There’s nothing better than the smell of cinnamon and vanilla wafting through the kitchen, especially when it means a loaf of sweet, high-rising, quick bread is on the way. This gluten-free chocolate chip zucchini bread has become a favorite in our house. I especially like it because it uses a simple blend of brown rice flour, almond flour and cornstarch.
Texture and Flavor
This recipe is not just for those avoiding gluten, but for anyone who loves a tender, flavorful loaf that walks the line between breakfast and dessert. It’s light, moist, and subtly sweet, with the perfect balance of structure and softness thanks to a blend of brown rice flour, cornstarch, and xanthan gum. The zucchini is shredded rather than grated, so you aren’t exactly “hiding vegetables”, but kids will love the chocolate chips and sweetness so you may actually turn them on to zucchini with this.
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
While I think of this as “my” zucchini bread (and hope it will be yours), the recipe is from The Big Book of Gluten-Free Recipes, and I only made minor changes since the book’s recipe is just about perfect. I honestly can’t find anything about this recipe I don’t like, and the 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of vanilla is just right. The amount of nutmeg and cloves is barely noticeable, they just add nuance, so go ahead and keep them.
Brown Rice Flour Weights
If you’re sold on this bread but don’t have the brown rice flour yet, here’s a tip. Brands vary in density. I always use super-fine and my favorites are Authentic Foods, Anthony’s and the house brand sold by Vitacost, which is an excellent value. Bob’s Red Mill brown rice flour is heavier. A cup of Bob’s runs around 165 grams, while others are 135. If your gluten-free breads aren’t working out quite right, check your brand of rice flour. If using Bob’s, you’ll probably need about 2 tablespoons less.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread
This is an excellent, not-too-sweet, moist and tender zucchini bread that does not have a gritty feel to it even though the main flour is brown rice. The cornstarch really softens the crumb.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice flour (fluffy and very fine) (130 grams)
- ½ cup almond flour (blanched extra fine) (50 grams)
- ½ cup cornstarch (64 grams)
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 2 large eggs (95-110 grams)
- ½ cup oil, any neutral oil should work
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- ½ cup applesauce
- 1 tablespoons vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup mini chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 ½ cups peeled and grated zucchini (volume is approximate) (170 grams) before draining and (160 grams after)
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch metal loaf pan.
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In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly and evenly mix the rice flour, almond flour, cornstarch, xanthan gum, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves together.
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Whisk together eggs, oil, sugar, applesauce and vanilla.
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Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir with a heavy duty scraper until evenly mixed. Stir in the zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts (if using)
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Scrape the batter (it should be pretty thick) into pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then remove from the pan and let cool completely.
Notes
This is the weight of the zucchini before being drained. After draining the weight was about 215 grams.
