Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread – Eat Yourself Skinny

Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread that is moist, fluffy and made healthier with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar. Loaded with warm flavors and studded with chunks of chocolate in every bite!

Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread that is moist, fluffy and made healthier with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.  Loaded with warm flavors and studded with chunks of chocolate in every bite!

It’s almost pumpkin spice season and what better way to kick off my favorite time of year than with a moist and delicious pumpkin zucchini bread! This recipe is healthier than typical pumpkin breads as we are using 100% whole grains, hidden veggies, Greek yogurt, coconut oil in place of butter and sweetened with maple syrup instead of refined sugar. Insane pumpkin flavor all studded with melty chocolate chips for the perfect fall quick bread!

Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Bread

  • Pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla and warm spices make this the perfect fall treat!
  • Made with 100% whole grains, shredded zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.
  • Easily customizable with fun mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, dried fruit or fresh berries.
  • Can easily make mini loaves, standard muffins or even bite-sized, poppable mini muffins for tiny hands.
  • Freezer-friendly so I recommend doubling or tripling this batch!

Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread that is moist, fluffy and made healthier with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.  Loaded with warm flavors and studded with chunks of chocolate in every bite!

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • Whole wheat pastry flour – I love baking with whole wheat pastry flour as it has all the nutritional benefits of whole grain flour while giving this bread a light and fluffy texture. I highly recommend using this, but if you don’t have any on hand you could use white whole wheat flour or regular all-purpose flour
  • Baking soda – acts as a leavening agent to help the bread rise
  • Zucchini – you’ll need one medium zucchini and this not only adds nutritional benefits, but it also makes this quick bread nice and moist, just make sure to really squeeze out the water from the zucchini after grating
  • Pumpkin puree – I used canned pumpkin purée for this, just make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling as that is loaded with tons of sugar
  • Eggs – adds protein and gives this bread its structure and height
  • Maple syrup – sweetens this bread without using any refined sugar, but you could also use honey or regular sugar
  • Coconut oil – for additional moisture and fluffiness! Feel free to sub with another type of oil if you prefer or even butter
  • Greek yogurt – this helps to reduce the amount of oil we need to use and helps keep the bread moist. You could also use applesauce or mashed banana as well
  • Milk – I used almond milk, but any type of milk will work in this recipe
  • Warm flavors – a delicious combination of pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract
  • Chocolate chips – I used Lily’s chocolate chips which are gluten-free, vegan and sweetened with stevia making the sugar content really low while still having that delicious chocolate flavor! You could also of course use regular or even dark chocolate chips, but the sugar content will be much higher.

How to Make Pumpkin Zucchini Bread

This particular recipe makes one standard loaf of bread, but you could also make 3 mini loaves (your neighbors will thank you!) or even muffins! See below for the different baking times depending on how you choose to make this.

  1. zucchini grate. Using a box grater, shred the zucchini and remove all the moisture using a cheesecloth or paper towel, squeezing all the liquid out into the sink.
  2. Mix ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, then set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together the eggs, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, Greek yogurt, milk, melted coconut oil, vanilla and shredded zucchini, mixing until all combined.
  3. Make the batter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until just combined, being very careful not to over-mix the batter, then fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into a 9×5-inch loaf pan sprayed with nonstick spray and sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.
  4. BAKE! Bake the pumpkin zucchini bread in the oven at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Leave the bread in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a wire rack to cool. Slice and enjoy!

Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread that is moist, fluffy and made healthier with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.  Loaded with warm flavors and studded with chunks of chocolate in every bite!

Tips, Tricks and Substitutions

  • Make sure you DON’T over mix the batter. This results in super dense bread which we don’t want. We’re going for fluffy and soft!
  • It’s important to squeeze as much water out of the shredded zucchini as you can. No need to peel the zucchini.
  • Feel free to sub the whole wheat pastry flour with 1:1 gluten-free baking flour or even all-purpose flour. I don’t recommend using almond flour or coconut flour in this recipe.
  • You can easily swap out the Greek yogurt for mashed banana, applesauce or extra pumpkin puree.
  • Mix in other fun additions if you don’t want to use chocolate chips like chopped nuts such as walnuts or pecans, coconut flakes, dried fruit or fresh berries.

Other Baking Methods

  • If making three mini loaves, bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. When making for friends and family, I like to double this recipe and make 6 mini loaves!
  • This recipe also makes delicious pumpkin zucchini muffins. Simply distribute the batter into 12 muffins cups sprayed with nonstick spray (or muffin liners) and bake at 350 degrees F for 18 to 22 minutes.
  • Alternatively you can make 24 mini muffins for bite-sized, poppable treats! Just bake these at 350 degrees F for about 15 to 17 minutes.

Healthy Pumpkin Zucchini Bread that is moist, fluffy and made healthier with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, shredded zucchini and zero butter or refined sugar.  Loaded with warm flavors and studded with chunks of chocolate in every bite!

Prepping and Storage

To Store: This pumpkin zucchini bread can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temp for up to 3 days, but make sure to refrigerate after that to keep this longer. This bread will last up to a week in the fridge.

To Freeze: This bread freezes really well too! You can either wrap the entire loaf in plastic wrap, aluminum foil or a freezer-safe bag or freeze individual slices. When ready to serve, allow to thaw out overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before slicing. This bread will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love

More Healthy Zucchini Recipes You’ll Love

  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 50 mins
  • Total Time: 60 mins

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup grated zucchini, water squeezed out (about 1 medium zucchini)
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1/3 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (I used Lily’s chocolate chips)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, grated zucchini, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, pumpkin puree, milk, coconut oil, and vanilla and until all combined. Add wet ingredients into flour mixture and mix with a spatula until just combined, being careful not to over-mix! Fold in chocolate chips and pour mixture into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle additional chocolate chips on top, if desired.
  4. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the oven, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave the bread in the pan for 10 minutes before carefully inverting it onto a wire rack to cool. Slice and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

  • Serving Size: 1 slice
  • Calories: 217
  • Sugars: 12.1 g
  • Sodium: 208.5 mg
  • Fats: 8.2 g
  • Saturated Fats: 5.4 g
  • Carbohydrates: 34.6 g
  • Fibers: 6.3 g
  • Proteins: 5.5 g

* Please note that all nutrition information are just estimates. Values ​​will vary among brands, so we encourage you to calculate these on your own for most accurate results.