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Healthy Zucchini Bread

Healthy zucchini bread with a golden-brown crust and tender whole-grain crumb packed with oats, whole wheat flour, and natural sweetness from zucchini. This easy healthy bread uses honey or maple syrup for a lower-sugar take on a classic zucchini loaf.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 240
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.5 cup rolled oats
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
Wet ingredients
  • 0.33 cup honey or maple syrup
  • 2 eggs
  • 0.33 cup coconut oil, melted
  • 0.5 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add-ins
  • 1.5 cup zucchini, grated and squeezed dry
  • 0.33 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
  • 0.25 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x5 loaf pan, setting it aside for pouring. Make sure the pan is well-coated so the loaf releases cleanly.
Mix dry
  1. Whisk whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together until evenly combined. Stop when the mixture looks uniformly speckled.
Mix wet
  1. Whisk honey (or maple syrup), eggs, melted coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract until smooth. The mixture should look glossy and cohesive.
Combine
  1. Stir in the grated, squeezed-dry zucchini until evenly distributed. The batter should thicken slightly and look speckled with zucchini.
  2. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until just combined, leaving a few small streaks of flour. If using walnuts and chocolate chips, fold them in now.
Bake
  1. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and smooth the top. Tap the pan lightly once to help settle the batter.
  2. Bake at 350°F for 50–58 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. The loaf should be golden-brown and pull slightly away from the pan edges.
Cool and slice
  1. Cool the bread for 15 minutes before slicing. For the best texture, let it finish cooling before cutting.

Notes

Squeeze the grated zucchini very dry so the loaf bakes up tender instead of gummy. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days; freeze slices for up to 2 months and thaw overnight. Dietary swap: use maple syrup instead of honey if you prefer a different flavor while keeping it lower in sugar.