Summer Zucchini Bread with Cinnamon and Orange Juice
perfect for summer and yes it can be gluten free, too!
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Hello and happy August to you!!
Summer produce season is here and my grocery store is packed full of zucchini, yellow summer squash, and tomatoes! Thankfully, I have lots of recipes planned this month to make use of these seasonal favorites.
Starting with some classic zucchini bread! This is one of my family favorite recipes, packed full of zucchini, cinnamon, and our secret ingredient: Orange juice. That adds such a bright and zesty kick to the zucchini bread to keep it from being overly heavy.
And yes, you can totally make this recipe gluten free! I’ve tested it many times gluten free and have some special instructions for making this quick loaf with a great gluten free flour.
Let’s get baking!
Summer Zucchini Bread with Cinnamon and Orange Juice
Yield: 10 to 12 slices
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Bake Time: 50 Minutes
Total Time: 65 Minutes
Equipment
Box grater
Mixing bowls + spoons
Measuring cups + spoons
Baking Pan
Parchment Paper + Spray Oil
Ingredients
1 large zucchini, grated
1/4 cup neutral oil
1/4 cup plant based milk (plus more if gluten free)
1/2 cup plain vegan yogurt
1/4 cup orange juice
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten free, see below for details)
2 teaspoons baking powder (plus more if gluten free)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup optional fold-ins like chocolate chips or chopped walnuts
Method
Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Line a 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch (20x10-cm) pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with cooking oil. Set aside while you make the batter.
Prep the zucchini. Wash the zucchini and slice them length wise down the middle. Using a spoon, scrape out the majority of the seeds to discard. Next, using the box grater, shred the zucchini into pieces.
Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, plant based milk, vegan yogurt, orange juice, and brown sugar. Add the zucchini.
Add the dry ingredients. Into the same bowl, sift in the all purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Switch to a spatula and gently fold the ingredients together. Don’t over mix this, it will be thick! Fold in any optional ingredients like chocolate chips or nuts.
Bake. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread pulls out clean. The bread should reach an internal temperature of 190F/80C.
Cool and serve. Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the hot pan for at least an hour. You can then remove the bread from the pan and slice it now, but it might still be warm in the middle and crumble while slicing. For perfect slices, let the bread cool completely, even popping it in the fridge to chill. Enjoy!
For a PDF version of this recipe, click above!
Zucchini: Using a box grater is the best method of shredding the zucchini for this quick bread. You don’t need anything fancier than that. Zucchinis can vary in size, but I typically use between 1 and 2 zucchini for the bread.
Important! You don’t want to blot the zucchini dry before adding it to the batter! You want all that moisture from the vegetable to go into the bread.
Want to peel the zucchini? You can, but honestly I never do and I like the little color it brings to leave the peel on.
Plant Based Yogurt: I like to use a plain vegan yogurt for this recipe. Typically, I use Silk Soy Yogurt, but other dairy free yogurts like coconut or almond or oat will also work.
Plant Milk: Use your favorite plant based milk. I always reach for unsweetened and unflavored soy milk for a simple taste that won’t compete with other flavors, but almond milk and coconut milk will also work great here.
Make it Gluten Free
Yes, you can totally make this recipe gluten free!
In my testing, I found that the gluten free flour required a few more ingredients to help account for the super absorbancy powers of gluten free rice flours. My favorite gluten free flour remains King Arthur Measure for Measure and it is what I used in this photo while testing the gluten free bread. So, to make this gluten free, you’ll also need:
More Plant Milk: Since gluten free flour is more absorbant that wheat flour, a bit more plant based milk is necessary. Just add an additional 1/4 cup of milk to the wet ingredients.
Extra Baking Powder: You’ll also need a little extra baking powder to help give this loaf some lift. An extra teaspoon of baking powder will do the trick!
You can see here that the gluten free flour zucchini bread got almost as much lift as the wheat flour version. It’s super important that after removing the gluten free bread from the oven, you let it rest in the hot pan for a good 45 minutes.
When making this, expect a super thick batter. I like to leave long sides of parchment paper in the pan so that they don’t fall into the batter while baking in the oven. Using clips helps to keep the paper in place while transferring the batter. Just make sure to take them off before baking!


Make it into Muffins!
Line a 12 count muffin tin with liners or spray with your favorite spray. Prepare the batter as directed. Carefully spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and fill all the way full. Bake the muffins at 425F/220C for 5 minutes, then without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350F/180C and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the muffins comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the hot tray before removing to a wire rack to finish cooling before enjoying!
Add some chocolate chips!
Add a cup of your favorite chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
How to Store
Countertop: Store cooled bread on the countertop for about 3 to 4 days.
Fridge: Store the cooled bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Freezer: After fully baking and cooling the bread, you can wrap it up tight and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and bring it to room temperature before slicing and serving.
Before you go!
I hope that you love this loaf of summer zucchini bread as much as my family and friends do!
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That’s all for now!
Love and Sprinkles,
Laura