Healthy Zucchini Bread

Healthy Zucchini Bread that’s moist, flavorful, and loaded with fresh zucchini! Made with Greek yogurt, banana, coconut oil, oats, and less sugar—no mixer needed.

Try some other nutritious zucchini treats like Lemon Zucchini Bread, Gluten-free Zucchini Muffins, or Chocolate Zucchini Bread.

Healthy Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread has always been one of my favorites—I even served mini loaves at my wedding, ha! We used my mom’s well-loved recipe, but it’s more of a dessert than a breakfast or snack, so I don’t make it too often.

This healthy zucchini bread? It’s made for breakfast. It still has a little sugar, but way less than most. I use better-for-you ingredients like Greek yogurt, oats, coconut oil, ripe bananas, and of course—zucchini!

Worried it tastes like banana? It doesn’t—unless your banana is super ripe. That small amount just adds some natural sweetness and helps hold the bread together.

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.

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.

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

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