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Another baked good to try this summer and an easy breakfast to keep on hand for your family and potential guests, Paleo Zucchini Bread!
Zucchini season is here! From June through late August, zucchinis are at their absolute prime so I love to find various ways to enjoy them. One of my favorite ways is zucchini bread! Not only is it wonderful toasted up fresh for breakfast or for a snack, but the slices also freeze beautifully to make ahead for an easy grab-and-go breakfast option. It is both kid and adult approved, and you could even add some chocolate chips to the batter to make it even more exciting.
If you’ve never made zucchini bread, here are a few notes for you before you being baking this recipe:
- Zucchini bread does have a tendency to be a bit soggy because the zucchini generally releases water while it bakes. This can make your loaf dense and gummy. To combat that, we suggest really squeezing out as much of the liquid from the zucchini shreds prior to adding them to the batter.
- Since the loaf is grain-free, you have to beat the eggs for the full 3 minutes as instructed. Otherwise, your loaf won’t rise and will begin to sink in the middle.
- If walnuts or dates aren’t your things, you can swap with the nut or dried fruit of your choice. Shelled pistachios would be great here! Just don’t skimp on the lemon and orange zest — that’s what makes this recipe sing.
One last tip! As hard as it is to wait to dig in, the Paleo Zucchini Bread really needs a full hour of cooling before slicing. It will continue to cook a bit on the counter and if you slice into it too soon it will totally fall apart. So, after it cools a bit you can serve immediately, or store it in an airtight container in the fridge and toast up the next morning alongside a delicious cup of coffee — a perfect pairing!
Paleo Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 2 packed cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini, 370 grams, shredded on the large holes of a grater
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- ¾ cup coconut sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups superfine almond flour
- ½ cup arrowroot starch
- 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg, optional
- 1 heaping tbsp lemon zest, zest of one lemon
- 2 heaping tbsp orange zest, zest of one small orange
- 4 Medjool dates, pitted and finely chopped
- ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a loaf pan with cooking oil spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place a colander over a bowl, and cover with a kitchen towel. Add the zucchini to the kitchen towel and wring out the excess moisture. Keep the grated zucchini in the kitchen towel over the colander while you prepare the rest.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or in a medium mixing bowl using electric beaters, beat the eggs for 2-3 minutes until very frothy and pale yellow. It’s important you beat the eggs for the full time so that they take on air, which will help the loaf rise.
- Whisk in the almond milk, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, coconut sugar and vanilla. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, arrowroot starch, flaxseed meal, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Working in batches if needed, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low until the mixture is evenly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Transfer the grated zucchini from the kitchen towel to the batter. Add the lemon zest, orange zest, dates, and walnuts and using a rubber spatula, fold in the add-ins until the batter is just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and top with turbinado sugar if using. Transfer the loaf to the middle rack of the oven, and bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a knife can be inserted into the center of the loaf and it comes out clean. If the top of your loaf starts to become overly browned, tent with foil and continue cooking until the bread is cooked through.
- Remove the loaf from the oven and let stand for at least 1 hour until trying to slice it. To serve, slice into 1” thick slices.
- Store in an airtight container, separating the slices with a sheet of parchment paper to keep them from sticking. The zucchini bread will last for 3-4 days in the fridge, or for weeks in the freezer. To toast, heat a slick of ghee in a hot griddle, and cook on each side for 2 minutes until golden brown and toasted.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats
Loved. Other paleo zucchini breads I’ve tried have turned out really soggy. This was only a tiny bit wet, and way more bread-like!
What a flavorful loaf that used some of the zucchini growing in my garden. I ended up chopping up the lemon and orange zest in a mini food processor with the 4 dates. Worked perfectly! Thanks for the encouragement to beat the eggs for the 2-3 minutes to get the airiness needed for the bread. Delicious!!
Are the dates a deal breaker? This loaf looks gorgeous and I love walnuts in zucchini bread but honestly do not care for dates. Just checking in before making this scrumptious looking beauty!
The dates do add to the sweetness of the loaf! I am not a huge date fan either, but they are great here. You can omit if you really despise them 😉
Excellent recipe, thank you! I couldn’t wait to make it so I subbed tigernut and tapioca flours and 1 tablespoon ACV for the citrus. Very nice flavor and the texture was perfect. I look forward to making it as it’s written once I get to the store!
Thanks, Laura! Glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe was delicious! I did have the same issue with it being too moist and wet inside. I probably didn’t get the zucchini dry enough. I’m wondering if anyone has tried subbing some of the almond flour with coconut flour it make it less wet? I also made a few substitutions which is why it might have been too wet. I used chia seed meal instead of flax and tapioca starch instead of arrowroot and coconut milk instead of almond (coconut milk substitute no regular coconut milk).
Could you replace the egg with an egg substitute?
The lemon and orange zest really set this zucchini bread apart from others. So moist and delicious. Delighted to have this healthy recipe, it’s a keeper!