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20 Comments

Healthier Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread

Kathleen

by Kathleen Pope Dec 30, 2023

Jump to Recipe

This healthier Snickerdoodle zucchini bread recipe is the perfectly balanced, moist zucchini bread! With browned butter, healthy vegetable oil, whole grain flour, reduced sugar a crunchy, sweet sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top that sinks creating a lovely ribbon of cinnamon goodness in the bread!

Looking for other ways to use bumper crop zucchini this summer and fall? These are some of our families favorite ways to use zucchini… Lemon Zucchini Bread or Italian Spaghetti Sauce, and even Chili!!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure & privacy policy.

What is it about zucchini or banana quick bread? Why are they so darned delicious? The moisture that zucchini or bananas impart is amazing, they don’t really change the flavor and heck, don’t you just FEEL healthier eating things with zucchini and bananas in it? In fact, this Rhubarb Bread is the same way!

I have adapted this recipe from Southern Plate, probably because I love Snickerdoodles, I mean, what’s not to love; a buttery sugar cookie, rolled in crunchy cinnamon sugar and baked to chewy perfection. But I did want to make it a smidge healthier!

Loaf of Healthy Zucchini Bread wrapped in a strip of parchment paper tied with string and decorated with a cinnamon stick.

I changed up my favorite Snickerdoodle recipe slightly — give it a try! Cookie Butter Snickerdoodles.

I always try to add a bit more whole grains where I am able, maybe reduce sugar, if I can!

ingredients for snickerdoodle zucchini bread, left to right. Avocado Oil, grater with grated zucchini, ivory wheat flour, glass mixing bowl with flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, cinnamon in a jar. front row browned butter in small glass bowl, jar of allspice, measuring cup with brown sugar, smaller measuring cup with cane sugar and glass bowl with eggs, cracked egg shells in front.

Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread Ingredients

  • unsalted butter (the real deal)
  • avocado or grapeseed oil (try coconut oil orother vegetable oil)
  • eggs
  • light or dark brown sugar, dark brown will lend a bit more of a molasses flavor
  • pure cane sugar
  • pure vanilla extract
  • all purpose unbleached flour
  • light whole wheat flour (like a light whole wheat, whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat)
  • oat flour
  • cinnamon
  • allspice
  • zucchini, grated
  • Glass mixing bowl with whisk and flour, oil, cinnamon, spices, baking soda ready to mix.
    Whisk dry ingredients in bowl
  • mixing bowl with oil, eggs, browned butter, sugars with whisk
    Whisk wet ingredients together
  • glass mixing bowl, with metal cup of natural cane sugar pouring into bowl filled with oil, browned butter and a whisk
    Pour in sugars and whisk
  • Glass mixing bowl with wet zucchini bread ingredients pouring from smaller glass mixing bowl with dry ingredients.
    Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients

Do You Peel Zucchini for Bread?

Not at all, in fact, I love when I can keep the skins on veggies and fruit, it brings added nutrients and fiber to the recipe.

My first thought with this was to use all butter for this recipe in place of the oil, from what I have read using oil allows a little longer “shelf life” in baked goods, but butter imparts that amazing, buttery flavor and crumb.

I decided to compromise with the health benefits of avocado oil and the amazing nutty depth of browned butter. And was I happy I did!

  • grated zucchini in mixing bowl with zucchini bread batter
    Pour in grated zucchini
  • Zucchini mixed into snickerdoodle zucchini bread batter in glass mixing bowl
    Mix into batter
  • Red spatula spreading snickerdoodle zucchini bread batter into parchment lined loaf pan
    Spread batter in prepared loaf pan
  • Pouring Cinnamon Sugar Mixture on top of zucchini bread in lined loaf pan
    sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of loaf

Then instead of all granulated sugar, I subbed brown sugar, I used light because I had run out of dark brown sugar, but either would be delicious in this healthy zucchini bread recipe.

