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Classic Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

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sliced gluten-free zucchini bread on a baking sheet with a knife.

This gluten-free zucchini bread is deliciously moist! It’s super easy to make and loaded with fresh zucchini. Enjoy a thick slice of this gluten-free zucchini bread with a little butter for breakfast or as a snack!

gluten-free zucchini bread on a baking sheet.

The Story Behind This Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread Recipe

My parents were those people that built a garden during quarantine. Anyone else?? And while it took a while to enjoy the fruits (literally) of their labor, oh man was it worth all their hard work! They have strawberries, blueberries, lettuce, every herb you can think of, and a whole BUNCH of zucchini. Like A LOT of zucchini. So when they sent me home a couple weeks ago with a massive bag of homegrown zucchini, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it. Though I had never made gluten-free zucchini bread before, so I took a few notes from my gluten-free banana bread recipe, tweaked things a bit, and this incredible recipe was born!

sliced gluten-free zucchini bread on a baking sheet with milk on the side.

What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

Zucchini – This dark green veggie is loaded vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants! It’s also high in fiber and has been proven to aid healthy digestion. Good-for-you zucchini also flourishes in the summer months! (A big reason why my parents currently have SO much of it right now).

To prep zucchini for this recipe, simply slice off one end and run the zucchini down a cheese grater. Continue to grate the zucchini until you have one heaping cup worth of shredded zucchini. Once grated, you’ll wrap the zucchini in a dish towel and squeeze out as much of the liquid from the zucchini as possible. This summer vegetable holds on to a lot of water, and to avoid a soggy zucchini bread, you’ll want to squeeze out as much of that water as you can. Once the water is removed, you’re ready to use your shredded zucchini in this gluten-free zucchini bread recipe!

Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour – I use and love the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour for most of my gluten-free baked goods recipes. It’s a solid gluten-free flour that holds its structure when baked and never fails me. However, you can use your favorite gluten-free all purpose flour for this recipe. My one suggestion is to always make sure that whatever gluten-free all purpose flour you use contains xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is crucial to binding and quite literally keeping everything together.

gluten-free zucchini bread step 1
gluten-free zucchini bread step 3
gluten-free zucchini bread step 4

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

  • Make it Nut-Free: Omit the almond flour in this recipe and use an additional 1/2 cup of gluten-free all purpose flour instead.
  • Make it Vegan: To make this a gluten-free and vegan zucchini bread, try using either two flax eggs, one ripe mashed banana, or 1 cup of apple sauce in place of the eggs in this recipe.
  • Add Gluten: Use 2 cups of regular all purpose flour in place of the gluten-free all purpose flour and almond flour.
Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread
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Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

5 from 1 vote
Recipe by Samantha Course: SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

8

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

45

minutes
Total time

55

minutes

This gluten-free zucchini bread is deliciously moist! It’s super easy to make and loaded with fresh zucchini. Enjoy a thick slice of this gluten-free zucchini bread with a little butter for breakfast or as a snack!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup shredded zucchini

  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour, see Notes

  • 1/2 cup almond flour

  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 375° Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
  • Wrap the shredded zucchini in a dish towel and squeeze over the sink to remove as much water from the zucchini as possible, then set aside.
  • Mix together the gluten-free all purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 1
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted coconut oil, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until combined.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 2
  • Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold together until no flour remains.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 3
  • Gently fold in the shredded zucchini until just combined.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 4
  • Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • gluten-free zucchini bread step 5

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour: I use and love the King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-Free Flour in this recipe, though you can use any all purpose gluten-free flour you’d like as long as it contains xantham gum.

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Dairy-Free

Perfect Almond Flour Brownies

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close-up overhead image of almond flour brownies.

Perfectly rich and chocolatey almond flour brownies! Super easy to make with just one bowl and 8 ingredients. These brownies are my all-time favorite grain-free, dairy-free, and healthy dessert recipe!

overhead image of almond flour brownies.

What You’ll Need to Make Almond Flour Brownies

Almond Flour – Duh! Almond flour is the star of this show. I highly recommend blanched super-fine almond flour for these gluten-free brownies. I use and love this Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour in all of my almond flour recipes!

Sugar – I used coconut sugar in my almond flour brownies to make them refined sugar-free. Coconut sugar is just as sweet and tasty as regular sugar, but less processed! However, you can totally use whatever kind of sugar you have on-hand.

Chocolate Chips – Plenty of chocolate chips for these double chocolate brownies! You’ll melt one cup and beat them into the batter, then add 1/2 cup of whole chocolate chips in at the very end. The result is ultra rich and chocolatey brownies, YUM!

three almond flour brownies stacked on top of each other.

