Tonight's recipe for Best Ever Zucchini Walnut Bread is just that...the best I have ever had...and that's coming from someone who has made more loaves of zucchini bread in her life than I can count. This bread is moist, sweet and packed full of delicious crunchy walnuts...and its oh so cinnamony! I have a confession to make...tonight I had every intention of having fajitas for dinner leftover from last night. The truth is that instead of fajitas, I had a nice sized square of Zucchini Walnut Bread topped with whipped cream and dusted with cinnamon with a cup of coffee for dinner! LOL Hey, the fajitas will still be there tomorrow! This bread makes a great dessert or snack, not to mention a terrific quick breakfast bread as well. If you want to make it more like a treat...it would be great topped or mixed with some dark chocolate chips too! This bread is nice and moist but not "oily moist" like most traditional zucchini breads that use 1 cup or more of oil (like my old recipe that I used to make). Also, my old recipe used to call for grated zucchini that needed to be squeezed dry. My recipe doesn't require that. It is so very simple and more important...so very good. Try it...you'll like it. This bread is a little on the sweet side -- but not overly so. If you like it less sweet, add 1 cup of sweetener first and taste the batter before adding the remaining 1/2 cup. I snapped a few photos below as well as included the recipe. Enjoy!
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| Before going into the oven... |
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| Fresh out of the oven... |
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| The smell is amazing... |
Zucchini Walnut Bread - Best Ever
Ingredients:
2 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds
1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1-1/2 cups Swerve granular sweetener (or preferred granular sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup oil (extra light olive oil or coconut oil)
3 cups grated zucchini
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts, divided
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.
Whisk almond flour, ground flax, coconut flour, sweetener, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon together in a bowl to break up any lumps.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs, vanilla, buttermilk and oil together. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and beat well. Stir in zucchini and 1 cup chopped walnuts. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with reserved 1/2 cup chopped walnuts.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan. Serve topped with a dollop of whipped cream lightly dusted with cinnamon, if desired.
*Update: If you prefer less moist zucchini bread, squeeze excess moisture out of grated zucchini or add an extra tablespoon of coconut flour to the dry ingredients.
63 comments:
Looks amazing! Cannot wait
Hope you enjoy it Patricia! :-)
I'm going to do something that drives me nuts and make a comment without actually making the goods! This looks out of this world and I'm not a zucchini lover. Looks like I'll be hitting TJ's for some this week.Now I'll jump over to your 4th of July tart recipe and give you a real review :)
I have some zucchini in the fridge, I'm going to bake it now, as my son and daughter in law are coming to dinner tonight. Thanks it looks amazing.
Looks delicious. Can you post the nutrition facts?
Hi Dawn,
This is the recipe calculator I use -- there are many other free ones on online. Here you go! :-)
http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Hi Sami,
I hope you enjoy this -- I not only ate it FOR dinner last night (not with or after dinner)...LOL but just ate it FOR my lunch (nothing else except water)! I hope you and your family enjoy it! :-)
Hi Miranda,
I promise you will never taste the zucchini in this one -- but it adds such a nice moistness. I hope you enjoy it -- you'll have to let me know what you think! :-)
Hi GGC,
You know what they say ... the best defense against neighbors trying to shower you with zucchini is to grow your own. Works every time! :-)
The bread looks and sounds fabulous. Can't wait to try it!
Hi CyberSis,
Hope you enjoy it! It was my dinner last night and my lunch today! ;-)
This sounds so very good. I need to try this. I will have to get the zucchini first. I used what a friend brought me.
Hi GGC! This zucchini walnut bread looks so delicious! I look forward to making this and I'm glad to know the extra step of squeezing the moisture out of the grated zucchini is not necessary with your recipe. Do you think you can come up with a recipe for Wheat-Free Blueberry Muffins or Blueberry Banana Muffins?
Does the zuchini need to be peeled prior to graing?
