Zucchini Swirl Bread (paleo)

A super moist Chocolate Swirled Zucchini Bread packed with two whole cups of fresh zucchini and made with healthy ingredients! This Zucchini Bread recipe is super easy to make, only one base batter is prepared for both swirl parts, and made with only 10 whole food ingredients! This healthy Zucchini Bread is paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free) and refined sugar free!

What Does This Chocolate Swirl Zucchini Bread Taste Like?

This recipe makes a super moist zucchini bread swirled rich chocolate. To give this bread ample zucchini flavor and lots of moisture we use two whole cups of shredded zucchini. This healthy Zucchini Bread is the perfect way to get in a healthy dose of both chocolate and vegetables for breakfast, because balance is a very important part of life. This looker-of-a-veggie-packed loaf is just perfectly sweet making it great as a healthy breakfast alongside your morning coffee/tea or toast a slice and dress it up with coconut oil, ghee, nut butter, or maybe some cinnamon for a truly heavenly snack.

Here’s why you will LOVE this Zucchini Swirl Bread!

• Super moist, just perfectly sweet, and absolutely delicious.
• A fun swirly bread that’s easy to make!
• Made with only 10 real, simple ingredients.
• Need to prepare just one base batter.
• Packed with 2 whole cups of zucchini for true zucchini flavor.

What Ingredients Are Used to Make This Healthy Zucchini Bread?

This paleo Zucchini Swirl Bread is made with only 10 ingredients and is better-for-you as it has no refined sugars, flours, or oils. It is a healthy almond flour sweet bread that’s paleo-friendly meaning it is gluten free, grain free, and dairy free.

Here’s a look at the ingredients you’ll need and some possible variations:

• Maple Sugar –  Maple sugar is a great granulated sweetener for refined sugar free baking recipes. I love the neutral flavor and color but it can be a little pricey, so feel free to sub with coconut sugar.
• Avocado Oil – A neutral flavored, heart healthy oil that adds moisture and helps the crust brown. Sub with olive or melted and cooled coconut oil.
• Eggs – Creates a moist but light bread.
• Vanilla – For flavor.
• Almond Flour – Almond flour is perfect for a paleo sweet bread, it creates a soft and rich crumb that’s still light and airy. I use and love Bob’s Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour.
• Tapioca Flour – Helps thicken the batter without making it too dense.
• Cocoa Powder – Is added to half the batter to create the chocolate zucchini swirl. Be sure to use cocoa powder not cacao powder or cocoa mix.
• Shredded Zucchini – The star ingredient in this zucchini bread! We add 2 whole cups of shredded zucchini into the bread for a whole lot of flavor and moisture.
• Baking Powder – Helps the bread rise.
• Salt – To enhance all the flavors.

How Do You Make Healthy Zucchini Bread From Scratch?

This Zucchini Swirl Bread is SO quick and easy to make. You just need to make one base batter, then divide it to create the plain and chocolate batters. The batters get layered into the loaf pan and into the oven it goes! This healthy Chocolate Swirl Zucchini Bread can be prepped in under 30 minutes!

Here’s a look at the steps:

1. Prepare the loaf pan and heat your oven. Use any loaf baking dish you like! This is my favorite loaf pan and I use this eco-friendly parchment paper.
2. Grate the zucchini. You’ll need about 1 large or 2 medium zucchini to get 2 cups of shredded zucchini. I use and love this box grater, it has non-slip legs, many grate size options and makes shredding a breeze!
3. Make the base batter. Mix the wet ingredients together then stir in the dry ingredients. Split the batter into two bowls. Add tapioca flour to one batter and cocoa powder to the other. Then gently fold in 1 cup of shredded zucchini into each batter.
4. Layer the batters. To create the side swirls, like in the pictures in this post, I tilted the loaf pan on a small bowl and layered the batters into the lower side while the loaf pan was sitting on a slight axis (see pictures below!). To create a regular swirl, just add alternating scoops of batter into the dish and when done, use a knife and swirl in a figure eight motion in the batter.
5. Bake! This is a big loaf with a lot of moisture and needs a while to bake, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes. Test for doneness by poking a toothpick into the center. It should come out clean or with a few moist, but not wet, crumbs.
6. Let cool. This part is important! The loaf needs to cool down completely before slicing to make sure the heat properly steams out of the loaf. This keeps the loaf moist and prevents the bread from getting soggy. Try to let it cool on a wire rack, ideally, for 2 hours.

