Zucchini Quinoa Bread
This zucchini quinoa bread is a healthier take on the classic recipe. The nutty quinoa flour combined with the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla make this one of the best quick bread recipes I’ve made to date!
We venture down to the weekend farmer’s market whenever the morning allows. I’d much rather amble amongst plastic tents harboring baked goods and fresh picked veggies than stay home and vacuum.
Walking from farmer to farmer, shaking hands, nodding over their beloved wares reminds me that I’m a small part of a greater whole. That my interest in what they are doing makes their passion worthwhile. Vacuuming doesn’t do this. So, to the Farmer’s Market it is.
This week, zucchini’s were rife. So were cantaloupes and husked ears of corn. But no one wants to want to eat Cantaloupe Bread or Husked Ear of Corn Bread, so we tossed together a simple loaf of healthy zucchini bread with a few sneaky additions.
For one thing, quinoa was ground to a flour and stirred into the bowl. Its rich, nutty flavor combined beautifully with the cinnamon-zucchini undertones of the bread. Better yet, the cinnamon-zucchini undertones were strong enough to distract my children from wondering what was different about these zucchini loaves from others.
The main difference in this easy zucchini bread recipe, of course, is that quinoa comes with several benefits over regular flour. None of which my kids would much care about. But you, being the thoughtful chiquita you are, will likely want to know all the juicy details.
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Health Benefits of Quinoa
Quinoa is a grain-like crop with edible seeds. You’ve likely boiled it like pasta and served it up as a warm breakfast cereal or couscous-like side dish. It can be ground to make a beautiful, flavorful, high-protein flour. All you need to do is toss a cup or so of uncooked quinoa seeds into your industrial-strength blender (such as Blendtec or VitaMix), or a grain mill.
Read more: Check out Grinding Your Own Flours and Using Whole Grains for tips on grinding flours into whole grains.
Quinoa is an Uber Protein
One cup of the grain has 9 grams of protein, and contains all 8 of the essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein. A single cup actually has more protein than an egg!
Quinoa is Good for Your Waistline
Quinoa is rich in fiber and has a low glycemic index, which means you won’t be stuck with a post-meal blood-sugar spike after indulging in this delicious zucchini bread recipe. It’s rich texture will leave you feeling fuller longer.
Quinoa is a Detoxifying Grain
Because quinoa is a complex carb, it actually eases the progress of food through your digestive tract. So, you may find adding it to your diet will keep you free from constipation and bloating. It’s high in Vitamin B and folate, as well, which can aid your liver in eliminating wastes from your body.
Quinoa is a Bone Builder
Quinoa is a source of plant-derived calcium, a single cup contains about 30 milligrams. Better yet, you’ll also be getting potassium, magnesium and zinc, minerals that help your heart, nerve and muscle functions stay strong.
Quinoa Guards Against Mommy Brain
A cup of cooked quinoa offers 15 percent of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance of iron, which helps to deliver oxygen to the blood, boosting energy and brain power. Quinoa’s vitamin B content can help keep the mind sharp, maintain brain volume and stabilize mood. (SOURCE)
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What’s in This Zucchini Quinoa Bread?
For this healthy zucchini bread recipe, you’ll need:
- Coconut oil
- Eggs
- Sugar
- Zucchini
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Cinnamon
- Quinoa flour
- Whole wheat flour
How to Make Zucchini Quinoa Bread
This is such a simple quinoa flour recipe! You just have to beat together the coconut oil, eggs, and sugar, and then mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Spoon the zucchini quinoa bread batter into two greased bread tins and bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. I like to serve this moist zucchini bread with a little butter and jam, but whipped cream cheese also tastes delicious atop this bread!
Tips for Making Zucchini Quinoa Bread
It’s important that your coconut oil is completely melted before mixing it with the eggs and sugar. If your oil is solid, it won’t whip up properly and the texture of your bread will be off.
