Greek yogurt zucchini bread is a lighter alternative to classic zucchini bread, thanks to a handful of wholesome ingredients that pack a flavorful punch. Made with agave (or honey), coconut oil, Greek yogurt, and fresh zucchini, this will be your new favorite summertime snack. To make this bread into muffins, see my note below the recipe.
Today’s Greek yogurt zucchini bread is a variation of my classic zucchini bread and zucchini muffins recipes. We’ll make a couple ingredient swaps and substitutions, but it’s just as moist (if not more so!) and flavorful as the original. This anytime bread is welcome on the breakfast table or as a totally delicious snack. Topped with peanut butter or Nutella and it certainly counts as dessert. That’s why I love zucchini bread so much in the first place—it’s acceptable all day long.
Let’s get started!
This Is Lightened-Up Zucchini Bread
Made with wholesome ingredients, Greek yogurt zucchini bread is a lightened-up quick bread recipe with the same delicious flavor you expect from traditional zucchini bread.
To sweeten the bread, we use agave instead of granulated sugar, though honey or maple syrup also work. Instead of butter, we’ll use melted coconut oil. For added fat, we’ll incorporate protein-packed Greek yogurt—which also makes the crumb super moist. Moisture is usually sacrificed when fat (the oil) is reduced, but not when using Greek yogurt. Plain and simple, this lighter zucchini bread is wonderful to have around when you want something a little sweet that’s not dripping with oil or overloaded with sugar. And there’s vegetables sneakily hiding inside!
Overview: How to Make Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
Like all quick bread recipes, today’s zucchini bread comes together easily. You only need a couple mixing bowls—no mixer required.
- Whisk the wet ingredients together. This includes the oil, agave (or honey), egg, yogurt, and vanilla extract.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in the zucchini, orange zest, and walnuts.
- Pour into prepared loaf pan.
- Bake. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes.
To Sum Up Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
This bread is:
- Super soft and moist
- Simple and straightforward
- Flavored with orange, cinnamon, and vanilla
- Packed with wholesome ingredients
- A healthy breakfast, snack, or dessert
- Ready in an hour
- Freezer-friendly, just like peanut butter chocolate chip zucchini bread
If you have more zucchini to use up, add this zucchini cake to your must-bake list and these zucchini fritters and zucchini biscuits to your dinner list! For more inspiration, browse my 20+ favorite zucchini recipes—both sweet and savory!
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Greek Yogurt Zucchini Bread
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (includes cooling)
- Yield: 1 loaf
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Easy, healthy, and wholesome Greek yogurt zucchini bread will be your new favorite recipe for this classic quick bread!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (80ml) canola, vegetable, or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup (120ml) honey or organic blue agave
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (121g) plain Greek yogurt, at room temperature*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 and 1/2 cups (188g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (130g) shredded zucchini (see note)*
- optional: 2 teaspoons orange zest (so good!)
- optional: 3/4 cup (95g) chopped walnuts, (115g) raisins, or (135g) chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
- Whisk the oil, agave, egg, yogurt, and vanilla together in a medium bowl until combined. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a large wooden spoon or rubber spatula until combined. Avoid overmixing. Fold in the zucchini, orange zest, and walnuts.
- Spread batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the bread is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Remove the bread from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Bread freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9×5-inch Loaf Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spatula | Cooling Rack
- Muffins: Prepare batter as instructed. Grease a 12-count muffin pan or use liners. Fill with batter all the way to the top. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C) and continue to bake for an additional 13-14 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving. Makes about 10-12 muffins.
- Yogurt: I use plain nonfat Greek yogurt. You can use low fat or full fat instead. Vanilla or honey flavors would work wonderfully here!
- Zucchini: If your zucchini is extra wet, give it a few blots before adding to the batter.
