Zucchini Avocado Bread Recipe

Apr 4, 2020 · by Valentina · 48 Comments

This Zucchini Avocado Bread recipe is packed with delicious flavors and a whole lot of nutrients to boot. It has a lovely soft texture inside and a light crust outside.

Zucchini Avocado Bread is an unexpected healthy treat. It's healthy enough for breakfast, and sweet enough for dessert.

And of course, it's delicious enough for any time.

Avocados seem to turn up in all sorts of unexpected recipes: brownies, cakes and cookies, to name just a few.

I didn't know if I was really sold on this idea until I made my scrumptious Double Chocolate Avocado Cookies.

I've always been curious about avocado bread recipes, so I was inspired to make this one with zucchini. And my family and I really love it!

The Ingredients

Pile of grated zucchini of a white kitchen cloth.

all-purpose flour - You can also use Cup4Cup Gluten-Free flour.
baking powder - If you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking powder is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of boiling water over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking powder. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
baking soda - Like the baking powder, If you don’t bake regularly, it’s a good idea to check to be sure your baking soda is still good. To do so, pour a couple of tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice over about ¼ teaspoon of the baking soda. If it starts to fizz, it’s still good.
cinnamon
allspice
salt
olive oil - Regular of extra virgin.
avocado - For this recipe we want the avocado to be soft but not too soft. There should be just a little give when you press gently on the skin.
zucchini - Choose firm zucchini with blemish-free, vibrant green skin.
sugar
pure vanilla extract
eggs

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

stack of several slices of avocado zucchini bread

Recipe Tips

It's important that the avocado you use is ripe. It should be very soft, but not so soft that the interior is brown. It's best to mash it with a fork before adding it to the batter. It should be as smooth as possible. It will likely still have tiny lumps in it, which is okay.
The recipe says the zucchini should be "drained." This means that after you grate it, you should squeeze it gently in your hands over the sink, and then add it to the batter. (The water content in zucchini is quite high.)

Substitutions

As I mentioned above, you can substitute the regular all-purpose flour with Cup4Cup Gluten-Free flour.

one toasted, buttered slice of avocado bread

Serving Suggestions

While avocado bread is delicious at room temperature, I love to toast slices and butter them lightly.
This is perfect for a quick breakfast, or on a brunch buffet table.

More Avocado and Zucchini Baking Recipes

Making it Ahead and Storing it

Yes, you can make this avocado bread ahead of time.

Room temperature. In a tightly sealed container, the bread can be kept at room temperature for about two days.
Refrigerator. In a tightly sealed container, the cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week. (Note that it will not be as moist when stored in the fridge.)
Freezer. Wrapped tightly, you can store it for about a month in the freezer. Defrost it overnight in the refrigerator the day before you want to serve it.

Can you add nuts or chocolate?

Absolutely! I'm never opposed to adding chocolate chips to most baked goods, and I think they'd add beautifully to this recipe.

If you'd like to add nuts, I'd suggest toasted walnuts, pecans or pine nuts.

What do avocados do in baking?

While the flavor of the avocado is almost indistinguishable, it makes baked goods rich and almost creamy.

Since avocado has fat (the good kind!), you can use it as a substitute for butter and oil — or use a combination of both. Less butter and/or oil, which takes away a few calories.

What does zucchini do in baking?

Zucchini is naturally moist and in many ways it's similar to oil in its baking characteristics, so it always makes for a moist luscious bread.

So you can imagine how amazingly moist this zucchini avocado bread recipe is!?

How to Make it

- Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a 9-inch loaf pan with 1½ teaspoons of olive oil, and line the bottom with parchment paper.  

- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

- Combine olive oil, sugar, mashed avocado, and vanilla. Use a whisk or a fork to mix it until it's very smooth. Add the eggs and mix until they are completely blended in. Fold in the grated, drained zucchini and combine.

Green-ish mixture of avocado, zucchini and eggs with sugar for avocado zucchini bread batter.

- Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir only long enough to combine.

Batter for Zucchini Avocado Bread with a rubber yellow spatula in the bowl.

- Pour the batter in the prepared pan.

Raw batter in pyrex loaf pan for avocado zucchini bread.

- Bake until the top is golden brown, and beginning to crack, about 1 hour.

- Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Use a dull knife to go around the edges of the bread to ensure it's loose, and then invert bread onto a cooling rack. Gently turn it over and continue to cool for about 15 more minutes before serving.

I hope you love every last crumb of this as much as my family and I do!