This healthy zucchini bread is an easy and delicious summer bread recipe made from whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, no added sugar, and simple wholesome ingredients. It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it!
I think zucchini bread will forever remind me of my childhood. We had this local supermarket that made the best zucchini bread. It was always such a treat when my mom would bring home a loaf.
It was a traditional zucchini bread made with regular flour, white sugar, butter, eggs, and all of the stuff that makes us remember why we love zucchini bread so much.
As I got older and my love for turning traditional baked goods into healthier desserts grew, I knew I wanted to make an updated and healthier version of the delicious zucchini bread I loved as a child.
What makes this zucchini bread healthy?
Glad you asked 🙂 It’s simple. This bread is made with simple, more nutrient dense ingredients like whole wheat flour, coconut oil, greek yogurt, and no refined white sugar.
My favorite type of flour for this bread is white whole wheat flour, as I find that it is lighter than regular whole wheat. It helps to keep things a little bit more moist than all whole wheat, however both will work just fine for this recipe.
By using honey in place of sugar, we are able to still enjoy the sweet taste that the bread has to offer but without all of the refined sugar. In addition to using honey, we also use dairy-free chocolate chips. Sometimes I even use the chocolate chips from Lily’s because they are made without any sugar.
Greek yogurt is also used in this recipe because it helps keep it moist and flavorful. Sometimes, when baking with whole wheat flour, breads can get dry and too crumbly for our liking. The Greek yogurt helps to keep the moisture in and leaves the bread with a delicious fluffy texture.
Ingredients and substitutions in healthy zucchini bread
White whole wheat flour – you can use any other type of all-purpose, whole wheat, or even gluten-free 1:1 flour here. I prefer white whole wheat for texture and moisture but any will work.
Coconut oil – I love to use coconut oil in my baking and I buy the refined version so that my baked goods don’t taste like coconut. If you’ve ever baked with coconut oil and was wondering why they taste like coconut, that would be because your oil wasn’t refined and still keeps a lot of the coconut flavor.
Greek yogurt – as mentioned above, this helps keep the bread really moist. I’ve made it with and without the yogurt and there is a noticeable difference in texture. It’s key to use one with fat in it and I prefer to use a 2% fat yogurt version. The more fat, the more moist.
Honey – honey replaces white sugar in this recipe, but you can also use maple syrup. Those are two versions of liquid sugar that I like to use more than any other because they are both healthier alternatives to white sugar.
Eggs – I haven’t tested this recipe with flax eggs, but you may be able to make it work!
Zucchini – If you’re zucchini is really wet, you’ll want to squeeze the extra moisture out in a paper towel over the sink, but if it’s not, no need to bother. This is a judgment call as some zucchini are wetter than others.
Healthy zucchini bread is really easy to make because it’s really just a matter of shredding some zucchini, then mixing things in bowls and baking in the oven. The hardest part is waiting for it to be done cooking!
Storing zucchini bread
This zucchini bread will stay fresh on the counter wrapped in aluminum foil or an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, just let it thaw out on the counter for a few hours before eating.
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!
Here are some other similar recipes that you may also like!
Enjoy!
Whole Wheat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
This healthy zucchini bread is an easy and delicious summer bread recipe made from whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, no added sugar, and simple wholesome ingredients. It’s so easy to make and everyone loves it!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1.5 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (using one with fat will yield more moist result, I use 2% plain)
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups grated zucchini (skin left on, grated and excess water squeezed out if very wet)
- 1 cup chocolate chips – saving extra to sprinkle on top.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease a bread pan. I like to also line with parchment paper on the bottom.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs. Add in oil, honey, yogurt, and vanilla
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, and stir to combine.
- Fold in the grated zucchini and chocolate chips until just combined.
- Pour into a greased baking loaf and sprinkle with more chocolate if desired.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.Â
- Category: nut-free
- Cuisine: Bread
Keywords: whole wheat zucchini bread, healthy zucchini bread
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Tom says
I absolutely cannot get enough of this bread. It is so moist and tasty and should be in the Zucchini Bread Hall of Fame!
★★★★★
Katy says
I’m excited to give this healthier version a try! Have you ever tried it with an all purpose gluten free flour? One of my daughters has a wheat allergy.
Lucy says
Very good! A tiny bit too oily for my taste, could be because I didn’t go light enough when spraying the pan
★★★★★
Erin says
Glad you liked it, Lucy!
Lynne Purtle says
I have been looking for a recipe for healthy zucchini bread, but all the ones I tried were dry and tasteless. This one is moist, flavorful and tastes like the traditional recipes with tons of oil. I will be making this again soon.
★★★★★
Erin says
Thanks for sharing!! I’m so glad that you liked it – I worked very hard on a recipe that has a lot of moisture 🙂
Lucia says
Love how simple the ingredients are in this recipe! I swapped honey for pure maple syrup (easier to transfer from a measuring cup to a bowl than honey IMO) and used 2% Greek Yogurt as suggested. This came out SO moist with so much flavor, and stayed moist wrapped in aluminum foil until it was finally gone on day 3. And mine only need to bake for 40 minutes! Thanks for sharing, Erin! Will def keep this recipe handy for summers to come.
★★★★★
Erin says
YAY! Thank you so much Lucia, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. So glad you loved them.
Caroline says
What could replace the Greek yogurt? Oil?
Erin says
oil would work great here!
Jill says
Hi! The bread is amazing, but it collapsed while cooling! Happened with my sweet potato muffins and banana bread too. Any help trouble shooting? All were fully baked. Thanks!
Tammy says
This bread was amazing! Very moist. I only had vanilla Greek yogurt but it worked just fine. I added a little ground flax also. This is a keeper! Thanks
★★★★★
Hailee Ellinwood says
Best zucchini bread recipe I have ever had! 10/10
★★★★★
Andi says
This is one of my absolute favorite recipes! I made it so many times last summer and now that zucchini is back in season I can’t wait to make it again. Gathering the ingredients to make it now! You cannot go wrong with this recipe!
★★★★★