- Adapted from zucchini bread.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Gluten free flours work great! Like previously stated don’t just use almond flour due to the different baking properties. Bob’s Red Mill, KingArther, Krusteaz all others “gluten free all purpose flour & gf baking flour” (or make your own, easy to do with many online recipes). These GF flours measure 1:1 for baking & act just like regular flours. The added xanthan gum & the mixture several flours is the key to baking with GF flours.
*** also have baked many recipes on this site using white whole wheat for family. This is a healthy version & not as heavy as whole wheat flour.
Hello, I liked it a lot and I was very struck by your comment!❤️ I would like to know how much gluten free flour should I use in this recipe and how much should I use zanthan gum in this recipe? Thank you!!❤️
This bread is so delicious! I love carby, nutty breakfast things but they’re usually so sweet. This is just sweet enough with the nutty, carby appeal 🙂 Can’t wait to try the recipe for muffins!
Have you used frozen shredded zucchini? I have loads of it in my freezer.
Hi Cheryl, you could but you really have to let it thaw and drain VERY well before using since it will be quite wet and heavy.
Had 4 cups of shredded zucchini and made 2 loaves plus muffins, using agave and orange zest. So good and freezer fully stocked. Thx for the easy and delicious recipe.
Is there any way I can use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt? I have some on hand and don’t want to go buy Greek yogurt just for this recipe! Thanks 🙂
Hi Arnima, regular yogurt should work in a pinch. Same amount.
Could I use sour cream if I don’t have greek yogurt? I know it takes away from the healthier aspect of it, but would it serve the same function in the bread?
Hi Courtney, sour cream should work in a pinch.
Hi! Would it be possible to add cocoa powder to this recipe to make it a chocolate zucchini bread? Love the Greek yogurt and agave so want to stick to this recipe but would love it to be a chocolate bread for the back to school treat this week! Thanks so much!
Hi Kari, it would take some recipe testing to add cocoa powder to this recipe – it can be a tricky ingredient. Let us know if you try anything! You may love our chocolate zucchini bread recipe as well.
I use many of your recipes. I would like to know if almond flour could be substituted for the all purpose flour in t he Zucchini bread recipe?
Hi Linda, Almond flour has very different baking properties than whole wheat flour, we don’t recommend making that switch.
Could you make this in a bundt pan?
Hi Sarah, If we have tested a different size pan it will be listed in the recipe notes. For any shapes/sizes that are not listed, you can use our handy Cake Pan Sizes & Conversions post to help calculate how much batter you would need for different size pans.
This came out quite nice, despite a few substitutions. I made two loaves – one for now, one for the freezer. I don’t keep agave on hand because we have beehives, so I used a slightly decreased amount of honey instead of the agave. Instead of adding the 3/4 c. nuts per loaf, I added 1/2 c. (per loaf) of frozen fresh cranberries (not craisins). The combination of orange zest, cinnamon and cranberry makes for a lovely loaf, and the flecks of green make it look a little like Christmas. We are enjoying the brightness the cranberries bring to the loaf -it’s really nice. Thank you for this recipe!
Just wondering if anyone has substituted almond flour for AP and whole wheat? Any suggestions about adjusting wet ingredients if so. Thx.
Can you use nonfat Greek yogurt?
Hi Nicole, absolutely. You can use nonfat, low fat, or full fat Greek yogurt here.
I made these into muffins. I used 4 napkins to blot out the zucchini because it looked very wet. After baking my muffins they were still wet inside because the zucchini had excess water in it. I put them back in the oven for 30-35 min to evaporate the excess water but the muffins were still wet inside. I couldn’t leave them in the oven any longer because they were starting to burn on the bottom. I read on another blogger’s website that you should remove as much excess water from the zucchini other wise your baked good will most likely become gummy, dense or under baked. I’m pretty sure my muffins would have turned out right if I had squeezed out as much water as I could from the zucchini.
Doubled the recipe, one/chocolate chips and one/ craisin . Did not care for either one. Not a fan of agave,
Anyone substitute a oatmeal flour or gluten free flour?
