Velvety Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread tucks freshly shredded zucchini into a cozily-spiced batter spiked with cinnamon and nutmeg. You won't be able to tell that this classic quick bread is gluten free - but it is, needing just oat and almond flour to make a gorgeously slicecable loaf!
The Best Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
This just sweet enough gluten-free zucchini bread is studded with walnuts for crunch and packed with plenty of squash to make a gluten free version of a beloved late summer classic. An easy mix of oat and almond flours combine to make a soft, moist crumb that perfectly complements the inherent sweetness of the squash. A little brown sugar offsets the other ingredients without being overwhelming. My kids love this loaf, and it's sturdy enough to pack in their school lunches. This is one of our favorites!
Why It's So Good
Zucchini bread is one of my traditional late summer into fall bakes, especially when the garden is bursting at the seams with fresh squash. This quick, simple recipe calls for pantry basics so prep is a breeze, and the batter needs nothing more than a whisk and a spoon to put together. Add a handful of chocolate chips if you like, or keep to the recipe as written. Serve it plain, with salted butter, or cream cheese. You can't go wrong. A few highlights include:
- It's naturally gluten free
- All you'll do is whisk and mix!
- The loaf is easily made dairy-free if needed
- It comes together in less than an hour
- Keeps well and freezes well, too!
Ingredients Needed
Here's a look at what you'll need to make this gluten free zucchini bread recipe. The full ingredient amount and detailed instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Oat flour - Whole grain, naturally gluten free oat flour forms the base of this sweet bread. Substitute sorghum flour or teff flour by weight if you can't eat oats.
- Almond flour - Fine ground almond flour lends moisture and structure. You can substitute teff flour or tiger nut flour if you don't eat almonds.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Granulated sugar - You can reduce the amount of sugar by ¼ cup if you want less sweet bread.
- Leavening agents - A combination of baking powder and baking soda helps the bread to rise.
- Salt - I use fine-grain sea salt in all of my recipes. Table salt also works.
- Ground spices - Cinnamon and nutmeg add warmth.
- Vegetable oil - Substitute olive oil or melted coconut oil.
- Eggs - I developed this recipe using large eggs and I recommend using large eggs to make it.
- Greek yogurt - You can use full, low, or non-fat Greek yogurt. I use plain yogurt, or you can try vanilla yogurt.
- Zucchini - No need to peel the zucchini before shredding it, but do give it a wash first.
- Walnuts - Add some chopped walnuts for crunch if you like. It's also OK to leave them out.
How to Make Gluten Free Zucchini Bread
I've outlined how to make this gluten free zucchini bread below:
- Prep: Grease a standard-size loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
- Make dry mix: Whisk the oat flour, almond flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Make wet mix: In another bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, and yogurt.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Mix: Fold together.
- Add the zucchini: Fold in the zucchini and the walnuts if using.
- Rest the batter: Spread the batter in the prepared pan, preheat the oven to 350℉, and rest the batter while the oven heats.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake the loaf for 50-55 minutes. Cool in the pan, then cool thoroughly before serving.
Recipe Tips & Substitutions
A few easy substitutions can help you make this beautiful loaf turn out perfectly no matter how you make it:
- Dairy free - Swap the Greek yogurt for a non-dairy yogurt or milk of choice.
- Refined sugar free - Use maple syrup or coconut sugar for the brown sugar.
- Nut free - If you don't do almonds, try tiger nut flour (this is a nut-free flour despite its name) or swap teff flour, and omit the walnuts.
- Use a 1:1 flour substitute - You can try your favorite 1:1 all-purpose baking flour in place of the oat flour and almond flour. Use 2 cups of flour blend.
- Check the loaf as it bakes - Quick breads can be finicky, and sometimes, depending on your oven temperature, you may need to bake them a bit longer. This gluten free zucchini bread takes less than an hour to bake in my home oven, but you may find it needs more time in yours. Check the bread after 50 minutes, and keep checking in 5-minute intervals to make sure it doesn't overbake.
