This Avocado Bread recipe is made with zucchini and olive oil. Full of 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. 😉
I didn't know if I was really sold on the idea of avocados in baked goods until I added it to my favorite Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Delicious!
I've always been curious about avocado bread recipes, so I was inspired to make this one with zucchini. It's been a big hit in our house for years now.
The Key Ingredients
These are only the ingredients I want to add a bit of helpful information about -- there are a few other ingredients also, which you'll see in the recipe card below.
- spices: cinnamon and allspice - These warming spices add delicious flavor that comes through in every bite. You can substitute the allspice with cloves or star anise.
- olive oil - Baking with oil creates a very moist and tender bread. You can use regular or extra virgin, without too strong a flavor.
- avocado - For this recipe we want the avocado to be soft but not too soft -- not mushy. There should be just a little give when you press gently on the skin. 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.
- zucchini - Zucchini is naturally moist and in baked goods, like avocado, it behaves somewhat like oil, adding moisture. Choose firm zucchini with blemish-free, vibrant green skin.
How to Make Avocado Bread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, grease a 9-inch loaf pan with olive oil OR line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. (For the parchment paper, imagine you’re wrapping a gift. Place pan upside down, lay a parchment paper on top and fold the it to fit tightly over the corners. Then turn the pan over and insert the folded parchment inside.)
- Prepare the zucchini. Grate the zucchini and drain it really well. Use your hands to actually "wring it out."
Recipe Tip: The water content in zucchini is quite high, so getting as much of the moisture out as possible is important. You want it almost dry.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.
- Mash the avocado with a fork until it's as smooth as possible. (It will likely still have tiny lumps in it, which is okay.)
- Combine olive oil, sugar, mashed avocado, and vanilla. Add the eggs and mix until they are completely blended in. Fold in the prepared zucchini. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir only long enough to combine.
- Pour the batter in the prepared pan, and 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. If you used parchment, you can use it to lift it out of the pan.
Variations
- Gluten-free version. For a gluten-free avocado bread, use Multi-Purpose Cup4Cup Gluten-Free flour instead of the regular all-purpose flour.
- Can you add chocolate or nuts? 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 and chopped walnuts, pecans or pine nuts (which you don't need to chop).
Serving Suggestions
While it's delicious at room temperature, I love to toast slices and butter them lightly. It's perfect for a quick breakfast, or on buffet table for brunch. I often serve it alongside a delicious Potato Frittata or Chile and Egg Casserole and Peach Caprese or Strawberry Basil Kebabs.
And any of the following sweet and savory spreads would be excellent with it:
Making it Ahead and Storing it
You can make this avocado bread ahead of time.
- 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.
- 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.)
I hope you love every last crumb of this as much as my family and I do!
Zucchini and Avocado Bread Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (use half the amount if you use table salt)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup ripe avocado, mashed
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups grated zucchini, drained
Instructions
- Set the oven and prep the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use a pastry brush to grease a 9-inch loaf pan with olive oil OR line the bottom with parchment paper. For the parchment, imagine you’re wrapping a gift. Place pan upside down, lay a parchment paper on top and fold the it to fit tightly over the corners. Then turn the pan over and insert the folded parchment inside. Set aside.
- Make the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Set aside.In another bowl, combine the 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. Then fold in the grated, drained zucchini and combine. (To drain the zucchini, squeeze it gently in your hands over the sink.)Now add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir only long enough to combine.
- Bake. Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the top is golden brown, and beginning to crack, about 1 hour.
- Cool. Let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. If you oiled the pan, 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. If you used parchment, you can likely lift it out of the pan with it to place it on a cooling rack.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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amee
thank you - I have 2 avocados sitting on the counter and i'm thinking what am i going to make with these. i am going to make this TODAY and post a comment when i'm done. thanks!!!
amee
Just made this last night. this was so yummy. Enjoying it this morning!
Ha3rvey
I made this last night, and it's delicious! It's not too sweet, and the flavor's subtle and rich. I love fact that it's all "good" fats, too. I'll be making this again!
valentina
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Lentil Breakdown
Hi Valentina! I enjoyed this bread very much today, and now I am sold on the idea of avocados in baked goods and milkshakes!
