Low Sugar Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

Low Sugar Olive Oil Zucchini Bread is a delicious one-bowl quick bread that’s moist, with the perfect crumb, thanks to a mixture of flours, silky olive oil, shredded zucchini, and a hint of sweetness.

Dairy Free, Nut Free

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Life Extension. Thanks for supporting the products that support the Chelsey Amer Nutrition blog.

Zucchini season is about to be in full swing, which means….

• If you have a garden you’ll have an abundance of this summer crop
• If you shop local farmer’s markets you’ll easily find zucchini
• And if you shop in a supermarket, it’s probably on sale (or super cheap!)

And that’s good news because extra zucchini = extra zucchini bread!!

And I’m 100% certain you’ll want to make this Low Sugar Olive Oil Zucchini Bread… and yes, it’s worth turning on your oven on a hot summer day!

This Low Sugar Olive Oil Zucchini Bread is…

• Easy to make in 1 bowl
• M-O-I-S-T
• Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert
• Made with less than 10 ingredients
• Nut free and dairy free
• Freakin’ DELICIOUS!

The entire loaf was gone within 48 hours in my house… so I’m warning you it’s that good!!!

Secrets to the BEST Zucchini Bread

I’m definitely not a bread maker in the traditional sense (with yeast and all), but I loooove me a good quick bread. There’s something about a 1-bowl quick bread that’s a tad sweet, but delicate and has the perfect crumb that just hits the spot. After a year-long banana bread bender, it’s time to change things up….

So, what’s the secret to the best zucchini bread?

You must make it MOIST! I know most people cringe at the word *moist*, but it’s the best descriptor for a good quick bread.

But here’s the thing… you don’t want it to be dense and gummy, which can often happen with alternative flours and “healthy” substitutions.

I’m all for making “healthier” or more nutrient-dense “treats,” but they should still taste good and have that 10/10 texture.

This low sugar zucchini bread definitely fits the bill!

So, what’s the moist-maker in this quick olive oil zucchini bread?

OLIVE OIL! Silky smooth olive oil provides healthy fats and the right amount of moisture to help this low sugar zucchini bread have the perfect crumb.

I partnered with Life Extension to use their unfiltered, cold-pressed California Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil because it’s truly top notch quality. It comes from USDA-certified, organic olives hand-picked at the peak of ripeness and milled within hours of harvest. You can’t get better than that!

Thanks to their superior quality olives and processing techniques, Life Extension’s cold-pressed California Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil has 3 times the antioxidant polyphenols of commercial oils.

What’s a polyphenol?

Think of polyphenols as plant compounds that do good stuff in your body. Some polyphenols act as antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and others help reduce inflammation. Life Extension’s olive oil has a concentration of over 800 mg/kg of naturally occurring olive polyphenols, which help:

• Promote good heart health
• Support endothelial function (the lining of your blood vessels)
• Maintain healthy blood pressure
• Maintain healthy HDL (“good”) cholesterol levels
• Inhibit LDL (“bad”) cholesterol oxidation

This recipe calls for ½ cup of Life Extension’s cold-pressed California Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

You can use code CHELSEY to save $5 on orders of $50 or more + free shipping here.

Ingredients to make Low Sugar Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

You only need 8 ingredients (+ salt) to make this quick bread… most of which you probably have in your pantry.

You’ll need:

1. Large eggs
2. White sugar or coconut sugar
3. Olive oil
4. Zucchini
5. All-purpose flour
6. Oat flour
7. Baking soda
8. Baking powder

If there’s sugar in this recipe, how is this zucchini bread “low sugar”?

When I was growing up my mom made the best zucchini bread. But as an adult, I honestly think it’s too sweet, which is why I made this recipe much lower in sugar. My mom’s original recipe inspired this recipe, which I used to create this olive oil zucchini bread.

Although this recipe contains white sugar, there’s only ½ cup in the entire recipe. If you cut the loaf into 10 thick slices, that’s less than 1 tablespoon per slice. That’s less than half of your daily limit of added sugar. Not so bad!

If you’d like, you can also swap in coconut sugar for a less refined sugar. Keep in mind that although it’s less refined of a sugar, coconut sugar still contains 12 grams of sugar per tablespoon, so it’s not like that makes the recipe lower sugar.

You can cut the sugar even further by skipping any add-ins, like chocolate chips. It’s delicious on its own and honestly doesn’t need the extra hint of sweetness, HOWEVER, chocolate chips just belong in zucchini bread (in my humble opinion).

Why do you use all-purpose flour and oat flour?

Several years ago, when I made my double chocolate zucchini bread recipe, I tested and tested and tested to create a gluten free version with oat flour. The breads were always denser and crumbly. Although they tasted good, it wasn’t your typical thick slice of moist zucchini bread with the perfect crumb. The best version used 100% all-purpose flour.

For this recipe, I opted to use both all-purpose flour and oat flour to add a bit heartier texture, but also keep a perfect slice without excess crumb. You can use 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour instead of both flours, if you wish.

Can I use all baking soda or baking powder instead of both?

This is a hard no. Baking soda and baking powder play two different roles in baking, so it’s important to use what’s listed in the recipe for best results.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need to Make Olive Oil Zucchini Bread

This is a fairly simple recipe, but you do need a few kitchen tools, including:

• Box grater
• Loaf pan
• Parchment paper
• Mixing bowl
• Sturdy spoon for mixing
• Measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Low Sugar Zucchini Bread

This quick bread is definitely a quickie to make!

First, I suggest gathering all of your ingredients, including grating your zucchini before you start prepping. I used the largest side of a box grater (like this one). The key to making a good zucchini bread is to squeeze the excess water out of the grated zucchini. You can either wrap the shredded zucchini in a cheese cloth or clean dish towel, or you can just take a small handful at a time and squeeze it over the sink (that’s what I did).

Then, you simply combine all of your ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the flours slowly, about ¼ cup at a time, mixing in between.

The batter will be thick. Don’t worry – that’s how it’s supposed to be. Believe it or not, you don’t get a dense bread even though the batter is thick!

You can either mix-in your chocolate chips or just sprinkle them on top. Both are delicious!

Bake for about 50 minutes. The top will be golden brown and the bread will peel apart from the sides when it’s done. Alternatively, an inserted toothpick should come out clean.

Let the bread cool completely before slicing. I can’t wait to hear what you think of this recipe!!

Let’s get baking…

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Don’t Forget to PIN this Olive Oil Zucchini Bread…

XO