This AIP Zucchini Bread is packed with zucchini, which makes for a slightly savory sweet bread. It’s an AIP bread but would fool all of your Paleo friends. You may even be able to fool a few non-paleo people! It’s just that good!
What is Paleo bread made of?
Paleo breads are always grain free so that means no wheat flour. This bread goes beyond just Paleo baking and it totally AIP friendly. It’s made of a mixture of flours, which I find make the best texture. It’s a combination of cassava, arrowroot and coconut flour.
Is baking soda AIP compliant?
Yes! Baking soda is used in this recipe and helps it rise. Just beware of baking powder. Baking powder contains cornstarch which is not AIP friendly.
How do you shred zucchini?
I shredded by hand using a box grater but you can also do it with a food processor. Shockingly I don’t have a food processor just yet. But I’m considering this one.
How to make AIP Zucchini Bread
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper then set aside.
In the large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, lemon rind, coconut oil, and honey then stir to combine. Next add the cassava flour, arrowroot starch, coconut flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, vanilla powder, cinnamon and cloves then to combine using a hand mixture to combine. Add in the coconut milk if the dough is crumbly. It should look like a thick paste. Add a tablespoon at a time to prevent making the dough too wet.
Next make the gelatin eggs by adding 1/4 cup water to a small saucepan over low heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and whisk constantly until completely dissolved. Add the gelatin eggs into the batter and stir for about 1-2 minutes.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Place in oven then bake for 45 minutes then cover with parchment or foil and bake for another 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool (at least 20 minutes) completely.
Tip for making the BEST AIP Zucchini Bread
- Gluten free flours are not all made the same. If you can’t have one of the flours in this recipe, please be aware that you probably won’t be able to make a 1:1 swap without reworking the entire recipe.
- Don’t skip the step where you cover the bread for the last 15 minutes of baking. If you do, the top will burn.
- Add in the coconut milk if the dough is crumbly. It should look like a thick paste. Add a tablespoon at a time to prevent making the dough too wet.
- I used Kiva Vanilla Powder. You can find it online here.
- I used Vital Proteins grassfed gelatin. You can find it online here.
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AIP Zucchini Bread
Equipment
- Box grater
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 2 cups Zucchini shredded (about 1 small)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Rind grated
- 1/2 cup Coconut Oil
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/4 cup Coconut Milk or Cream (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup Cassava Flour
- 1/2 cup Arrowroot Starch
- 3 tablespoons Coconut Flour
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Cream of Tarter
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Powder
- 2 Gelatin Eggs 2 tablespoons gelatin, 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with parchment
paper then set aside. - In the large mixing bowl, combine the zucchini, lemon rind,
coconut oil, and honey then stir to combine. Next add the cassava flour,
arrowroot starch, coconut flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, vanilla
powder, cinnamon and cloves then to combine using a hand mixture to combine.
Add in the coconut milk if the dough is crumbly. It should look like a thick
paste. Add a tablespoon at a time to prevent making the dough too wet. - Next make the gelatin eggs by adding 1/4 cup water to a
small saucepan over low heat. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and whisk
constantly until completely dissolved. Add the gelatin eggs into the batter and
stir for about 1-2 minutes. - Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Place in oven then bake
for 45 minutes then cover with parchment or foil and bake for another 15
minutes. Remove and allow to cool (at least 20 minutes) completely.
Notes
- Gluten free flours are not all made the same. If you can’t have one of the flours in this recipe, please be aware that you probably won’t be able to make a 1:1 swap without reworking the entire recipe.
- Don’t skip the step where you cover the bread for the last 15 minutes of baking. If you do, the top will burn.
- Add in the coconut milk if the dough is crumbly. It should look like a thick paste. Add a tablespoon at a time to prevent making the dough too wet.
- I used Kiva Vanilla Bean Powder. You can find it online here.
- I used Vital Proteins grassfed gelatin. You can find it online here.
Nutrition
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise.
