This delicious Healthy Zucchini Bread is moist, flavorful, and packed with fresh zucchini! This bread uses better-for-you ingredients — less sugar than most zucchini breads, Greek yogurt, overripe banana, coconut oil, blended oats, and loads of zucchini, of course! We make this bread in two bowls — no stand or hand mixer required.
Try some of our other nutritious zucchini treats like this Lemon Zucchini Bread, Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins, or Chocolate Zucchini Bread.
Healthy Zucchini Bread
Zucchini bread has always been a favorite of mine. I love it so much that we even served cute miniature loaves at my wedding – ha!
At the wedding we served my mom’s famous Zucchini Bread recipe — everyone always loves it! While I’ll never go too long without making that bread, I make it as a dessert rather than breakfast or nutritious snack. And as a dessert, it’s not something I want to eat or feed my kids too often. But this bread? This healthy zucchini bread is aimed towards being a bread worthy of being called breakfast! While there is still some sugar in it, there is a fraction of what other recipes contain. We’re also using plenty of other healthier ingredient swaps — protein-packed Greek yogurt, oats in place of some of the flour, coconut oil, super-ripe bananas and — of course– let’s not forget we’re adding veggies to this bread in the form of zucchini!
Does this bread taste like bananas? As far as flavor goes, the banana is not really detectable in the finished bread (unless the banana is very overripe or has a strong flavor). We use the small amount (3 tablespoons) of banana as a natural, better-for-you sweetener and binder in this bread.
Healthy Zucchini Bread Key Ingredients
Below I’ll break down some of the ingredients in this recipe and offer some helpful tips!
- Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt adds protein and loads of flavor to this recipe. Our favorite yogurt to use is Honey Vanilla Greek yogurt (made by Greek Gods®). I don’t recommend a low fat or non-Greek yogurt in this bread– it won’t turn out the same. While plain Greek yogurt works, the flavored yogurt adds so much additional flavor to this healthy zucchini bread without extra ingredients.
- Oat flour. What is it? Basically just powdered oats. It adds a great texture, a different flavor, and a healthier aspect to this recipe. (See “quick tip” below)
- Overripe bananas. The riper the banana, the sweeter the bread (and overall the more flavorful it will be). Using a super-ripe banana makes a real difference–make sure it is covered in flecks of brown. The flecks indicate natural sugar inside. The banana is also important for binding.
- Coconut oil. Make sure to get the measurement with the oil melted (not in the hardened state). Allow ample time for the coconut oil to cool down so you don’t add hot oil into the bread mixture; otherwise, it will seize up.
Quick Tip
Make oat flour in under 30 seconds by blending old-fashioned or quick oats until they resemble wheat flour. Both budget and high-powered blenders work well. Note: Do not use only oat flour for recipes like Healthy Zucchini Bread, as it absorbs more liquid than regular flour and may affect texture.
Tips For Success
- Thoroughly mash the banana. The riper the banana, the sweeter it is. We rely on that sweetness to naturally sweeten the bread without adding too much more brown sugar to it. The banana is also important for binding. Be sure to thoroughly mash the banana to a thick paste that looks like applesauce.
- Grate the zucchini on the LARGE holes of the grater. This bread is too wet/moist with finely shredded zucchini. (I’ve tried it and was not impressed with the results.)
- Wring out zucchini. While we don’t want to remove too much moisture from the zucchini since it’s what makes the bread moist, we do need to remove a bit. Take a few paper towels or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze the zucchini a couple of times to get out some of the excess moisture.
- Generously grease the bread pan. I like to grease the bread pan with nonstick spray and then lightly dust with flour. There are few things as frustrating as trying to invert a loaf and having it fall apart or stick to the bottom. Alternatively, line the pan with parchment paper.
How To Know When This Healthy Zucchini Bread is Done
It can be tricky to know when quick breads are baked fully. There is a lot of variance in baking zucchini bread such as altitude, humidity, actual oven temperature, bread pan used, etc. Here are a few cues to look for and tips to keep in mind:
- Preventing under-baked zucchini bread: Make sure your oven is correctly calibrated; wait for the oven to fully preheat before adding the bread to the oven and position the loaf in the center of the oven.
- Visual cues for doneness: Bread has pulled away from the edges of the pan slightly and the top is caramelized and a deep brown color.
- Physical cue for doneness: A toothpick (or fork) inserted into the center of the healthy zucchini bread comes out clean or with a couple of moist (not wet) crumbs.
