ONE OF THE MOST VERSITILE VEGETABLES OF ALL TIME: ZUCCHINI!
Our garden produces copious amounts of zucchini year after year. Every time my husband walks in with another basket of zucchini, I sigh. Now what? Why, this time we make zucchini bread, of course. For more recipes that use zucchini, try our Sautéed Zucchini With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil, our Low Carb Zucchini Parmesan Fries, or our Low Carb Zucchini Parmesan Casserole.
A ZUCCHINI BREAD RECIPE THAT’S DELICIOUS AND HEALTHY
Our keto/low-carb zucchini bread is a sweet treat that we enjoy for breakfast, dessert, or afternoon snack. It’s gluten-free, sugar-free and takes only 15 minutes to prep. Best of all, it tastes delicious! We add the sweet-spicy flavors of cinnamon and vanilla, and the nutty goodness of walnuts to create a flavor profile you’re going to love. The original recipe was given to me by my sister, Patty. We thought it was going to be a simple fix to remove most of the carbs, but nope, not so much.
After several attempts, we’ve got the texture just right – a golden-brown crust with a moist and tender interior. We’ve tried so many bread recipes that flop, primarily due to soggy insides. Not on our watch. And it doesn’t matter if you don’t like the taste of zucchini. You’ve heard it before and we’ll say it again: You won’t taste the zucchini in this bread, but you will enjoy the healthy benefits of a vegetable that’s rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
INGREDIENTS FOR OUR KETO ZUCCHINI BREAD
ALMOND FLOUR
COCONUT FLOUR
BAKING POWDER
SALT
CINNAMON
BUTTER
GRANULATED SUGAR REPLACEMENT
LARGE EGGS
PURE VANILLA EXTRACT
ZUCCHINI – GRATED, DRAINED, AND SQUEEZED DRY
WALNUTS
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING THIS LOW CARB ZUCCHINI BREAD
Line: a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, extending a few inches over the long sides of the pan for easy removal.
Finely grate: zucchini (skin on) and allow to drain in a colander while you prepare the dough. Use a hand-held shredder, or food processor (huge time saver).
Whisk together: almond and coconut flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. (We added the coconut flour to help stabilize the texture.)
Beat together: softened butter and sugar substitute. Whatever brand of sugar substitute you use, make sure it’s granulated. Swerve, Truvia Sweet Complete, or pure erythritol all come in granulated form. Hand-held or stand mixers work equally well, and beat for several minutes on high, until they are well-blended.
Add: room temperature eggs and pure vanilla extract. Continue beating for an additional 2 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, and slowly beat in the dry ingredients until just blended.
Turn mixer to low: slowly beat in dry ingredients just until blended.
Remove moisture: Press the zucchini in colander with your hands to remove moisture, then several more times using paper towels, cheesecloth, or towel to squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Stir: in zucchini and nuts. Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.
Transfer: batter to loaf pan and smooth the top. Press in a few nuts (walnuts or pecans) on top.
Bake: 350 degress F for 55-60 minutes. Our oven produced a perfect bake at 60 minutes.
TIPS FOR BAKING
It’s important to note that the zucchini is measured before the removal of excess liquid.
Individual ovens differ, but you’ll know when it’s done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, and the top is golden-brown. We recommend tenting the bread with aluminum foil halfway through the bake to prevent over-browning.
The bread needs to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack for several hours, or preferably overnight. As keto bakers all know, this is a critical step in recipes! We wait overnight, and store on countertop loosely covered with waxed or parchment paper. Don’t use plastic wrap to store.
HOW MANY CARBS ARE IN EACH SERVING?
One slice (1/2 inch thick) is only 3 net carbs. We love to slather the top with butter and enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea.
Keto Low Carb Zucchini Bread
Our zucchini bread is a delicious sweet bread for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack. Flavored with vanilla and cinnamon, it's the perfect balance of texture – tender and moist on the inside with a golden-brown crust on the outside. 15 minutes to prep, sugar-free and gluten-free!
- 2¼ cups almond flour (blanched)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup butter (room temperature)
- 1 cup granulated sugar replacement (Erythritol, Swerve, Truvia Sweet Complete, etc.)
- 4 large eggs (room temperature)
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups zucchini (grated)
- ½ cup walnuts (chopped)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, extending a few inches over the top of long sides. This makes easy removal from pan after baking. Finely grate 1.5 cups of zucchini (skin on) and place in colander to drain.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together almond and coconut flours, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
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Using hand-held or stand mixer, beat together softened butter with sugar substitute on high for 3-5 minutes, until well-blended.
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Add eggs and vanilla extract. Beat additional 2 minutes.
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On low speed, beat in dry mixture, just until blended.
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Using paper towels, cheesecloth or towel, squeeze out all excess moisture from drained zucchini. Stir the zucchini and nuts into the batter until combined.
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Transfer batter to loaf pan and smooth the top. Press a few chopped walnuts into top of batter (optional). Bake at 350 degrees F for 55-60 minutes. To prevent over-browning, tent with aluminum foil after 30 minutes. Bread is done when top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
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Remove from oven and place on cooling rack, allowing several hours (overnight best) for bread to completely cool. Remove from pan using parchment paper tabs.
For a little extra flavor, add 1 tbsp of orange or lemon zest to the batter.
One serving:1/2 inch slice. 3 net carbs per serving.
Zucchini is measured prior to removal of excess liquid.