Tips and Tricks

  • Beat the eggs and sugar together until super light and fluffy. This is what gives us that crisp, crackly brownie top!
  • Serve these almond flour brownies warm with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream! I just LOVE turning this dessert into brownie sundaes, such a delicious and decadent treat.
  • Go ahead, add a handful of chopped walnuts to these brownies if you’d like! I personally don’t see anything wrong with walnuts in brownies, so have fun and make these your own.
close-up overhead image of almond flour brownies.

Adjust This Recipe to Your Dietary Needs

Make it Vegan: Simply swap the eggs for your favorite vegan egg substitute. I haven’t tested this option myself just yet, so if you do let me know how it works in the comments!

Make it Paleo: For paleo brownies, use coconut sugar in this recipe, and use either paleo chocolate chips or a chopped paleo chocolate bar. I recommend Hu Kitchen Chocolate Baking Gems!

Don’t Forget to Try These Almond Flour Recipes!

Almond Flour Brownies
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Almond Flour Brownies

5 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

16

brownies
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

30

minutes
Total time

35

minutes

Perfectly rich and chocolatey almond flour brownies! Super easy to make with just one bowl and 8 ingredients. These brownies are my all-time favorite grain-free, dairy-free, and healthy dessert recipe!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar, I used coconut sugar

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour

  • 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, divided

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, or butter

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs with either a hand or stand mixer. Continue beating for 3-5 minutes, until super light and fluffy.
  • Add the almond flour, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Stir until everything is just combined, careful not to over-mix.
  • In a separate small bowl, add the coconut oil and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until chocolate chips are fully melted.
  • Pour melted chocolate chips and coconut oil into the brownie batter, and stir to combine. Then, fold in the remaining chocolate chips.
  • Pour brownie batter into prepared pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the center is just barely set. Remove from oven and let cool completely before slicing into squares.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • These almond flour brownies will stay fresh in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 1 week. That is… if they last that long!

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30 Minutes or Less

Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

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gluten-free cornbread with milk on the side.

This light and fluffy gluten-free cornbread is perfectly sweet and surprisingly simple to make! With just a few easy swaps, you’ll have a gluten-free and dairy-free version of a comforting classic. Slather some dairy-free honey butter on a slice of this gluten-free cornbread for a delicious snack or side dish!

overhead image of gluten-free cornbread with honey butter on the side.

One Mother’s Day I wrote my Mom a card that read “Happy Mother’s Day! I like your cornbread.” And that my friends, is a true story. My Mom always made the BEST cornbread. Not too sweet, perfectly crumbly, and always served with her own homemade honey butter. I’d dream about that stuff and request it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner any chance I got.

While I wrote that Mother’s Day card many years ago, I’m still a huge fan of my Mom’s cornbread. Though her version has all of your “standard” ingredients – all purpose flour, milk, regular butter, etc. So when I set out to develop a gluten-free and dairy-free version of my Mom’s cornbread, I have to be honest, I didn’t have high hopes. But oh boy was I pleasantly surprised with how this recipe turned out! Nearly identical to the cornbread I grew up on, this gluten-free and dairy-free recipe does NOT disappoint. I was able to easily swap the all purpose flour for naturally gluten-free (and grain-free) flours, and the dairy for non-dairy counterparts. And if that hasn’t sold you on this cornbread – I was developed this recipe using just ONE BOWL. That’s right – easy baking and easy cleanup!

honey being drizzled over stacked gluten-free cornbread

What You Need To Make Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

Cornmeal – Made from ground corn, this coarse “flour”is the star of this recipe! Though be sure to use cornMEAL and not corn starch or corn flour, which are simply not the same. And if you’re gluten-intolerant, be sure to use a cornmeal that reads “gluten-free” somewhere on the label. While cornmeal is naturally gluten-free, some brands may still contain traces of gluten.

Almond Flour – Not to be confused with almond meal, almond flour is a light, fluffy, and naturally gluten-free flour. Almond flour works in conjunction with tapioca flour to replace the all purpose flour in my Mom’s famous cornbread recipe. I’m not able to fully understand or explain the science of how these gluten-free flours work, but just trust me when I tell you, they WORK. Almond Flour and tapioca flour create a gluten-free cornbread that tastes just like any other cornbread!

Non-Dairy Butter – I use and love Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks in my dairy-free honey butter. However, feel free to use your favorite non-dairy butter in this recipe! And if you’re not dairy-free, feel free to use regular butter instead.

gluten-free cornbread with a bite taken out

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

  • Make it Vegan: Replace the egg with a flax egg and use maple syrup instead of honey to make this recipe vegan!
  • Add Dairy: Use regular milk instead of non-dairy milk, melted butter instead of coconut oil, and regular butter in the honey butter if you’re not dairy-free.
  • Make it Refined Sugar-Free: SURPRISE – this recipe is already refined sugar-free!
Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter
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Gluten-Free Cornbread with Honey Butter

4 from 2 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings

9

servings
Prep time

5

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

25

minutes

This light and fluffy gluten-free cornbread is perfectly sweet and surprisingly simple to make! With just a few easy swaps, you’ll have a gluten-free and dairy-free version of a comforting classic. Slather some dairy-free honey butter on a slice of this gluten-free cornbread for a delicious snack or side dish!

