Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips

Fluffy oil-free, plant-based, and vegan.

The most perfect and moist zucchini bread has haunted me for years and now I’ve finally recreated it (and better)! I have a distinct memory of my childhood friend, Mark, who would every day during class pull out a delicious looking zucchini muffin bread out of my brown sack lunch and eat it during class. We’ve exchanged snacks a couple of times, my processed chips for his zucchini muffin, and I always felt like I got the better end of the bargain. It’s been years later and I still think about this zucchini muffin.

I make this zucchini bread at least once a week and it’s a hit in our household because of how quick and easy it is to make but also because it’s oil-free! Ever since we discovered using apple sauce as an oil substitute for baking we’ve never looked back. This zucchini bread is served great right out of the oven but in my humble opinion, even better after sitting in the fridge and devoured cold with a generous serving of sunflower butter on top. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments!

Equipment

1 loaf pan 9 inch x 5 inch
1 grater

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

1 medium zucchini about 1 cup grated
⅓ cup apple sauce sub 1/4 cup vegetable oil
½ cup oatmilk sub any nut milk or dairy milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar for vegan buttermilk (only use if you are using nut milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

1 tbsp flaxseed meal optional
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup chocolate chips optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grate the zucchini and squeeze out any excess water.
Make the vegan buttermilk for a fluffy texture in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk together the oatmilk and apple cider vinegar. Set it aside for 5 minutes.
Mix together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl: flour, flaxseed meal, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, brown sugar, and salt.
Mix together the wet ingredients: in the vegan buttermilk add the vanilla extract, apple sauce, and grated zucchini
Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, making sure the flour is mixed evenly. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Lightly spray the loaf baking pan with non-stick spray or line with parchment paper for oil free.
Pour in the batter, making sure it is spread evenly across the pan.
Bake for 30 minutes. Depending on the strength of your oven this may take +5-10 mins. Just check that the loaf is baked throughout (do the toothpick test!)
Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. Use a serated knife to cut into your desired slices. Serve it warm or my personal preference, cold after chilling in the fridge.

Video

@thecozyeats
Vegan Zucchini Bread every week, on repeat. Full recipe on thecozyeats.com #veganrecipes #veganbaking #plantbasedrecipes #plantbased
♬ the bakery – Ophelia Wilde

Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chips