Store loosely covered with parchment or wax paper on countertop for 2-3 days, or in the fridge for 1 week. Slice before freezing.
Delicious!
Hi, Lucy! I’m so happy to hear you found the zucchini bread delicious, and so kind of you to leave a comment. Stay well!
Love the zucchini bread. Just wondering for next time am I to use salted butter or non salt?I use reg this time but in future when baking sweets what should I use? Amy I love that you are sharing these recipes. I’m new to the keto so I’m looking for new ideas. Thanks so much from Tammy in Canada
Hi, Tammy! I use salted butter unless stated otherwise. Salt accentuates sweet flavors, so especially in baked goods, I use salted butter. If you are watching your salt intake, then unsalted works great, too. Welcome to the site, and hope you find more recipes you enjoy. Love visiting Canada!
Joanie, I am not able to use Stevia, erythritol or other types of these sweeteners. I use monkfruit, which in drop form is much sweeter. I do have granulated and says you can use cup for cup the same as sugar. I’m wondering if you have ever used this and whether you found you should use less since it is very sweet. Thanks so much and I’m glad I found this site through Amy on GMA 🙂
Hi, Patty! Yes, I’ve used Lakanto brand monkfruit as a sugar substitute. Since monkfruit by itself is 200-400% x’s sweeter than sugar, they blend it with erythritol to get a 1:1 ratio, making it easier to use in recipes, so that would work as a perfect replacement for erythritol or Stevia. If you are using PURE monkfruit, you would need such a small amount that the texture of the zucchini bread would change dramatically, and I wouldn’t advise that substitution. Wish I had a better answer for you! Hoping you find other recipes to enjoy!
Omg! Sooooooo great! Would never know this was keto. Didn’t know the tip of needing to cool completely but so worth the wait! YUM!
Hi, Gina! Keto/low carb baked goods always need to completely cool before serving. If eaten warm, the flavor will be the same, but the texture is too crumbly. Thank you so much for your comments, and I’m so happy to know you loved the zucchini bread!
Wow, this bread is delicious! My husband has been on Keto for almost 3 years and is a huge advocate of it. He absolutely loved this bread and so did I. I’m hopping on the Keto training knowing recipes like yours are out there:)
HI, Nicole! Wow, thank you for letting us know both you and your husband loved the zucchini bread! Inspires me to keep coming up with new recipes. Thanks for visiting our site!
Hi! I loooooove this bread and have made it multiple times!! My children devour it, as well! Curious if you’ve ever used flax eggs in this recipe. Would like to make it for a friend who cannot tolerate eggs but don’t want to waste the whole recipe w such quality ingredients. Thanks!!
Hi, Heather! I’m so happy you love the zucchini bread! I just added a pumpkin bread last week that you may want to try as well. I have never used flax eggs in a recipe. I know to make a flax “egg” you mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of water, and refrigerate for about 15 minutes to thicken. This replaces one egg. It you do make it with flax eggs, I’d be very interested in knowing how the bread turns out! Good luck and stay well.
Hi this looks so delicious and I’m definitely going to make it today! Wondering if you had the grams or ounces by the slice so I could track it into my keto app. Thanks so much ♥️
We think you’re going to love our Zucchini Bread. Each slice is approximately 1/2 inch thick – 16 slices per loaf. Unfortunately we don’t have the exact weight per slice. If you don’t have a scale, we highly recommend purchasing as many recipes don’t include weight per serving. We’ll remember to weigh the next time we make the bread!
This is the best bread yet. Followed directions but added Lilly’s Chocolate chips with the zucchini. It was difficult but let it sit over nite and had this morning. Perfect!
Hi, Jan! I’m so happy you loved the zucchini bread, and I love, love the addition of Lily’s Chocolate Chips!
Love it so yummy! Thank you!
Thank you! Great to hear you enjoyed the zucchini bread.
Hello, I made your zucchini bread for second time but this time I used monk fruit with Lakanto-Monkfruit-Sweetener-Erythritol-Golden it seems a bit sweet, I may cut back from 1 cup next time. Overall we love this recipe It’s so moist with crunchy top. Thank you!
Hi, Denise! Pleased to hear your enjoyed our Zucchini Bread. We love to spread a little softened butter over the slices before eating! We do loads of blind taste testing with ingredients, especially the large variety of sweeteners out there. I’ve used Lakanto MonkFruit Sweetener in recipes and for my tastebuds, find it a little sweeter and with a more pronounced cooling sensation on the tongue than a Swerve or truvia substitute. If you plan on using the Lankanto again for this recipe, I suggest cutting back only a small amount, as the bulk of the ingredients do have an effect on the texture. Happy baking and thanks for visiting us!
Love this .. sooo good! Curious if I could swap out zucchini for same amount of pumpkin purée for pumpkin bread . What do u think?
Hi, Mary! Good question. Since pumpkin purée has a different water content than zucchini, I wouldn’t suggest this substitution. What I would highly recommend? Our recipe for pumpkin bread! Just type it in the search box on myketohome.com. Scroll down until you see search box. I love pumpkin bread too, and I hope you love it as much as we do!
I like the ingredients in your zucchini bread but can I print it without the pictures?
Hi, Sandra! Yes you can. When you hit the “print recipe” orange button at the top of the post, you’re taken to the recipe card. Remove check by clicking on “Instruction Images” and/or “Recipe Image” to delete photos.
Excellent, very moist. I will make this over and over. Thanks
Hi, Nina! So happy you are enjoying our Zucchini Bread! Thanks for letting us know.