Zucchini Bread reminds me of my grandmother. She always had a garden when I was a kid and she made phenomenal Zucchini Bread with the zucchini she grew. It was sweet, moist and dense with crunchy walnuts. I made this gluten free version modeled after hers. In addition to making it gluten free, I also added a sprinkle of sugar to the top of the batter before baking. It makes a thin, sweet, crust of sugary goodness to bite into. Super yummy!
Batter Substitutions
The walnuts are optional, so feel free to remove them or substitute with sunflower seeds if you want crunch and seeds are okay for your diet. This batter can also be made dairy free with an easy swap for the butter. Earth Balance Buttery sticks and coconut oil will work well. I use So Delicious Vanilla Creamer for the “milk” in this recipe. It adds the flavor, fat and moisture without the need for dairy. Although I have not tested this recipe substituting the eggs, I have tested it with Follow Your Heart vegan eggs in my Banana Cupcakes recipe (which is similar to this one) and it works very well. Please let me know if you give it a try.
Making the Batter
This is a pretty typical quick bread batter. Begin with creaming the sugar and butter together, add the eggs, then add the remaining wet ingredients. You can add the dry ingredients gradually with your mixer on a slow speed. The batter goes into your pan and into the oven. That’s it!
More Bread Please!
Other easy and delicious gluten free quick bread recipes to check out are Seriously Great Banana Bread and Apple Cider Pumpkin Bread. Also check out gluten free Classic Irish Soda Bread and Irish Soda Bread with Cheddar and Bacon. Soda bread is one of the best bread conversions to gluten free out there and since you don’t have to wait for it to rise, it comes out of the oven in about an hour!
Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar plus 1 Tbsp for topping if desired
- ½ cup butter at room temp or other oil of choice
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup dairy free vanilla creamer I use So Delicious brand
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups finely shredded zucchini
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted walnuts, chopped Optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
- In a small bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and walnuts.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer. Add eggs and combine. Add vanilla creamer and vanilla extract, continue to combine with the mixer. Add the grated zucchini.
- Once the zucchini is combined well, gradually add the dry ingredients with the mixer at a slow speed until combined completely.
- Pour batter into the greased loaf pan. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar on top and bake for 70-80 minutes. It will be browned and puffed and won’t feel mushy in the center with light pressure when it is done. Be careful not to over bake it or it can become dry and crumbly. Check to see if it is browning too quickly around 50-55 minutes, cover loosely with aluminum foil if needed to prevent too much browning.