Hi Angela, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but let us know if you try it!
Hey Sally !
I made this bread a few times now and it’s amazing ! The last two times I’ve made it it goes flat though after it comes out of the oven. I made sure this time that I bought new flour baking soda and baking powder… Any thoughts?
Hi Angela! Usually when quick breads deflate, they’ve been under-baked – an easy fix for next time! Are you using the toothpick test? That’s the best way to test for doneness!
I used a fork. It came out clean . It tastes fine
Am excited to try your recipe. Can I substitute almond flour for whole wheat flour. If so, are the proportions the same?
Hi Jane! Almond flour has very different baking properties than whole wheat flour, we don’t recommend making that switch.
If I substitute sugar for the agave would it be the same amount
(1/2 cup)?
Hi Sally, I recently purchased some blood orange olive oil. Do you think I could switch the coconut oil out for it successfully?
Hi Joanne! Olive oil has a very distinct flavor. We recommend vegetable or canola oil in place of coconut but you can certainly give it a try!
Can i use whole wheat flour instead?
Hi Dessa, You can substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavier with the heavier flour, though.
Hi. Can we sub whole wheat flour for the all purpose? Thank you
Hi Katie, You can substitute the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour. The bread will taste a bit heavier with the heavier flour, though
Can this recipe be prepared with chopped zucchini versus shredded?
Hi Lori! Shredded zucchini is necessary for this recipe, it adds flavorless moisture.
Thank you. I was curious because I don’t have efficient way to shred the zucchini and I had seen another recipe that used chopped zucchini and chopped apples.
Just curious what is the moisture level difference between shredded zucchini versus chopped?
This bread looks amazing! Is it still going to work if I reduce the agave/honey a bit, so I can get a more neutral bread instead of sweet?
Hi Elena! We haven’t tested it, but you should be able to reduce the sweetener to 1/4 – 1/3 cup without issue.
Oh my God…This recipe is soooo good. I used whole-wheat flour and maple syrup and this bread was half fine before it cooled down. My lil ones and hubby lovedddd it. It’s perfect for breakfast bread too.
I made my first ever Zucchini Bread with this recipe like an hour ago…so DELICIOUS. Made my husband a believer. Hopefully my toddler will eat it tomorrow because veggies, right?! Now I’m making a second to freeze for next week!!! this one with walnuts and chocolate chips on top. Thank you so much for this recipe! Has anyone ever tried it with gluten free flours? also…how are you supposed to freeze bread…hmmm….
oh I did sub regular granulated sugar in the first bread and the second one i used coconut palm sugar which added some really nice color to the bread.
Are you supposed to drain the zucchini of excess moisture?
Hi Michelle! If your zucchini is extra wet, just give it a few blots before adding to the batter.
I have made this so many times and it always comes out! I typically have to bake this for an extra 5-10 minutes but that’s not a problem at all. I follow the recipe exactly as it states and I add in chocolate chips. I have tried it with the orange zest but I wasn’t the biggest fan.
This is a delicious zucchini bread recipe, definitely worth a try! Multiple tries! It will become your go to recipe. Thank you, Sally!
What are the nutritional facts? Calories per what amount?
Hi Amelia! We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
I’ve made this recipe once or twice before and I love it!!
I was wondering if it would work to add chunks of apple instead of raisins or nuts? I usually always do chocolate chips, but my husband isn’t a fan when I do that, and we can’t do nuts or raisins.
Thank you in advance! ☺️
-Alyssa
Hi Alyssa, so glad to read you enjoy this bread. You can definitely use chopped apple instead of nuts or raisins. Feel free to peel it or leave the peel on, your choice.
Delicious! So moist and flavorful. I used Vanilla Greek yogurt so I reduced the vanilla extract by half. I added the walnuts too. This is my new favorite recipe! I have a lot of zucchini so I’m making more to freeze for later when I have company.