Paleo Zucchini Bread with Walnuts
This Paleo Zucchini Bread is lightly sweetened, super soft and moist, with just the right amount of crunch from toasted walnuts. This gluten-free zucchini quick bread is one treat you can enjoy guilt free!
I dream about this paleo zucchini bread as soon as zucchini season rolls around. As a gardener and frequent farmer’s market shopper, I end up inundated with zucchini squash every summer and am always looking for the most delicious ways to use them up.
My Gluten-Free Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes are always one of my favorite ways to use them up (especially when you don’t want anyone to know that there’s zucchini in there), but this Paleo Zucchini Bread definitely runs as a close second these days. It’s like a delicious paleo banana bread, but with loads of fresh zucchini instead of the bananas for moisture.
What’s in paleo zucchini bread?
The recipe for this Paleo Zucchini Bread is only barely sweetened, which is just the way I like it! If you prefer a sweeter bread, feel free to increase the amount of coconut sugar. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons, but you can increase that up to 5-6 tablespoons for a sweeter bread. Thanks to applesauce and coconut oil in addition to the zucchini, this bread is super moist and soft. It stays that way for days!
I used a mix of almond flour, coconut flour, and tapioca flour. I love the spongy, moist texture that this gluten-free flour combination gives me. It keeps it well structured, not mushy, and pretty darn similar to regular zucchini bread. Score! A little cinnamon adds some flavor, and I get the crunch I love with some toasted walnuts. If you’re anti nuts in baked goods, skip ’em – no problem.
How to store gluten-free zucchini bread:
- Cool the bread completely: cool the zucchini bread completely before storing it. If the bread is warm or hot, it can create condensation inside the storage container, leading to a soggy texture.
- Wrap it tightly: Once the bread is cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. You can also store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh.
- Keep it at room temperature: gluten-free zucchini bread can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Store in the fridge: store your tightly wrapped paleo zucchini bread in the refrigerator for up to a week.
- Freeze for longer storage: If you need to store the zucchini bread for longer than a week, you can freeze it. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then place it in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
My favorite paleo quick breads:
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Paleo Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 slices 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Paleo Zucchini Bread is lightly sweetened, super soft and moist, with just the right amount of crunch from toasted walnuts. This gluten-free zucchini quick bread is one treat you can enjoy guilt free!
Ingredients
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 3 tablespoons coconut sugar, see Notes
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 cup grated zucchini, water squeezed out after measuring
- 1¼ cups (5 oz.) almond flour
- ¼ cup (1 oz.) tapioca flour, you can also use arrowroot starch
- 2 tablespoons (1 oz.) coconut flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped, optional
Instructions
- Grease one 9″x5″ loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large bowl or mixer, combine the eggs, coconut sugar, apple sauce, and coconut oil. Mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add zucchini and stir to combine.
- Add the almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Stir until combined. Fold in toasted walnuts.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about ½ hour. Flip out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.
Notes
This bread is not very sweet! Feel free to increase the amount of coconut sugar to up to 6 tablespoons if you prefer a sweeter bread (or add some chocolate chips).
Nutrition
- Calories: 219
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 310
- Fat: 17
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 49
I have zucchini bread on the blog today too. Yours looks irresistible! I can never get enough.
Haha, great minds think alike! I saw another blogger post some too :) guess we’re all craving zucchini bread this time of year!
I’m totally loving this paleo zucchini bread, Rachel! Definitely need to try it out! Pinned :)
Don’t be ashamed!! Pursuing your passions is admirable, that is what we all hope for in life :) This zucchini bread looks amazing too!
Aw yay! Such an exciting time for you!! And this zucchini bread … I was just thinking about how I need to make some soon! Sounds wonderful!
Oh yay, yay, yay, Rachel! I’m SO happy that you’re able to do what you love as a full-time job. I’ll always be here, clicking on sponsored links, commenting, & helping you grow your site in any way I can.
Also… this zucchini bread looks delicious! Looove it! <3
Thank you so much Abby – you’re so sweet! So lucky to have your support :)
I’ve been baking with lots of zucchini lately as well! Congratulations on graduation and on the jump to full-time blogging, that’s awesome!!
I don’t have tapioca flour, can I substitute or leave out?
Hi Patty, I would replace the tapioca flour with more almond flour if you can’t get your hands on it. The bread may be slightly denser since tapioca flour adds some lightness, but it should still work well. Enjoy!
I’m so excited for you to be blogging full-time! Your recipes and photographs are always so incredible, this is definitely what you should be doing! Also, this zucchini bread looks incredible too. I wish I had a slice of this right about now ;)
YAY! Congrats, Rachel! Can’t wait to see what fun things you have in store for Bakerita. And this zucchini bread looks like the best way to celebrate :)
I’m seriously pumped for you, Rachel! You are definitely gonna take Bakerita places and I’m excited to get to watch! This zucchini bread?? I’m obsessed and I need a slice asap! Or maybe just the whole gorgeous loaf. ;
Congratulations Rachel! You have a wonderful blog here that is always a pleasure to read and I can’t wait to see where you take it next!
Congratulations on graduation and on the full-time blogging, Rachel!1 You are so talented and for this reason I am sure you were born to do that. I am very happy for you!!
Your zucchini bread looks so delicious and very soft ;-)
You are the paleo baking queen! This zucchini bread looks absolutely perfect. And I love that I can enjoy it guilt free. Excited for your new opportunities with Bakerita!
This looks delicious! Pinning!
That’s so exciting, Rachel! I totally wanted to do that after college while I was looking for a job, but one unexpectedly came along and I had to take it. Things will happen the way they’re meant to happen :) This zucchini bread looks wonderful! I’m not sure why I haven’t baked with zucchini yet, but you’ve inspired me!
I always love buying zucchini in the summertime, so I’m pinning this to make! Also, congrats on going full time – also I love the idea of keeping the best comments in a word doc, I’m totally going to start doing that!
Thanks Phi! It’s definitely a nice pick me up whenever you need motivation, or lack inspiration. Always reminds me why I do what I do!
If I make this in muffin form instead of in a bread pan, how long do you think I’ll need to bake them for? This recipe sounds great!! Thanks. :)
Hi Jenni! I would start checking on the muffins at around 15-16 minutes, and then checking every few minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
Is there something I could exchange the applesauce with? My son has fructose malabsorption and can’t do apples. I was already going to exchange the coconut sugar with dextrose for this reason. Thanks! it’s so hard cooking for him.
Hi Laura! That’s a tricky one, normally I would suggest bananas, but those have fructose as well. You could try adding more coconut oil to replace the moisture lost. About 1/4 cup coconut oil total would probably be the best substitute I can think of – but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say for sure! Please let me know how it turns out if you give it a go. Enjoy!
Glad to have stumbled on your page! Im at a point in my life where I am trying to figure out what’s next.. Thanks for your passionate inspiration to wait for opportunity, enjoy what is, and be somewhere so beautiful while doing it! And, I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Kaitlyn, thanks for your kind comment. It feels like we’re always deciding on what’s next, right? :) Enjoy the moment, and make the most of it!
Hi! I just stumbled on this recipe and can’t wait to try.
I have a question please.. what other flour can I use instead of tapioca and coconut flour and which will give me the same results.
Hi Ani, nothing else will give you exactly the same results, but you can use an extra 1/3 cup almond flour in place of the coconut flour, and corn starch or arrowroot starch work well as replacements for tapioca flour. Enjoy!