Quick Tip
Always cool baked goods on a wire rack. Run a table knife along the edge of the pan and invert the loaf onto the wire rack. Healthy Zucchini Bread needs to be elevated so air can circulate around all sides as it cools. Otherwise, moisture (from the heat of the bread) will condense on the bottom of the bread, making it damp and slightly sticky.
Healthy Zucchini Bread FAQs
Do you have to peel zucchini for zucchini bread?
Not at all! The skin adds texture and specks of color to the bread. It will cook and become fully tender once baked.
How do I cut zucchini for bread?
Use the standard-sized holes on a grater to grate the zucchini. If using a large zucchini, you may want to cut it in half horizontally first.
Can I make this zucchini bread into muffins?
While this particular recipe doesn’t convert perfectly to muffins, I have created a similar recipe that makes the perfect zucchini muffins. Recipe here: Healthy Zucchini Muffins
Storage
- Storage: Keep zucchini bread at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for up to a week.
- Freezing Tips: Cool the bread completely, slice it, and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Store in a sealed container or freezer bag for 2-3 months. Thaw slices quickly at room temperature or a bit longer in the fridge. You can also freeze extra shredded zucchini for easy use later.
More Delicious Snacks
- Healthy Zucchini Muffins made with Greek yogurt
- Healthy Brownies with a chocolate frosting
- Chewy Granola Bars made with peanut butter and honey
- Banana Bites made 2 different ways!
- Oatmeal Bars with peanut butter topping
Healthy Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- 8.5 x 4.5-inch bread pan
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (125g) honey vanilla Greek yogurt (we love Greek Gods brand)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup (70g) coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons (45g) honey
- 3 tablespoons (55g) very ripe mashed banana
- 1/2 cup (91g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (52g) oat flour (blended oats) -- Note 1
- 1 cup (125g) white flour or use white-whole wheat
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or 1/4 tsp table salt)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup (142g) lightly packed grated zucchini grated on large holes
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips or chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (162 degrees C). Lightly grease and flour an 8.5 x 4.5-inch bread pan or line with parchment paper and set aside. Melt the coconut oil and then set aside to cool back to room temperature. (Measure coconut oil in melted not solid state.)
- ZUCCHINI PREP: Wash and dry the zucchini. Grate on the large holes of a grater. Place on 2 sheets of paper towel or a clean kitchen towel and squeeze 1-2 times. We don't want to remove too much liquid, just a bit. Set aside.
- WET INGREDIENTS: In a large bowl, combine Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, 1 large egg, coconut oil (melted, but cooled), and honey. In a separate small bowl, thoroughly mash the overripe banana to the consistency of applesauce. Add the mashed banana and brown sugar to the bowl. Briskly whisk ingredients together until smooth and combined.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate medium-sized bowl, stir together the oat flour (See Note 1), white or white-whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- ADD ZUCCHINI: Add the dry to the wet and mix a few times before adding in the grated zucchini. Add chocolate chips or nuts, if desired. Mix until ingredients are just combined. Overmixing will result in dense bread.
- BAKE: Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of the spatula. If desired, press a few more chocolate chips in the top here. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted into the center, comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs and the bread has begun to slightly pull away from the sides.
- COOL BREAD: Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes and then remove from the bread pan onto a cooling rack. Let the bread fully cool before cutting into the bread. (It's a bit crumbly right out of the oven.) Cut with a very sharp serrated knife.
- STORAGE: This bread stores 1-2 days at normal room temperature (wrapped tightly/stored in an airtight container). After 3-4 days, this bread is more prone to molding because of the ingredients used and the overall moistness of the bread. Warm the refrigerated (unwrapped) slices in the microwave for 5-10 seconds. Freeze any leftover slices for up to 3 months (individually wrapped and then placed in a zip-top bag). To thaw, set out wrapped slices at room temperature for about an hour.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thank you for this recipe! It turned out perfectly and is so delicious. 🙂
So happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks for the comment Shelly!
I’ve made this bread numerous times (added dark chocolate chips and walnuts) and it’s fantastic. Don’t over mix though or it will be dense (did that the first time).
Question: I was thinking of substituting pumpkin for the mashed banana to make it more fall-like for a Thanksgiving dessert. Do you think that would work ok?
So happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this bread! I’d recommend making this bread instead: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/the-best-healthy-greek-yogurt-pumpkin-bread/ Enjoy!