- I always use Himalayan sea salt or Celtic sea salt, unless otherwise noted.
- The majority of my recipes are strict AIP or include notations for reintroductions. However while I make every effort to label non-AIP ingredients and recipes sometimes they slip past me. If you have questions, please ask in advance.
Did you make this recipe? I love hearing your thoughts on my recipes so please rate and comment below.
We loved this!!!! I made it 99% as the recipe called for. I didn’t have enough of the coconut flour so we also used some Tiger it flour. Followed directions to a “t” and it came out beautifully. Not gummy at all. It was moist and delish!
I'm so glad it worked even though you had to make a small substitution. AIP baking can be very finicky so I'm thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it.
My first two attempts turned out gummy. I used 1.5 x baking powder for cream of tartar, so I will try again. I think I'll follow the suggestions above and try a third attempt using tiger nut and cassava. I also ramped up the cinnamon and used less sweetener, but I don't think that contributed to the gumminess. I also was trying muffins, which should have had an easier time baking. I will be sure to check my oven's temperature for accuracy, as it is not electronic. Regardless, my son ate ALL of my mistakes!
Cream of tartar activates the baking SODA which helps it rise. Baking powder is not listed as an ingredient and it not a substitute for cream of tartar. The best way to get results for this recipe is to follow the ingredients and instructions exactly. AIP baking doesn't allow for that many substitutions.
I made this bread with an store brand of cassava flour and used a mix of tigernut flour / cassava due to a cassava shortage also used a pasture raised egg. The bread consistency is a gummy texture and a little dry. I think the arrowroot with the cassava creates that gummy texture. I think the texture may have been gummier if I used all cassava flour. I can eat the bread, but taste the dryness and am not fond of the gummy texture. I also prefer baking by weight vs cups. I was a little confused by the amount of zucchini because mine were 2 small = 2 cups / 16 oz by weight vs 2 cups by cup measurement. The recipe states 2 cups = 1 small zucchini. I would also like to try this recipe with applesauce but not sure how. AIP baking is quirky, and after 3 years or so working with various ingredients I'm still learning. Thx for this new recipe. BTW the zucchini I used was home raised from my garden.
AIP baking can be tricky so I don't recommend switching out ingredients. When you switch out ingredients, then the recipe just won't work because it's no longer my recipe. And I found that when a recipe is gummy, that means it needs to cook longer. Additionally, I like to bake by weight as well but most people prefer ease which means using cups. Turns out most people don't even have a scale to weight their ingredients.
Can I add carob powder? I’m new to AIP cooking and am not sure how much I should add. Thanks!
You can but I'm afraid that it would totally change the recipe. AIP baking is very picky. If you were to alter the measurements at all, the texture would change. I'll have to come up with a carob zucchini bread recipe. . .
Ok, thanks for the quick reply!
I left a comment earlier about my bread coming out dense and gummy... Update: I left it to cool n the fridge overnight, which resulted in a very brick-like consistency, but that made it rather easy to slice thinly. I found that placing a slice in the toaster over resulted in a better consistency for that slice! This leads me to believe that maybe even after my extra bake time, it was indeed still under-cooked! Glad I was able to salvage this loaf (and provide hope to anyone else who comes out with a consistency like mine) 🙂
Thanks for coming back and leaving the second comment. I'm so glad you gave it a second chance and ended up enjoying the recipe. Do you use an oven thermometer? I always do just to be sure that the oven is consistently at the right temp. It's surprising how being just a few degrees off over the course of the baking time makes a huge difference on the final result.
I unfortunately came out with very dense and gummy bread... I even extended the bake time by a whopping 30 minutes after sticking my knife in and realizing I was dealing with a gelatin brick. I used a glass 5x9 loaf pan and followed the recipe to a T. So sad as the Otto's flour is soooo expensive, I calculated this loaf as costing me about $15 in total to make. I would recommend to maybe try as the other poster did and cut the gelatin egg down to 1? Would hate for someone else to waste all of their ingredients as well!
