No-Sugar Zucchini Bread with Honey & Agave

Name: No-Sugar Zucchini Bread with Honey & Agave
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: one 8.5×4.5-inch loaf (about 10 slices)
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled); 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp baking powder; 1½ tsp ground cinnamon; ¼ tsp ground nutmeg; ½ tsp fine sea salt; 2 large eggs (room temperature); ⅓ cup honey; ⅓ cup dark agave nectar; ⅓ cup neutral oil (avocado oil or melted coconut oil); 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract; 1½ cups zucchini (finely grated and squeezed (about 1 medium-large)); ½ cup walnuts or pecans (toasted and chopped, optional); oil (for the pan)

A moist, lightly spiced zucchini loaf with no refined sugar — sweetened with honey and dark agave, and made with oil instead of butter, so it's dairy-free.

Creator Verified

20 min
Prep: 50–55 min
Cook: 14
Ingredients: one 8.5×4.5-inch loaf
Yield

Ingredients

Slices 10

Tap an ingredient to check it off

Steps

Preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C). Oil an 8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the long sides for easy lifting.
Grate the zucchini on the medium holes of a box grater. Transfer it to a clean kitchen towel and wring it out firmly over the sink to remove excess liquid. Measure out 1½ packed cups after squeezing.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk the eggs, honey, dark agave, neutral oil, and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
Pour the dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Fold with a silicone spatula just until mostly incorporated, then gently fold in the squeezed zucchini and the walnuts or pecans, if using. Avoid overmixing to keep the crumb light.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the surface. Bake at 325°F for 50–55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. If the top reaches a deep golden hue before 40 minutes, tent it loosely with aluminum foil.
Rest the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then use the parchment overhang to lift it out onto the rack. Give it at least another 15 minutes before slicing — it's crumbly while warm.

Substitutions

Sweetener: all honey or all agave works — keep the total at ⅔ cup
Nuts → omit entirely, or swap walnuts and pecans freely

Rachel's tips

Squeezing the zucchini is the step that decides whether this works. Wring it out harder than feels necessary; excess water makes the center gummy.
Measure the 1½ cups *after* squeezing, not before.
Like the banana bread, this bakes at 325°F rather than 350°F — honey and agave brown faster than sugar, so the lower oven keeps the crust from getting ahead of the center.
Toasting the nuts first is worth the five minutes.
You can slice it after the 15 minutes in the pan, but it crumbles at that point. Another 15 minutes out on the rack is the difference between clean slices and a plate of pieces — longer still if you can wait.
Honey isn't recommended for babies under 12 months.

Equipment

8.5×4.5-inch loaf pan, parchment paper, box grater, wire rack

Recipe by Rachel · From TexMex Mashup on YouTube · Dietary: vegetarian, dairy-free, no refined sugar · Contains: gluten, egg; tree nuts if using the walnuts or pecans

No-Sugar Zucchini Bread with Honey & Agave

Ingredients

Dry

Wet

Steps