You know I love your blog GGC! Please don't think I am crazy, but do you peel the zucchini before grating it? I am kindda embarrassed to ask this question. I bought the Spiralizer at your recommendation and love it. Thanks for such wonderful recipes! Ken
I just made this zucchini bread. It is absolutely the best I have ever made. My granddaughter arrived just I was cutting it into pieces to freeze. What I planned to freeze went home with her. This recipe ranks as high as your world's best cranberry muffins. Congratulations Gourmet Girl, another grain-free, sugar-free masterpiece!!
Hi Betty Anne,
I am so happy you love this zucchini bread! I honestly like it better than the "regular" kind and I have made tons of it over the years. I can't even tell its grain free and sugar free! I'm so happy you like it (as well as my cranberry muffins)! Thanks for letting me know. :-)
Hi Kathy,
I hope you enjoy the zucchini bread when you make it.
I actually already have a wheat free blueberry muffin recipe! Here's the link: http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2014/03/lemon-blueberry-muffins-grain-free.html
Hope that helps! :-)
Hi Anonymous -- No, you do not need to peel the zucchini -- and no need to be embarrassed -- it's a great question! :-)
Hi Ken,
So glad you enjoy my blog and are enjoying the spiralizer.
Regarding peeling the zucchini -- no, you do not need to peel it for the zucchini bread or when making zucchini noodles.
So glad you are enjoying the recipes and thanks for the kind comments! :-)
Hi Charlotte,
I hope you enjoy the zucchini bread. Fortunately zucchini is plentiful this time of year. :-)
Another question for you. Could this possibly be baked in loaf
pan(s)? If so, how much would the baking time increase? This looks absolutely fabulous! Can't wait to try this when there's a bounty of zucchini.
Anon
Hi there,
I'm sure you could bake it in loaf pans...of course the bake time would be different and it would also depend on what size loaf pan you used too. I would suggest using smaller loaf pans -- either mini loaf pans or no larger than 8.5 x 4.5 inch pans. I'm guessing you would need to bake it about an hour but again, it would depend on the size loaf pan you used. If it begins browning more quickly, you may need to reduce the baking temp to 325 half way through or so. :-)
I made this today and it is to die for!! I'm going to have to freeze some of it just so I don't eat it all myself in the next few days! I made my own buttermilk with almond milk and vinegar and it turned out great. I'm thinking next time I might try to make muffins so I can try to practice portion control!! haha Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. Everything I have made from your site has been top notch!
Hi Stacy,
Thanks so much! I am so happy you like it too. I had the same problem -- it was almost "too good". To justify eating it without feeling like a pig...I ended up having it exclusively as my lunch and even my dinner one night. I am ashamed to admit -- mine is now finished and it was me that ate most of it! LOL Your idea of freezing it is probably a good idea! I'm so happy you like it and glad you are enjoying my recipe. Thank you! :-)
Hi GG lovely recipe, I just made it this afternoon. My question was going to be shouldn't we squeeze some moisture out of the zucchini? I've had to do that on most every other recipe using zucchini. But I just saw a comment that said she was glad to hear you didn't need to squeeze the moisture out. I didn't see where that was originally mentioned and although delicious my bread was very very moist, almost wet on the bottom. Hence my wondering if I should squeeze the moisture out of the zucchini.
I'm going to make your Sesame See Sandwich Buns now, I noticed it's almost the same ingredients except for the extra sugar, cinnamon and zucchini of course.
Thanks so much for all your hard work.