Love this recipe! And just a heads up, I didn’t notice any difference personally (or maybe I was just doing it wrong as it’s written) but I hate making gelatin eggs so I mixed the gelatin in with all the dry ingredients and then slowly added that to my wet ingredients in the stand mixer and it came out great!
That's great. I'm glad that worked for you. And thanks for sharing. I'm sure that will be helpful to others.
Thanks for the note about just mixing in the gelatin. I think I will try that next time, as this first go is gummy. I’ve got it back in the oven for a bit, but I agree the gelatin egg process always makes things weird for me (any recipe) and just mixing it in does not.
Yes, gelatin can be tricky (as can AIP baking in general!). I hope just mixing it in gave you good results.
Looks awesome! Any idea if it would freeze okay?
Thanks very much!!
I think it would be ok. If you give it a try, make sure to come back and leave a comment. I'd love to know how it turned out.
It freezes great 🙂
Yeah!! That's good to know. Thanks for sharing.
Is there any substitute for the gelatin egg?
You could try using agar agar but I've never tried it in this recipe or any baked good.
I made this bread and followed the entire recipe and it came out gummy? What happened???
I'm so sorry that this didn't turn out for you. That's always a bummer. Let's dive into the why! There are a few different reasons why it was gummy. First, every brand of flour is different. I use Pamela's, bob's and otto's brands usually. If you are using a brand that's different than that, then it may alter how it reacts in the recipe. Second, do you have a thermometer in your oven? I generally get gummy bread when it's not quite cooked. If your oven say's it's the right temp but it's then that would make sense as to why your bread was under cooked. Third, if you didn't add enough flour or added too much liquid then that would alter the texture as well. I'm not saying you screwed it up on purpose but accidents happen. I do this. ALL. THE. TIME. If you get distracted and come back but can't quite remember where you left off in the recipe then you may measure out your ingredients wrong. Fourth and finally, different pans conduct heat differently. I tend to use a glass bread pan.
I hope this helps and you're able to get a better texture on your next loaf!
Thanks for the note about the pans. I used a rather thick pottery one and it is gummy, I bet something thinner might be better. I’ve got it back in the oven for a bit, just on the parchment paper to see what happens.
Ahh. I hope cooking it longer helped!
Made this with some freestyling and it turned out great. Double the zucchini, half the honey, no cloves, added coconut flakes and extra lemon. Baked really well, was moist and with a nice flavor. If you can eat nuts, throw some in. Next time I'll add some raisins or carob chips and see what happens.
I put raisins in my AIP Pumpkin Bread so I know that the texture would do ok with that addition. I like all your additions. Sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing.
I added flaked tigernuts on the top of mine. So pretty and delicious.
Great idea. I love it!
Loved this bread And surprisingly so did my picky 8 year old! It was just the right amount of sweetened. I doubled it and put it in a 9x13 and cooked for 25 min. I didn’t have honey so I used half maple syrup and half coconut sugar. I put more than the called for amount of cinnamon and cloves because I love spicy breads. I will make this again. Thank you!
I like that you cooked it in a different pan and still worked. Good to know ab out the subs for the honey as well. Thanks for sharing!
I've made this recipe twice and they turned out beautiful, however I would say the flavor was pretty bland for me. I'm not sure why as I followed the recipe exactly but it pretty much only tasted of cloves for me. The very faint taste of cloves. I almost wish there was a little more sweetness. Perhaps next time I'll add maple syrup with the honey? Or coconut sugar? But I didn't really like the taste at all.
Hi Jenn,
I'm so sorry that you didn't enjoy the flavor of this recipe. A teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon of cloves is a significant amount. I believe that I had more included in an earlier version of the recipe and it was overpowering. If your cinnamon and cloves have been sitting around for awhile then I've found that the flavor lessons. Additionally, this recipe is made for people on the AIP diet which means they've cut out all processed sugar from their diet. If you're not AIP or new to the diet, your taste buds may not have adjusted yet and won't appreciate the subtleness of the flavors and honey. Thanks for sharing and hope that you find a solution.