Substitutions for Healthy Zucchini Bread

  • use all butter, browning or melting it (you could try creaming softened butter with the sugar as well, giving you a lighter, “muffin-like” texture
  • use all vegetable or coconut oil in place of butter
  • omit brown sugar and use all granulated sugar
  • reduce the sugar by ½-¾ cup and add ยฝ applesauce or 1 mashed banana for sweetness
  • change up flours; try all whole wheat, all oat, all unbleached, a combination of almond, oat and whole wheat…you might even get away with using a good Gluten Free All-Purpose flour and some oat flour.
  • Quick breads are pretty forgiving! You can see how easy it is to change flours in my Gluten Free (or gluten full) “Ugly” Coffee Cake recipe.
Loaf of sugar and cinnamon topped healthy snickerdoodle zucchini bread wrapped with some string and a sprig of fresh thyme.

High Altitude Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread

I bake at high altitude, Mile High actually, so I typically adjust my baked goods by increasing the temperature by 25 degrees and baking a little less time. But always, stick a toothpick or knife in to see if your quickbread is finished!

If baking at sea level, bake at 350 until a knife or toothpick inserted comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes.

Healthier Zucchini Bread sliced on a platter with cinnamon and sugar.

TWO LOAF HEALTHY ZUCCHINI BREAD RECIPE

This may seem like it has a lot of sugar, until you realize that you are getting two large loaves from the recipe. And see above under Substitutions for ideas to reduce the sugar.

I like quick bread recipes that yield two loaves so I can surprise a friend with a fresh baked loaf of quick bread, or freeze one for a chilly day when we need a little snack.

wrapped loaf of healthier snickerdoodle zucchini bread.

Make your healthy zucchini bread go further by slicing the loaf in half, wrap with a piece of parchment paper, tie with a string or ribbon and adorn with something from your garden or pantry.

Here I used cinnamon sticks, garland, fresh thyme and plain twine, be creative. A daisy, black-eyed Susan, rosemary, lavender, or colored ribbon would have been pretty too!

If you Like gifting food, check these out!

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3 Easy to Make DIY Gifts for Cooks

Photo Credit: nourishandnestle.com

If you have friends or family members who like to spend time in their kitchen, you are so very lucky! Cooks and foodies are the easiest people to shop for…bar none. There is always some kitchen gadget, pot or appliance that a foodie ‘needs’. Am I right? These 3 recipes are perfect gifts!

Bourbon Caramel Vanilla Sauce

If you like quick breads, check out even more delicious quick bread recipes! Or be sure to try my brand new Zucchini Corn Fritters recipe!

Like this recipe?

Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!

Recipe Card

Healthier Snickerdoodle Zucchini Bread

5 from 6 readers
Author: Kathleen Pope
Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour hour
Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 18 slices – 2 Loaves
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This healthier Snickerdoodle zucchini bread recipe is the perfectly balanced, moist zucchini bread! With browned butter, healthy vegetable oil, whole grain flour and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top that sinks to create a delicious ribbon of cinnamon sugar goodness!

Equipment

  • USA Pan Bakeware Aluminized Steel Loaf Pan
  • 7-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater II Accessories and Pro Whisk – Contour Silver
  • Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl With Lid 

Ingredients 
US Customary – Metric

  • ยฝ cup unsalted butter browned (the real deal, no substitutions other than you may use salted butter)
  • ยฝ cup avocado oil try coconut oil, grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup brown sugar light or dark; dark brown will lend a bit more of a molasses flavor
  • ยพ cup sugar I use pure cane
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ยฝ cups flour* I use all purpose, unbleached
  • 1 cup light whole wheat flour sometimes called white whole wheat, or may use regular whole wheat (I used Bob’s Red Mill Ivory Whole Wheat Flour)
  • ยฝ cup oat flour
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon heaping
  • ยฝ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ยพ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 cups zucchini grated (about 1 large zucchini)

