Vegan Zucchini Bread
We all need a solid quick bread recipe in our baking arsenal and if you are still in search of a go-to for zucchini bread, this might be the one for you. This is vegan but it’s every bit as good as one made with dairy and eggs.
I don’t have a vegetable garden so I’ve never had to deal with trying to figure out what to do with a zucchini bounty (though I wish I had this problem). If you are able to grow vegetables I envy you and you probably have a go-to zucchini bread recipe already but since I’ve baked so few in my lifetime–often opting for banana bread instead–I misplaced long ago the recipe I once enjoyed.
When I visited the farmers market last Sunday for my weekly banh mi fix, I walked by a vegetable stand piled high with all kinds of squash and couldn’t resist returning home with a bagful–most were slated for the grill but I set aside a few for a loaf of bread to bring my oven out of hibernation.
If you Google zucchini bread recipes you’ll get over 90 million search results (whoa!). Are there that many variations on a simple quick bread recipe? Most likely not but I never imagined there to be that much discussion about it on the web.
Rather than sift through pages of “the best zucchini bread recipe ever” online, I decided to use my current favorite recipe for banana bread as the base. I have nothing against claims for the best as I’m sure most of them deserve the title but I happen to like the mix I use for my banana bread so I went with that. I swapped out the banana for shredded zucchini, omitted the nuts but kept the almond meal. It may not be a conventional recipe for zucchini bread since I like the addition of almond meal and oats (and it’s vegan) but after tasting it I felt it worthy of sharing what would be the 91,000,001st recipe on Google.
This zucchini bread recipe is full of great texture and flavor, nutty from the almond meal, oats and flax meal that I use in place of eggs. It rises beautifully and while it’s far from dry from my use of olive oil, it’s not dripping with excess moisture from the zucchini either. The key is to squeeze out all the liquid from the shredded squash–the olive oil lends plenty of moisture, in addition to the use of yogurt (non-dairy for vegans) instead of milk, though you can use non-dairy milk with great results, too.
With only a two-person household a loaf will last for days and it keeps well. Straight out of the refrigerator or lightly toasted this zucchini bread has been a nice treat for breakfast, with tea after lunch and as dessert after dinner.
If you’re not vegan feel free to use traditional ingredients and if you’re a sceptic and wonder if a vegan version of this classic quick bread might even be palatable, give it a try and tell me what you think. I have a feeling you won’t be disappointed.
Vegan Zucchini Bread
We all need a solid quick bread recipe in our baking arsenal and if you are still in search of a go-to for zucchini bread, this might be the one for you. This is vegan but it's every bit as good as one made with dairy and eggs.
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond meal
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup oats
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup olive oil (or vegetable oil) I use California Olive Ranch
- 2 flax eggs (or two large eggs)(See Note)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain non dairy yogurt (or regular yogurt or equal amount non dairy or regular milk)
- 1 cup shredded zuccini (heaping cup, tightly packed, about 1 1/2 zucchini)(See Note)
Instructions
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Preaheat your oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
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In a large bowl, whisk the flour, almond meal, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, oats and raisins together.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the sugar, flax eggs, olive oil, yogurt and vanilla.
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Fold the zucchini and wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. The mixture will seem quite dry but don't worry. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes to one hour. Cool on wire rack and enjoy.
Recipe Notes
Flax Eggs: stir together two tablespoons flax meal and six tablespoons water and let sit until the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. (One flax egg = one tablespoon flax meal and three tablespoons water = one egg)
Zucchini: I used 1 1/2 regular-sized zucchini. I scooped out some of the seeds and squeezed on paper towels twice to remove most of the liquid. I packed the shredded squash tightly in a measuring cup, yielding a heaping cup.
[…] cancel out all my recent efforts so zucchini bread seemed like a good compromise. Using my favorite Zucchini Bread recipe as the base, with a few adjustments, this simple quick bread with its soft, light texture and […]