One Bowl Vegan Zucchini Bread

This one bowl vegan zucchini bread is subtly sweet and packed with nourishing ingredients. Plus, you'll need just one bowl and about 15 minutes of active kitchen time to make it!

I'll be the first to admit that a recipe for zucchini bread feels out of place this time of year. What's a simple staple doing amidst all the holiday flair?

Well...

I started testing this recipe in early October, but it took many more trials to master than I'd anticipated. By the time I finished testing it, it was nearly Thanksgiving, and I'd already had the next several weeks of recipes scheduled and ready to post.

So, I tucked the recipe in my back pocket and have been waiting for the right time to share it.

January seemed like the right time, but then I got antsy and decided that January was too far away. And so, here you have it. A recipe for zucchini bread in the middle of December. Brought to you by methodical recipe testing and my antsy-pantsy nature.

But really, who needs another holiday cookie recipe at this point?

And hey, zucchini is green and plenty of jams are red, so perhaps we haven't strayed too far off course, have we?

And besides, this vegan zucchini bread is everything a good holiday dish should be:

Easy.
Delicious.
Spiced.
Comforting.
Versatile.
Crowd-pleasing.

To make it, you'll start by whisking together the wet ingredients—ground flaxseed, grated zucchini, applesauce, grapeseed oil, coconut sugar, and maple syrup.

Then, one at a time, stir in the dry ingredients—sea salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and spelt flour. Once no flour patches remain at the bottom of the bowl, spoon the batter into a lined or greased loaf pan.

Use a spatula to smooth the surface and top with a generous sprinkling of hemp hearts (if you'd like).

Bake the loaf for 45 minutes to one hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool for 15 minutes in the pan, and then very carefully transfer it to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Slice the loaf and serve it on its own, with a pat of vegan butter, and/or a generous smear of jam.

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5 from 2 votes

One Bowl Vegan Zucchini Bread

This one bowl vegan zucchini bread is subtly sweet and packed with nourishing ingredients. Plus, you'll need just one bowl and about 15 minutes of active kitchen time to make it!

Course Breakfast, Sides

Cuisine plant-based, Vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 14 slices

Author Ashley

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 ½ cups grated zucchini, gently packed into the cups while measuring
• ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ½ cup expeller-pressed grapeseed oil (or melted virgin coconut oil if you don't mind a coconutty taste)
• ⅓ cup plus 3 tablespoons coconut sugar
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Dry Ingredients

• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 ½ cups whole spelt flour

Optional Toppings

• Hemp hearts
• Vegan butter
• Jam

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 5" x 10" loaf pan with parchment paper or lightly grease it with oil.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseed, zucchini, applesauce, grapeseed oil, coconut sugar, and maple syrup.
• Stir in the sea salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and spelt flour into the wet mixture, one by one, in the order listed. Stop stirring when there are no flour patches at the bottom of the bowl. Be careful not to overmix—spelt has a delicate gluten structure, so overmixing will result in dry, crumbly bread. The batter should be quite thick and fluffy.
• Spoon the batter into the lined loaf pan and use a spatula to gently smooth the surface.
• If desired, garnish the top with a sprinkling of hemp hearts. 
• Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs at the tip.
• Cool for 15 minutes in the pan, and then very carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
• Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month.

Notes

*Please stick with whole spelt flour here and resist the urge to substitute other flours, especially gluten-free ones. I've tested this recipe with a few different gluten-free flours (including oat flour) and had very subpar results.