This bread will keep, stored in an airtight container, for a day or so. Afterwards, store in fridge for a few days or freezer for longer storage.

This healthy Zucchini Swirl Bread is oh-so-moist and an absolutely delicious way to celebrate summer squash season! This stunner of a loaf is made with only 10 ingredients that are all natural and unrefined making this perfect for breakfast or really as an anytime snack. Plus it’s the perfect way to sneak both chocolate and vegetables into one tasty treat!

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free

More Healthy Sweet Bread Recipes!

• Walnut Cardamom Streusel Bread (paleo)
• Double Peanut Butter & Jelly Bread (paleo & easily nut free)
• Lemon Blueberry Bread (paleo)

SHARE THE LOVE!

If you make this recipe, please spread the love and leave a review or rating down below. And I’d LOVE to see and share your creation! Take a picture and tag me on Instagram @freshlydafna in your feed or stories and I will share on my account!

5 from 1 vote

Print

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Swirl Bread

A super moist Chocolate Swirled Zucchini Bread packed with two whole cups of shredded zucchini and made with healthy ingredients! This Zucchini Bread recipe is super easy to make, with only base batter to make the vanilla and chocolate layers, and with only 10 whole food ingredients!

paleo friendly (gluten/grain/dairy free), refined sugar free

Course Breakfast, Snack

Keyword chocolate zucchini swirl bread, healthy breakfast loaf, healthy zucchini bread, zucchini bread, zucchini swirl bread

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Ingredients

Bread Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (98 grams) maple sugar sub coconut sugar
• 3 eggs ideally room temp
• 1/4 cup (61 grams) avocado oil sub olive oil or melted & cooled coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups (300 grams) almond flour, packed
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) tapioca flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

Chocolate Batter

• 2 tbsp (16 grams) cocoa powder
• 1 cup (125 grams) shredded zucchini

Vanilla Batter

• 2 tbsp (15 grams) tapioca flour
• 1 cup (125 grams) shredded zucchini

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a loaf pan by lining with parchment paper leaving a short overhang off the sides.

   

2. Make the bread batter. In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large bowl if mixing by hand, beat together the maple sugar, eggs, avocado oil, and vanilla until light and bubbly.

   

3. Add the almond flour, 1/4 cup tapioca flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until well combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again until ingredients are fully incorporated. Evenly divide the batter into two bowls.

   

4. Create the two batters. Add cocoa powder into one bowl of batter and tapioca flour into the other batter and stir each until powder is fully combined. Then gently fold in 1 cup of shredded zucchini into each batter. Try not to stir the batters too much to avoid releasing too much moisture from the zucchini.

   

5. Create the swirl. To create the side swirls (as pictured in post), prop one side of the loaf pan on a small bowl and layer the batter into the low side (see pictures in post), alternating chocolate and vanilla. For an easier, regular swirl, alternate scoops of batter into the baking dish. When done, use a knife and swirl a figure eight motion into the batter. 

   

6. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minute or until top has puffed and batter in the crack looks baked and not wet. Test for doneness by poking a toothpick into the center, it should come out clean, possibly with a few moist crumbs.

   

7. Let cool completely. Let cool for 20 minutes in the loaf pan, then use paper overhang to lift loaf out of the pan and let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour, ideally 2 hours. Waiting to cut into the loaf keeps the bread moist without it getting soggy.

   

Recipe Notes

Storage: This bread will keep, stored in an airtight container, for a day or so. Afterwards, store in fridge for a few days or freezer for longer storage.

Kitchen Tools (affiliate links): box grater, loaf pan, silicon spatula, kitchen scale, eco-friendly parchment paper

A Note On Sweetness: This bread is just perfectly sweet. If you like things on the sweeter side this bread can easily stand up to a healthy dose of chocolate chips. Toss them in both or just one of the batters or sprinkle them on the top for a chocolatey crust!

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