The BEST Vegan Zucchini Bread
on Sep 06, 2020, Updated Aug 23, 2024
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A delicious vegan quick-bread flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, and pecans.
Making vegan zucchini bread without eggs is easier than you might think, and this cozy comfort food has quickly become one of my favorites to make around this time of year.
It’s a great way to use up the rest of summer’s fresh zucchini, and the cozy spices like cinnamon and nutmeg hint that Fall is just around the corner. It’s basically like if the entire month of September was a baked good! Plus, it smells amazing while it bakes in the oven, and something about having this around makes me feel really homey and cozy, so I highly recommend giving it a try this weekend to enjoy for the week ahead.
It’s great paired with a cup of coffee for breakfast or enjoyed as an afternoon snack slathered with a thick layer of almond butter.
It also freezes really nicely, so I often make a double batch and freeze one loaf for later. That way I can heat up one slice at a time whenever I like. Such a nice treat!
I hope you enjoy this easy zucchini bread! It really is a goodie 😊
Easy Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 3/4 cup flour, all purpose
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt, I used Mortons
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, refined coconut oil, not virgin
- 2 tsp white rice vinegar
- 1.5 cups shredded zucchini
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Start by pre-heating the oven to 350 degrees. Then line a 8 1/2 x 4 in (standard 1 lb) loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides with refined coconut oil.
- Then grate a large zucchini using a box grater. I like to put the whole grater in a bowl to catch all of the zucchini, and then I grate this on side with the large holes. Put the shredded zucchini in a colander so the extra water can drain while you prep the other ingredients.
- Next, mix the ground flax seeds and water in a small bowl. Stir and set aside to thicken.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well and set aside.
- In another large bowl, combine the sugar and the coconut oil. Whisk for 1 full minute. Then add the vinegar and thickened flax egg and whisk for 2 minutes ( I set a timer 🤓) It should be lighter in color and much thicker and fluffier than when you started.
- Then, with clean hands, gently squeeze the zucchini in your fist to remove the excess water. You don't have to completely ring it dry, just a good squeeze to dry it out a bit. Then measure out 1.5 cups and add it into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Mix well.
- Then add 1/2 of the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir. When combined, add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until the flour is no longer visible, but be careful not to beat/over mix.
- Stir in the pecans so they're evenly distributed in the batter and then transfer to the prepared loaf pan. Smooth out the top lightly, and bake for 1 hour. In my oven, it takes exactly 1 hour and five minutes. It's better to let it go a little longer than you think it needs or else the inside will be doughy.
- Side note: Your kitchen should smell AMAZING at this point, so take a moment to enjoy how cozy it feels to have a kitchen that smells like baked goods and cinnamon. It's the little things 💛
- After about an hour, insert a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean you can remove the pan from the oven and set it on a rack to cool. After 5-10 minutes, gently remove the zucchini bread from the pan and allow it to finish cooling on the rack (This will allow the crumb structure to develop nicely)
- I usually wait about 20 minutes before slicing (it will still be warm, don't worry) and then I enjoy this with a cup of tea or coffee. So good! Hope you love it 😊
Notes
Is there a substitute for white rice vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar will work too 🙂
Can I substitute the oil with applesauce? I try to eat oil-free. Thanks!
I’m not sure because I haven’t made it with applesauce. If you want to use applesauce I would do half the amount of oil and the other half applesauce. That works out to about 3 tbsp of oil for the whole loaf which is divided by bout 8 servings/slices so it’s not much at all. Let me know how it goes! 😊
How about the oil? Is there a substitute? Can I use olive oil or applesauce? Thank you!!! I have everything ready. I just don’t have refined coconut oil. 😩
I use a neutral oil like vegetable oil if you have it! Olive oil might be a little too strong
Which nut/seed butter do you recommend pairing this with? I cant decide!
I like it with almond butter and a sprinkle of flakey sea salt 😊 I also have this cinnamon pecan butter that is INSANELY good! Which did you go with?
I just made this and it turned out perfectly! 🙂
Aw that’s awesome Ruthie! Thank you so much for letting me know that you enjoyed it 😊 I’m so happy to hear that!
Just made this bread this evening and it was delicious. Even my daughter (who isn’t vegan) loved this recipe, and she usually doesn’t like my vegan baked goods.
Aw that’s so nice to hear! Thank you Char! I’m really happy you and your daughter enjoyed this recipe 😊
Can the flour be substituted for oat flour?
Hey Anna, I haven’t tried it with oat flour but let me know if you give a go! I think it should work well, might be a little more delicate and moist but I’m not sure 😊
Just made this and it is amazing! I only had unrefined coconut oil and it turned out great! Love it and highly recommend!
Good to know! Thank you for taking the time to tell me that you enjoyed my recipe. That means so much to me 😊
This bread is super delicious, loving it for fall right now!
Because I look through comments for adjustments and I saw a few others asking, these are some tweaks I made to make it a bit healthier:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour + 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
I used pumpkin pie spice in place of nutmeg because I was out
1/2 cup coconut sugar instead of 1 cup sugar (perfect amount of sweetness for me!)
1/2 cup applesauce instead of 1/2 cup coconut oil
Apple cider vinegar instead of white rice vinegar because I haven’t used white rice vinegar in baking so just sticking with what I know, but I assume any kind of vinegar would have worked and not affected taste.
Turned out excellent and will definitely be making this recipe time and time again!
Smart! These subs are great and so helpful. Thanks for info!! 😊