Gluten-free Zucchini Bread
Gluten-free Zucchini Bread- nutritious almond and oat flour give this gluten-free zucchini bread a lighter texture without using starches or gums. You would never guess it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!
Hi!! I’m back from my mini vacay just in time to introduce you guys to a fun new series that I’m going to be taking part in.
Each month I’ll be teaming up with a group of very talented bloggers (Julia, Alexis, Arman, Lindsay and Kylie) to bring you a collection of healthy recipes based around one specific ingredient. This month we’re featuring one of my favorites, almond flour!
Almond flour is not only high in protein and naturally low in carbohydrates, but it also gives baked goods a soft delicate texture with delicious buttery flavor. Plus you can easily make your own by simply grinding blanched almonds in a food processor until a fine crumb forms.
I brought zucchini bread to the party because I know we’re all looking for ways to use it up right now. To make it as healthy as possible while also keeping it gluten-free I stuck with my favorite combination of organic whole grain brown rice flour (I love Bob’s Red Mill) and almond meal.
In case you’re wondering, the main difference between almond meal and almond flour is that meal is made from ground almonds with the skin and flour is made from blanched almonds (without the skin). Either one will work in this recipe!
Also, if you like more of a spice to your zucchini bread, you can make omit the chocolate chips and add another teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 cup walnuts (or nuts of choice), and a small pinch of cloves and nutmeg. I tried it that way and loved it but Brandon preferred the chocolate chip version. He’s a bit of a chocolate fiend.
Feel free to try it whichever way you prefer, just don’t forget the almond flour! ;)
Gluten-free Zucchini Bread
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 15
Cook Time: 45
Total Time: 60
Ingredients:
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup oat or brown rice flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill organic brown rice flour)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 2 tablespoons sunflower, canola or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips*
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F then grease a loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (almond flour to cinnamon) and sift together.
In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites on high for about 30 seconds.This step isn’t totally necessary but it helps give the bread a lighter texture. Add the yolks along with the remaining wet ingredients (zucchini to oil- if using coconut oil, add it last) to the bowl. Stir everything together until well combined.
Next add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and the chocolate chips then gently fold everything together using a spatula.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 minutes until the center is firm and cooked. Allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before serving.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
*If you prefer more of a spice bread you can omit the chocolate chips and substitute walnuts (or nuts of choice). Then add an additional teaspoon of cinnamon + a pinch of cloves and nutmeg for more spice.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
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I’ve been on a zucchini bread kick lately and yours turned out sooooo much fluffier and hold-together-y than the ones I’ve been making! I’d like all 12 slices por favor!
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This bread looks fabulous! I love almond flour, and I’m loving the look of that healthy fudge, too :) Pinning!
Holy yum! I attempted zucchini bread last weekend, but I didn’t add enough flour and it was a bit soggy. I’m so going to try again though after seeing this awesome recipe!
Oh no! Soggy bread is no bueno. I hope it turns out better next time!
Oh yum. All of these photos are making me hungry! Your gluten free zucchini bread looks insane – and perfect for so many occasions! I will definitely give it a try in my kitchen. :) Thanks for sharing!
Your recipe looks the best. I just had 2 homemade almond meal zucc muffins for breakfast.
Hope you had a nice mini vacay :)
You’re too sweet! :)
I LOVE this. What creative ways to use almond meal!! One of my favorite gfree flours.
I’ve had a giant zucchini in my fridge for a few days now and I’ve been waiting to find a recipe worthy of making something out of it! Looks like I’ll be making this tonight! Thanks for the idea!
Thanks Megan! :)
Just so incredibly beautiful and sounds so good. I love that you’re taking part in this series, Sarah! Great work on your recipe. Want to drop off a loaf to me? Thanks.
Thanks, Ashley! I’ll bring you a loaf soon! :)
All of these recipes look so good! I have been on a major muffin/bread making kick lately, so this bread is up next!
I’ve never tried baking with brown rice flour before and I actually have a package of Bob’s version- Perfect to try this out. Your slices look so good and the chocolate chips in it…It’s screaming for a slather of butter and I’d be a happy camper! Cheers, Sarah!
Bob’s brown rice flour is amazing! You should experiment with it! I’d love to see what you come up with!
Looks like I need to get me some brown rice flour and try this out! I’m up to my elbows in homegrown zucchini right now. This looks so beautiful and delicious, Sarah!
I’m so jealous of your zucchini!
I made this yesterday for our morning snacks this week and YUM! I’ll probably be making this again every week until I run out of zucchini! Thanks for the tasty recipe and introducing me to brown rice flour.
