Everybody loves zucchini bread, right? Oh, and who doesn’t love pumpkin bread? So how do you decide which to make this time of year? I say, marry the two and make Gluten Free Zucchini Pumpkin Bread—the moist and flavorful answer to the quandary of which quick bread to make first!
If you’ve tried any of my gluten free quick bread recipes before, you already know I’m a big fan of fruits and veggies in my breads, and I also try to use as little oil, fats and sugar as possible (within reason!). This recipe offers the perfect combination of ingredients to do all those things!
I prefer this gluten free zucchini pumpkin bread recipe as muffins because there’s a better crumbly-topping-deliciousness-to-muffin ratio, and also because it’s such a moist batter (from all the yummy pumpkin and zucchini!), that it’s easier to bake them evenly all the way through without over-cooking them. You could use mini-loaf pans instead if you like, but I think they turn out better every time as muffins.
Go forth and embrace the squash!
Gluten Free Zucchini Pumpkin Bread or Muffins
Gluten Free Zucchini Pumpkin Bread or Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
- 1/2 cup butter OR non-dairy alternative e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks
- 2 large eggs or favorite egg sub like 2 Tbs. flaxseed steeped in 6 Tbs. warm water
- 1/2 cup sour cream dairy or non-dairy (soy sour cream or plain coconut yogurt)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pumpkin butter applesauce or apple butter
- 2 cups 270 grams gfJules™ All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 2 Tablespoons flax seed meal or 2 Tbs. gfJules™ Flour
- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup packed fresh zucchini, grated (approximately 2 small zucchini squash), not pressed unless the zucchini is very watery
topping ingredients:
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or allspice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F (static) or 325° F (convection).
- Beat sugar and butter until fluffy, then add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla and pumpkin butter and mix well.
- Sift all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour slowly into the wet ingredient bowl and beat together until integrated. Fold in the zucchini. The batter will be somewhat stiff.
- Line 18-20 muffin tins with muffin papers or oil 4-5 mini loaf pans. Spoon batter into the lined tins and smooth the tops with a rubber spatula. Mix topping ingredients together and sprinkle on top, if desired.
- Bake mini-loaves for approximately 35 minutes; muffins for 25-30 minutes; mini-muffins for 15 minutes. Test bread with a toothpick to be sure the middles are cooked through before removing from the oven to cool on wire racks.
- Cool completely before storing or freezing.
** Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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Can I sub 2% Greek yogurt for the spur cream?
Hi Nancy, you can absolutely add Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. Sometimes Greek yogurt is a bit thicker than sour cream though, so if you find that the batter is very thick, you may want to stir in a bit of milk to thin the batter to the consistency you’d expect for quick bread or muffins (so it’s easily transferred into muffin cups). Enjoy!
~jules
What a fun idea for a recipe! It’s getting to the sort of “transition” time of the year when there are still lots of zucchini at the farmers’ markets, but pumpkins have started appearing as well. 🙂
That was my thought too, Joyce! I’m ready for pumpkin, but still have plenty of zukes and am not ready to give up my zucchini bread yet! 🙂
~jules
Could I use grated carrots instead of zucchini?
I don’t see why not, Chris! Let me know how it goes!
Hey there,
Im planning on making these muffins can i use coconut iol instead of shortening and can i use canned pumpkin instead of the pumpkin butter.Im trying to use what i have on hand. Thanks Jules:)
Hi Nikki, the coconut oil should work fine, just use it at room temp, don’t melt it. As for the canned pumpkin, you can use that, but taste the batter because you might want to add some more sugar or maple syrup to sweeten it a bit. The pumpkin butter is sweeter than plain canned pumpkin. Enjoy the recipe!
What does the flax seed meal do? Is an alternative almond flour?
Can I substitute the sour cream for low fat sour cream?
Thanks!
Hi RC, the flaxseed meal helps to give the bread some structure from whole grains, rather than starches. If you prefer, you can add almond flour instead. The low fat sour cream should work, but if you find that the bread doesn’t hold it’s shape well, next time you might want to add some more flour to compensate because low fat products like that can have more moisture in them.