- Squeeze the zucchini - but gently - Some recipes have you squeeze out the water from the shredded zucchini, and some call for you to leave it alone. My method falls somewhere in between. I like to gently squeeze out a bit of the water from the zucchini so that it doesn't make the finished loaf overly wet, but you don't have to completely dry the zucchini either.
- Rest the batter - As I always recommend with gluten free batters, let the loaf batter rest in the pan for at least 20 minutes or while the oven preheats. This helps the gluten free flours to hydrate, resulting in a better finished bake.
- Double it - Go ahead and double this recipe if you have a lot of zucchini. You can enjoy a freshly baked loaf now and freeze one for later, or share it with friends.
Variation Options
- Chocolate - Add 1 cup of regular or mini semisweet chocolate chips to the batter.
- Seeds - Instead of the walnuts, try pumpkin seeds!
- Other nuts - I love pecans or chopped almonds in this bread.
- Spices - Add more cinnamon, or try ground ginger in place of all of the cinnamon or half of the cinnamon.
- Make muffins - Grease or line a muffin tin with liners and fill them with the bread batter. Bake for about 20 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.
- Do mini loaves - Divide the batter between two or three greased and parchment-lined mini loaf pans.
Serving Suggestions
A slice of gluten-free zucchini bread needs a freshly brewed cup of tea to sip as you nibble, and you can't convince me otherwise! I also love spreading slices with a thick layer of softened cream cheese. Salted, softened butter is also an ideal choice.
Proper Storage
Gluten-free zucchini bread keeps so well, and you have several options for storing it:
- Counter - Wrap the bread in plastic or foil and keep it on the counter for up to 2 days
- Fridge - Place the bread in a airtight container or wrap it in foil and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Place the loaf in a freezer-safe sealable bag or wrap it in plastic and foil, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 months. Thaw the bread thoroughly in the fridge before serving.
More Gluten Free Quick Bread Recipes
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Bread
- Gluten Free Blueberry Bread
- Gluten Free Earl Grey Cake
- Gluten Free Lemon Loaf
Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flour (180 grams)
- ½ cup almond flour (60 grams)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 ½ cups shredded zucchini (about 180 grams), lightly squeezed
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- Grease a standard-size loaf pan and line it with a parchment paper sling.
- Whisk the oat flour, almond flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.
- In another bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, and yogurt together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together. Fold in the zucchini and the walnuts if using.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and let the batter rest while the oven heats. Then bake the loaf for 50-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Remove the bread from the oven and cool it in the pan for 1 hour, then turn it out onto a rack to cool completely before slicing for the most sturdy crumb.
Notes
- Dairy free - Swap the Greek yogurt for a non-dairy yogurt or milk of choice.
- Refined sugar free - Use maple syrup or coconut sugar for the brown sugar.
- Nut free - If you don't do almonds, try tiger nut flour (this is a nut-free flour despite its name) or swap teff flour, and omit the walnuts.
- Use a 1:1 flour substitute - You can try your favorite 1:1 all-purpose baking flour in place of the oat flour and almond flour. Use 2 cups of flour blend.
- Check the loaf as it bakes - Quick breads can be finicky, and sometimes, depending on your oven temperature, you may need to bake them a bit longer. This gluten free zucchini bread takes less than an hour to bake in my home oven, but you may find it needs more time in yours. Check the bread after 50 minutes, and keep checking in 5-minute intervals to make sure it doesn't overbake.
- Squeeze the zucchini - but gently - Some recipes have you squeeze out the water from the shredded zucchini, and some call for you to leave it alone. My method falls somewhere in between. I like to gently squeeze out a bit of the water from the zucchini so that it doesn't make the finished loaf overly wet, but you don't have to completely dry the zucchini either.
- Rest the batter - As I always recommend with gluten free batters, let the loaf batter rest in the pan for at least 20 minutes or while the oven preheats. This helps the gluten free flours to hydrate, resulting in a better finished bake.
- Double it - Go ahead and double this recipe if you have a lot of zucchini. You can enjoy a freshly baked loaf now and freeze one for later, or share it with friends.
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