Zucchini Bread with Cinnamon and Orange Juice
This vegan zucchini bread is packed with flavor from warm cinnamon, fresh zucchini, and orange juice for a perfectly sweet slice of bread! It’s an easy quick bread recipe that is dairy free, egg free, nut free, and can easily be made gluten free.
Plus, it comes together in one bowl and is ready in less than an hour. It pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee for breakfast (my favorite method of enjoying a slice) or serve warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top for a unique dessert!
This is one of my family favorite recipes, packed full of zucchini, cinnamon, and our secret ingredient: Orange juice. That adds such a bright and zesty kick to the zucchini bread to keep it from being overly heavy.
In the mood for more zucchini recipes? Make sure to check out my zucchini and tomato tart, a favorite Apple Zucchini Snack Cake with Apple Butter Frosting, and a Triple Chocolate Zucchini Cake!
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe quantities, please see the recipe box below.
- Zucchini: Using a box grater is the best method of shredding the zucchini for this quick bread. You don’t need anything fancier than that. Zucchinis can vary in size, but I typically use between 1 and 2 zucchini for the bread.
- Important! You don’t want to blot the zucchini dry before adding it to the batter! You want all that moisture from the vegetable to go into the bread.
- Want to peel the zucchini? You can, but honestly I never do and I like the little color it brings to leave the peel on.
- Plant Based Yogurt: I like to use a plain vegan yogurt for this recipe. Typically, I use Silk Soy Yogurt, but other dairy free yogurts like coconut or almond or oat will also work.
- Plant Milk: Use your favorite plant based milk. I always reach for unsweetened and unflavored soy milk for a simple taste that won’t compete with other flavors, but almond milk and coconut milk will also work great here.
Make it Gluten Free
Yes, you can totally make this recipe gluten free!
In my testing, I found that the gluten free flour required a few more ingredients to help account for the super absorbancy powers of gluten free rice flours. My favorite gluten free flour remains King Arthur Measure for Measure and it is what I used in this photo while testing the gluten free bread. So, to make this gluten free, you’ll also need:
- More Plant Milk: Since gluten free flour is more absorbant that wheat flour, a bit more plant based milk is necessary. Just add an additional 1/4 cup of milk to the wet ingredients.
- Extra Baking Powder: You’ll also need a little extra baking powder to help give this loaf some lift. An extra teaspoon of baking powder will do the trick!
You can see here that the gluten free flour zucchini bread got almost as much lift as the wheat flour version. It’s super important that after removing the gluten free bread from the oven, you let it rest in the hot pan for a good 45 minutes.
Variations
- Make it into Muffins!
- Line a 12 count muffin tin with liners or spray with your favorite spray. Prepare the batter as directed. Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and fill all the way full. Bake the muffins at 425F/220C for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350F/180C and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the hot tray before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling before enjoying!
- Add some chocolate chips!
- Add a cup of your favorite chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
Baking Notes
When making this, expect a super thick batter. I like to leave long sides of parchment paper in the pan so that they don’t fall into the batter while baking in the oven. Using clips helps to keep the paper in place while transferring the batter. Just make sure to take them off before baking!
How to Store
Countertop: Store cooled bread on the countertop for about 3 to 4 days.
Fridge: Store the cooled bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezer: After fully baking and cooling the bread, you can wrap it up tight and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature before slicing and serving.
More Zucchini Recipes
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you try these out, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. And if you want more delicious, vegan friendly recipes you can subscribe to the newsletter. Did you make these? Please tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest! I love to see your creations!
Equipment
- Box grater
- Mixing bowls + spoons
- Measuring cups / spoons
- baking pan
- Parchment Paper + Spray Oil
Ingredients
- 1 large zucchini grated
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/4 cup plant based milk plus more if gluten free
- 1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour or gluten free, see below for details
- 2 teaspoons baking powder plus more if gluten free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup optional fold-ins like chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C. Line a 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch (20×10-cm) pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil. Set aside while you make the batter.
- Prep the zucchini. Wash the zucchini and slice them length wise down the middle. Using a spoon, scrape out the majority of the seeds to discard. Next, using the box grater, shred the zucchini into pieces.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, plant based milk, vegan yogurt, orange juice, and brown sugar. Add the zucchini.
- Add the dry ingredients. Into the same bowl, sift in the all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a spatula and gently fold the ingredients together. Don’t over mix this, it will be thick! Fold in any optional ingredients like chocolate chips or nuts.
- Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread pulls out clean. The bread should reach an internal temperature of 190F/80C.
- Cool and serve. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the hot pan for at least an hour. You can then remove the bread from the pan and slice it now, but it might still be warm in the middle and crumble while slicing. For perfect slices, let the bread cool completely, even popping it in the fridge to chill. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Summer Recipes
As the weather heats up, the cool and refreshing recipes help cool things down! These recipes are made to enjoy all the flavors of summer, from fresh fruits and berries, to crisp salad bowls, and everything in between.
