This bread gets its moistness and heartiness from zucchini, dates, and millet and oat flours. It is baked as a loaf, but see Notes for instructions on baking as muffins or an 8 x 8-inch square cake.
Zucchini Bread
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins
- Yield: 8 to 10 (makes about ten ¾-inch slices) 1x
Ingredients
- 7 ounces pitted dates (11 to 12 Medjool or 22 to 24 Deglet Noor), chopped
- 1 cup unsweeteend nondairy milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or seeds from 2 vanilla beans)
- 1 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup dry/ uncooked millet
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cups unpeeled, grated zucchini (1 to 2 medium)
- 2 ounces walnuts, chopped (about ½ cup; optional)
Instructions
- Place the dates, nondairy milk, and vanilla into a small bowl, and set aside for at least 15 minutes (so the dates can soften). Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a standard size loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3 inches) with parchment paper.
- Grind the oats and millet into flour with a blender (30 to 40 seconds; millet is hard). Transfer to a medium bowl and whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Pour the soaking ingredients (dates, milk, and vanilla) into the blender, and blend until smooth. Stir this mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients, then stir in the grated zucchini and walnuts (if using).
- Spoon the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 65 minutes, or until the top is medium brown. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan and placing on a cooling rack. Cool completely before serving.
Notes
If you'd like 12 cupcakes or muffins, bake in a muffin pan with parchment paper liners at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes. For a square cake, bake in an 8 x 8-inch pan lined with parchment paper at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Prep Time: 35 mins
- Cook Time: 65 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (1/10 of total recipe)
- Calories: 205
- Sugar: 14.8g
- Sodium: 132mg
- Fat: 5.7g
- Saturated Fat: 0.7g
- Carbohydrates: 35.4g
- Fiber: 4.8g
- Protein: 5.4g
- Cholesterol: 0
Above: A close-up of a slice. The crumb (the soft inner part of the bread) is moist yet not under-cooked. Adding the ground millet helps this since oat flour alone can sometimes result in a texture that is heavy and sticky.
Above: This is made with sliced almonds instead of walnuts. You can see the millet grains, which look like cornmeal. even when ground.
I made this recipe for breakfast this morning and am so impressed. It is very rare that I can find a vegan, gluten-free recipe that turns out perfectly the first time I make it. Thank you for your detailed instructions and thoughtfulness in making your recipe easy to understand and follow. I made 1 large loaf, 4 mini loaves and 9 mini muffins from a double recipe. The muffins were done in about 30 minutes, the mini loaves in 33.
Thanks Nikki! 🙂 I love this one too. It's always a hit when I take it to gatherings. Thanks for timing and amounts!
I made the muffins a second time for family members with celiac and vegan restrictions and they were a hit! However, I got some constructive feedback from them: double the amount of dates to balance the bitterness of the spices and add a small amount of oil to counter-act the dryness. Since one person doesn't handle oats well, I made the recipe with brown rice flour and sorghum in place of the oats and it turned out better than the original. So for a double recipe: 1.5 cups millet, 1.5 cups brown rice flour, 1 cup sorghum. I also modified half the batter by putting in the walnuts and adding1.5 Tb carob powder and it was yummy!
Great ideas! I don't use oil in my recipes, as I am a salt, oil, sugar-free chef. 🙂
Gracias yo soy sos free
😉
I made this today it is absolutely lovely! Moist and tasty went down a treat with a thin spread of date paste and organic no oil almond butter x thank you for all your recipes I'm so excited on finding your site xx
Thank you Trish! 😉 Welcome!
I really like putting almond butter on it. I make my own. grind the almonds until butter
I love this bread. You are sooo smart on finding ways to substitute non healthy ingredients with healthy ones!
Thanks Gloria! 😉
I like to know if I want to sub the millet , what can I use? I don't want too moist or too crumbly. what do you suggest? thanks
Not sure, maybe rice flour?? Millet is the best for making it not too sticky. 🙂
Hi Cathy, wouldn't it be a lot easier to use silicone bread pans? I only have one that I bought from silicone zone years ago and now they don't sell them. Do you know where I could find them? Dr. Klaper turned us on to your site, thank you both!
Hi Katie, if you search Amazon they have quite a few. 🙂 Welcome! Dr. Klaper is great!
Great taste - nice and moist! Another great recipe - thank you. BJ
Thoughts on using coconut flour? Do you think I should use 2 cups or less?
Hi Alex, I've never used it; maybe google substituting with this type of flour. 🙂
Is there an easy way to "chop dates?" I've made recipes in the past that called for them and to be honest, I find any more that when I see chopped dates in the ingredient list, I shy away from the recipe. It takes so much time and the dates stick to the blade of whatever knife I use so tenaciously... it's discouraging. I think chopping ten dates would take the same amount of time as assembling the entire rest of the recipe.
So... any suggestions on how to do this without going insane? 🙂
Thanks!
