This vegan zucchini bread is sweet, moist, and loaded with a blend of walnuts and pecans. Add some vegan chocolate chips to transform this zucchini bread into a comforting dessert loaf.
It’s zucchini bread season!
I know, I know, It’s BEEN vegan zucchini bread season for awhile now.
BUT!
In my opinion, zucchini bread is really more of an early fall treat. The cinnamon, nutmeg, and chopped nuts really give it more of a comfy cozy vibe. Whereas summer is more about light, bright, and fresh.
So, you won’t catch me making much zucchini bread until September rolls around. (unless I’m realllllly trying to use up the zucchinis from my garden.)
Well, here September is. Wild fires, pandemic, and all… And I need a little bit of (somewhat) healthy comfort food in my life.
Hopefully this zucchini bread will bring a little comfort to your life too right now.
Using apple sauce in place of… Eggs?
I use apple sauce in this zucchini bread recipe to help lower the fat content while also adding a bit of protein.
Don’t get me wrong, you still have to add some oil to this recipe to make it moist. But I add way more applesauce.
Like wayyy more… (an entire jar of applesauce later…)
It also adds a nice natural sweetness to the bread so you don’t have to add so much refined sugars.
To help give this bread more rise and structure, I up the flour content. This is always a solid simple way to replace egg protien in baked goods.
Work the gluten, baby!
Spices and all the fall flavors
Over the years, I’ve come to discover…
Some people like their zucchini bread spicy! And not necessarily in a hot way…
I’ve had zucchini bread taste like a mouthful of India with the amount of cardamom and other spices people throw in. Which I’m not at all saying is a bad thing… I love Indian food… But you just don’t expect it out of a classically American dish.
And I generally don’t like an overwhelming amount of anything. Especially spices.
So with this zucchini bread, I completely left out the cardamom.
Instead I focused on keeping this zucchini bread more in touch with its roots by using hints of nutmeg and cinnamon.
I would normally only add walnuts. But alas, fate would have it on this day that I would run out of walnuts, and would wind up turning to the bountiful pecans in my pantry instead.
I thought the combination was so amazing, that I’d actually add it to the recipe!
Some accidents or mishaps are just meant to be.
Avoiding soggy zucchini bread
Sometimes zucchini bread can get a bit soggy.
It makes sense when you take into account the fact that zucchini itself has such a high moisture content.
To help combat this, I reccomend squeezing your grated zucchini.
If you haven’t already, it’s time to get yourself some cheesecloth. This stuff is perfect for removing the extra moisture in zucchini. (and so much more!)
Simply gather up a handful of grated zucchini, add it to the center of a square of cheesecloth, then wrap it up into a little ball and twist. Squeeze as much juice out as you can before moving on to the next handful.
Repeat this process until all of the zucchini has been juiced and drained.
The best zucchini bread tools
Of course, you’re going to need two 9″ x 5″ loaf pans.
It’s best to get them non stick if you can. Before I add the batter to the pans, I make sure to grease them with a little bit oil. It’s also a great idea to use some parchment paper like a little sling for the bread. (see photo)
It makes it soo much easier to remove later on, and helps prevent overly browned bottoms.
When it comes to slicing the bread, a serrated bread or cake knife works best.
Use a back and forth motion with hardly any pressure downwards when cutting. Let the knife do the work. If you press down too much, you could wind up smooshing the loaf.
And nobody wants a sad, smooshed slice of zucchini bread.
Zucchini bread and what?
What will you enjoy this vegan zucchini bread with?
A dollop of coconut whip? A cup of your favorite coffee? A spread?
Let me know in the comments below! I’ve been having mine with coffee all week. Stumptown’s Holler Mountain has been my jam lately, and it pairs so amazingly well with this zucchini bread.
(maybe a zucchini coffee cake recipe is in my near future?)
Anyways, as usual, be sure to snap a picture of your masterpiece! I want to see it.
Share any of your delicious zucchini bread photos with us, and be sure to tag @alderspirit and use #alderspirit so I’ll get notified when you post it.
I can’t wait to see!
Have fun, and let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.
Vegan Zucchini Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup neutral oil vegetable, canola
- 2½ cups apple sauce, unsweetened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste, or extract
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tbsp baking soda
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1½ tsp nutmeg, freshly grated
- 2½ cups zucchini, grated approx. 1 medium zucchini
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°. Grease two 9" x 5" loaf pans and line with parchment. (see pictures)
- In a medium bowl, combine the apple sauce, vegetable oil, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk for 2 minutes to help the fats bond with the sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- Use a food processor or hand grater to shred the zucchini. Next, use a cheesecloth to help squeeze out any excess moisture from the zucchini. Add the drained, shredded zucchini to a small bowl with the chopped walnuts and pecans. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry using a wooden spoon. Do not over mix. Once there are no more dry patches of flour, fold in the zucchini and nuts.
- Divide the batter in half and fill the two loaf pans. Bake for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will come out with wet set crumbs, but no gummy, doughy batter.
- Remove the loaves from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from their pans. Wait until the zucchini bread reaches room temperature to slice.Store these loaves in an airtight wrap or container at room temperature. Enjoy within 5-7 days.
Notes
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