Best Vegan Zucchini Bread

This perfectly moist vegan zucchini bread recipe is so darn good, everyone will be hooked — and no one will believe it’s vegan. Here are all our secrets.

A little confident over here, but we think this is the best vegan zucchini bread recipe you’ll find. Yep, we said it! This zucchini bread is moist, cinnamon-scented, and the perfect sweetness. It’s got just the right texture: it’s not too oily or dense. And, it’s really easy to put together! Alex and I have been on a zucchini baking spree over here, capitalizing on zucchini season. And this vegan zucchini bread has stolen our hearts! (And our 2-year-old Larson’s heart, too.) Keep reading for the recipe!

Our other banana bread recipes: Try Best Zucchini Bread or Healthy Zucchini Bread.

How to make vegan zucchini bread

This vegan zucchini bread is made in the method of a traditional zucchini bread. It’s a quick bread, meaning that it’s leavened using baking powder and baking soda instead of yeast. Yeast breads are a little more complex to put together, like sourdough bread or artisan bread. But quick breads? Well, as the name implies, they’re quick to whip up and require little technique.

Many quick breads are more similar to cake than bread: zucchini bread and banana bread being the most popular examples. For our version of vegan zucchini bread, we wanted to make it just sweet enough to be zucchini bread but not so oily or overly sweet that it leaves you with a stomach ache.

Here are the ingredients required for this vegan zucchini bread (see below for the full recipe):

• Flax eggs (more on that below!)
• Shredded zucchini
• Neutral oil
• Applesauce
• Turbinado sugar
• Flour
• Seasonings, baking powder & baking soda

To bake, you simply mix the wet ingredients together, then add the dry ingredients and zucchini. Pop it into a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for about 1 hour. Then cool it and slice into slices!

Another tasty vegan quick bread? Try our Vegan Banana Bread.

What’s a flax egg?

Have you baked with flax eggs before? If you’ve done any sort of vegan baking, you’ve probably tried one. A flax egg is a mixture of ground flax seed and water that’s used as a replacement for eggs. It’s typically used in baked goods like quick breads, muffins, pancakes and cookies. All you do to make a flax egg is mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 2 ½ tablespoons water, and wait for 15 minutes until a gel-like substance forms. See Flax Egg Recipe for more.

What is the difference between flax egg and a real egg, in a baked good? Alex and I did a test with this zucchini bread recipe to compare how each worked. The flax egg vegan zucchini bread turned out very similar to the zucchini bread with the real egg! There were only very slight differences: the bread with the real egg tasted a bit richer than the flax egg, which tasted nuttier. The vegan bread also had a very slightly rougher texture, whereas the bread with the real egg was smoother. Overall though, the flax egg worked successfully as an egg substitute.

Why use turbinado sugar?

In this vegan zucchini bread recipe we’ve used turbinado sugar. What is it? Turbinado sugar is raw sugar with large, light brown crystals. It’s less processed than refined white sugar, because it’s boiled only once to remove the molasses (refined sugar is boiled multiple times). It has a more complex, caramel-y flavor than refined sugar. Because its crystals are large, they add a nice texture to the top of muffins, cakes and breads.

What is a substitute for turbinado sugar? You can use light brown sugar in place of the turbinado sugar. While it doesn’t have the signature large crystals, it has a similar flavor. We’d omit sprinkling it on the top of the bread in this case.

How to store vegan zucchini bread

This vegan zucchini bread stores well: it stays very moist at room temperature! But if you don’t think you’ll eat it all at once, here are our recommendations:

• Room temperature (2 to 3 days): In the short term, store it at room temperature and cover it with a towel. This helps to retain the crunchy texture on top.
• Refrigerated (1 week): Refrigerating your zucchini bread helps it to stay fresher longer, though you will lose the crunchy texture on top. You can eat it cold, or let it come to room temperature before serving.
• Frozen (up to 3 months): To extend the life further, pop your sliced bread into the freezer in a sealed container. It can last at least 3 months, or maybe more. Try doing this with half of the loaf, and keeping the other half at room temperature.

This vegan zucchini bread recipe is…

Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free. For gluten free, head to our zucchini muffins recipe.

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Looking for vegan recipes?

Looking for more vegan recipes? While we don’t eat fully plant based, it’s often what you’ll find on our table. Outside of this vegan zucchini bread, here are some of our favorite easy vegan recipes:

• Our Best Vegan Pizza Who said pizza needed cheese?
• Vegan Carnitas Tacos They magically taste like pulled pork carnitas: without the meat!
• Vegan Cashew Pesto Perfect for summer, with the best savory flavor.
• Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies Even better than the original!
• Vegan Potato Salad Full of creamy flavor with cashew mayo.
• Best Vegan Ranch Dressing Love ranch? Now you can have all the great creamy flavor in this tasty dressing.
• Perfect Sauteed Zucchini Make it and then top with vegan Parmesan.
• Italian Vegan Pasta Salad Tasty and full of zingy Italian flavor: but no cheese!

Last updated: June 2020