Hi, I hear you! 🙂 A few suggestions... I usually soak my dates, having pitted and chopped them first, but you can also soak them first, then remove the pits and cut them in halves or quarters after this (or just pull the pits out with your fingers). Might be a little messy, but they won't stick quite as much to the blade. I also know people who don't even chop their dates if they're going to be blended; so you can skip this step, but you still must make sure that all pits are removed first, even in bags of supposedly "pitted dates." In these bags (usually Deglet Noor dates), I find that about 1 in 20 have a pit. So if you don't want to chop them, you can just break them in half or feel them out to make sure the pit is out (soaking them first will make this easier). If you're using a Vitamix or other high-powered blender, they will blend up just fine without being chopped first, and will only take slightly longer to blend. But the bottom line is that you must be sure all pits have been removed, so however you want to go about doing this is up to you. But I don't suggest adding whole Deglet Noor dates to your blender and taking the manufacturer's word for it that they are "pitted" already. If you do miss a pit, remove all the mixture from the blender and fish it out; not fun. If you're missed a pit, it will sound like a piece of glass going around in your blender. Hope that helps.
I cut them with scissors - easy!
Could I use all oats instead of adding millet?
If you don't use millet, I would use another kind of whole grain flour/ground whole grains. Oats on their own can be too gummy sometimes. But if you try all oats, let me know how it goes. 🙂
Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!! This is exactly what I was looking for!! I really wanted a "vegan" zucchini bread with no processed sugar and no oil! My 6 year old thanks you too!! And thank you for showing how to put the parchment paper in the pan so i don't have to use spray oils!
Thanks Rebecca! 😉
When you use measure your zucchini, do you shred the zucchini, squeeze the water out, then pack it to measure 1 3/4?
I don't squeeze the water out and just somewhat packed. 🙂
If you already have oat & millet flour would you use the same amount as you list to grind?
Probably, although store-bought is finer so you may come out with a moister bread. It tastes better when you grind your own though. 🙂
Can I replace dates with coconut sugar (in that case how much should I use)?
I've only used dates, so not sure how to convert. You could search other recipes that use coconut sugar and see how they do it. 🙂
Thank you for the vegan recipe! I'm new to eating vegan and just made this tonight. Delicious!
Perfect. I followed the recipe exactly except for the use of pecans instead of walnuts. Golden brown, crumbly outside and just the right amount of moisture on the inside. Now i'm just going to have to keep from eating the whole thing.
Another excellent recipe! Thanks.
Yay! 😉 Thanks!
Hello, I have a freezer full of zucchini from my garden so it can't be grated. Can I still use it? Chop it small maybe? I make so many of your recipes and can't thank you enough. They are great..
A few years since you asked your question, but better late than never. The short answer is "yes!"
Today, I made a batch using frozen zucchini (that I had sliced and frozen last year). I thawed the sliced zucchini in the refrigerator over night, actually about 24 hrs. It was nearly thawed, but still a little icy so not a lot of juice. I smashed it into a cup to measure, then added it to the blender when I blended the dates, soymilk, etc. It worked great! There are no little flecks of squash as you would normally see, but the flavor is there. Yay!
O.M.G.
I had a surfeit of zucchini, and finally got around to making this recipe this morning. Followed the recipe exactly (made a double batch, cuz, well, I have a LOT of zukes!!! :-D) and baked it in the half-loaf pans. I have Celiac Disease and have been looking for a great-textured vegan gluten free no oil recipe. This one is PERFECT. My hubby and I love it. I envision more in my future. LOL.
Thank you so much, Cathy, for your effort and generosity. It takes a lot of time to create, test, perfect, and post these wonderful recipes, with lovely photos to boot. And then, to make them available for free! What a generous and thoughtful gift. Thank you!!!! Your recipes make it so easy to follow a whole food, plant-based SOS-free life. I am SO looking forward to your new cookbook.
Pam in Sacramento
Thanks Pam! 😉
ANY WAY TO MODIFY THIS TO MAKE PUMPKIN BREAD? I LIKE NO ADDED SUGAR , OIL AND FLOUR.
It seems like it wouldn't be that difficult (replace zuch with cooked pumpkin) but I would have to test it. That would be a good fall recipe, thanks! 😉
thank you for this! its in the oven now... the batter tasted amazing...
Awesome! 😉
Your site is fantastic. Failed at this one since it turned out almost fluid on the inside. However I think I was not precise enough with messuring ingredients and also added one ripe banana. But the taste is great so I'll try again soon.
Does the batter need to be fairly firm? Mine was a bit like oatmeal.
Thank you! This is a great recipe! I recently made your blueberry muffins and veggie burgers too - all with fantastic results! Thank you so much for all the details you provide. Using millet in baked goods really is a game changer!
this is sooooo yummy! a favourite in the house for sure, we love the texture from the millet. I didn't bother chopping the dates before soaking, just pitted them. It's not too sweet, but sweet enough for our taste. If you want more sweetness, perhaps adding a few chopped dates or even raisins in with the walnuts could help.