Also note that if you melt the coconut oil in the microwave, you need to give it a minute or two to cool down before adding it to the batter. If you add the hot oil straight to the eggs and sugar, you run the risk of scrambling your eggs!
Lastly, you can find quinoa flour at most health food stores these days, so if you don’t feel like making it yourself feel free to use the store-bought stuff.
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More Quick Bread Recipes:
This Coconut Lime Banana Bread is packed with bright flavors. It’s a great quick bread recipe to have on hand during the spring and summer!
If you’re craving something a little cozier, make a loaf of Cinnamon Applesauce Bread. It’s topped with a walnut streusel topping that’s impossible to resist.
This Multi-Grain Banana Bread is made with a blend of barley flour, oat flour, whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour. It’s a hearty and perfectly filling breakfast treat!
I love making this Lemon Blueberry Bread during the summer. It’s topped with a lemon drizzle and is super moist.
Another fun take on banana bread is this Coconut Lemon Banana Loaf. I’ve been making this recipe for forever, and it never disappoints!
What’s your favorite type quick bread to make?
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Zucchini Quinoa Bread
This zucchini quinoa bread is a healthier take on the classic recipe. The nutty quinoa flour combined with the flavors of cinnamon and vanilla make this one of the best quick bread recipes I've made to date!
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups organic sugar
- 2 cups zucchini, grated
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 cup quinoa flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two large bread tins. Set aside.
- In an electric mixer bowl, beat together the coconut oil, eggs, and sugar. Toss in the remaining ingredients and beat just until mixed together. Spoon half of the mixture into your prepared bread tins.
- Sprinkle a bit of sugar on top of each loaf (optional), then toss in the oven and allow to bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the center of each loaf springs back when touched lightly with the tip of your finger.
- Cool before serving slathered in butter & strawberry jam or whipped cream cheese.
Notes
This zucchini quinoa bread freezes incredibly well. Just wrap with plastic wrap and foil, or seal in a freezer bag. When ready to enjoy, set out on your counter to thaw.
Nutrition Information
Yield 16 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 225 Total Fat 11g Saturated Fat 8g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 35mg Sodium 197mg Carbohydrates 30g Fiber 2g Sugar 19g Protein 3g
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About the Author
Brooke McLay writes from high in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives with her ridiculously handsome husband, and their four practically perfect children.
Her blog CheekyKitchen, has garnered praise for its colorful photographs and wholesome cooking. Her articles and recipes have been featured in national magazines, newspapers, and on several well known websites, including Babble and She Knows.
What a great recipe! I washed and toasted a few cups of quinoa for the first time today and was so excited to make this with it and some einkorn flour I splurged on. I ground the toasted quinoa in my cuisinart and then mixed accordingly to your recipe … But I was left with barely enough batter for one bread pan … ?!! How could this be? I triple checked to make sure I had everything in the right amounts. It baked beautifully and was a hit with my family, but with the fat and sugar content, I was really hoping this would stretch to two loaves. Any suggestions? Anyone else had this problem? Thank you!!
Can I use home ground whole wheat flour as a substitute for the white wheat flour?
Yes, that works. White wheat is just referring to the particular variety of wheat grain. That is what I grind at home.
Made this today, first time Ive tried making my own flour (just used an old basic blender and it worked fine). It was fantastic, although I think next time I wont use so much sugar, was a bit sweet for my tastes, but I used regular sugar as we were out of raw sugar which would have made it sweeter than the raw sugar. Yummy though and the quinoa gave it a really gorgeous nutty background
Hi! Do you think I could replace all the sugar with brown coconut sugar? Just wanted to use coconut sugar since it is a healthier sugar (low in the glycemic index). Also will regular whole wheat flour work? Or should I use 1 cup quinoa flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup white all purpose flour? Thanks!
I have never used brown coconut sugar, so I can’t say – actually never heard of it till you mentioned it. White whole wheat flour refers to the type of grain used (white hard wheat berries) for the whole wheat. It is milder than red whole wheat. I’m not sure what you mean by “regular whole wheat flour.”