Yay! I’m so happy it turned out good for you, Kelli! Thank you for the comment! xo
I actually had no idea what the difference was between almond meal and almond flour, so that’s good to know! And I feel like I don’t use it nearly enough in my baking… or my brown rice flour. You have a way of working magic with it, but I always feel like I’m just throwing things together and hoping for the best :lol:
Well if that’s your secret then I’m going to have to start trying that!! ;)
I haven’t had zucchini bread in forever! It looks delicious. I’m also really bad about trying different flours. Considering I make stuff requiring flour maaaaaybe once a month, I’ve never bothered to buy anything other than regular. I hear so many great things, though, so I feel like I should be branching out more.
You should! There are so many awesome flours out there that are way healthier than all purpose!
So excited to see more great recipes in this series. I’ll be making one of these almond flour baked goods immediately! Thanks for sharing!
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What a fun series! All these recipes look fantastic!
I keep meaning to make some zucchini bread this season … I need to make it happen. This looks so good, especially with those dark chocolate chips :)
All of these recipes sound delicious! And your zucchini bread is perfect timing as mine has just exploded in the garden—can’t eat it fast enough! Sarah, your photography is stunning on this one….makes me want to grab a slice and dig in :>)
Thanks Tanya! :)
I can’t get enough of zucchini bread this summer! Love that it’s gluten free too!
Oh my goodness, everything looks so delicious! I don’t think I’ve ever made zucchini bread before, but I love zucchini and I love baked breads like this, so I think I’d be a fan.
Zucchini bread is one of my favourite treats to make! This looks so delicious Sarah, and I love the addition of chocolate chips! It’s perfect! Love all of the almond flour recipes too!
This looks so delicious! I’ve never experimented with almond flour in baking before so this is definitely on my list. Pinned!
Wow, these all look AMAZING! I have to try the bread and those little muffins ASAP!
I never planted zucchini in my garden this year, but totally getting on that next year! I need me some zucchini bread! Also, did not know that’s what separated almond flour from meal. Very interesting. I need to start baking with more nutrient-dense options!
What a fun challenge! I don’t know if I’ve ever really cooked with almond flour before! I think I have some in the cupboard but I guess it always just sits there, haha! This zucchini bread looks so most and delicious! I always forget about adding zucchini to sweet things! I hope you guys had an awesome vacay :)
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I have Bob’s redmills allpurpose gluten free flour. Can I make this Zucchini bread with this flour.
Hi Yvonne! I think it will work if you use it to replace the brown rice flour. But I would keep the almond meal as it adds moisture to the bread. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Can I sub the brown rice flour for oat flour?
Hi Rhon! I think that would work. It might be a little more dense than the brown rice flour but it should still be good. Let me know if you end up trying it! :)
Could you use coconut flour instead of the brown rice flour?
Hi Sonia! Coconut flour is completely different from brown rice flour so unfortunately it would not work in this recipe. Here’s a recipe for a grain-free zucchini bread that uses coconut flour: http://www.theroastedroot.net/paleo-zucchini-bread/ I hope that helps! :)
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Hi Sarah,
I can’t think you enough for this recipe. My little toddler was diagnosed with celiac disease last month, and up until this recipe, all of my baking has been fails! This is the perfect texture with no aftertaste. I can’t wait to try your banana bread recipe. Thanks so much!
*thank
Your comment made my day! Thank you so much, Joy! :)
Have you tried it with blueberries instead of the chocolate chips? I am thinking about trying it tonight, :-)
I haven’t but I’m sure that would be delicious! :)
It was amazing with blueberries! :-)
Yay! Thanks for the feedback, Debbie! :)
I just made this with flax seed eggs instead of chicken eggs. My family thinks it is the best zucchini bread ever! Thanks!
Yay! That’s quite the testament from your family. :)
I’m really glad to hear it works well with flax eggs. Thanks for the tip, Kirsten!
Glad to hear you used flax eggs and it worked. I was hoping to find a comment like this before asking. Will try it later for sure.
Enjoy…..robin m
I’ve made this three times now, once as the recipe stated (which was amazing, but I wanted to experiment a bit to make it more moist). The second time, I used egg replacer and a little bit of applesauce, and it definitely made it more moist, but almost cakelike. The last time, I used the egg replacer (works great in this!) and a bit more zucchini and its super moist, but keeps its shape a bit better. Overall, amazing recipe! Thanks!
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I am obsessed with this recipe! This zucchini bread is SO good!! Most gluten free recipes either call for so many different flours or just one and never ends up tasting very good. The blend of both almond meal and brown rice flour gives the bread the perfect texture. I am excited to try your pumpkin bread (it’s currently in the oven baking) as it also uses the same flours. Thank you so much for such a great recipe! =)
Thank you, Vanessa! I’m thrilled to hear that you like the zucchini bread. Brown rice and almond meal is my go-to combo for gluten-free recipes. It really does give the best texture while still being healthy and easy. I hope you enjoy the pumpkin bread too! :)
Hi! If I used white rice flour instead of brown rice flour would I get these same results? Thanks!
