow corn. However, I was very gifted at growing zucchini. I couldn’t give the zucchini away fast enough. Yada, yada, yada…and now we have this delicious Everything Zucchini Bread (that’s right, I yada, yada, yada-d you…I have a lot going on this week).

When I was bragging about how I was such an expert zucchini grower, someone lovingly told me that it is one of the easiest foods to grow. I don’t know how true that is, and I refuse to look it up because I prefer to think I am just naturally skilled at zucchini growing. Maybe one day I’ll open a whole zucchini farm. People from near and far will be asking for my delicious, giant zucchini (my zucchini were often nearing the size of small baseball bats because I did not visit my garden frequently enough…I think we are beginning to get to the root of the problem with my garden).

My garden attempt took place when I was living in Colorado. Maybe my innate gardening skills will come out now that I am living in the Midwest again (hello, humidity). I’ll keep you updated. Nevertheless, whether you have so much zucchini that you are considering trying to find a way to turn it into gasoline or if you are simply in the mood for a tasty treat, we hope you like this Everything Zucchini Bread.

Fun Fact

You may notice a change in background in these photos. That’s because we took pictures at my parents house. Not only did we get to bake this delicious vegan zucchini bread, but we also got to visit my dad for Father’s Day and pick up a new adorable puppy for my mother in law. Ow, ow, ow…stop twisting my arm…I’ll share a photo of the puppy…

She is 3.5 pounds of adorable fluff! Now let’s get back to the baking…

What Makes This Everything Zucchini Bread So Special?

This is not your average zucchini bread! This yummy zucchini bread has a bit of a soft crunch on the outside and the inside is moist, flavorful, crumbly, and delicious. It is also packed full of healthy and delicious nutrients. This delicious zucchini bread is vegan! Just make sure to double check your labels to make sure you purchased vegan products.

We use 1 ripe banana and unsweetened applesauce to help sweeten this tasty vegan zucchini bread (yay). But we also use ¼ cup of maple syrup. We recommend using real maple syrup. The average syrup I usually see in the midwest is a syrup flavored with maple; this tends to be full of refined sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Real maple syrup is a bit healthier because it has some vitamins and minerals. However, real maple syrup still has sugar and is far from a superfood, so eat it in moderation. Check out Healthline for more information on maple syrup.

Thanks to the flaxseed and the olive oil, this delicious zucchini bread is full of omega-3s. Your heart will thank you! If you have not used flaxseed in the past, do not be intimidated. Flaxseed can be found in most grocery stores, including Target and Walmart. It is either in the health food aisle or the baking aisle. Check out what Mayo Clinic has to say about flaxseed.

This is an “everything” zucchini bread because it has…everything! Nuts, coconut, chocolate chips – toss it all in! We love the variety in this bread. It certainly adds to the uniqueness of this delicious recipe.

A Few Notes About This Delicious Vegan Zucchini Bread

• A big thank you to The View From The Great Island as her Ultimate One Bowl Zucchini Bread helped inspire this recipe. Make sure to check her recipe out!
• Another thank you to Kristin Donnelly’s “6 Clever Ways to Customize Zucchini Bread” from Food and Wine. I hope to try to idea for a chai flavor in the near future.
• A lot of recipes use shredded zucchini in their recipe, but I prefer blending my zucchini. Shredding zucchini is a bit time consuming. When you blend zucchini, it is fully incorporated into the recipe. I don’t want to see tiny zucchini pieces in my bread (I prefer to see tiny chocolate chips instead).
• You have a bit of flexibility regarding the “toppings.” I use ⅓ cup each of mini chocolate chips, unsweetened coconut, crush pistachio, and chopped pecans or walnuts. You can mix and match these depending on what you have on hand. I recommend using at least 1 cup of toppings and not more than 1 ⅓ cups of toppings.
• I buy pre-chopped pecans or walnuts, but I crush the pistachio by hand (can you buy it pre-crushed?). Measure ⅓ cup of pistachios (make sure to remove them from the shells), toss them in a ziplock bag, and hit them with a hammer. It only takes a couple minutes and they are a yummy addition.
• Stir until ingredients are just combined – be careful not to over-stir.
• I prefer to store my vegan zucchini bread tightly wrapped in the fridge. According to Still Tasty, zucchini bread can last 1 week in the fridge and 2-3 months in the freezer.
• I’ve used all-purpose flour and wheat-white flour for this recipe. Both versions taste delicious!

Other Tasty Recipes

• In the mood for another snack idea with hidden vegetables? Check out Soft and Rich Red Velvet Cookies with Hidden Beets.
• Looking for a quick and easy dinner or lunch idea? Check out Lu’s Simple, Delicious White Bean and Veggie Quesadillas.
• Lu also has a great recipe for a Healthy Mocha Smoothie (Refined Sugar Free) that we highly recommend.

Everything Zucchini Bread Your New Favorite (Vegan)

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ifyougiveagirlanoven@gmail.com Course: Snacks, DessertDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Tasty, and nutritious – this healthy vegan zucchini bread has a soft crunch outside and moist, flavorful, crumbly, and delicious inside.

Ingredients

• 1 medium zucchini

• 1 ripe banana

• ⅓ cup applesauce (unsweetened)

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• ⅓ cup olive oil

• ¼ cup maple syrup

• ⅓ cup flaxseed

• 2 cups all purpose or wheat-white flour

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda

• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• ½ teaspoon nutmeg

• ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

• ⅓ cup unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

• ⅓ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

• ⅓ cup crushed pistachio (optional)

Directions

• Blend zucchini, banana, applesauce, and water. Stir in vanilla extract, olive oil, maple syrup, and flaxseed. Let sit for ~5 minutes so flaxseed can thicken.
• In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
• Mix dry ingredients into wet bowl. Stir until just combined (do not over-stir)
• Add mini chocolate chips, chopped pecans, coconut flakes, and crushed pistachios (or preferred add ins). Stir until just combined (do not over-stir).
• Pour into greased 9x5inch bread pan and bake at 350F for 60-65 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before enjoying!

Notes

• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

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