Zucchini Bread

Tanya Eisenwasser

Print Recipe

A simple gluten-free, dairy-free zucchini bread with a tender crumb and warm cinnamon flavor. Fresh zucchini keeps the loaf moist, and a blend of cassava and rice flour stands in for wheat. Lightly sweet and easy to slice.

Prep 15 min

Cook 55 min

Serves 10

Gluten-freeDairy-free

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups freshly grated zucchini (about 1 medium zucchini)
• 1 cup cassava flour
• 1 cup white rice flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 large fresh eggs
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup (or 1/2 cup pure cane sugar)
• 1/2 cup extra-light olive oil (or melted coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup oat milk (check for a short ingredient list)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep the Zucchini

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an inch of overhang on the long sides.
2. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. Wrap the grated zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and gently squeeze out the excess water over the sink. You should have about 1 1/4 cups after squeezing.

Mix the Dry Ingredients

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the cassava flour, rice flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

Mix the Wet Ingredients

1. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, oat milk, and vanilla until smooth.

Combine and Bake

1. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be thick.
2. Fold in the squeezed zucchini, mixing only until evenly distributed.
3. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Tent loosely with foil at 40 minutes if the top is browning too fast.
5. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then lift out using the parchment overhang. Cool on the rack for another 30 minutes before slicing.

Tips & Substitutions

• Squeeze the zucchini well. Wet zucchini makes a soggy loaf. After squeezing, the grated zucchini should feel just damp, not dripping.
• Skip pre-grated zucchini. Bagged or pre-shredded zucchini sits longer and can develop off flavors. Grate fresh the day you bake.
• Flour swap. A 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend works in place of the cassava and rice flour. Cassava alone makes the loaf denser; rice alone makes it lighter and crumblier.
• Sweetener swap. Maple syrup keeps the crumb soft. Cane sugar gives a slightly drier, more classic quick-bread texture. Either works.
• Oat milk choice. Look for water, oats, and salt on the label. Oat milks loaded with gums, oils, and natural flavors can bother sensitive people. Full-fat coconut milk works as a richer swap.
• Add-ins. Fold in 1/3 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries with the zucchini. Skip raisins and chopped walnuts unless you tolerate them individually.
• Pair ideas. Serve warm with a smear of herb butter, macadamia nut butter, or a drizzle of maple syrup. Pair a slice with apple cinnamon oatmeal for an easy breakfast.

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Why This Works

Fresh zucchini. Naturally low in histamine and generally well tolerated. Freshness matters here: use a firm zucchini the day you grate it rather than one that has been sitting in the crisper for a week.

Cassava and rice flour. Both are gluten-free and commonly tolerated. The blend gives the loaf structure without wheat, which removes one variable for people who also avoid gluten.

Oat milk. Skipping dairy helps people who react to milk proteins or to aged and fermented dairy. Coconut milk is a good alternative if oats bother you.

Olive oil. A well-tolerated fat that keeps the crumb moist without dairy butter. Extra-light olive oil keeps the flavor neutral; coconut oil adds a subtle sweetness.

Cinnamon. Generally well tolerated and the only spice in the recipe. Skipping nutmeg, allspice, and clove keeps the spice load simple, since blended pumpkin-pie-style spice mixes are more variable in tolerance.

Storage

Best eaten the day it is baked or the morning after. To save extras, cool fully and freeze the same day in a sealed bag with parchment between the slices. Reheat from frozen wrapped in foil in a 325°F (165°C) oven for about 10 minutes, or toast a slice straight from the freezer. Refrigerated leftovers tend to dry out, so freezing the same day is the better option.