Ingredients

  • For the cornbread:

  • 1 cup cornmeal

  • 1 cup almond flour

  • 1/2 cup tapioca flour

  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1 cup non-dairy milk

  • 1 egg, see Notes

  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

  • For the honey butter:

  • 1/4 cup dairy-free butter, softened

  • 1/4 cup honey, see Notes

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425° Fahrenheit and lightly grease an 8×8 baking dish.
  • Combine cornmeal, almond flour, tapioca flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
  • Add in the almond milk, egg, and melted coconut oil then mix until well combined.
  • Transfer batter to the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove from the oven and transfer to a wire cooling rack.
  • While cornbread is cooling, mix together the softened butter and honey in a small bowl. Refrigerate the honey butter until ready to serve.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Egg: You can substitute the egg in this recipe for a flax egg or your favorite egg substitute.
  • Honey: Feel free to use maple syrup instead of honey to turn this into a maple butter recipe.

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More Gluten-Free Recipes You NEED To Make

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30 Minutes or Less

Healthy Vegan Apple Cider Donuts

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healthy vegan apple cider donuts on a sheet of parchment paper, one with a bite taken out.

Is there anything that screams Fall more than apple cider donuts?! If you’ve never tried making homemade baked donuts before, these apple cider donuts are a must-make for this Fall season!

close-up image of healthy vegan apple cider donuts stacked on top of each other.

Not only are these apple cider donuts incredibly soft and fluffy, but it contains no dairy or eggs, is baked instead of fried, and is adorned with crunchy and sweet cinnamon sugar topping that is absolutely mouth-watering. Fall isn’t complete without apple picking and a batch of these vegan donuts!

healthy vegan apple cider donuts on parchment paper with a bite taken out.

MAIN INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE VEGAN APPLE CIDER DONUTS

  • Apple Cider – Apple cider, whether store-bought or homemade, is going to create the delicious apple flavor we’re looking for in this recipe.
  • Rolled Oats – I love baking up my gluten-free treats with oats! Not only is it inexpensive, but they’re super easy to acquire. 
  • Flax Eggs – A flax egg is a vegan egg substitute and helps bind all the ingredients together!
  • Baking Soda & Powder – Baking soda and powder give the batter that quick inflation in the oven that creates the cake-like fluffy donuts we’re looking for.
  • Cinnamon – This ingredient will be used for making not only the donut, but of course, the cinnamon sugar!
  • Nutmeg – Known for its spicy, nutty flavor, nutmeg perfectly complements the sweet & warm cinnamon in this recipe.
  • Vegan Butter – I typically use the Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks in my vegan/dairy-free baked goods. Though any vegan butter will work here, just be sure to melt it completely before adding it to this recipe. 
  • Coconut Sugar – I use coconut sugar when making the cinnamon sugar, but you can opt for organic cane sugar if you prefer.
healthy vegan apple cider donuts stacked on top of each other, with a bottle of milk on the side.

ADJUST THIS APPLE CIDER DONUTS RECIPE TO YOUR DIET

  • Add Dairy: Although I use dairy-free butter, you could substitute it for melted coconut oil or regular butter if you’d like! You can also use regular eggs instead of flax.
  • Add Gluten: You can try using 1 cup of all purpose flour instead of oat flour.

TIPS FOR MAKING BAKED VEGAN APPLE CIDER DONUTS

  • Bring the wet ingredients to room temperature before you combine them with the flour and other dry ingredients.
  • Don’t be alarmed if you see bubbles starting to form after mixing the wet and dry ingredients. It’s just the baking soda and powder reacting the way they’re supposed to. 
Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts (Gluten-Free)
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Baked Vegan Apple Cider Donuts (Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertsDifficulty: Medium
Servings

12

servings
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

Is there anything that screams Fall more than apple cider donuts?! If you’ve never tried making homemade baked donuts before, these apple cider donuts are a must-make for this Fall season!

Ingredients

  • For the donuts:

  • 1 1/2 cups rolled oats

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 2 flax eggs, see Notes

  • 1 cup apple cider

  • 1/2 cup creamy almond or peanut butter

  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, optional but makes for fluffier donuts

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • For the cinnamon sugar:

  • 1 cup coconut sugar

  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon

  • 6 tablespoons dairy-free butter, melted

Directions

  • Preheat your oven to 350° Fahrenheit and grease a donut pan.
  • Add the rolled oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to a blender. Blend until oats are ground into a flour.
  • Add in the flax eggs, apple cider, almond butter, coconut sugar, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla extract. Blend until a smooth batter forms.
  • Carefully fill your donut molds with the batter, I used a cookie scoop to keep things neat.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes and pop out of the molds onto a cooling racks, allow to cool completely before proceeding to the next step.
  • Combine the coconut sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl – set up an assembly line with the donuts, bowl of melted butter, bowl of cinnamon sugar, and a cooling rack.
  • Gently dip each donut in the butter before transferring and coating in the cinnamon sugar, place on a cooling rack while you finish up the rest. Once all are coated, store in a sealed container on either the counter for two days or the fridge for up to one week .