I had to modify the recipe to omit the coconut flour, and subbed in 1:1 ground flax seeds. It was a bit too rubbery on the first attempt, so on the second attempt I dropped one of the gelatin eggs. Also, on the second attempt I did 1/2 cup cassava flour and 1 cup tigernut flour as I ran out of cassava. Instead of honey (it feels too precious to waste on baking, plus it kills a lot of it’s positive benefits) I used 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup + 2 T. Lakanto Classic Monkfruit Sweetener. Made them into muffins and they came out great with a good crumb!
I'm glad that you made this recipe work for you!
Is there a substitute for the coconut flour?
I haven't tried to substitute it with anything yet. I'm not sure what would work. Sorry!
It’s not AIP, but I subbed ground flax seeds for the coconut flour, and after one attempt that was a bit rubbery, tweaked it so I did only 1 gelatin egg and it came out great. But I also did half cassava flour and half tigernut flour due to running out, and subbed 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/4 cup + 2 T lakanto monkfruit sweetener for the honey as I don’t like to waste it on baking so my recipe was a bit different, but it came out great. I have my next loaf cooking as I write this!
Five stars for this unique and tasty zucchini bread! I did not have to use any coconut milk ( I did use 2 heaping cups of zucchini so had plenty of liquid). It turned out really good, both in terms of taste and texture, which us "AIP-ers" know it's not easy to do. Thank you so much!! I came upon your site after googling "AIP zucchini bread" - I will be back!
Wow! That's good to know! I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for leaving such a wonderful comment as well.
Can vanilla extract be substituted for the vanilla powder?
Yes. You'll need more vanilla extract that powder. Probably about a teaspoon. Vanilla powder is more potent.
I haven't made this yet, but with vanilla powder at $39 a pound (or $2.45 an oz.!!) I wanted to make sure I could use vanilla extract instead. Thank you for all the work you put into these recipes! You're amazing!!
Yes you can use vanilla extract. Just use twice as much. Vanilla powder is much more potent so you need to use double the vanilla extract.
This is such a great recipe! I cut it in half and made it into muffins (baked for about 20 minutes plus 5 more covered in foil) and they turned out so yummy!
AIP Zucchini Muffins! Great idea.
This zucchini bread is AMAZING! It turned out perfect the very first time I tried it. It didn't take the full hour to bake... it looked done after 45 minutes but I put it in with foil covering 5 minutes longer. It's awesome. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Good to know. Different pans and ovens cook differently. It's always good o watch baked goods. Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.
What size loaf pan do you use?
The pan is 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches. Thanks for pointing this out. I can't believe that I didn't include this info in the body of the post!
I followed the recipe to a T and had to add almost a cup of coconut milk. Still didn’t get a thick paste. Just gave up . Made the gelatin egg through it in and dumped it in the pan. Not holding out much hope that it turns out.
I'm sorry you were having trouble. I hope the recipe turned out for you.
Is there any substitute for the Cream of Tarter, or I can omit it?
You can't omit it. Combined with the baking soda, it's what helps the bread rise. You can try 4 teaspoons lemon juice as a substitute. However, I don't think it works quite as well as cream of tarter.
This turned out exactly as promised! My whole family loved it. It has a lovely spiced flavor and the texture is nice and moist. I used my food processor to shred the zucchini and it couldn’t have been easier. I can see why the directions say to add the coconut milk one tablespoon at a time because I definitely did not need a 1/4 cup to moisten the dough.
Thanks for sharing Deborah. I'm so glad you liked this recipe. AIP baking can be tough and it sounds like you had no problems!
Great recipe! It satisfies my sweet bread cravings. Make sure to cool the bread before serving since baking with cassava is not the same as with traditional flours.
Thanks for sharing. I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe. Good note about letting the bread cool. The bread continues cooking as it cools and helps keep it from getting gummy.