Topping and Cinnamon Sugar Layer

  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar up to ½ cup
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° (375° for high altitude or reduce by 25 degrees for dark loaf pans). Grease and flour two standard sized loaf pans OR spray lightly with oil, and press in parchment paper (much easier cleanup)
  • Beat the following in a large mixing bowl; oil, browned butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla until combined. Careful you have cooled your butter slightly, so you don’t scramble your eggs.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flours, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Pour the flour mixture into the the liquid mixture, stirring or beating until combined. Batter will be very thick and sticky, add zucchini and beat or stir to combine.
  • In a small bowl, stir together cinnamon and sugar topping ingredients and set aside.
  • Scoop half the batter into prepared loaf pans and sprinkle with half the cinnamon sugar to great your "ribbon". Then spread the rest of the batter evenly between the two pans sprinkling with balance of cinnamon sugar.
  • Bake at for 45-55 minutes (longer for sea level or less for higher altitudes). Remove from oven when knife inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert or use parchment paper to lift out and cool completely.
  • Store in baggie or on counter for 2-3 days, fridge for up to 10 days or freezer up to 3 months.
Last step! Leave a RatingRate this recipe here. This helps other readers and helps support this website.

Notes

*if preferred you may make this with all purpose flour, the texture and flavor will be a bit lighter, but still good. I haven’t tried, but Gluten Free All-purpose flour typically can be substituted with good success.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 226mg | Potassium: 99mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 232IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 1mg
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Kathleen Pope

Meet Kathleen

Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer

Hi, Iโ€™m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen.

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  1. Lynn B Spencer

    Tue, Jun 2, 2020 at 4:49 am

    Kismet!!! I love snickerdoodles and my garden is getting ready to churn out some zucchini! Thanks my friend.

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Wed, Jun 3, 2020 at 11:48 am

      Kismet indeed!! Can’t believe you already have zucchini, I just planted mine a week ago! Happy gardening and baking!
      Hugs,
      Kathleen

      Reply
  2. Paige

    Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 1:54 pm

    Love the healthy ingredients in this recipe! So tasty too…everything about this is GOOD!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 7:00 pm

      Thank you so much Paige!!

      Reply
  3. Paige

    Sun, Apr 19, 2020 at 7:49 pm

    5 stars
    Its a great hostess gift and good year round

    Reply
  4. Deb Clark

    Thu, Oct 10, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    5 stars
    So moist, this bread is delicious, I love that this recipe offers a guilt-free treat!

    Reply
  5. Michaela Kenkel

    Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    I just love zucchini bread, and this snickerdoodle twist has me head over heels!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Wed, Oct 9, 2019 at 12:04 pm

      Thanks Michaela, me too!!

      Reply
  6. Norine Rogers

    Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 11:53 am

    What a fantastic recipe! Love the addition of zucchini! Then there’s the delicious topping! Over all great recipe and such a tasty treat!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 1:43 pm

      Thank you Norine! Quite a compliment coming from you!

      Reply
  7. Norine Rogers

    Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars

    Reply
  8. Nikki Lee

    Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 5:51 pm

    5 stars
    This is so delicious you would never know it’s a healthier version! My family enjoyed it this weekend for breakfast!

    Reply
  9. Tasia ~ TwoSugarBugs

    Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 8:10 pm

    Yes please!!! I know we share a love of healthier breakfast bakes and snickerdoodles!!! This looks so good!! Pinning and making this week!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      Amen Tasia, healthier, but not cardboard! Thanks my friend!

      Reply
  10. Julie Menghini

    Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 7:20 pm

    I love everything aout this delicious bread recipe! Snickerdoodle is one of our very favorite cookies and now we can have it in a whole loaf of bread!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      With zucchini, so you can say it’s healthy! LOL

      Reply
  11. Julie Menghini

    Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 1:17 am

    5 stars

    Reply
  12. Michelle

    Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    This is a great combination…love anything snickerdoodle!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Mon, Oct 7, 2019 at 1:44 pm

      Thanks Michelle, me too!

      Reply
  13. michele

    Sun, Oct 6, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    5 stars
    Not only did this smell amazing as I was baking it, but it tasted amazing. I was going to take it to a brunch today, but it was so good we ate both loaves that I made?!?!

    Reply

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Kathleen Pope

Meet Kathleen

Hey there! I'm Kathleen Pope, a proud wife, mom of two awesome college boys, and recipe nerd. Welcome to my world of easy recipes with a healthy twist! Join thousands who trust The Fresh Cooky as their go-to recipe source. Let's cook up some magic!

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