Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread is a wonderful gluten-free quick bread recipe. Sweet, smoky and subtly spiced, it’s lovely for breakfast, an afternoon snack or dessert. 
I love quick breads for breakfast, and this gluten-free Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread in no exception.
It’s lovely with coffee or tea and makes a great start for the day.
About Hatch Chiles
- Hatch chiles are a prized chile and are only available in August and September.
- These Southwestern chiles are grown in the Mesilla Valley in New Mexico. The sunlight is intense and and the nights are cool. It’s this climate combination that creates wonderful earthy flavored, subtly sweet, delicious mild or hot Hatch chiles.
- Ranging from very mild, to very hot, Hatch Chiles are one of the few chiles where hot and mild can be determined, even though they all look the same.
Hatch chiles are amazing when roasted. They add a wonderful smoky flavor to recipes.
What’s in this Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread?
- roasted Hatch chiles
- zucchini
- eggs
- grapeseed oil
- vanilla
- sugar
- salt
- cinnamon
- baking soda
- Cup4Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (Regular all-purpose is okay too — see “Tips and Substitutions” below.)
What does Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread taste like?
The inside texture of this gluten-free quick bread is light and moist and the outside has a slightly crisp crust.
Every bite of this super delicious bread is sweet, subtly spicy and a bit smoky.
If you use the hot Hatch Chiles, a second or so after the initial taste, the heat kicks in and it’ll perk you right up — or gently wake you up.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
- As I mentioned above, Hatch chiles are one of the few chiles where hot and mild can be determined, even though they all look the same. They are typically sold labeled as to which they are — so this is your call. I usually use a mix of hot and mild for this recipe, about 25% to 75%, respectively.
- I make this using Gluten-Free Cup4Cup All -Purpose Flour, and you can certainly use regular flour if you’d like. The measurements will be the same. (The baking times may vary slightly depending on which one you use.)
- Feel free to add chocolate, coconut or nuts. I suggest mini chocolate chips, shredded sweetened coconut and finely chopped pecans or walnuts. Use about 1½ cups total of whatever you add, or any combination thereof.
Can you make this gluten-free zucchini bread ahead?
While there’s nothing quite like a bread right out of the oven, this quick bread will still be delicious if made ahead.
Room temperature. It will keep well for a couple of days in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
Refrigerator. It will keep well for about a week in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.
Freezer. It will keep well for about two months wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or in a heavy-duty zip-lock bag with all of the air removed in the freezer.
A big thank you again to Melissa’s Produce for my gorgeous Hatch Chiles! And if you can’t find Hatch Chiles at a market near you, you can order them here.
Don’t miss out on the taste of the season!
I hope you enjoy this gluten-free Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread as much as I do!
More sweet Hatch chile and zucchini recipes:
This is not a sponsored post.
*Update August 2020: This post was originally created in 2012 and has been updated with new images and information.
Hatch Chile Zucchini Bread is a wonderful gluten-free quick bread recipe. Sweet and subtly spiced, it's lovely for breakfast with coffee or in the afternoon for a snack.
Makes 2 (8-inch) loaves
- ¾ to 1 pound (about 7 to 8 peppers) Hatch Chile peppers, roasted and peeled (click here for How to Roast & Peel a Pepper)
- about ⅔ pound zucchini
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup grapeseed oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 cups Gluten-Free Cup4Cup all-purpose flour (or regular all-purpose)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
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Prepare the peppers and zucchini. Roast and peel the peppers. (Here's How to Roast and Peel Peppers). Set one aside for later. Then, cut the stem end off of each one and carefully, use a small paring knife or your fingers, to make a slit in each of the peppers to open them. Gently remove all of the seeds, and finely chop the chiles. You will need 1 cup of the finely chopped chiles. Set aside. Grate the zucchini. You will need 2 cups of the grated zucchini.
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Preheat the oven and prepare the pans. Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line 2 (approximately 8-inch) loaf pans with parchment paper -- on the bottom and sides. Set aside.
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Make the batter. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the eggs, oil, vanilla, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Use a whisk or a fork to mix it until it's very smooth. Fold in the grated zucchini and finely chopped, roasted peppers, and combine. Add the flour and baking soda, and mix just until everything is evenly blended. (Do not over mix!)
