Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread with Maple Glaze

It doesn’t take much to coax zucchini toward sweetness. Once it’s grated and baked into a loaf like this, its gentle flavor leans more toward a just-barely-ripe apple than a garden vegetable, adding moisture, body, and subtle sweetness to this gluten-free zucchini bread. Made with tigernut flour, it’s also an egg-free Paleo and AIP zucchini bread, with a naturally nutty flavor (despite tigernuts not being nuts at all). Date syrup, cinnamon, and a touch of mace bring cozy autumn warmth without making the loaf overly sweet, while a maple glaze adds just the right finishing touch. And it feels equally at home on a late summer table or alongside the first crisp mornings of fall.

How this gluten-free zucchini bread recipe fits AIP and Paleo

This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free, making it suitable for both the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) and Paleo diets. It uses mace in place of nutmeg, since mace is AIP-friendly while nutmeg is a seed spice. If you’re following Paleo or aren’t avoiding seeds and seed spices, you can substitute an equal amount of nutmeg if you prefer its flavor.

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Start with a couple of small zucchini. Grate them by hand or let your food processor do the work with the shredding attachment. Personally, I’d rather not choose between straining my arthritic hands and making a wonderful loaf of zucchini bread, so I never hesitate to let the food processor earn its keep.

Then, press the zucchini in a single layer between two dishtowels or paper towels, and add some weight on top. You can use a few cans or a baking dish, whatever you have easy access to in your kitchen. Pressing for just a few minutes will pull some of the excess moisture out of the zucchini.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl: Tigernut flour, tapioca flour (also known as tapioca starch), baking soda, cinnamon, mace (or nutmeg) and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the date syrup, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar. Wondering where the egg substitute is? There isn’t one. Instead, this recipe is designed so each ingredient takes over part of the egg’s job: the zucchini provides moisture, the tapioca starch creates structure, the tigernut flour adds body, and the date syrup and olive oil keep the crumb tender.

Mix together the dry ingredients, the date syrup mixture and two cups of lightly-packed pressed zucchini. Yes, you should measure it after you press it to get the most accurate amount. (No need to waste any leftover zucchini. Stir it into vegetable soup, mix it into meatballs or meatloaf for extra moisture, or freeze it to blend into your next smoothie.) Work it together for a few minutes until all of the flour is moist and you have a dough-like batter that holds together.

Scoop the batter into a lightly oiled, parchment-lined 9×5-inch loaf pan, smooth it into an even layer and bake at 350° for about an hour. The loaf is ready when it’s golden and feels set, but with gluten-free baking, I like to confirm doneness with an instant-read thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of achieving the perfect crumb and helps prevent both underbaking and overbaking. Look for an internal temperature of 190° to 195° before removing the loaf from the oven.

Rest the zucchini bread in the loaf pan for 30 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely, around an hour. (I won’t tell anyone if you pop it in the fridge to expedite things.)

You can serve this gluten-free zucchini bread just as is. It’s lightly sweet and great as a breakfast loaf or afternoon snacking cake. If you want to indulge your sweet tooth, a simple combination of arrowroot and maple syrup turn into a smooth icing and glaze, perfect for drizzling over the top.

Whisk the arrowroot and maple syrup together. You can add a few drops of water as needed to thin the glaze to your preferred consistency. This will feel just like a traditional confectioner’s sugar icing, except it’s AIP and Paleo friendly, and completely grain-free, since confectioner’s sugar includes cornstarch.

Once the zucchini bread is completely cooled, drizzle the glaze over the top. It will settle into all those nooks and crannies, and add just a hint of maple to the zucchini bread. I love this recipe to bridge the seasons. It will last a few days and stay moist covered and stashed in the fridge, ready to accompany a cup of tea and satisfy that afternoon sweet-tooth.

Gluten-Free Zucchini Bread

This gluten-free zucchini bread is made with tigernut flour, zucchini, date syrup, and warm spices for a moist, tender loaf finished with a grain-free maple glaze. Dairy-free, egg-free, Paleo, and AIP.

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Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:1 hour hr

Total Time:1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Author: Christina Marche

Ingredients

Zucchini Bread

• 2 small zucchini
• 1¼ cups (140 g) tigernut flour
• 6 tbsp (50 g) tapioca starch
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ⅛ tsp mace
• ¼ cup date syrup
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Maple Glaze

• ¼ cup arrowroot
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• Up to 1½ tsp water, as needed

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
• Grate the zucchini by hand or with a food processor. Spread it in an even layer on a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towels. Cover with another towel and press gently or weigh it down for 5 to 10 minutes to remove excess moisture. Measure 2 cups of the pressed zucchini, lightly packed.
• Whisk together the tigernut flour, tapioca starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and mace in a medium bowl.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the date syrup, olive oil, and apple cider vinegar.
• Add the measured zucchini and the date syrup mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until a thick, dense batter forms, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
• Bake for about 60 minutes, until the loaf is golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 190° to 195°.
• Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
• To make the glaze, whisk together the arrowroot and maple syrup until smooth. Add water a few drops at a time until the glaze reaches a pourable consistency, using up to 1½ teaspoons, as needed. Drizzle over the cooled loaf before slicing.

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: AIP, AIP Modified, Paleo