I made this last night and it was wonderful! So easy too. To cut down a bit on the fat I replaced about 1/2 of the coconut oil with unsweetened applesauce. I used white whole wheat flour plus the oat flour. Also used plain greek yogurt but added extra vanilla extract (about 2 1/2 tsp total). I had 1/2 of a medium banana in the freezer so I used that instead of measuring out the 3 tbsp. Baked about 41 mins. All in all I’m shocked at how moist and delicious this turned out!! I’ve tried to make healthier quick breads and they always seem to be missing something. Not this one!! I shamelessly ate 1/4 of the loaf in on sitting!
So happy to hear you liked this bread! And no shame in eating 1/4th of the loaf 🙂
I am so pleased with this recipe! Turned out great!! Also worked well in muffin-form for events!
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Just made this and it is perfect, thank you for sharing your recipe!
So thrilled you enjoyed this bread! Thanks Kristy 🙂
I’ve tried some of your other recipes and they were great! This one looks really good, but I am wondering if I could I use almond yogurt instead. I like the Kite Hill brand as it has great taste and nice consistency. Also, would it be ok to only use oat flour?
I’ve never experimented with almond yogurt so I’m not sure how it would work in this recipe. I do know that all oat flour doesn’t work unfortunately.
Hello! I just made this last night and it came out great despite a few bumps along the way. So…. bump number 1: I had started mixing all the wet ingredients when I realized I had no eggs! As a substitute I used flaxseed and water… I think the ratio may be 1:3 (1 tablespoon of flax seed to three tablespoons of water) and since I was making a double batch I did 2:6. I had to mix it for about 4 minutes so that it became a thicker consistency. Bump number 2: after I mixed the wet ingredients into the dry I found the batter to be very thick and dry so I added in almond milk to loosen to consistency and then added some more in after I added in the zucchini and chocolate chips. I also added in at least another tablespoon of mashed banana since I had some extra left over from mashing two whole bananas. It came out perfect! (baked for closer to 50 minutes)
I just made this and it ended up coming out more like a bread pudding than a bread, BUT it is fantastic. I made a few changes, which is I’m sure the culprit for making it turn out like bread pudding lol. Instead of using the mashed bananas (since mine are not close to ripe yet) I used apple sauce, a little more than 3tbsp, probably almost 4) I also substituted the egg for chia egg (1tbsp chia seeds + 3 tbsp water)… I added nutmeg because I always use nutmeg in zucchini bread) And when I got to the end it seemed extremely dry. Usually the batter is waaaay more liquidy when making zucchini bread so I felt like it definitely needed something to thin it out. So I added about 4 tbsp melted butter. That didn’t help enough so I just eye-ball added some vanilla flavored almond milk, which was a risk, but it still came out great!! I’d say I added about half a cup of almond milk to the mix. It still wasn’t very liquidy, but I wanted to trust the recipe and not change it too much. It is still holding firm enough to slice, but it was so jiggly that I decided to just mush my slice all up to make pudding because it was so jiggly haha!!! It came out great. Next time I may try to trust the recipe to the T just to see how it comes out your way!!! Thanks Chelsea. I’m new to the site but I think I’ll be keeping up with your recipes from now on 🙂
I’m so happy you liked it even though it was more like pudding!! The final batter is actually pretty thick before putting it in the oven, so if you try it again, don’t be wary of that batter! 😉
How can I substitute oat flour for all purpose flour? Is it a 1:1 substitution?
How can I substitute sugar for honey? Will I need to adjust for the moisture?
If I wanted to add less sugar/honey and more bananas, what proportions would you suggest?
How can I substitute all purpose flour for spelt flour?
I’m so sorry Rs, I can’t answer all of your questions because I’ve never tested these flours or sugar substitutes in this bread. I can tell you that oat flour and all purpose flour is not a 1:1 substitution; oat flour absorbs a lot more liquid than regular flour. I also know if you add more bananas you’ll have to compensate with more dry ingredients. Wish I could be of more help.
Just made this and it was delicious! I doubled the recipe and really wrung out the zucchini to get rid of any excess water. I love the coconut oil instead of butter and the greek yogurt to make it healthier. I added some chopped pecans and milk chocolate chips. It turned out so good. Mmmmmm…..
I’m so thrilled to hear this was a hit! Thank you so much for the comment Stephanie 🙂