Hi Roye,
Thanks. In the past whenever I made zucchini bread I always squeezed some of the moisture out. I did not do it with mine this time. Mine was moist but not overly so -- I did use a darker baking pan so I wonder if that made the difference for me? You can do one of 2 things next time -- one is you can squeeze out moisture from the zucchini -- or you could also add an extra tablespoon or so of coconut flour to your dry ingredients since it likes to suck up moisture. If yours was super moist you could always do both. Glad you liked it -- maybe next time pressing the moisture out of the zucchini will help! :-)
Hi GGC,
I finally joined the bandwagon and made this today. It is wonderful ... and it passed the Hubby Test! :-)
I decided to make a smaller size so since there are 3 eggs I fired up the calculator and made 1/3 of the recipe. I baked it in an 8" round cake pan for 35 minutes and it turned out very nicely, indeed. I no longer fear generous neighbors bearing zucchini! :-)
Hi Gourmet Girl
i could not wait to try this it looks so delicious in your photos and tonight I have it in the oven. In fact I have just taken out 3 mini loaf pans and have the large loaf pan in there still. It smells sooooo good. I did add alittle unsweetened coconut shreds since it called for 1/4 coconut oil I thought why not. You are amazing for coming up with all these and we your loyal followers get to save time by not experimenting and just following your recipes. thx again!! Teresa
Hi CyberSis,
Glad you enjoyed it -- and even better that it passed the "hubby test"...LOL. How smart to make a 1/3 sized version, too! I should probably reduce the size next time I make it -- it just kept calling my name when I had the full sized version just sitting there! :-)
Hi Teresa,
I hope you enjoy the zucchini bread. Great idea on adding some coconut, too! I bet it gives it a little added crunch as well. Hope it turned out nicely for you. I'm planning to make another one this weekend! :-)
Thank you for this long-awaited recipe! I think this could be served as a "zucchini cake", with a little whipped cream on top, or spread with cream cheese frosting! Yum!
Hi Darlene,
You are right...it certainly could be "spiffed up" into a dessert. I hope you enjoy it and you are very welcome! :-)
Brilliant.....thanks so much.
Thank you so much for sharing this! Zucchini bread has always been a favorite of mine, handed down from my grandmother. Now, I can still have the memories of Grandma and eat in a awesomely healthy way! This recipe is truly my new favorite. I will try your strawberry bread next time, since I love that kind too. The bread was so moist as well! Went great with my cup of coffee this morning! Thanks again, and may God bless you!
Hi Leslie,
Thanks so much. I'm so happy you are enjoying the zucchini bread. It's one of my favorites too. I hope you like the strawberry coffee cake too! I need to make the zucchini bread again -- I had to take a break because I couldn't stop eating it! ;-)
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made it once using zucchini, and ground chia seeds in place of flax but forgot the walnuts. We all loved it! Tried it a second time using three mashed bananas instead of zucchini and a 1/2 cup yogurt instead of buttermilk and it was even better! But I think I could have done less yogurt or none at all, as it was quite moist. Recipes like this make me realize it's not impossible to go grain free!
Hi Anonymous,
So glad it turned out well with your modifications. So glad you are enjoying the recipe and tinkering with it! What you realize is that with the right recipes...it is not only possible to go grain free...but down right enjoyable too! :-)
HELP!!! made the zucchini bread this afternoon and it is a gummy mess : (
i followed the recipe exactly, altho used kefir in place of buttermilk (which i do in other recipes w/no problem). i have oven thermometer so temp was precise. tested after 40 minutes, still jiggly. checked after another 5…then another 5…70 minutes in all. i removed it because it was dark on top and sides, toothpick came out clean. let it cool, then cut and sampled. all i can say is YUK!!! it is squishy and slimy (thanks flaxseeds!) and doesn't hold together well.
you know i am one of your biggest fans, but i have to say i am soooo disappointed after so much time spent making this, as well as the expense of ingredients.
any ideas what could have gone wrong? mine is way too 'moist' and it is an oily moist…very unappetizing…i will probably throw it out.
Hi Samudra,
Wow is all I can say! I would definitely like to help you figure out why yours turned out the way it did. I'm sure it was very disappointing. I don't use kefir so I don't know what, if any impact that might have had. As far as the flax you used...just double checking to make sure you used "ground" flax seed and not whole seeds...I'm assuming you used the ground but need to be sure. Did you use golden flax or the regular brown kind? I just don't understand the gumminess part at all. Mine was very moist and no trace of any kind of slimy quality. Do you use blanched almond flour (no skins) or regular almond meal? I know you said the only change you made was you used kefir instead of buttermilk, but I'm trying to see if maybe you used a different version of ingredients to try and help identify what could have gone wrong. Did you use granular sweetener which would help absorb moisture? I'm just trying to go through different possibilities. If you did everything else exactly the same...I'm just not sure what could have happened. I made this more than once and mine didn't do that...so I am totally puzzled. I really hate that yours turned out that way. Let me know!