Hey Sarah! Yes, white rice flour will work the same. I hope you enjoy it!
It turned out so well, amazing!!
Yay! Thanks for letting me know, Sarah!
Just made this bread and it turned out very good. followed the recipe as written. Will definitely make again. I was thinking about putting it in small loaf pans. How long do you think you would cook it for? Thanks for the great recipe.
I’m so glad it turned out well for you, Cheri! I think the time would be reduced but I’m not sure by how much. Maybe check them at 30 minutes?
I’m a Baking it right now sanz the chips! The batter alone smells amazing. Thank you for the recipe :))))
So excited to try this! It’s exactly what I was looking for. I had a similar recipe for a pumpkin bread except it only used almond flour and it was really too wet. I figured another less fatty flour would do wonderfully! Plus I have a bunch of zucchinis in my fridge and no pumpkin, so zucchini bread it is!
I hope it turns out well! ❤️
Superb I adjusted to 1/2 the chocolate and 1/2 the maple syrup but it is still my fav recipe! Thank you for posting
Thank you for the feedback, Hilda!
This recipe was excellent. The bread was not dense like so many other zucchini or banana breads. It had just enough sweetness from the maple syrup, without over powering the bread. I will definitely make this again. Easy and very tasty.
I’m so glad to hear that! Thank you, Krista!
Thank you! Just started eating gluten-free and love this recipe! Second time I made it, better than the first. Moist and flavorful. Great way to use huge zucchini from the garden. Delicious!
So happy to hear you like it, Mary! Thank you for the review!
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Hi! This bread looks so good and I tried making it, but like ALL the other times I’ve tried using GF flour, it was dry and the bread feels heavy (as opposed to light/fluffy if you know what I mean. Honestly, there are GREAT reviews for this recipe, so I feel like it’s something I’m doing! I did the exact measurements, but added in some extra almond milk at the end simply because after I mixed everything it was basically solid. LOL. Can you help guide me as to what I might be doing wrong? Thanks!
Hey Angel! Sorry you are having trouble with this recipe. Are you substituting a different type of flour than what the recipe calls for? Any other changes whatsoever? If you made it exactly as listed then I’m not sure what could have gone wrong.
This turned out great, thanks for the recipe! For those interested in making these muffins – I did 350 degrees for 20 min.
So glad to hear they worked well as muffins too! Thank you for the review!
Hello Sara do you have nutritional facts for this gorgeous zucchinni bread?
Thanks!
Tried this recipe with an egg replacer and on a toaster oven since my old oven decided to give out today. It still turned out great! Thank you for developing this recipe!!
Wow I’m so glad to hear it worked with your changes! Thank you for the review!
The ingredients were bone try wheat when I put it in the loaf pan. Wrong ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
Hmm that’s strange. Are you sure you used the right measurements for everything?
How big should our loaf pan be?
A standard size loaf pan which is roughly 9×5 inches. :)
do you think I can substitute buckwheat flour for the almond flour? have not been able to find almond flour but I still have a bag of buckwheat flour, I also have millet flour.
Unfortunately almond flour is in a league of its own and can’t be substituted as it adds fat and moisture to the recipe. Buckwheat and millet both soak up moisture and are void of fat. Sorry!
I just wanted to make sure of one thing …after I shred the zucchini, do i need to squeeze them dry then measure 1 cup? Or is it just shred, measure and use?
I did not squeeze the zucchini dry for this recipe. Just shredded it and measured as is. That said, if you feel like your zucchini is very watery (they vary so much!) then you may want to lightly squeeze it. I hope that helps!
Can I substitute honey for maple syrup, or will it not turn out good?
That will work! Honey tends to be a little sweeter so that will likely be the main difference.
Made this tonight and it was delicious. I used oat flour instead of the brown rice flour, as I didn’t have it on hand. I’m so happy to have found your website! Your banana muffins are also amazing. Thanks so much for all the effort creating gluten, dairy and refined sugar free recipes. Huge cheers!!
Didn’t have any almond milk in the house, so I used plain coconut milk. It worked out great! I added in a handful of walnuts instead of the chocolate chips too. I may have eaten the entire loaf in lesss than 24 hours…..now I have to make a run to the grocery store for more maple syrup! Delicious.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it! Thank you for the review!
This bread is sooo good! I did flax seed eggs and applesauce instead of oil. I did add 1/2 tsp of baking powder. I was scared it wouldn’t rise. After reading the comments maybe I will not use it next time. It sounds like the baking powder was not needed. Have you tried it with baking powder and/or why did you decide not to use it?