Hi - I really want to try this but have to be gluten free - could I substitute the rolled oats with quinoa flakes, and if so what proportion of quinoa flakes would be appropriate? Thank you!
I think quinoa flakes are very similar in volume, so I would use the oats measurement for them.
Wow! You answered so quick, I love it! Usually I don't get a response when I post a comment until days later. I wasn't sure if I should bother you with another one, but I figured since it was praise it'd be okay. It gives the impression that you know what your doing with this blog. It's like good customer service in a restaurant. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Mika! 😉
Hi, this receipe is amazing! Thank you lots!
My question is: Do you think i can make it in small portions in manjets...? If so - how much cooking time is needed then? Thanks, Karin.
For mini loaves I would cook for at least 30 minutes. 🙂
Can the millet be substituted with steel cut oats?
I think it would be too mushy; the millet helps this. I would use corn meal if I didn't have millet. 🙂
I see some people mentioning apples but I don't see it in this recipe. Am I missing something?
Hi Autumn, I used to use apples but changed it up a bit. Apples are good for sweetness and moistness, but with the zucchini adding the moistness and the dates adding the sweetness, they weren't really necessary. 🙂
Where are the apples in the recipe?
I used to use apples, but tweaked the recipe a bit. 🙂
Hi Cathy, I made this recipe today for the first time and made a double batch. I decided to make 24 muffins in my silicone pans. I used date paste and weighed out 14 oz. They turned out pretty good. They raised up but I could have baked them a little longer than 30 minutes, I think. Very tasty!! My question is this: I have a vitamix dry grinder container and already had millet and oat flour ground so I wasn't sure how much to use according to the recipe. The before measurement and after it's ground is different. That could make a big difference in how dense it turns out.
Thanks for all you do! I appreciate your recipe book and all the wonderful information you have available. Keep up the great work!!
Tina
This is a moist bread to start with, but I think using the finer, pre-ground flour may make it more so (?) The oats are the same measurement, rolled and ground in the blender; not sure about the millet. Try it again sometime with the blender-ground grains and let me know if you find a difference. Thanks Tina! 😉
Hi Cathy. I have made this recipe many times over the years. This year, I have an over-abundance of yellow summer squash. I discovered yellow summer squash makes great "zucchini" bread, too (yellow flecks instead of green). 😁
Also, this year I shredded and froze some of the excess in 2 cup portions (you do need to squeeze excess juice before freezing, otherwise you end up with a soupy mess when it thaws). I just thawed and baked a loaf to see how it would work. Worked great! Will be shredding and freezing more for when that "gotta have zucchini bread" feeling strikes mid-winter. So for those of you who were wondering what to do witth that excess squash... 😁
Hi Pam, what a great idea! Thank you so much! 😉
Thanks for the tip re: using frozen zucchini. Putting some in freezer this morning for winter baking!
I made muffins from this recipe and they were delicious.
I made this today and it came out delicious. I used a combination of walnuts and cashews as i didn’t have enough walnuts and it was fine. I love the crunch of the nuts. It is tasty as is in my opinion and I am looking forward to enjoying the bread with almond butter and a little whole fruit jam on it or nothing at all on it.
Thanks Dina! 🙂 It's also great toasted!
Hey Cathy - made this recipe again (muffin version), for a 4th of July brunch, and used frozen shredded zucchini, worked fine. My garden is a little late this year, so no fresh squash just yet, but soon. Love the millet/oat combination, and the entire batch disappeared quickly. Good stuff!
Such a great idea to use frozen zuch! I'll have to try that! Thanks Cynthia! 😉
Hi! I love this recipe and make it regularly. How do recommend storing it? Fridge or counter?
I would store it on counter for the first day then in the fridge. 🙂 It would also freeze well.
These were excellent, Cathy! I love the consistency, flavor, and taste. Thank you!
So glad! 🙂 Thanks Becca!
Delicious! I made the muffins version and also added 1/4 c. cocoa powder. So tasty and great texture!
Hi Cathy!
I am looking forward to making this yummy-looking bread. I just recently converted to an SOS free diet, and was wondering about the sodium content due to the baking powder and baking soda. The sodium content seems pretty low, but is it still considered SOS free with added sodium? If I cut back on or eliminated those ingredients would it still work? I have an autoimmune disorder so I want to be extremely careful, at least for the time being.
Thanks!
Hi Craig, good question. I use Hain sodium-free baking powder and find that it works great. I have tried the sodium-free baking soda a couple times and the results weren't that good; so I usually use regular soda, even with it's high sodium (so at 10 slices of bread, it comes out to about 132mg/sodium per slice). But given your health issue, you may not want to make baked goods with baking soda; OR experiment with some sodium-free baking sodas. Maybe you will have better luck than me. If you want to wait, I can make this recipe without the soda (and maybe a bit more powder??) and see if it works okay still. 🙂
Will only the color be affected if I peel the zucchini or does it affect the bake too? I have Ibs and peel most things to help my symptoms
I don't think peeling them will make a difference. You can always make a half recipe to test it. 🙂