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Fill the pans and bake. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Slice the stem off of the one remaining roasted pepper and then cut it in half, evenly and lengthwise. Very carefully, keeping the pieces intact, remove the seeds with the back of a knife, place one piece, smooth side up, on top of the batter in each pan. (This is decorative and optional.) Bake in the preheated 350°F oven until the top is golden brown, and beginning to crack, about 1 hour.
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Cool. Let the bread cool in the pans for about 5 minutes. Use a dull knife to go around the edges of the bread to ensure it's loose, and then cool the bread for at least another 20 minutes in the pans on a cooling rack. Lift the bread out with the edges of the parchment paper, slice and serve.
Calorie count is only an estimate.
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SueB says
Made this – Delicious! And, I got a hot one in the bunch – hooray! It added a wonderful lingering sensation and gave my zucchini bread that extra tasty zip I didn’t know it needed! From here on out, don’t see myself making it any other way….Thank you, Valentina!
valentina says
Sue, that’s awesome! Thank you! xo
rosalia levy says
Thank you Valentina,
I was looking for a recipe like that.
That looks great!
valentina says
Thanks, Rosalia! 🙂
Sue B says
Valentina,
This is by far my FAVORITE zucchini bread recipe! I make small loaves and give (some of) them to friends – promoting hatch chiles and your blog at the same time! I use coconut oil and add walnuts and don’t test my chiles – I love the surprise of the heat!
Thanks for all the deliciousness you share!
xosueb
valentina says
Sue, you’re the best! So happy you like this recipe. Thank YOU for sharing in the deliciousness. 😉 xo
Susan Biesack says
Well, it’s that time of year again, Valentina! Love this recipe – making a few loaves today. I have taken to replacing the grapeseed oil with coconut oil. It adds a lovely mellow complexity to the bread. Such a great gift for friends and family – and I ALWAYS give you credit and point them to your blog!!! Happy end of summer….xx
valentina says
Hi Sue, What a fantastic note! Thank you so much. You are so kind to steer friends to my site, and I’m so happy you like this recipe. (Me too!) Happy summer to you too. XOXO ~V
angiesrecipes says
I will have to try this zucchini recipe with chile too. The loaves have such a tender moist texture…absolutely beautiful!
valentina says
Thank you, Angie! Hope you love it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha Carr says
Mainly because of lack of time and need, living alone, I have never learnt to make bread. At the moment I am tempted altho’ I do not think hatch chillies are available in Australia. If I did some homework I am certain Mr Google could find me a reasonable substitute to try and I love anything zucchini ! No – I would not add anything sweet but, yes, it might join me and a big mug of black coffee quite companionably for breakfast in bed . . . one of the few benefits of having my abode to myself . . . 🙂 !
valentina says
Ooooh, I love that, Eha. A big cup of coffee with a delicious breakfast in bed. Sounds dreamy to me. Hope you had a lovely weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
David Scott Allen says
What a fun combination of heat and sweet! I just got some Hatch chiles from the farmers market and roasting them is today’s business at hand. Thanks again for the intro to them!
valentina says
Awesome, David. My local Farmers Market just today re-opened for the first time since March. It was so great to have our local growers back (and my favorite Hummus, too. 😉 ) I grabbed a bunch of Hatch chiles also. Hope you had fun roasting them over the weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook says
Silly me ! I shared it on FB but did not comment : this is definitely perfect time of the year with all the fruits and vegetables available and this bread makes this season even better 1! Thank you and take care 🙂
valentina says
Thanks so much for sharing, my friend! Hope you love it and that all is well! 🙂 ~Valentina
Marissa says
I’m so intrigued by this flavor combination, Valentina. A bit of sweetness and a bit of spice (like the best people 😉 ). Such a perfect texture too!
valentina says
Thanks, Marissa, I love the connection of sweet and spice to people. So true! 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron says
Oh how I miss the smell of fresh Hatch chiles roasting. But, when we lived in the US and did get them I never thought of putting in a quick bread. Brilliant!! We do have a fresh Hungarian green pepper in our markets now that are very close to a Hatch and is more or less mild. I’ll be giving those a try and make a loaf for us and my gluten-free neighbor…
valentina says
Hi Ron! Thanks for checking this out. The Hungarian peppers sound like they’d work really well. Lucky neighbors to have you cooking for them! Hope all is well! 🙂 ~Valentina