Low Sugar Zucchini Bread Recipe

Moist, flavorful low-sugar zucchini bread made with fresh zucchini and less sugar. An easy recipe perfect for breakfast, snacks, or freezing.

Lady Lee’s Note…

Every year I plant fewer zucchini plants and every year I am overwhelmed with the amount of zucchini I harvest! I am not sure how this is making any sense but it’s just how it is. Not that I’m complaining… I love zucchini, however, it’s not as easy to preserve as other vegetables.

I don’t can zucchini (can you can zucchini? I’ve never tried…) and I don’t like freezing it. It’s simple enough but mushy when I thaw it and I just don’t care for it much. So instead, I make loaves of this low sugar zucchini bread, freeze it, and call it my way of preserving zucchini!

Ingredients…

• Butter
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Milk
• Vanilla extract
• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Grated zucchini
• Add-ins like nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips

Step-by-Step Instructions…

Step one – mix the wet ingredients. To the bowl, add melted butter and sugar. Use the mixer to combine. Add two eggs, milk, and vanilla extract and mix them in.

Step two – add the dry ingredients. Place the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in the sifter and sift them into the bowl. Then, mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just until combined.

Step three – add grated zucchini and add-ins. Cut the two ends off the zucchini and grate it. I never peel my zucchini, but you can if you’d like. To the bowl, add grated zucchini and add-ins and fold them in with a spatula.

Step four – bake the bread. Butter a loaf pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for 60-75 minutes. To check if the bread is ready, you can insert a toothpick in the center of it. If it comes out clean, the bread is baked all the way; if it comes out wet, then the center is not baked, and the bread needs some more baking time.

I usually check if the bread is ready after 60 minutes, but most of the time in my oven, it takes about 75 minutes. Every oven is a bit different, so make sure you check your bread after 50 or 60 minutes. After you make it a couple of times, you’ll know better how long you need to bake it. Once it’s done, take it out of the oven and let it cool in the pan for ten minutes or so. Then take it out of the pan and set it on the cooling rack to cool all the way.

How to Serve…

Since we only used 1/4 cup of sugar per loaf, this bread is not going to be as sweet as most other zucchini bread recipes. For me personally, it’s sweet enough; however, my kids like it a bit sweeter, so usually I drizzle some honey on each slice, or I serve each slice spread with a fruit jam of their choice (here are all the jam recipes that are on this blog).

I love using it for breakfast! I’ll just serve a slice of zucchini bread with a slice of cheese and a fresh fruit (a banana works really well!). It’s a simple, healthy, and filling breakfast. Of course, you can always serve it next to a cup of coffee or just as a snack throughout the day.

How to Store…

• On the counter – Once the bread has cooled completely, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.
• In the refrigerator – Store the bread in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
• In the freezer – Let the bread cool completely, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Label and freeze for up to one year. If you’d like to thaw individual servings, slice the bread first and wrap each slice separately before freezing. To thaw, place a slice on the kitchen counter for 1 to 2 hours. Enjoy it at room temperature or warm it in the microwave for a few seconds before serving.

Make it Healthier…

You can easily customize this zucchini bread to fit your dietary preferences. Here are a few simple substitutions:

• Milk: Replace the milk with almond milk or another plant-based milk.
• Sugar: Replace the sugar with ½ cup of honey.
• Flour: Substitute part of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour.
• Butter: Replace the butter with coconut oil.
• Eggs (for a vegan version): Replace each egg with 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes before adding it to the batter.

Mix-ins Ideas…

Feel free to customize your zucchini bread with your favorite mix-ins. Add up to 1 cup of mix-ins per loaf from any of the options below:

• Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, or your favorite chopped nuts.
• Seeds: Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or a few tablespoons of chia seeds, hemp seeds, or ground flaxseed.
• Dried fruit: Raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or other dried fruit. Or try adding dehydrated strawberries, bananas, or blueberries.
• Baking chips: Chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips.

Kitchen Notes…

1. Using almond flour: Almond flour doesn’t absorb moisture the same way all-purpose flour does, so I don’t recommend replacing all of the flour with almond flour. You can experiment by replacing a portion of the flour, but I haven’t tested the exact ratio. If you’d like to use a different flour, spelt or einkorn flour are better substitutes because they absorb moisture more similarly to all-purpose flour.
2. Making it sweeter: This recipe is intentionally low in sugar. If you’d like a sweeter loaf, increase the sugar to ½ cup or even ¾ cup.
3. Add more warm spices: Feel free to increase the cinnamon or add a pinch of ground nutmeg, cloves, or allspice for even more flavor.
4. Don’t squeeze the zucchini: There’s no need to remove the moisture from the grated zucchini. The natural moisture is what keeps this bread soft and tender.
5. Double or triple the recipe: This recipe doubles and triples well, making it easy to bake multiple loaves at once. Extra loaves freeze beautifully for later.

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If your garden is overflowing with zucchini, this low-sugar zucchini bread is one of the tastiest ways to put it to good use. With just the right amount of sweetness, it’s a recipe you’ll find yourself making again and again during zucchini season.

More Quick Breads…

• Old Fashion Sweet Potato Bread
• Simple Strawberry Bread Recipe
• Low Sugar Pumpkin Bread
• Death By Chocolate Zucchini Bread

And… If you are looking for other ways to use zucchini, try this amazing Mediterranean zucchini casserole recipe and these zucchini and corn fritters.

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