yes…used ground golden flaxseeds, honeyville blanched almond flour, and granular swerve.
in desperate attempt to rescue that large batch, i even cut a piece…sliced it horizontally…put it in toaster oven trying to dry it out/firm it up. no luck there. i was hoping today it would have been more firm but it was not. sadly, it LOOKS lovely and i think of all those pricey ingredients…sooo hard to actually toss it. but i know i can't eat it and unless your fabulously creative mind can give me some suggestions as to what i might do w/it, i guess i will bite the bullet and put it in disposal tomorrow. : (((
Hi Samudra,
That's too bad. I wonder if you just happened to have super juicy zucchini? I just can't figure out why it turned out so much wetter. Hmmmm...I hate for you to toss it. What would happen if you were to cut it into squares (like brownie size or so) and place them on a cookie sheet in the oven on low (300 degrees, not higher than 325) and bake it for a while. Do you think that might dry it out into something edible? Maybe something you could at least put cream cheese on??? It's hard for me to guess what you could use it for without really knowing HOW wet it is! I'm not talking about making zucchini bread "croutons" -- not that dry...but maybe something edible? I'm hoping to make it again soon...I purposely haven't made it again because I couldn't stop eating it! So sorry yours did not turn out well. Let me know if you were able to salvage it at all.
the zucchini was from farmers mkt and was very juicy. i still haven't thrown it out…it's sitting in frig. i did cut a piece, sliced it horizontally, put it in toaster oven…but edges started burning and middle still squishy…slathered it w/cream cheese but texture was just too gross. i will try your suggestion to bake on low for awhile. if that doesn't work, will definitely trash it.
and btw, i definitely relate to your situation of not making something because you can't top eating it….that's my experience with your fab choc chip cookies (even stashing them in freezer doesn't help LOL!)…and most recently w/those amazing bagels (I will be posting separately about them!). that's why it was such a shock when the zucchini bread was such a mess…everything else has been over the top delish.
thanks for your interest and troubleshooting suggestions. xo
Hi GG
I have made this bread four times now. Everyone just loves it. It is so moist and delicious . It kind of reminds me of an apple cake we used to make with the delicious cinnamon flavor. It freezes well too and I have to get it in the freezer as soon as possible so that I will stop eating it!
Thanks for all your great recipes!
Hi Peggy,
I'm so glad you've been enjoying it! I reacted that way (couldn't stop eating it)...LOL. I need to make it again and freeze it like you do! ;-)
I must say ... this is a TERRIFIC recipe! I'm not sure why, but there's something about it that reminds me of my mom's date nut bread she used to make. Really, I love, love, LOVE IT! Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Hi juliendbq,
So happy you are enjoying the recipe. You are very welcome. :-)
I came across this recipe today. I am under attack by 2 zucchini plants that are determined to bury me, so I had to find recipes to use them and quick. This one looked perfect, unlike one that called for 8 eggs and 3/4 cup shredded zucchini. Anyway, I made it this afternoon, and it was wonderful. I am planning on having some for breakfast. Just zucchini bread. Nothing else.
It tastes just like I remember zucchini bread tasting and is moist and yummy.
Jeanne in WV
Hi Jeanne,
So happy you enjoyed it. Zucchini have a way of doing that...they appear overnight and then seemingly become "monster zucchini" in a flash. I have been in the mood for zucchini bread myself recently and will be making it soon. It sounds like the PERFECT breakfast food to me. Thanks for letting me know you are enjoying it. :-)
I made this last night and it was amazingly good! You would never know it was low carb. Good idea of putting it in a 9x13 pan as I don't think it would hold up to being sliced like a bread, but as bars it is amazing. I can see why some of you said you made it your meal. It is so good you can't stop eating it so it may as well be your meal. It would make a great breakfast on the run and it certainly is a great snack or dessert. Healthy too with all the zucchini, coconut oil, flax, almond flour, etc. it has to be quite healthy. BTW- it was nice and moist even though I drained and lightly squeezed the zucchini. Great job Gourmet Girl!
