Zucchini Bread

Low FODMAP zucchini bread made with a gluten-free 1:1 flour blend, grated zucchini, eggs, sugar, oil, and cinnamon, with optional dark chocolate chips.

Prep 15 min

Cook 55 min

Serves 10

Gluten-freeDairy-freeVegetarian

Ingredients

• 2 cups (300g) gluten-free 1:1 flour blend
• 1 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups (about 180g) grated zucchini, lightly packed (no need to peel)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150g) white or cane sugar
• 1/2 cup (120ml) neutral oil (light olive, sunflower, or rice bran)
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• Optional: 1/2 cup (85g) dark chocolate chips, or 1/2 cup (60g) chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions

Prep the pan and zucchini

1. Preheat the oven to 350F (175C). Grease a 9x5 inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan and line it with a parchment sling.
2. Grate the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater. If it looks very wet, press it lightly in a clean towel, but leave some moisture behind for a tender crumb.

Mix the batter

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla until smooth.
3. Stir the grated zucchini into the wet mixture.
4. Add the dry ingredients in two additions, folding just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix. Fold in the chocolate chips or nuts, if using.

Bake and cool

1. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
2. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Gluten-free loaves can brown on top before the center sets, so rely on the skewer rather than the color.
3. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then lift the loaf out and cool it fully on a rack before slicing. Gluten-free breads firm up and hold together better once cooled.

Tips & Substitutions

• Weigh the flour. Gluten-free blends vary in density, so 300g on a scale gives a more reliable crumb than measuring by cup, which can pack in too much and dry the loaf out.
• Check your flour blend. Use a plain rice-and-starch based GF 1:1 blend and skip blends built on chickpea, lentil, soy, or amaranth flour. Watch for added inulin or chicory root. See gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
• Chocolate chip version. Fold in 1/2 cup (85g) dark chocolate chips. Dark chocolate carries less lactose than milk chocolate, and a single slice here stays well under Monash's low FODMAP serving of about 5 squares (25g). Choose dairy-free chips to keep the loaf dairy-free.
• Nut option. Walnuts or pecans add crunch. Monash lists walnuts and pecans as low FODMAP at about 15 nut halves (30g); 1/2 cup across 10 slices is about 6g per slice.
• Butter swap. Neutral oil keeps this dairy-free, but you can use melted butter for flavor if lactose is not an issue for you.
• Sweetener notes. White or cane sugar gives the best texture. You can replace up to 2 tablespoons with maple syrup. Skip agave and polyol "sugar-free" sweeteners like xylitol and sorbitol, which are high FODMAP.

Why This Works

• Zucchini is low FODMAP. Monash lists zucchini as low FODMAP in servings up to about 65g. Grated across a 10-slice loaf, each slice holds far less, so you get the moisture while each slice stays well under that serve.
• GF flour replaces wheat fructans. A rice-and-starch 1:1 blend removes the fructans found in wheat flour, and xanthan gum restores the structure that gluten would normally provide.
• Cane sugar over honey. White or cane sugar is low FODMAP at the amount used. Honey is low only at about ½ teaspoon per serving and agave is high FODMAP, so sugar does the sweetening here.
• Oil instead of dairy. Using oil rather than butter or milk keeps lactose out of the batter, so the loaf works for both gluten-free and dairy-free needs. Look up any ingredient in the FODMAP Foods app to see how its rating changes with portion size.

Storage

Store the cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week. To freeze, wrap individual slices, freeze for up to 3 months, and thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the toaster. Gluten-free loaves dry out faster than wheat versions, so keep them well wrapped and slice only what you plan to eat.