The texture of the bread was fantastic, nice and moist and soft and fluffy. However, the bitterness/grassy taste and smell of the quinoa was too much for me. Normally I eat quinoa in savory dishes, so it didn’t seem to go well with a sweet bread. I have since heard that toasting the flour first will help with that. Has anyone else tried that and does it help?
This looks fantastic – I have never thought of baked with Quinoa flour. I think I need to broaden my flour horizons…
Could i do it with just Quinoa flour? My mom just got diagnosed Celiac.
I also got here from simplebites.net. I’m wondering the same thing as sandy (comment 18). Do you soak and then dry or toast the grain, or just grind it as is. Is it not bitter when ground as flour?
Ohh I love the sound of this recipe. I found you from a link from http://www.simplebites.net/. This is going to be my afternoon Procrastibake for the kids today. Thanks for the yummy idea.x
I love quinoa and am always looking for new ways to prepare it. One thing I was wondering, though. I rinse my quinoa before I use it to get rid of the bitter saponins; I’m guessing that you didn’t rinse for this recipe?
This bread looks lovely! I recently made a courgette (zucchini) loaf as part of a challenge for my baking community…it was a more savoury version but absolutely delicious. I definitely want to try baking with quinoa – it sounds so good for you!
I recently bought a bag of quinoa flour, but didn’t know what to do with it. This bread looks incredibly yummy. I think I have all ingredients at home. Will make it first thing tomorrow. Can’t wait. Thanks for sharing.
Hi All! This is a great recipe! So glad it sounds as good to you as it did to us!
Quinoa flour can be ground at home, or purchased in the bulk section at Whole Foods. I was just there today and they had a whole bin of the stuff, so you should be able to find it at your local WF.
As for the coconut oil, yes, I melted mine completely before putting it into the batter. It tends to beat just a little bit better that way, but in the summertime, my coconut oil tends to be quite soft anyway, so it would work at that consistency, as well. Of course, you don’t want it ice cold and chunky, that would affect the batter. So, somewhere between soft and totally melted is ideal!
Happy baking!
Looks delish!
Made this earlier today. It was delicious. I did add some lemon zest to the batter and I mixed a little coconut oil, oatmeal and brown sugar to sprinkle over the top before baking. It turned out great.
Rebecca – I did melt the coconut oil in the microwave. I think it would be hard to mix with the eggs and suger if it weren’t melted.
Please see comment #15 by Brooke (the guest author of this recipe) for the answer to your question.
I just made this and it tastes wonderful… however, it was a very dense batter and almost seems like I’m missing a liquid ingredient. Was the coconut oil supposed to be melted completely?
Hi Liz, Please see comment #15 by Brooke (the guest author of this recipe) for the answer to your question.
Is the 2/3 cup coconut oil melted or at room temperature?
Hi Rebecca, Please see comment #15 by Brooke (the guest author of this recipe) for the answer to your question.
Great recipe! I’ve been wanting to try to do some baking with quinoa… And, now I have a good recipe to start with!
I’m already a big fan of quinoa so it’s great to hear how many benefits it has for our health.
Oh, looks great. Think I’m gonna try this one.
Every part of this post sent me into utter bliss. LOVE.
Lovely recipe! Can’t seem to find quinoa flour, but I’m sure I can make my own!
Love quinoa flour, and I have so much zucchini to use right now!
Totally fantastic! I love quinoa and love working with quinoa flour. Great use of all this zucchini, too!
Thanks for laying it out like that. I do need to step out of my all-purpose flour comfort zone. I just feel like other flours are expensive… but maybe I need to consider the economic benefits of actually getting some good nutrition! I am going to check out and compare prices on my next trip to the grocery. Is there a good brand you recommend?
That looks so good – now all I need is a good blender!!
Wow..that looks incredible Brooke!