Aubrey Tejada
Can I bake in muffin tins instead of loaf pans?
valentina
Hi Aubrey, Yes you can (lined with muffin papers)! Enjoy! 🙂
Archana
Hi, I was wondering if I could mix oil, sugar, avocados and eggs in a blender and then add grate zucchini and other ingredients.
valentina
Hi there, Thanks so much for writing . . . I wouldn't use a blender because it's so powerful and I think will turn the oil into the wrong consistency. If you don't want to do it by hand (which I totally get!), I'd use an electric mixer on a low speed. Enjoy! 😀
Archana
Didn't think about oil getting messed up in a blender...I'm glad I check with you.. Thanks. I'm making it right now... Really excited.
angiesrecipes
The bread looks so moist and I do love to use avocado in baking. This is definitely a must for me.
valentina
Thanks, Angie. You're the queen baker from what I can tell, so that's a big compliment from you. 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef
What a great idea! I love avocado and always have them on-hand. I love the idea of doing unusual things with them - like making chocolate pudding or brownies … and now a quick bread! But I usually wind up just eating them with a spoonful of bacon jam or even just a sprinkling of salt. I'm going to have to make sure to set a few aside for this bread, though, because it looks like a marvelous breakfast.
valentina
Thanks, Jeff. So excited about your comment because I've never thought to have a jam with avocado, and it sounds delicious. Not sure why I haven't thought about it because I love them with fresh fruit. Hope you like the bread! Stay well. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn - Girl Heart Food
I know I would love this, Valentina! It looks super flavourful and sounds healthy too! A big, thick slice of this would go over so well right now with my cuppa coffee 🙂 Have a great week ahead!
valentina
Yes! With your coffee for sure. Thanks for visiting, Dawn. Stay well! 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa
I love zucchini bread, but have never thought to add avocado. I bet it gives the bread such a luxurious texture!! So excited to try this!
valentina
It does. Thank you, Marissa. Enjoy and stay well! 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
So true ! We all need healthy and hearty food these days; good loaf of bread is really what we all need ! I hope everything is all right with you and your family dear ! Stay safe 🙂
valentina
Thank you, my friend. We're all hanging in there. I hope you and your family are as well. One thing is for sure, I can't keep out of the kitchen. And it's mostly for snacking! 😉 ~Valentina
sippitysup
I'd slice it thick, toast it up and slather it with butter. GREG
valentina
Exactly, Greg. That's what I do. Perfect. Hope you are well! xo Valentina
David Scott Allen
I love this - and that toasted slice with the butter? I could really use some now — it would go great with my cocoa! Happy weekend, and happy cooking on the weekend! ❤️
valentina
Cozy with with a cup of cocoa, David. Thank you. 🙂 ~Valentina
Dolores
Can the loaf pan be lined with parchment inboth directions with an overlap so it’s easier to remove from the pan?
valentina
Absolutely! I hope you love it, and thanks for checking out this recipe. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
Altho' I am not a baker for lack of time and often health issues . . . this one truly attracts and will be tried ! It is quite odd that almost all our beautiful avocados of so many different kinds are Australian-grown but our season begins in late autumn and goes thru' the winter . . . perchance generally warmer temperatures . . . we squirm when we get down to mid teens Centigrade in winter 😉 !!!
valentina
Hi Eha! If only we could combine our avocado seasons and have them be perfect all year. Thank you for visiting, enjoy and stay warm! 🙂 ~Valentina
Vicky Bond
I can't have all purpose flour, l have diverticulitis, can l substitute the flour with almond flour in these recipes? Thanks
Vicky
valentina
Hi Vicky. Thanks for writing in. You have a couple choices here . . . First, you can use a gluten-free all-purpose flour, like Cup4Cup. (It contains cornstarch, white & brown rice flour, milk powder, tapioca flour, potato starch & xanthan Gum.) This would be an even substitution and should work well. If you can't have that flour either, unfortunately a straight switch will not work with almond flour because it won't bind the ingredients. However, you can try it if you separate the eggs, and whip the whites to stiff peaks and fold them in just before adding the batter to the pan. This will add a lot of air which will help the bread rise. (I haven't tested the recipe this way, but I think it could work.) I have a couple of quick bread recipes which use this method that you might like, and looking at them will help you see how to do it. One is Almond Butter Bread, and the other is Macadamia Honey Bread. I hope this is helpful. I'd love to hear how it goes if you try it. Warmly, Valentina
Marre Wosten
I doubled the avocados & substituted half of the sugar for monk fruit powder. Your Recipe came out fantastic !!!!!!
Valentina
Fantastic! And thanks for the info in case others might want to try that. So happy you liked it. 🙂 ~Valentina