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Flax Eggs: To make one flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon of ground flax meal with 3 tablespoons of water and let sit on the counter for five minutes to thicken.
  • Storage: store in a closed container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month.

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OTHER VEGAN AND GLUTEN-FREE DESSERTS

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Desserts

Gluten-Free S’mores Bars

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a s'mores bar being pulled apart.

These s’mores bars are something else! A buttery graham cracker base followed by a lush layer of chocolate is topped off with toasty marshmallows. These s’mores bars will blow you away with how delicious and addictive they are – all while gluten-free!

gluten-free s'mores bars stacked on top of each other.

What You Need To Make S’mores Bars

Oat Flour – You can either purchase oat flour from the store or easily make it yourself at home. To make oat flour, start by adding 1 and 1/2 cups of rolled oats to a blender or food processor. Then, blend the oats for a few seconds or until ground into a powder. Once ground, you now have oat flour to use in this gluten-free recipe!

Chocolate Chips – Any chocolate chips or even a chopped chocolate bar will work in these s’mores bars. I used the Enjoy Life Mini Chips since they are vegan and nut-free, though you can use any vegan chocolate you’d like. And if you’re not vegan, feel free to use whatever chocolate you have on-hand! (P.S. you should always have chocolate on-hand.)

Marshmallows – I prefer mini marshmallows for simply how cute and satisfying they look all lined up on top of these s’mores bars. However, the standard size marshmallows will work just fine. The key to perfectly toasty and golden brown marshmallows is sticking them under the broiler for about 1 minute. It’s super important you keep an eye on the bars during this final trip in the oven, as the broiler has a tendency to burn things in literal seconds. Therefore, watch your vegan marshmallow-y treats and pull them out once they’ve achieved your desired level of toasty-ness!

close-up overhead image of s'mores bars.

Adjust This Recipe To Your Diet

Don’t Have Oat Flour? If you don’t have oats and/or oat flour, you can replace it with an equal amount of either brown rice flour or all purpose flour in this recipe.

Add Dairy: Use regular melted butter in place of the vegan butter in this recipe.

s'mores bars on a baking sheet with graham crackers on the side.

Tips For Making S’mores Bars

  • Be sure to leave the bars to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes after you take them out of the oven! These s’mores bars are surprisingly delicate, so leaving them to cool will ensure they stick together when handled.
  • Use a greased knife to quickly and easily slice the bars. To do this, take a sharp knife and either spray it with spray cooking oil or drizzle it with some coconut oil. Once greased, cut into the bars and wipe down the knife between each slice!
  • I highly recommend storing this vegan and gluten-free dessert in the fridge or freezer during the summer months. Due to the butter and chocolate, they are at risk of melting if left to sit out in too high of a temperate. Therefore, to avoid that risk, it’s best to just keep these babies in the fridge to enjoy them at your leisure!
S'mores Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
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S’mores Bars (Vegan, Gluten-Free)

0 from 0 votes
Recipe by Samantha Course: DessertDifficulty: Easy
Servings

12

bars
Prep time

10

minutes
Cooking time

20

minutes
Total time

30

minutes

These s’mores bars are something else! A buttery graham cracker base followed by a lush layer of chocolate is topped off with toasty marshmallows. These s’mores bars will blow you away with how delicious and addictive they are – all while being vegan and gluten-free!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups oat flour, see Notes

  • 1/4 cup tapioca flour, or corn starch

  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted (I used vegan butter)

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1 cup chocolate chips

  • 2 cups marshmallows

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit.
  • Mix together the oat flour, tapioca flour, and baking soda in a bowl.
  • Add in the maple syrup, melted vegan butter, and vanilla extract, mix everything to combine.
  • Transfer to a lined 9×9 baking sheet, press into an even layer, then bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Remove from the oven and sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips, then place back into the oven for 1 minute or until chocolate has melted.
  • Remove from the oven once more, spread the chocolate into an even layer, then top with marshmallows. Place in the oven on broil for 1 minute (watch closely to make sure it doesn’t burn!) or until marshmallows are lightly toasted.
  • Let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes before slicing.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Oat Flour: You can easily make your own oat flour by blending rolled oats in a blender until a powder forms and no large oat chunks remain!

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More Delicious Vegan and Gluten-Free Desserts

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