Hi Anonymous,
Thanks so much. I am so happy you enjoyed it. I actually like this better than the "loaf style bread" because you can make it more moist without fear of not being able to slice it. LOL on not being able to stop eating it. I know that I had that problem, too which is why it actually became some of my meals. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it. :-)
I made this last week and haven't been able to stop eating it! It is soooo good! I was wondering about adding some cocoa to it next time to have chocolate zucchini bread, but am not sure how much cocoa to add. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Hi Jena,
LOL...I know what you mean. When I make it I feel the same way. Well, you just happen to be in luck because just this past weekend I posted my new recipe for Chocolate Walnut Zucchini Cake which is a slightly modified "chocolate version" of this recipe. I think you are going to love it! I've been enjoying it all week long and my kids and husband (who are not grain/sugar free) have been enjoying it too! Here is the link to my Sunday, August 2, 2015 post. http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2015/08/chocolate-zucchini-walnut-cake-low-carb.html
Hello! I just made a double batch of this with my neighbor's home grown Zucchini. Both me and my girlfriend and her parents are low carb. I kept one and gave one to her parents. Everyone loved it, even my girlfriends 11 year old niece and her friends really liked it. This is a great recipe and I'll make it again for sure. Thanks Gourmet Girl!
Hi Aaron,
I am SO happy you and your friends and family liked it. Also quite nice of you to share it, too. How nice you have so many low carb friends to share and enjoy your baking, too. Thanks for the kinds words and you are very welcome! :-)
I absolutely love this recipe! I've been wishing for some banana bread.... so I used your recipe, swapped the cinnamon for a couple of tsps of banana extract. Kept everything else the same except I made them into muffins. Oh my word, so good. Two net carbs and around 200 calories each. Thank you SO MUCH!
Hi VAGirl,
So happy you enjoyed the bread recipe. Great idea adding the extract to the zucchini bread. I've also got a "faux-nana" bread recipe that uses banana extract, too. Here's the link: http://www.gourmetgirlcooks.com/2014/05/skillet-faux-nana-banana-walnut-bread.html
So happy you enjoyed it and you are very welcome. :-)
I rung out the zucchini, used almond milk because that's what I had and made it in regular and mini muffin tins... this recipe is absolutely AMAZING! I've made many low carb desserts and this is the only one that got my craving! I'm already planning on making another batch soon. Thank you so much for this!
I rung out the zucchini, used almond milk, and made it in regular and mini muffin tins... this recipe is absolutely AMAZING! I've made many low carb desserts since that's what I always seem to crave and this is the only one that hit the craving! Thank you so much for this!
Hi Ashley,
I'm so happy you enjoyed them! I'm looking forward to all the zucchini this summer so I can make them again soon. :-)
This is the best zucchini bread ever. Last time I made it I used pecans since I had no almonds. I need to make it again and only have cashews. I think I'm going to try it. I doubt you can do anything wrong with this wonderful recipe just be changing up the nuts.
Just made your zucchini bread yesterday and wanted you to know IT IS THE BEST EVER!!!!! I did it in muffins and I am just so very much loving it for breakfast and dessert and snack and everything else. lol Thank you so much for all you do for all of us who just let you do all the work and we benefit from it.......You are definitely appreciated!!!
Hi Ayla,
I had a craving for zucchini bread recently and made this recipe using coconut flour which i’m baking with more lately. It was an experiment but came out great! I used 1 1/2 C coconut flour (no flax) , 6 eggs & about 1C sweetener. I also added 1/3C shredded unsweetened coconut just because I love it and thought it would be a good addition. Other than that I followed your recipe . I made a large loaf & a few muffins with leftover batter. It reminds me so much of “traditional” zucchini bread.
I want to try baking it in a 9x13 pan and spreading with cream cheese frosting so it can be more of a “cake” also
Thanks for sharing your hard work and recipes with us, and a Happy Mother’s Day tm!!
Darlene
I want to make this but don't have that sweetner...what can I use instead? I don't want to use regular sugar but instead something healthier - dates, banans, etc. Please help!!!
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